PT-1 “Irreversible Judgment” (Nahum 3:18-19)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/24/2026 9:29 AM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  PT-1 “Irreversible Judgment”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Nahum 3:18-19

            Message of the verses:  “Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria; Your mighty ones are lying down.  Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to regather them.  There is no relief for your breakdown, your wound is incurable.  All who hear the report about you will clap their hands over you, for on whom has not your evil passed continually? (Nahum 3:18-19 NASB)

            Now this morning I begin the very last section of the book of Nahum, and I have mentioned that once I am done with Nahum, I will begin to do two SD’s on the book of Luke.  One will be done in the morning and the other will be done in the evening SD.  The book of Luke is the longest gospel and has 40% of things in it that are not in the other three gospels and so that is what makes it the longest of the three gospels.  I have begun looking at Luke already and I am putting those SD’s on the evening Spiritual Diaries.  I have already written Spiritual Diaries on the other three gospels and as I grow older it is my desire to go over Luke, hoping that the Lord will allow me to finish that book.

            John MacArthur writes “As God concluded Nahum’s prophecy, He directed his words to the king of Assyria.  An earlier king of Assyria had been confronted by the prophet Jonah (cf. Jonah 3:6).  But the message of Nahum was different than that of Jonah.  While Jonah gave a warning of judgment, Nahum gave a verdict of judgment.  God commissioned Nahum to declare that while He gives grace to the humble, He executes definitive judgment on the unrepentant (cf. Exodus 34:7; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).”

(cf. Exodus 34:7; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)

7  keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’”

“6  But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

“5 ¶  Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

“Because of Nineveh’s refusal to turn from sin, the Lord determined to pour out His wrath on the city. Divine judgment could neither be halted nor avoided.

            “Having demonstrated that the city’s defenses (Nahum. 3:17), economic resources (3:16), and military forces (3:17) could not withstand the enemy assault, Nahum declared Nineveh’s leadership to be incapable of victory.  Nahum proclaimed to the king that your shepherds are sleeping.  Shepherds commonly refers to those who rule (cf. Numbers 27:17; 2 Samuel 5:2; 7:7; 1 Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:1-24; 37:24), since leaders must exercise constant vigilance in protecting and providing for their people, as a shepherd does for his flock (cf. Luke 2:8).”

(cf. Numbers 27:17; 2 Samuel 5:2; 7:7; 1 Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 37:24)

“17  who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.’”

“2  In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’’”

“7  In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"’

“17  And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’"

“24  "My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.”

(cf. Luke 2:8)

“8 ¶  And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

“But the shepherds of Nineveh had neglected these responsibilities.  Instead of watching, they were sleeping, a euphemism for inactivity and a lack of alertness (cf. Isaiah 56:10).”

(cf. Isaiah 56:10)

“10  His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.”

“In their pride, Nineveh’s leaders became complacent.  Their lack of vigilance made them vulnerable.  To make matters worse, the king’s mighty ones are lying down, operating as if they were secure and without any need to be vigilant (cf. Deut. 33:12, 28; Proverbs 1:33; Jeremiah 23:6).  In their overconfidence, these leaders were lethargic and apathetic.  Such overconfidence would contribute to their downfall.”

(cf. Deut. 33:12, 28; Proverbs 1:33; Jeremiah 23:6)

“12 ¶  Of Benjamin he said, "The beloved of the LORD dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.’”

“28  So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew.”

“33  but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.’”

“6  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  I have mentioned this before in my Spiritual Diaries and that is about a song by Roger Miller, and I don’t know if he is a believer or not. AI states that the name of the song is “Husband’s and Wives.” Released in 1966, this mid-tempo waltz describes a dissolving marriage and highlights how pride and inability to forgive lead to broken relationships.  I think you will get the point.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Pray that the Lord will not allow me to be prideful so that He will hear my prayers, especially for the health of my wife.

2/24/2026 10:10 AM

 

 

 

 

“Zacharias’s Response to Prophetic Revelation” (Luke 1:11-14)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/23/2026 8:48 PM

My Worship Time                                  Focus:  “Zacharias’s Response to Prophetic Revelation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference:  Luke 1:11-14

            Message of the verses:  “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.  Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”

            Now remember that there had not been any revelation from the Lord for 400 years and now we see an angel coming to Zacharias while in the temple of the Lord.  Now even though there had not been any communication from the Lord there were still people living in Israel that had a relationship with the Lord and Zacharias and Elizabeth were two who did. 

            Luke truly begins at the beginning as he begins his gospel message as he records the startling truth than an angel of the Lord appeared to him.  This really was not expected, but I do have to say that there were some in Israel who really did expect the Messiah to come very soon, and the reason for that was that because of the wonderful prophecy in the ninth chapter of Daniel, something I have gone over in different Spiritual Diaries. Let me just say that from the time that Luke begins his gospel that there would be around 33 years for the first part of Daniel’s prophecy in the ninth chapter of his book would take place, in fact the ending of this first part can be seen in the 19^th chapter of Luke. 

            There was another Zechariah who saw the angel in a series of visions earlier (Zechariah 1:9; 2:3; 4:1; cf. Daniel 7:15-16), this Zacharias actually saw this angel with his own eyes. That the heavenly messenger was visible standing to the right of the altar of incense, shows that he was really there; he was not some vague apparition or figment of Zacharias’s imagination.”

(Zechariah 1:9; 2:3; 4:1; cf. Daniel 7:15-16)

9  Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’”

“3  And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him.”

“1 ¶  And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep.”

“15 ¶  "As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16  I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things.”

            We can see that Zachariah’s first response to seeing this angel was understandable:  [he] was troubled…and fear gripped him.  MacArthur states “Troubled translates a form of the verb tarasso, which literally means, ‘shaken,’ or ‘stirred up’ (John 5:7); figuratively, it means, ‘terrified’ (Matt. 14:26), ‘troubled’ (Matt. 2:3), or ‘agitated’ (Acts 17:8).  Zacharias’s fearful reaction was typical of this visited by angels (cf. Judges 6:22-23; 13:15-22; Daniel 8:15; Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9); the presence of such perfectly holy beings made people acutely aware of their sin and God’s judgment of it (Gen. 2:17; 6:5-7; 19:24; Exodus 20:5; Numbers 11:1; 32:23; Deuteronomy 29:20; Psalm 98:9; Isaiah 13:11; Jeremiah 32:19; Ezekiel 18:4).  In light of his obvious terror the angel replied comfortingly, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias’ (cf. Daniel 10:12, 19; Luke 1:30; 2:10).”  Now I have just listed very many verses that MacArthur put in this paragraph and I will not be quoting all of them, but will pick some having the reference posted above the verses. 

(Daniel 8:15; Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9)

“15 ¶  When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.”

“10  Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

“8  I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9  but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’”

(Deuteronomy 29:20; Psalm 98:9; Isaiah 13:11; Jeremiah 32:19; Ezekiel 18:4).

“29  The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.”

“9  before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”

“11  I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.”

“19  great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.”

“4  Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” 

(cf. Daniel 10:12, 19; Luke 1:30; 2:10)

“12  Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”

“19  And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage." And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.’”

“30  And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

“10  And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

            I have read over this passage many, many times and there were times when I really did not understand why Gabriel was hard on him, but perhaps the reason was that by Zachriah not being able to speak made the vision more believable to those around him.  This message was not a message of judgment but a message of blessing to him for he and his wife have been wanting a child for many, many years and I’m sure had given up by this time of having a child.  Even so the angels said “Your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.  The  petition that God would grant them a child was undoubtedly one that Zacharias and Elizabeth had made through the years as mentioned.  However now at last when all hope, humanly speaking, was gone, God in accord with His divine purpose, graciously granted their request, so Zacharias’s wife would bear him a son, and they would give him the name John.  MacArthur adds that John “is the Greek form of the Hebrew name ‘Johanan” (God is gracious’). The choice of that name for the Messiah’s forerunner symbolized the turning point in redemptive history.  God was about to pour out His grace through the gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

            The news that they were to have a son naturally brought great joy and gladness to this older, past child-bearing couple.  However many others would share in their joy and rejoice at his birth, because John would “turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God’ (Luke 1:16) in preparation for Messiah’s imminent arrival.”

            In the same way that this couple and others in Israel were looking forward to Christ’s first coming, I and many other believers are looking for His second coming at the rapture of the Church.

2/23/2026 9:40 PM

 

PT-3 “Inescapable Judgment” (Nahum 3:14-17)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/23/2026 9:32 AM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  PT-3 “Inescapable Judgment”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Nahum 3:14-17

            Message of the verses:  “Draw for yourself water for the siege! Strengthen your fortifications!  God into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!  There, fire will consume you; The Sword will cut you down; It will consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.  You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven—The creeping locust strips and flies away.  Your guardsmen are like the swarming locust.  Your marshals are like a locust-swarm Encamping in the stone walls on a cold day.  The sun rises, and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.”

            John MacArthur writes “Moving from economic prosperity to military power Nahum observed that your [Nineveh’s] guardsmen are like the swarming locust.  Guardsmen likely refers to the royal bodyguard swarming around the king and other noblemen like the locust to shield them from assault.  In addition to Nineveh’s guardsmen, Nahum also addressed your marshals who are like a locust swarm.  Marshals were field commanders (cf. Jer. 51:27) who, like a locust-swarm, led their troops forward into battle to overwhelm the enemy (cf. Amos 7:1).”

(cf. Jer. 51:27)

“27  "Set up a standard on the earth; blow the trumpet among the nations; prepare the nations for war against her; summon against her the kingdoms, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like bristling locusts.”

(cf. Amos 7:1)

“1 ¶  This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.”

“Whether on defense or offense, Nineveh’s military forces were as dense and devastating as hordes of locusts.

            “Nonetheless, Assyria’s economic and military might would be useless in protecting its empire from God’s judgment.  Nahum described that initially Nineveh’s forces would seem ready for battle like the locust encamping in the stone walls on a cold day.  Like those destructive insects, dormant and assembled in dense masses, the Assyrian soldiers would camp inside the city’s fortification ready for battle (Nah. 2:3-5).”

(Nah. 2:3-5)

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. 4  The chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning. 5  He remembers his officers; they stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall; the siege tower is set up.”

“But once the sun rises, the locusts flee; so also, at the dawn of the battle, Ninevite readiness would dissipate.  As the locusts feel the heat of the sun and fly far away so the place where they are is not known, so Ninevite’s soldiers would scatter and flee.  Despite Assyria’s economic and military dominance in prior centuries, its attempts to resist the judgment of God would be ineffective (cf. Job. 18:5-10; 20:24; Isa. 24:17-18; Jer. 15:2-3; Amos 5:18-20).”

(cf. Job. 18:5-10; 20:24; Isa. 24:17-18; Jer. 15:2-3; Amos 5:18-20)

“5 ¶  "Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine. 6  The light is dark in his tent, and his lamp above him is put out. 7  His strong steps are shortened, and his own schemes throw him down. 8  For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks on its mesh. 9  A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare lays hold of him. 10  A rope is hidden for him in the ground, a trap for him in the path.”

“24  He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through.”

“17  Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth! 18  He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.”

“2  And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: "’Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’ 3  I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.”

“18  Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, 19  as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20  Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?”

            “In employing locusts to illustrate the devastation of war, Nahum alluded to the prophet Joel who vividly depicted a locust invasion (Joel 1) to describe God’s eschatological judgment on Israel (Joel 2).  However, Joel also prophesied that God will reverse that judgment so that those who afflict Israel will be afflicted in the same way (Joel 2:25; 3:1-21).”

(Joel 2:25)

“25  I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”

“By using such parallel imagery, Nahum indicated that his prediction concerning Nineveh was the near prophecy that guaranteed the fulfillment of Joel’s end-time prophecy.  The image of Nineveh being consumed by a locust-like army foreshadowed the comprehensive defeat of Israel’s enemies at the end of the age (Nah. 3:15).  In this way, Nahum, a prophet of comfort, used the fall of Nineveh to comfort God’s people.”

(Nah. 3:15)

“15  There will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the locust. Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper!”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  Just as God was faithful in bringing about the prophecies that Nahum made against the Assyrian’s so He will be faithful in fulfilling all of the end-time prophecies that are found in both the Old and New Testament.

My Steps of Faith for Today: I continue to trust the Lord to guide my wife and me on the treatment that she receiving for her cancer.

2/23/2026 9:53 AM

“Zacharias’s Priestly Responsibility” (Luke 1:8-10)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/22/2026 8:05 PM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus: “Zacharias’s Priestly Responsibility”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Luke 1:8-10

            Message of the verses:  Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.  And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.” (NASB)

            Zacharias’s order of serving in the temple of the Lord came two times a year, which is his priestly service before God, as seen in the following portion of our text for this evening: “in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office.  Luke’s understated, mater-of-fact wording does not truly convey to modern readers how thrilled and excited Zacharias would have been for this once in-a-lifetime opportunity.  I have stated that his order came two times a year, but that does not mean that he was in the temple like he is in this situation two times a year.  He was serving inside the temple this time.

            MacArthur writes “To be chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense was the highest honor for a priest.  Because of the large number of priests, many would never have the privilege of performing this sacred rite.  The priests kept the incense in the temple burning perpetually (cf. Ex. 30:7-8; Lev. 16:12-13; 2 Chron. 29:11) in front of the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place (the Holy of Holies; cf. Ex 26:31-33).”

(cf. Ex. 30:7-8; Lev. 16:12-13; 2 Chron. 29:11)

“7  And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8  and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.”

“12  And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13  and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.”

“11  My sons, do not now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.’”

(cf. Ex 26:31-33)

“31 ¶  "And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. 32  And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 33  And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.”

“The incense altar, though located outside the most holy place, was closest  associated with it (Heb. 9:1-5; cf. Ex. 30:1-10; 40:5, 22-27; Lev. 16:12-13).”

(Heb. 9:1-5)

“1 ¶  Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. 2  For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3  Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4  having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5  Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.”

“One priest offered incense each morning and evening while the other priests and the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside the holy place.  Luke’s reference to a large multitude of people suggests that this incident took place during the evening offering, when there would have been a larger crowd.”

            Now as we look at this process that the priest was doing in would normally be done as quickly as possible because he feared ministering so near the most Holy Place.  He was afraid he might do something-even something seemingly trivial—that might be blasphemous or dishonoring to God.  Now this process was different than what was done on the Day of Atonement as that High priest would go into the Holy of Holies to do that special offering and they could hear him moving around there.

            MacArthur concludes this section “The ascending, aromatic cloud of incense smoke symbolized the people’s prayers of repentance, of confession and thanksgiving, for the coming of Messiah, the peace of Jerusalem, the nation, the family, salvation, and for the coming kingdom.  Thus the incense represented the people’s dependence on God (cf. 1 Chron. 29:12), their submission to Him (cf. Deut. 27:10; 1 Sam. 15:22-23), and acknowledged His sovereignty over them (cf. Psalm 103:19).”

(cf. 1 Chron. 29:12)

“12  Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”

(cf. Deut. 27:10; 1 Sam. 15:22-23)

“10  You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.’”

“22  And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23  For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.’”

(cf. Psalm 103:19)

“19 ¶  The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”

2/22/2026 8:39 PM

 

PT-2 “Inescapable Judgment” (Nahum 3:14-17)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/22/2026 9:32 AM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  PT-2 “Inescapable Judgment”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Nahum 3:14-17

            Message of the verses:  “Draw for yourself water for the siege! Strengthen your fortifications!  God into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!  There, fire will consume you; The Sword will cut you down; It will consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.  You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven—The creeping locust strips and flies away.  Your guardsmen are like the swarming locust.  Your marshals are like a locust-swarm Encamping in the stone walls on a cold day.  The sun rises, and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.”

            John MacArthur writes:  “With their defenses destroyed, the Ninevites would be not simply to being killed but to being slaughtered in a shameful execution (Lev. 17:10; 26:22; Deut. 12:29; Josh. 7:9; Jer. 44:7).”

(Lev. 17:10; 26:22; Deut. 12:29; Josh. 7:9; Jer. 44:7).”

“10 ¶  "If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.”

“22  And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted.”

“29  "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,”

“9  For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?’”

“7  And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant?”

“The devastation would be so comprehensive that Nahum compared it to a locust plague.  He exclaimed that the fire and the sword will consume you as the locus does.  Locust plagues were common in ancient times and devoured all vegetation, leaving the land utterly barren (cf. Joel 1:4; 2:25; Amos 4:9; 7:1).”

(cf. Joel 1:4; 2:25; Amos 4:9; 7:1)

“4  What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.”

“25  I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”

“9  "I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me," declares the LORD.”

“1 ¶  This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.”

“Even to this day, world governments spend massive sums per year to combat locust infestations, which can decimate food supplies in places like Africa, Arabia, and India.  Nahum’s prediction was that after flood, fire, and foe ravaged Nineveh, the city would be left as a desolate wasteland.

            “Having compared their enemies to locusts, Nahum then applied that analogy to the Ninevites.  He sarcastically urged Nineveh to multiply yourself like the creeping locust and multiply yourself like the swarming locust.  While the creeping locust referred to the locust at its infant stage, the swarming locust marked the fully grown insect when it swarms together.  The prophet again made it clear that no matter how much Nineveh multiplied its population or military forces, it would be no match for the enemy horde that was coming.  Locust plagues can produce so many locusts that they were invincible because of the size of their city and its army, they had severely miscalculated.

            “The prophet acknowledge that Assyria had indeed amassed immense power throughout its history, observing that you have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven.  One way Nineveh multiplied its might was by increasing its economic resources.  Traders engaged in international commerce, bringing back wares from across the known world (cf. 1 Kings 10:15; Ezek. 17:4; 27:3).”

(cf. 1 Kings 10:15; Ezek. 17:4; 27:3)

“15  besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land.”

“4  He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants.”

“3  and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord GOD: "O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’”

“Such business allowed Nineveh to acquire the best military hardware, operate as the global center of finance, and become seemingly too mighty to fail.  Being more numerous than the stars of heaven, an obvious hyperbole to emphasize the size of the Assyrian economy, Nineveh’s traders acquired countless riches.  They carried out their business, Nahum noted, as the creeping locust that strips and flies away.  The word strips can denote ripping a tunic off of a person (cf. Gen. 37:23), skinning an animal (cf. Lev. 1:6), or removing all the valuables from those slain in battle (cf. 1 Sam. 31:8-9).  Like a locust devouring every grain of vegetation from the land, so these traders appropriated every treasure from the peoples and places conquered by Assyria.’

(cf. Gen. 37:23)

“23 ¶  So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.”

(cf. Lev. 1:6)

“6  Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces,”

(cf. 1 Sam. 31:8-9)

“8 ¶  The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9  So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  Be humble and rely on the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to see me through teaching my Sunday school class this morning without problems.

The last quote from Dr. David Jeremiah’s cards:  “We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. (Brother Lawrence)

“Beloved, let us love on another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7).

2/22/2026 8:10 AM 

 

 

 

PT-3 “Zacharias’s Personal Righteousness” (Luke 1:5b-7)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/21/2026 5:25 PM

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  PT-3 “Zacharias’s Personal Righteousness”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Luke 1:5b-7

            Message of the verses:  “there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blameless in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.  But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.” (NASB)

            This afternoon I desire to finish this section on the verses above from the gospel of Luke as it seemed to me in last evening’s SD that I had to copy and paste some of the many verses that John MacArthur included in his commentary on these verses and so this evening I will make every effort to finish my commentary on these verses.

            We have been looking mostly at Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth in this section two people who were very a very godly couple both from the priestly tribe of Levi and so Zacharias was a priest doing his duty in giving a sacrifice at the temple when he had a visitor from the Lord to talk to him. 

            Now Zacharias and Elizabeth were not merely justified, however; they were also being sanctified as they were walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.  Now we must talk about righteousness and when God imputes righteousness to believers, He also sanctifies them as seen in (1 Cor. 1:30; 6:11).

(1 Cor. 1:30; 6:11)

“30  And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,”

“11  And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Justification and sanctification are inseparably linked, since “Christ…justifies no man without also sanctifying him’ (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, 16, 1). That Zacharias and Elizabeth lived blamelessly before the Lord, but this does not mean that they were sinless, rather that their lives were characterized by obedience to God’s law (cf. Deut. 30:8-10; Josh. 1:8).

(cf. Deut. 30:8-10; Josh. 1:8)

“8  And you shall again obey the voice of the LORD and keep all his commandments that I command you today. 9  The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10  when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

“8  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

They were like Job, as it is written of him who “was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1).

            John MacArthur writes “Ironically, though God viewed Zacharias and Elizabeth as righteous many of those knew them did not.  The sad truth was that they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren.  Many in that culture would have wondered whether sin in their lives had caused God to withhold children, which was recognized as His gift (cf. Gen. 33:5; Ps. 113:9; 127:3).”

(cf. Gen. 33:5; Ps. 113:9; 127:3)

“5  And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.”

“9  He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!”

“3  Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.”

“Childness was an extremely difficult burden for women (and their husbands) to bear in Jewish society, as the Old Testament illustrates (see, for example, the stories of Rachel [Gen. 30:1-2, 23], and Hannah [1 Samuel 1:4-11]).”

Genesis 30:1-2, 23)

“1 ¶  When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!" 2  Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

23  She conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach.’”

1 Samuel 1:4-11

“4  On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5  But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb. 6  And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7  So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8  And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"  9 ¶  After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10  She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 11  And she vowed a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’”

            “Humanly speaking, the situation for Zacharias and Elizabeth appeared hopeless, since they were both advanced in years.  Despite being righteous in God’s sight, they had lived all their married lives bearing the stigma of childlessness.  But those who viewed Elizabeth’s barrenness as God’s punishment for her or her husband’s sin (cf. John 9:1-3) were wrong; hence Luke’s emphasis on the couple’s righteousness.”

(cf. John 9:1-3)

“1 ¶  As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2  And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3  Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

“Their circumstances were sovereignly ordained by God, and they would be vindicated when God gave them a son—and not just any son, but the forerunner to the Messiah, John the Baptist, the first prophet in 400 years, the final prophet of the Old Testament era, and the greatest man who had every lived up until that time (Matt. 11:11).”

(Matt. 11:11)

“11  Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

            Let me just say that the times that we are living in now are much different than when these verses were written, and what I mean to say is that abortion seems to be more common than people not being able to have children.  Perhaps if the ones who can’t have children would get together with those women who want to kill their babies then things would be much better. 

2/21/2026 6:11 PM

 

 

PT1 “Inescapable Judgment” (Nahum 3:14-17)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/21/2026 9:32 AM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  PT1 “Inescapable Judgment”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Nahum 3:14-17

            Message of the verses:  “Draw for yourself water for the siege! Strengthen your fortifications!  God into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!  There, fire will consume you; The Sword will cut you down; It will consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.  You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven—The creeping locust strips and flies away.  Your guardsmen are like the swarming locust.  Your marshals are like a locust-swarm Encamping in the stone walls on a cold day.  The sun rises, and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.”

            In today’s morning SD I will begin to look at the verses above and do as I have been doing, that is quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary along with adding my thoughts and also for the most part looking up any verse references that he adds.  As I read these four verses I am thankful to the Lord that I can gleam truths from MacArthur’s commentary as on my own they do not make a lot of sense to me.

            “Nahum’s prophecy then emphasized that no amount of preparation would spare the city from God’s judgment.  While the Ninevites would make every effort to prepare for battle, they would be destroyed.  Conveying the rhetorically, Nahum taunted the people to draw for themselves water for the siege, storing up a supply in case their access to water was cut off by the enemy (cf. 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:30).”

(cf. 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:30)

“20  The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and all his might and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?”

“30  This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.”

“They were also to strengthen their fortifications by reinforcing the outermost walls.  To do this, the prophet directed them to go into the clay, or the clay pits, to acquire the materials to make bricks.  They were then to tread the mortar to create grout for binding bricks together.  Nahum also told them to take hold of the brick mold to shape the bricks into the proper size.  With clay bricks and mortar, they could build fortifications and reinforce their armaments.  The Hebrew word for take hold shares the same root with strengthen, reinforcing Nahum’s taunting call to the Ninevites to do all they can to defend themselves.  But the prophet’s message was clear: no matter how masterfully they buttressed their defenses, defeat was inescapable.  Their efforts would fail, as any attempt to resist the decree of God fails (Nah. 1:9, 14-15; 2:6-7; 3:15; cf. Isa. 47:12-15).”

(Nah. 1:9, 14-15; 2:6-7; 3:15; cf. Isa. 47:12-15)

9 ¶  What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.”

“14  The LORD has given commandment about you: "No more shall your name be perpetuated; from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image. I will make your grave, for you are vile." 15  Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.”

“6  The river gates are opened; the palace melts away; 7  its mistress is stripped; she is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts.”

“15  He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.”

“12  Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror. 13  You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. 14  Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! 15  Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you.”

            “Nahum proceeded to declare that the very places where Nineveh reinforced their fortifications, prepared their defenses, and drew water, there, fire will consume you.  There, the prophet declared, as if emphatically pointing to the places Nineveh thought would protect them; there would be the very places where the city’s defenses would collapse.  Nahum predicted that fire will consume you as flames engulfed the gates and outer walls while spreading to the inner city.  Though Nahum had previously predicted that the city would be flooded by water (cf. Nah. 2:6), here he also announced that it would be burned by fire.” (9 Robertson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, 90, 124) 

Nahum 2:6

“6  The river gates are opened; the palace melts away;”

“Could both be true?  Historical accounts record that the palaces of the city, including the place of Sennacherib, were burned to the ground. (10 “Armerding, “Nahum,” 599) “Historical accounts also indicate the Nineveh was flooded, and that ‘the king, recognizing in this the fulfilment of the oracle, gathered together his concubines and eunuchs, and, mounting a funeral pyre which he had caused to be constructed, perish in the flames.’ (11Pinches, “Nineveh,” 4:2151).  “Despite the incompatibility of fire and water, God’s Woprd was fulfilled and His prophecy confirmed as Nineveh fell both by flood and by flame.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  As I look at the prophecies that are found in the book of Nahum, I realize that many people do not believe that they would be fulfilled, but this is no problem for God to fulfill these prophecies, and not only fulfill them but have His prophet write about them before they would be fulfilled.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting the Lord to give peace to my wife as she was upset from a young lady’s death with cancer caused by the treatment she received which my wife took.  I believe that the Lord is in control of what is going on in our lives as He promised this in His Word.  God knows best and that I am sure even though it is difficult at times to go through what He has planned for us to go through.

From the pen of David Jeremiah:  “The Bible is bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.” (Author Unknown)

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17)

2/21/2026 10:24 AM