SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/22/2026 9:10
AM
My
Worship Time Focus:
“The Place
of Judgment”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Nahum
2:6
Message of the verse: “The gates of the rivers are opened, And
the palace is melted away.”
6 The river gates are opened; the palace melts
away;” (ESV)
This morning I begin looking at a
new section in the book of Nahum, and will quote from John MacArthur’s
commentary on Nahum, along with my comments, and then copy and paste any verses
that MacArthur uses in his commentary.
“Though Nineveh felt secure in its
defenses, the Lord would intervene and the gates of the river would be opened. The city of Nineveh was located at the
convergence of three rivers. The Tigris
flowed outside the city, while the Khosr and Tebiltu ran through it. All three waterways were sources of Nineveh’s
pride. These rivers provided life for
Nineveh and beautified the city, as Sennacherib utilized them to irrigate
magnificent gardens. The rivers also
formed a natural defense against foreign invaders. However, as the gates of the rivers were
opened, God used the very strength and security of the city—its rivers—as the
primary means of its destructions. Nahum
foresaw that the dams, which regulated the flow of water I n and out of the
capital, would break and a catastrophic flood would destroy the city’s
defenses.
“As Nahum described the devastation,
he added that even the palace would be melted away. The palace of Nineveh was spectacular,
named by Sennacherib as ‘the palace without rival.’ It contained approximately seventy rooms,
with a footprint of 1,650 by 794 feet.
The palace was filled with artwork and reliefs depicting Assyrian
warriors hunting lions, sizing spoil, and savagely conquering other
peoples. This imposing structure was not
merely destroyed; it melted away as water eroded its foundation and the
invading army burned it to the ground (cf. Nahum 3:13).”
(cf. Nahum 3:13)
“13 Behold, your troops are women in your midst.
The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your
bars.”
“The
principal center and preeminent symbol of the strength of Nineveh and Assyria
would crumble, signifying the collapse of its imperial power. Though Nineveh was fully braced for an
intense conflict, it was to no avail.
God would use the irresistible power of flood waters to accomplish His sovereign
purposes.
Once again I can see pride in the
lives of the leaders of the rulers of Nineveh as a problem that was probably
one of the great reasons that God would destroy the city of Nineveh, along with
the entire Assyrian empire. When I was
studying the book of Daniel years ago John MacArthur went through the different
stages of how nations or empires were destroyed, and if memory serves me
correct he was comparing these stages to the United States, and it was not
good. Nations come and go with the
exception of the nation of Israel as can be seen when they became a nation on
the 6th of May in 1948, which was part of the plan of God, all other
nations and kingdoms have come and gone for the most part. I suppose that China has been a nation for a
very long time, and perhaps the reason for their longevity is because God will
use them during the Tribulation period. Back
to Nahum, and MacArthur’s commentary on it.
“Though false prophets of ancient
times oftentimes uttered oracles that would prove untrue (cf. 1 Kings 13:18;
22:13-28; Jer. 28:10-17), Nahum declared a prophecy that was historically
fulfilled.”
(cf. 1 Kings 13:18; 22:13-28; Jer.
28:10-17)
“18 And he said to him, "I also am a prophet
as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring
him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’"
But he lied to him.”
“13 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah
said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are
favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak
favorably." 14 But Micaiah said,
"As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak." 15 And when he had come to the king, the king
said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we
refrain?" And he answered him, "Go up and triumph; the LORD will give
it into the hand of the king." 16
But the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear
that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"
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.’" 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,
"Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but
evil?" 19 And Micaiah said,
"Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his
throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on
his left; 20 and the LORD said, ‘Who
will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said
one thing, and another said another. 21
Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will
entice him.’ 22 And the LORD said to
him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit
in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you
shall succeed; go out and do so.’ 23 Now
therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these
your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you." 24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near
and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the LORD
go from me to speak to you?" 25 And
Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner
chamber to hide yourself." 26 And
the king of Israel said, "Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the
governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, "Put this
fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in
peace."’" 28 And Micaiah said,
"If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said,
"Hear, all you peoples!’”
“10
¶ Then the prophet Hananiah took the
yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. 11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the
people, saying, "Thus says the LORD: Even so will I break the yoke of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two
years." But Jeremiah the prophet went his way. 12 Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had
broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the
LORD came to Jeremiah: 13 "Go, tell
Hananiah, ‘Thus says the LORD: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made
in their place bars of iron. 14 For thus
says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all
these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they
shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.’"
15 And Jeremiah the prophet said to the
prophet Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you
have made this people trust in a lie. 16
Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face
of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion
against the LORD.’" 17 In that same
year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.”
Because of all of these verses I will end my SD for
this morning and Lord willing, will complete this section in tomorrow’s SD
beginning with a quotation that MacArthur has in his commentary.
Spiritual
Meaning for my Life Today: As I look at the downfall of Nineveh along
with the country of Assyria as God through His prophets prophesied it reinforces
the truth that God is in control of this world that He created, and it
reinforces that truth that things will end just like God has planned in
eternity past.
Spiritual
Meaning for my Life Today: Knowing that God is in control of not only
this world, but also my life gives comfort to me, even though there are times
of trouble that come into my life. God
says through the pen of the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans “28 And we know that for those who love God all
things work together for good, for those who are called according to his
purpose.”
From Dr. David Jeremiah’s “Turning
Points Wisdom” “nothing sets a person so much out of the Devil’s reach as
Humility.” (Jonathan Edwards).
Be
clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the
humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under
the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5b-6)
1/22/2026
9:59 AM
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