PT-2 “Divine Prosecution” (Nahum 2:13)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/7/2026 8:40 AM

My Worship Time                                                                    Focus:  PT-2 “Divine Prosecution”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Nahum 2:13

            Message of the verse:  “Behold, I am against you,” declares Yahweh of Hosts.  “And will burn up her chariots in smoke, and a sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the hand, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”

“13  Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.” (ESV)

            I will pick up from where I left off in quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary on Nahum.

            “While He destroyed the Assyrian messengers who promoted their own glory, God would one day send His own messenger as a forerunner to the Messiah.  Recording God’s announcement concerning this, Mark wrote, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’’(Mark 1:2-3; cf. Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1; 4:5, 6).”

(cf. Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1; 4:5, 6)

“3 ¶  A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

“1 ¶  "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”

“5  "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6  And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.’”

“God sent John the Baptist to be that messenger before Christ’s first coming (Luke 3:4-6).  In the future, He will again send a messenger before Christ returns to establish His kingdom.” It is my opinion that as I look at the book of Revelation chapter 11:1-14 that I will quote in a moment after looking at Luke 3:4-6), that it will explain to us about the two witnesses it speaks of.

(Luke 3:4-6).

4  As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways,”

Rev. 11:1-13

1 ¶  Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2  but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.   3 ¶  And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5  And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6  They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7  And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8  and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9  For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10  and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11  But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12  Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13  And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

            Now as we can see in these verses the names of these two witnesses are not given, however as one looks at the “miracles” they do there is great speculation that these two witnesses are Moses and Elijah.  I want to now quote from the gospels of Matthew and also Mark as Jesus explains to His disciples concerning John the Baptist and Elijah. 

“14  and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.” (Matthew 11:14).

10  And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11  He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12  But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands." 13  Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:10-13)

            “God designed Nineveh’s destruction to prefigure the culmination of His plan for redemptive history.  When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, the desirable treasures of the nations will be given to Israel (Nah. 2:9; cf. Hag. 2:8), the world will be emptied so that God’s glory will fill it (Nah. 2:10; cf. Isa. 6:3), the lions of the nations will be put down and the Lion of Judah will be exalted (Nah. 2:11-12; Rev. 5:5), and the messengers of this world will be silenced so that the only message proclaimed will be the good news of Jesus Christ.  While Nineveh’s desolation was grave, it previewed for Israel the Lord’s ultimate victory over all His enemies, providing comfort that God can and will fulfill all His promises.”

(Nah. 2:9; cf. Hag. 2:8)

“9  Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! There is no end of the treasure or of the wealth of all precious things.”

“8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.’

(Nah. 2:10; cf. Isa. 6:3)

10 ¶  On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet,”

“3  And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’”

(Nah. 2:11-12; Rev. 5:5)

11 ¶  Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb?  12  The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.”

“5  And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’”

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  As I look at the things that John MacArthur wrote in this section about how the judgment of Nineveh has future events that will happen in the nation of Israel it gave to me something that I would have never figured out, and it also shows me how the Bible is one book, written by different authors who were led by the Holy Spirit to complete it, and every Word in it is true and every prophecy will come to fruition in the exact time that God deems for it to happen.

My Steps of Faith for Today.  I am going  through a very difficult time in my life, and yet as I study the Word of God I can truly know that the Lord is in control of everything going on, and I certainly must trust Him to do what He wants done in my life to bring me to greater maturity, and to bring glory to His name.

From Dr. David Jeremiah:  “Worry is on old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he things are lead.” (Corrie Ten Boom)

“Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink? Or ‘What shall we wear?’…For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (Matthew 6:31-32)

2/7/2026 9:20 AM

 

“Spiritual Progress” (2 Peter 3:13a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/6/2026 7:16 PM

My Worship Time                                                                               Focus:  “Spiritual Progress”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  2 Peter 3:13a”

            Message of the verse:  “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

            John MacArthur writes:  “Instead of falling prey to the schemes of false teachers, Peter encouraged his readers to pursue Christlikeness and spiritual growth—a goal that every believer should have.  The apostle Paul gave similar instruction to the Ephesians.”

“14  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Eph. 4:14-16)

            MacArthur continues “Grow (auxano) means ‘to advance, or increase in the sphere of.’  We are to grow in grace through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Because of His grace, God forgives the sins of His children (Rom. 3:15; Eph. 1:7; 2:5, 8; cf. Acts 15:11).”

(Rom. 3:15; Eph. 1:7; 2:5, 8; cf. Acts 15:11)

“15  "Their feet are swift to shed blood;”

“7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

“5  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”

“8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

“11  And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.”

“They in turn feed on Scripture (Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 2:15) and commune with Christ (John 1:9-10; 3:10;)”

(Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 2:15)

“11  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

“15  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

(John 1:9-10; 3:10)

9  The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”

“10  Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?”

“In his earlier letter, Peter had commented on this very process, exhorting his readers: ‘Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation’ (1 Peter 2:2).  As their knowledge and maturity increase, Christians are better prepared to fend off destructive doctrines and spiritual deceptions.

            “It is  crucial to note that Peter designated Jesus as both Lord and Savior.  Pursuing a deeper understanding of the fullness of Christ’s person, both in His saving work and His lordship (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 4:15-16; Phil. 2:12-14; 3:10, 12-14), will provide believers with the doctrinal stability they need to avoid being misled.”

(Rom. 5:1; Eph. 4:15-16; Phil. 2:12-14; 3:10, 12-14)

“  1 ¶  Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’

“15  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

“12 ¶  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 ¶  Do all things without grumbling or disputing,”

“10  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”

“12  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

2/6/2026 7:41 PM

 

PT-1 “Divine Prosecution” (Nahum 2:13)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/6/2026 9:33 AM

My Worship Time                                                                    Focus:  PT-1 “Divine Prosecution”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Nahum 2:13

            Message of the verse:  “Behold, I am against you,” declares Yahweh of Hosts.  “And will burn up her chariots in smoke, and a sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the hand, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”

“13  Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.” (ESV)

            This morning I begin a new section from the book of Nahum, and it is from the very last verse in the second chapter, and I have been doing while working on this Old Testament book I will quote from John MacArthur’s commentary, give some thoughts of my own and also quote all of the verses that he brings up in order to make his commentary more understandable.  One more thing and that is as I mentioned in my last SD on 2 Peter that I will probably move my study on Nahum to my evening Spiritual Diaries and I want to use the morning SD to begin what will be a very long study on the Gospel of Luke.

            John MacArthur begins:  “Though the destruction of Nineveh might be attributed to Assyria’s foes, the Lord stated that it was ultimately His doing.  ‘Behold, I am against you,’ declares Yahweh of hosts.’  Nineveh fell because of God’s sovereign intervention.  On account of Assyria’s atrocities against His people, the Lord declared Nineveh to be His enemy.  As Israel’s covenant God and the Captain of heaven’s armies, Yahweh of hosts announced His zeal to avenge His people.

            “The Lord proclaimed that He would ensure every aspect of Nineveh’s downfall.  First, He would destroy their military:  ‘I will burn up her chariots in smoke.’ The chariots, which once symbolized Nineveh’s invincibility (Nahum 2:3) and swiftness (2:4), would become an ash heap, signaling not only the army’s defeat but its annihilation (cf. Josh. 8:21; Judges 20:38).”

(Nahum 2:3)

“3  The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet. The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished.”

(2:4)

“4  The chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning.”

(cf. Josh. 8:21; Judges 20:38)

“21  And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.”

“38  Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city”

            “Second, Yahweh would bring down the next generation of Nineveh’s nobility, exclaiming that ‘a sword will devour your young lions.’  Nahum had earlier prophesied that Nineveh’s young lions, the princes and noble youths (cf. Nah. 2:11), would become homeless and destitute.”

(cf. Nah. 2:11)

11 ¶  Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb?”

“Here, the Lord reiterated that promise.  Though these young men thrived on devouring others, God would cause the sword of Babylonians military to devour them.   

            “Third, God announced He would end Nineveh’s prosperity, saying, I will cut off your prey from the land.’  Nahum recounted that Nineveh had grown wealthy by preying on other nations, subjugating their  people and pillaging t heir goods (cf. 2:12).”

(cf. 2:12)

“12  The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.”

“But God decreed that He would cut off such prey from the land, abolishing Assyria’s ability to conquer and oppress others.  Just as a lion without its prey starves, so Nineveh would collapse and come to nothing.  The Lord would use the Babylonians as His instrument of judgment against Assyria.  Nonetheless, He would be the One behind each part of Nineveh’s colossal fall.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord and He is the One who repays (cf. Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30).”

(cf. Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30)

“35  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’”

“19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

“30  For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.’”

            “Nahum issued a fourth act of divine judgment with these words:  ‘No longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.’  Assyria had often sent its messengers to other lands on diplomatic and military ventures.  Judah experienced this when Assyria sent messengers to intimidate them and insult Yahweh (cf. 2 Kings 19:9, 14, 23).”

(cf. 2 Kings 19:9, 14, 23)

9  Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, "Behold, he has set out to fight against you." So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,”

“14  Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.”

“23  By your messengers you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses; I entered its farthest lodging place, its most fruitful forest.”

“In response to that particular provocation, God sent His own ‘messengers,’ The Angel of Yahweh, to put to death 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (19:35).”

(19:35)

“35 ¶  And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down  185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.”

“As part of its military strategy, Assyria used its messengers to herald its supremacy throughout the ancient Near East.  But after the destruction of Nineveh, those messengers disappeared.  Their deafening silence was a resounding testimony to Assyria’s total dissolution.”

            Looks like I will finish this section in tomorrow mornings SD. 

            I remember a long time ago that I was visiting the church that I attended at that time, and I went into our Pastor’s office and he had some papers laid out on the floor, and it looked like to me that he was about to get down on his knees to have some prayer time.  This reminded me of what Hezekiah did after he heard the news that Assyria was about to attack Judah, and his prayer was answered as we see in this SD that the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians who were about to attack Jerusalem. 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When I think about prayer there are different thoughts that come into my mind.  I think that as a person grows in the Lord that they will get knowledge about prayer as they walk with Him each day.  God sometimes says no to our prayers, but even then I have to trust Him for He is all knowing and can never do anything wrong.  God answered Hezekiah’s prayer as it was totally in His will to do so.  Trust in the Lord to do what He will do is the best thing that can happen.  Jesus prayed on the night that He would be crucified that if it was the will of His Father to take this cup from me, but then He added not my will but your will be done.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting the Lord to bring glory to His name as He deals with my wife’s cancer.

From Dr. David Jeremiah:  “O Lord, let us not live to be useless, for Christ’s sake.” (John Wesley)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

2/6/2026 10:22 AM

PT-4 “Doctrinal Perceptiveness” (2 Peter 3:15b-17)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/5/2026 8:35 PM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  PT-4 “Doctrinal Perceptiveness”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  2 Peter 3:15b-17

            Message of the verses: “just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.  You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,”  (NASB).

            “just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16  as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17  You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” (ESV)

            It looks like that I will be finished with this commentary on 2 Peter in a couple of more days after today.  My plans are then to move my Spiritual Diaries on Nahum from my morning Spiritual Diaries to my evening Spiritual Diaries.  My plans are to begin looking at the gospel of Luke in the morning and I have not yet made up my mind as to what I will look at after that in my evening Spiritual Diaries.  The thought has come to me to use both the morning and evening Spiritual Diaries to work on Luke as that book could take as long as five years to complete if I only do it in the morning.  I think that this will be a need of prayer to figure out what I will be doing as I am not too sure how complicated it will be by using both morning and evening SD’s on the same book of the Bible.

            John MacArthur writes “By distorting the Scriptures, the false teachers were simultaneously securing their own destruction (cf. 2:1, 3-12; 3:7; Jude 10, 13; Rev. 22:18-19), as well as the spiritual demise of their followers.”

(cf. 2:1, 3-12; 3:7; Jude 10, 13; Rev. 22:18-19)

“1 ¶  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”

“3 ¶  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not not asleep. 4  For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5  if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6  if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11  whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12  But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,”

7  But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”

“10  But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.”

“13  wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

“18  I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

“That’s why Peter warns his beloved readers beforehand, so that they might be on their guard against the error such unprincipled men (Phil. 3:2; 1 Tim. 4:1-7; 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 2:15-19; Titus 1:10-16; 3:10).

(Phil. 3:2; 1 Tim. 4:1-7; 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 2:15-19; Titus 1:10-16; 3:10).

“2  Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.”

“1 ¶  Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2  through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3  who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5  for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.  6 ¶  If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7  Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; “

“20  O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21  for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.”

“15  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16  But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17  and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18  who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 ¶  But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.’”

“10  For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11  They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12  One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13  This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14  not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. 15  To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16  They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

“10  As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,”

Unprincipled (athesmon) is literally ‘without law or custom,’ and came to mean ‘morally corrupt’—the essential character trait of spiritual deceivers.

            “In keeping with Peter’s warning, believers must not allow themselves to be carried away by the unscriptural lies of false teachers (cf. 1 Tim. 1:18-19).”

 (cf. 1 Tim. 1:18-19).

18 ¶  This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19  holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,”

“Rather, they must be alert and discerning lest they fall from their own steadfastness.  Steadfastness (sterigmos) indicates firmness, or firm footing; it is the very opposite of being unstable.  Peter’s concern was not that his readers would fall from salvation, but that they might slip from doctrinal stability and lose their confidence in the truth (cf. 1 Cor. 16:13; Eph. 4:14; 1 Thess. 5:21).  For this reason, the apostle urged them to be spiritually perceptive, or discerning, so that their eternal reward would not be diminished (2 John 8).”

(cf. 1 Cor. 16:13; Eph. 4:14; 1 Thess. 5:21)

“13 ¶  Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

“14  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

“21  but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22  Abstain from every form of evil.”

(2 John 8)

8  Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”

2/5/2026 9:13 PM

 

PT-2 “Destruction of Preeminence” (Nahum 2:11-12)

 

MORING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/5/2026 10:32 AM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  PT-2 “Destruction of Preeminence”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Nahum 2:11-12

            Message of the verses:  “Where is the den of the lions And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub prowled, with nothing to make them tremble?  The lion tore enough for it cubs and strangled enough for its lionesses and filled its liars with torn up prey and its dens with torn up flesh.

“11 ¶  Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb? 12  The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.” (ESV)

            This morning I will continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary on the verses above, add my own comments, and quote the verses that he brings up.

            “Nahum further described Nineveh as a place where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub prowled.  This phrase portrayed an entire family of lions, from the father lion, to the mother lioness (cf. Gen. 49), to the lion’s cub.”

(cf. Gen. 49:9)

“9  Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?”

“In Nineveh, the royal families prowled and walked about freely.  They did so without fear and without nothing to make them tremble or feel dread (cf. 27:33).

(cf. 27:33)

“33  Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, "Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.’”

“Prior to Nineveh’s destruction, the rulers moved freely and confidently throughout the city.  But when Nineveh fell, those leaders became powerless and were subjected to the conquering enemy.

            “Nineveh’s humiliation would be particularly shameful for the king of Assyria. Formerly, the king could have boasted, The lion tore enough for its cubs And strangled enough for its lionesses And filled its lairs with torn up prey And its dens with torn up flesh.”  Appearing three times in this verse, tore or torn up emphasizes Assyrian’s brutality against other nations to enrich itself.  Prior to Nineveh’s destruction, the king was able to provide for his cubs—the royal princes and young nobles of Assyria.  He was able to please the lionesses—the queen and other noble women—with strangled prey, that is, the spoils and treasures of conquests.

            “The king of Assyria had also filled its lairs with torn up prey and its dens with torn up flesh, as the city of Nineveh prospered from conquering and subjugating other nations.  In other Old Testament passages, the term liars is used only of an animal’s dwelling but also in reference to a chest or hole where treasure was stored (cf. 2 Kings 12:10; Ezek. 8:7).

(cf. 2 Kings 12:10; Ezek. 8:7)

“10  And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest came up and they bagged and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD.”

“7 ¶  And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall.”

“The king had filled his storehouses with loot captured from those whom he had torn up as prey.  The Ninevites celebrated such barbary as they filled their dens with torn up flesh.  Torn up flesh is the third time the root ‘torn up’ appears in this verse.  This reference is the most graphic use of the verb, describing an animal being eviscerated by predators and scavengers (cf. Lev. 7:24; 17:15; 22:8; Ezekiel 4:14).”

(cf. Lev. 7:24; 17:15; 22:8; Ezekiel 4:14)

24  The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it.”

“15  And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean.”

“8  He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the LORD.’”

“14  Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth."

“Assyria delighted in brutal violence, filling their dens, or palaces and homes, with artwork that commemorated their barbarism.  But Nahum prophesied that the king who used such violence to provide for his you, to please his women, and to prosper his city, would himself become the object of such brutality and humiliation.  Just ad the Assyrians tore up their enemies, so their enemies would tear them to pieces as God would judge the lion of Assyria for his savagery.

            “The dominant imagery of the lion throughout these verses establishes Nahum’s words as a near prophecy that guarantees the fulfillment of more-distant biblical prophecies.  Similar lion imagery is used by other prophets to demonstrate all authority (cf. Jer. 50:7; Ezek. 32:2).”

(cf. Jer. 50:7; Ezek. 32:2)

7  All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said,  We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their habitation of righteousness, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.”

“2  "Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: "You consider yourself a lion of the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers, trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers.’

“Nahum’s announcement of Nineveh’s destruction affirmed that every nation which resists God will ultimately be destroyed.  While those powers imagined as lions will perish, the Messiah will one day reign as the ultimate Lion (cf. Num. 24:9; Ezek. 19:1-6; Hos. 11:10).”

(cf. Num. 24:9; Ezek. 19:1-6; Hos. 11:10)

9  He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.’”

“1 ¶  And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2  and say: What was your mother? A lioness! Among lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs. 3  And she brought up one of her cubs; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men. 4  The nations heard about him; he was caught in their pit, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. 5  When she saw that she waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion. 6  He prowled among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men,”

“10  They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west;”

“Only  one Lion will stand in the end, the ‘Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David’ (Rev. 5:5; cf. Mic 5:8).

(cf. Mic 5:8)

“8  And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.”

“Nineveh’s demise illustrates that God will ultimately destroy all human competitors who present themselves as lions, so that the Messiah, the Lion of Judah, will triumph in glory and power.”

            That is the end of this section, and Lord willing, I will begin the next section “Divine Prosecution” which includes Nahum 2:13, in tomorrow’s SD.  I have to say that I have read over the book of Nahum a number of times as I either read or listen to the Word of God each day, but I am learning many things that I did not know before, and am thankful to pass them on in my Spiritual Diaries.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  I am reminded again that God is in control of what goes on, on planet earth as He made it and controls it, and in the end as Peter states in 2 Peter that one day after the Church age is over, after the Tribulation of seven years is over, and after the Millenium is over that God will destroy everything including the heaven where He resides, for after all Satan has had access to it.  Eternity will begin after that with a New heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem.  Looking forward to that very much.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to work out all of the details that are mentioned above, trust the Lord to continue to work out my wife’s cancer treatment that will bring glory to His name.

From Dr. David Jeremiah:  “No one ever falls into sin as the result of being too watchful. (Author Unknown)

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

2/5/2026 11:22 AM

 

 

 

 

PT-3 “Doctrinal Perceptiveness” (2 Peter 3:15b-17)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/4/2026 9:00 PM

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  PT-3 “Doctrinal Perceptiveness”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  2 Peter 3:15b-17

            Message of the verses: “just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.  You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,”  (NASB).

            “just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16  as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17  You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” (ESV)

            I continue this evening looking at this section of John MacArthur’s commentary on 2 Peter:  “Those complexities opened the door for the untaught and unstable—namely, the false teachers—to distort what Paul taught about the future.  Untaught denotes a lack of information, and unstable a vacillating spiritual character.  Distort speaks of wrenching someone’s body on a torture rack.  The term vividly pictures how the false teachers manipulated certain prophetic issues, twisting them to confuse and deceive the undiscerning.  Such distortion often continues today regarding prophetic revelation.

            “Not surprisingly, the false teachers did not stop with prophecy, but also distorted the rest of the Scriptures, including the biblical teaching on God’s law, repentance, justification by faith, and sanctification.  The fact that Peter placed Paul’s writings on a par with the rest of the Scriptures, including the biblical teaching of God’s law, repentance, justification by faith, and sanctification.  The fact that Peter placed Paul’s writing on a par with the rest of the Scriptures clearly affirms that Paul wrote divinely inspired truth (cf. 1:20-21; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).”

(cf. 1:20-21; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“20  He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21  who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

“13 ¶  And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

“16  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

“The New Testament writers were aware that they were writing the Word of God, as surely as the Old Testament prophets were.  The word translated Scriptures is graphas, from the verb grapho (‘to write’) that occurs about one hundred eighty times in the New Testament, of which half refer to the Bible, ‘the written word.’  The noun graphe is used about fifty times, exclusively of Scripture and inclusive of the Old Testament (e. g., Mark 12:10) and the New Testament as this reference makes clear (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3). 

(e. g., Mark 12:10)

“10  Have you not read this Scripture: "’The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;”

(cf. 1 Cor. 15:3)

“3  For I delivered to you as of that which first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,”

2/4/2026 9:25 PM 

 

 

 

 

PT-1 “Destruction of Preeminence” (Nahum 2:11-12)

 

MORING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/4/2026 8:42 AM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  PT-1 “Destruction of Preeminence”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Nahum 2:11-12

            Message of the verses:  “Where is the den of the lions And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub prowled, The lion tore enough for its cubs And strangled enough for its lionesses And filled its lairs with torn up prey And its dens with torn up flesh.”

“11 ¶  Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb? 12  The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.” (ESV)

            I begin a new section from the book of Nahum, and use John MacArthur’s commentary to help us understand what seems to me to be a verry difficult couple of verses.  I will also quote any of the verses that he includes in this section along with adding any commentary from my perspective.

            “Nahum emphasized Assyria’s fall from preeminence by posing a rhetorical question to Nineveh’s leadership:  ‘Where is the den of the lions?’  In ancient times, the lion, representing the top of the food chain, signified nobility, supremacy, and military might (cf. Num. 23:24; 24:9; Judges 14:18).”

(cf. Num. 23:24; 24:9; Judges 14:18)

24  Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.’”

“9  He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.’”

“18  And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.’”

“The lion was a fitting symbol both for warriors (cf. 2 Sam. 1:23) and for rulers (cf. Ezek. 19:2, 6).”

(cf. 2 Sam. 1:23)

“23  "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.”

(cf. Ezek. 19:2, 6)

“2  and say: What was your mother? A lioness! Among lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs.”

“6  He prowled among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men,”

“Nahum’s use of this metaphor to depict Assyria’s royalty was particularly appropriate.  Assyrian kings hunted lions (as ancient carvings depict), portrayed themselves as lions, and even imagined the Assyrian empire as a lion on account of its ferocity and cruelty. “3 “A. Kirk Grayson, ‘Mesopotamia,’ The anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday 1992) 4:748-49; Elnathan Weisesert, ‘Royal Hunt and Royal Triumph in a Prism Fragment of Ashurbanipal (82-5-22,2), ‘in Assyria 1995: Proceedings of the 10^th Anniversary Symposium of the Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project (The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 1997), 339-58.”  Nahum’s rhetorical question drove home the reality of the Ninevites’ defeat.  Thus, he asked where their den or home had gone.  Those who once boasted in their supremacy and strength had become lowly and weak.  Those who formerly lived in palaces were either killed or homeless captives.

            “Nahum continued by inquiring whether the feeding place of the young lions still existed.  The prophet’s point was that, in addition to forfeiting heir home, the Ninevites would also lose their future leaders.  Young lions are older cubs or sub-=adult lions learning to hunt their prey.  A young lion would be particularly aggressive (cf. Judges 14:5; Jer. 25:38), loud (cf. Isa. 5:29; 31:4), and hungry (cf. Ezek. 19:3; Hos. 5:14).”

(cf. Judges 14:5; Jer. 25:38)

5  Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring.”

“38  Like a lion he has left his lair, for their land has become a waste because of the sword of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.’”

loud (cf. Isa. 5:29; 31:4), and hungry (cf. Ezek. 19:3; Hos. 5:14)

“29  Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue.”

“4  For thus the LORD said to me, "As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.”

“3  And she brought up one of her cubs; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men.”

“14  For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.”

“In like manner, the royal youths of Assyria were bloodthirsty warriors-in-training, eager to conquer nations and ammas riches.  To continue Assyria’s tradition of conquest, these young men were raised in Nineveh as their feeding place, the location where they learned the skill of warfare.  With destruction of the capital, Assyria would no longer be able to raise up future generations of violent warriors.”

            I have to say that I find this interesting how Nahum uses word pictures in order to show how these Ninevites were living and acting out their lives.

Spiritual Meaning for My life Today:  First of all the appointment with the dentist certainly was an answer to prayer as my wife was praying for me while I was their.  Second I wonder how it is that the Lord would tell my story in the way that He tells other people’s and nations stories.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Praying for my  wife’s cancer treatment that she will be getting this morning, that all will go well.

From Dr. David Jeremiah story cards:  “You are in His hands and He is Lord.” (David Jeremiah)

“Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:10)

2/4/2026 9:35 AM