SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/8/2025 9:45
AM
My
Worship
Time Focus: “Intro to Nahum”
THEMES (GRACE AND WRATH OF GOD)
I continue to quote from John
MacArthur’s commentary in the introduction to Hanum, under the second topic under
THEMES, “Grace and Wrath of God.”
“As Nahum began his prophecy, he explicitly
stated that ‘Yahweh is slow to anger’ (Hanum 1:3), a practical
expression of God’s grace. The Lord’s
longsuffering was the exact attribute Jonah recounted in his complaint to God
fore delivering the Ninevites. Jonah
exclaimed, ‘I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to
anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning evil’
(Jonah 4:2). Nineveh had experienced
the blessing of divine grace in the days of Jonah (3:5-10), and Nahum recalled
such mercy in his book. He declared that
God is goo and a strong defense on the day of distress (Nah. 1:7).
“However, a later generation of
Ninevites returned to the wickedness that had historically characterized
Assyria (cf. Nah. 1:2, 9; 2:13).” “A
jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His Adversaries, And
He reserves wrath for His enemies.” “Whatever
you devise against the Lord, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.” “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord
of Hosts. “I will burn up her chariots
in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from
the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.’” “They assumed they could pursue idolatry,
immorality, and brutality, without having to face divine judgment (cf. Zeph.
2:15).” “This is the exultant city Which dwells securely, Who says in her
heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’
How she has become a desolation, A resting place for beasts! Everyone who passes by her will hiss And wave
his hand in contempt.” “Therefore,
throughout Nahum’s prophecy, beautiful descriptions of God’s mercy are
juxtaposed with somber reminders of His wrath.
Hahum described the Lord as jealous, avenging, wrathful, and righteously
indignant (1:2). He will not leave the guilty
unpunished (1:3). God’s anger is so
fierce that no one can endure His judgment (Nah. 1:6; cf. Heb. 10:27, 31; 12:29). While the Ninevites thought they could
withstand or escape divine punishment (cf. Zeph 2:15), Nahum declared that
though God is slow to anger, He is also a righteous Judge who is great in power
(Nah. 1:3).
“To illustrate God’s power, Nahum
first depicted Yahweh’s supremacy over nature.
He stated that when God pours out His wrath, the sea and the rivers
become dry (1:4), the fertile regions of Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon languish
(1:4), the mountains and the hills quake and dissolve (1:5), the immovable
rocks are torn down (1:6), and the entire world is thrown into upheaval
(1:5). Focusing on the Ninevites, Hanum
stated that God would flood them in judgment so that the city would be destroyed
(1:8), pursue them into darkness (1:8), destroy all their wicked plans (1:9),
consume them like fire scorches stubble (1:10; 2:13), cut them off irrevocably
(1:11, 15; 2:13), and end their name forever (1:14; 2:13). To any who presume upon God’s grace like
Nineveh did, Nahum’s prophecy serves as a sober reminder that though the Lord
is abundant in grace and lovingkindness, He is also perfectly holy and righteous. As the author of Hebrews declares, “It is
a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God’ (Heb. 10:31).
Spiritual
Meaning for My life today: I never want to take advantage of the grace
and mercy that God has bestowed upon me, but serve Him all the days of my
life. I want to remember that living in
the United States brings great freedoms and other things, but I am a citizen of
Heaven and am here to get the good news of the gospel out to those that I can.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: I continue to trust the Lord to guide
my wife into the plan He has for her in dealing with her cancer.
12/8/2025
12:44 PM
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