SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/19/2026 8:52
AM
My
Worship Time Focus:
PT-4 “The
Purpose of Judgment”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Nahum
2:1-2
Message of the verses: “The one who scatters has come up against
you. Guard the fortification, watch the
road; Strengthen your loins, instill your power with exceeding courage. For Yahweh will restore the majesty of Jacob
Like the majesty of Israel, Even though those who empty them have emptied them
to destruction and ruined their vine branches.”
“1
¶ The scatterer has come up against you.
Man the ramparts; watch the road; dress for battle; collect all your strength.
2 For the LORD is restoring the majesty
of Jacob as the majesty of Israel, for plunderers have plundered them and
ruined their branches.” (ESV)
It is my desire to finish this
section this morning as I continue to write my Spiritual Diaries in the way
that I have been for a while, and that is to quote from John MacArthur’s
commentary, and some of my thoughts and then also look up any verses that
MacArthur has mentioned in his commentary so that I can get the full meaning of
the verses that I am studying.
“Nahum proclaimed that God’s plan
for Israel will be fulfilled even though those who empty them have
emptied them to destruction. Assyria’s
violence against God’s people, which emptied the northern kingdom of
Israel to the point of destruction and desolation, did not thwart God’s
purpose for His own. Yahweh’s promises
for Israel would not fail even though Nineveh had ruined Israel’s vine
branches by destroying its vineyards.
While Israel was often depicted as a vine (cf. Psalm 80:8; Isaiah 5:1-7;
Jer. 2:21), the term for vine branches describes literal vineyards and,
specifically, the luscious and fruitful boughs of a mature grapevine.”
(cf. Psalm 80:8; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jer.
2:21)
“8
¶ You brought a vine out of Egypt; you
drove out the nations and planted it.”
“1
¶ Let me sing for my beloved my love
song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and
planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and
hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it
yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, O
inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my
vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why
did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I
will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it
shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste; it shall not
be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the
clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the
men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold,
bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!”
“21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of
pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?”
“In the
book of Numbers, when the twelve spies surveyed the Promised Land, they cut
down on of these vine branches to show the Israelites the bounty of the
land that God promised them (Num. 13:23).”
(Num. 13:23)
“23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut
down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it
on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs.”
“Israel’s
land was famous for its abundant agriculture, but Assyria ruined and
destroyed the countryside. Despite this,
Yahweh promised to restore the majesty of Jacob. As Amos described, one future day Israel ‘will
also plant vineyards and drink their wine and make gardens and eat their fruit’
(Amos 9:14). The Lord assured His people
that neither the Assyrians’ conquest of Israel nor their efforts to defend
their capital city could thwart the sovereign purposes of God. In the end, Nineveh would be destroyed, and
Israel will be exalted and blessed during the millennial kingdom.”
I once heard a quote, but do not
remember who said it: The people of Israel have always stood at the graves of
those who were persecuting them. God said
to Abram: “1 ¶ Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from
your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will
show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make
your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will
curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”
(Genesis 12:1-3) God surely is
fulfilling this promise that he gave to Abram, and will continue to do so. Paul wrote in Romans 11:26 “26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as
it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness
from Jacob’”
“It is noteworthy that Nahum repeated the word ‘empty’
to describe the destruction of the Assyrians carried out against Israel. In Hebrew, the word ‘empty’ is baqaq,
which is the sound of water emptying from a bottle or jug. This was particularly appropriate given that
Nineveh would be destroyed by water flooding the city (cf. Nah. 2:6).”
(cf. Nah. 2:6)
“6 The river gates are opened; the palace melts
away;”
“Just as
God promised to curse those who curse Israel (cf. Gen. 12:1-3);…so He would empty
those who had emptied Israel. Nahum
impressed upon his readers that as they saw this prophecy fulfilled, they ought
to recognize Yahweh as the one true God, who alone declares the end from the
beginning (Isa. 46:10).”
I have quoted Genesis 12:1-3 above,
and now I will quote Isaiah 46:10.
Isaiah 46:10
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from
ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will
accomplish all my purpose,’”
Spiritual
Meaning for my Life today: As we look at the different
prophecies found in the Word of God, and in particular the one we are looking
at now the one thing that stands out is that God is in complete control of all
the things that go on, on planet earth, and for that I am thankful.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: I continue to pray for the problem that is
going on with my wife after her last infusion for her cancer, asking that the
Lord will care for this very soon.
The
following is from Dr. David Jeremiah’s cards that have different sayings on
them.
“Our
strength is seen in the things we stand for; our weakness is seen in the things
we fall for. (Theodore Epp)
“Whoever
has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”
(Proverbs 25:8).
1/19/2026
9:39 AM
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