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

 

PT-2 “Zacharias’s Personal Righteousness” (Luke 1:5b-7)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/20/2026 9:48 PM

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  PT-2 “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 evening I continue to look at these verses above and Lord willing will finish this section this evening.

            We are talking about Zacharias and Elizabeth in this section and as we can see they were a remarkable pair of true believers well suited to be the parents of the forerunner of the Messiah.  I know that in the Jewish people of that day, and probably today too that if you were childless people began to talk about why the Lord has not allowed you to have children.  This story will be similar to the story of Abraham and Sarrah who were both old and did not have any children.  The child that Sarrah gave to Abraham continue the process of beginning the Jewish race as their offspring Isaac would be the father of Jacob, and Essau who both began races of people, but Jacob would have the twelve children who would father the twelve tribes of Israel.  Zacharias and Elizabeth would bring the forerunner to the Messiah with their union. 

            John MacArthur writes “In a bleak period of hypocrisy, legalism, and defection from the true worship of God, they were both righteous.  And unlike the self-righteous hypocrites whom Jesus excoriated (cf. Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 23:13-29; John 5:44), Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous not in the sight of men, but in the sight of God.  God justified them the way He has always justified the redeemed: by faith.  As Moses wrote to Abraham, ‘Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness’ (Gen. 15:6).  Zacharias and Elizabeth believed in the true and living God and the revelation of His Word in the Old Testament (cf. Acts 24:14).”

(cf. Acts 24:14)

“14  But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,”

“They also believed that God’s law was right and true (cf. Ps. 19:7-8; Rom. 7:12) but knew that they could not keep it (cf. Acts 15:10; Rom. 3:20; 8:7; Gal. 2:16; 3:11,24).  Because Zacharias and Elizabeth realized that they fell short of the law’s standards of righteousness, they also knew that they needed to turn in repentance and faith (cf. Hab. 2a:4; Luke 18:13-14) to a merciful, gracious and loving God.”  Now I will not take the space to copy and paste all of these verses above, but those verses, at least many of them help us to see the way that God saved people in the Old Testament as they looked forward to the Messiah to take away their sins, while we look back at what the Messiah did in order to save New Testament believers.  There will be more verses referenced as I continue through this section, and please take the time to look them up on your own, as I will only quote a few of them.

            MacArthur goes on to write “He would then grant them forgiveness (Ps. 130:3-4; Isa. 1:18; Dan. 9:9; Mic. 7:18-19; Acts 10:43) and not impute their sins to them (Ps. 32:1-2; Rom. 8:33-34; cf. Rom. 3:25-26; 4:3, 9).”  Ok these are some very important verses for us to look at this evening and even though I will probably not get through this section this evening I think now that I will take the time and space to copy and paste these verses.

(Ps. 32:1-2; Rom. 8:33-34; cf. Rom. 3:25-26; 4:3, 9)

“1 ¶  «A Maskil of David.» Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

“33  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

“25  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

“3  For what does the Scripture? say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

“9 ¶  Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.”

“The basis for that forgiveness was Messiah’s sacrificial death on behalf of all who believe (Isa. 53:5-6, 10-12).

(Isa. 53:5-6, 10-12)

“5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned— every one— to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

“10 ¶  Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

“Thus God covers the penitent sinner with His righteousness, as Isaiah wrote centuries earlier:  ‘I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness’ (Isa. 61:10; cf. 53:4-6).

(Isaiah 53:4-6)

“4 ¶  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned— every one— to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

“Zacharias and Elizabeth were shining examples of the godly remnant of believing Jews in the midst of an apostate nation.  They were declared righteous by grace through faith according to the new covenant promise to be ratified in the death of Christ.”

            I will stop here and Lord willing I will finish this section tomorrow evening, as it seemed to me good to quote these very important verses here.

2/20/2026 10:29 PM

 

 

 

PT-3 “Inevitable Judgment” (Nahum 3:8-13)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/20/2026 10:18 AM

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

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  “Nahum 3:8-13”

            Message of the verses:  “8 ¶  Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with water around her, her rampart a sea, and water her wall? 9  Cush was her strength; Egypt too, and that without limit; Put and the Libyans were her helpers. 10  Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity; her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; for her honored men lots were cast, and all her great men were bound in chains. 11  You also will be drunken; you will go into hiding; you will seek a refuge from the enemy. 12  All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs— if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater. 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.”

            This will be a short SD as there is not much left to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary.

            “Describing the helpless state of Nineveh’s citizens, God declared, ‘Behold, your people are women in your midst!’  Nineveh considered itself to be valiant (Nah. 2:3), mighty (2:5) and even like a lion (2:11).  But the Lord assessed the Ninevite people as being like women.  In ancient Near Eastern culture, women generally lacked fighting ability (cf. Jer. 50:37; 51:30), dominant physical strength (cf. Isa. 19:16), and leadership training (cf. Isa. 3:12).

(cf. Jer. 50:37; 51:30)

“37  A sword against her horses and against her chariots, and against all the foreign troops in her midst, that they may become women! A sword against all her treasures, that they may be plundered!”

“30  The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting; they remain in their strongholds; their strength has failed; they have become women; her dwellings are on fire; her bars are broken.”

(cf. Isa. 19:16)

“16  for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.”

(cf. Isa. 3:12)

“12  My people— infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.”

“The weak and cowardly citizens of Nineveh would succumb fully to their enemies when ‘the gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies.’  Not only would the gates be opened but they would be opened wide, giving Nineveh’s enemies full access to the city.  Having entered with force, the Babylonians would set fire to the city so that the fire consumes your gate bars, destroying the beams used to seal and secure the gates (cf. 2 Chron. 14:7; Neh 3:14, 15).  Once the gates were destroyed, stopping the invasion was no longer possible.”

(cf. 2 Chron. 14:7; Neh 3:14, 15)

“7  And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered.”

“14  Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 15  And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David.”

            “The reference to Thebes set a historical precedent for God’s judgment of Nineveh.  Because it was fresh on his mind, Nahum likely proclaimed his prophecy shortly after Thebes fell.”  This comes from the “date” section at the beginning of John MacArthur’s introduction to the book of Nahum:  “The prophecy of Nahum is typically dated to a time between 663 BC and 627 BC.”  “Thebes was conquered around 663 BC, but partially rebuilt around 654 BC.  It is likely that Nahum prophesied between those two dates, since the image he painted of Thebes was that of a city still in ruins.  At this time approximately forty years prior to the destruction of Nineveh (in 612 BC), Assyria was still a prominent power.  By predicting Nineveh’s fall decades before it took place, Nahum’s prophecy testifies bot to God’s perfect knowledge of the future and His inexorable judgment of the wicked.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today: As I look at the highlighted portion above, I am so very thankful that I know the God of heaven through His Son Jesus Christ, as I don’t need to be concerned about the future because He has it in His hands.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Two things on my mind for this section, things that I have mentioned earlier and the first is I am thankful that the Lord is in control of my wife’s health as she is battling cancer.  Second I am thankful that what I need to teach Sunday school this Sunday will be given to me by the Lord.

From the pen of David Jeremiah:  “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”  (Abraham Lincoln)

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1)

2/20/2026 10:47 AM

 

 

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

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/19/2026 7:42 PM

My Worship Time                                         Focus:  PT-1 “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 evening we begin to look at the first part of the story that Luke gives about Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth as Luke continues to slowly give more information for the background of what he will later say about the Lord Jesus Christ.  Remember he is writing this letter to a friend to let him know the story of the Lord Jesus Christ, and will continue the story for his friend in the book of Acts, and we who read the Bible get to understand this wonderful story of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ along with the beginnings of the Church.

            Now Zacharias’ name means Yahweh has remembered, and that makes perfect sense and Yahweh did remember the he and his wife were childless, similar to Abraham’s story.  Now there were many in Israel who had the same name.  MacArthur states that “this particular Zacharias was just one of thousands of priests in Isreal, carrying out his duties in obscurity in a remote village in Judea.”

            MacArthur explains “To be a priest was to represent God to the people; it was a sacred and respected position (cf. Ex. 29:8-9, 44; Numbers 18:7).  The priests were the agents of God’s rule in Israel’s theocracy.  They brought God to the people as they taught and interpreted Scripture and counseled and judged them (Num. 5:14-15; Deut. 17:8-13; 21:5; 33:8, 10; Mal. 2:7).”  Now we see a large number of verses that help us understand two points that MacArthur has made here and I will not take the time look at all of these verses but will just look at a couple of them from each list.

(cf. Ex. 29:8-9, 44; Numbers 18:7)

“8  Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them, 9  and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”

“44  I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.”

“7  And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.’”

(Mal. 2:7)

“7  For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”

“It was also the priests’ sacred duty to bring the people to God by offering sacrifices in the temple for their sins (Ex. 29:10-19; Lev. 4:13-20; 2 Chron. 29:34; 35:11).”  Now just for a moment thing about how all of this works in the Church age as all believers are priests and so all believers can bring their petitions directly to the Lord.  The Church age believers all have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God and so will receive aid from Him to better understand the Scriptures, and so there is a very big difference between the Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints. 

            Now in the Old Testament times the priests during the course of a year, each priest would leave his local duties to serve in the Jerusalem temple two times  for one week and this explains why Zacharias was there as it was his time to be there, and as we will see this was a very, very special time for his time being in Jerusalem.

            MacArthur explains “Luke’s note that Zacharias was part of the division of Abijah does not necessarily indicate that he was a descendant of Abijah.” This is an interesting fact that MacArthur is about to bring up, “David, Zadok, and Ahimelech had organized the priesthood into twenty-four divisions (cf. 1 Chron. 24:4-19), the eight of which was that of Abijah (v. 10). But after the Babylonian captivity, only four of the twenty-four priestly divisions returned to Judah (Ezra 2:36-38).”  Ok I want to stop this quotation and look at these verses.

(Ezra 2:36-38).

36 ¶  The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. 37  The sons of Immer,  1,052. 38  The sons of Pashhur,  1,247.”

“For the sake of tradition, however, the Jews wanted twenty-four divisions, so the leaders divided the remaining four divisions into twenty-four and restored the former names to them.  So Zacharias, while probably not in the family line of Abijah (Abijah was not one of the divisions that returned after the exile), nevertheless served in the division that bore his name.”

            More facts about the priests and that is that they were expected to marry an Israelite woman who was a virgin as seen in (cf. Lev. 21:7, 14; Ezek. 44:22).  Zacharias went even beyond that, however as he chose his wife from the daughters of Aaron.  Her name was Elizabeth, who was after Aaron’s wife, a name that actually means “My God is an oath” and this celebrates the faithfulness of God.  MacArthur writes “Since all qualified name descendants of Aaron were priests (Ex. 29:9; 40:13-15; Lev. 21:17-23; Num. 3:3; 18:7), she was familiar with the priesthood; most of the men in her family would have been priests.”

            Lord willing I will finish up this section in my next SD on Luke.

2/19/2026 8:27 PM 

 

PT-2 “Inevitable Judgment” (Nahum 3:8-13)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/18/2026 9:28 AM

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

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  “Naham 3:8-13”

            Message of the verses:  “8 ¶  Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with water around her, her rampart a sea, and water her wall? 9  Cush was her strength; Egypt too, and that without limit; Put and the Libyans were her helpers. 10  Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity; her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; for her honored men lots were cast, and all her great men were bound in chains. 11  You also will be drunken; you will go into hiding; you will seek a refuge from the enemy. 12  All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs— if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater. 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.”

            I continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary on Nahum:  “Though Thebes had these formidable advantages, yet she became an exile and went into captivity as her citizens were defeated and became prisoners of war (cf. Exodus 12:29; Num. 31:26; Isaiah 20:4). 

(cf. Exodus 12:29; Num. 31:26; Isaiah 20:4)

“29 ¶  At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.”

“26  "Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the congregation,”

“4  so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt.”

“If the Ninevites thought their city was indestructible (cf. Nah. 2:7, 11); 3:5), they would have done well to remember what happened to No-amon, a city much like their own. 

(cf. Nah. 2:7, 11); 3:5)

“7  its mistress is stripped; she is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts.”

“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?”

“5  Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame.”

            “Nahum then recounted the details of Thebes’ destruction, beginning with the Assyrian attack on the most vulnerable.  The prophet explained that her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street.  This brutal act of violence against infants was horrifying form of cruelty.”  Now let me just stop quoting here and talk about something that now goes on around the world and especially in the United States and that is abortion.  Abortion is murder and abortion is very painful to those babies who are killed in the womb.  I once read a story about a doctor who was used in the abortion industry and while doing an abortion he actually heard the scream of the baby while he was doing what he did to abort it.  It was at this time in his life that he stopped aborting babies.  Yes it is painful on the baby inside the womb to be murdered, and that is exactly what abortion is. Notice the last highlighted verse I quoted and think of that as murder, and then think about the murders that are being done in the womb.

“That such atrocities occurred at the head of every street, the main public junctures of the city, reveals the savage extent of Assyria’s war crimes.  Nahum continued by describing the cruelty against the most honorable.  The Assyrians cast lots for the honorable men and all the great men were bound with fetters.  The most respected and honorable men of the city were shamefully mistreated as the Assyrians cast lots for them, treating them like property or cattle.  The great men, or members of the ruling class, also were bound with fetters to be led away as prisoners of war and slaves.

            “With the words you too, Nahum moved from discussing Thebes to confronting Nineveh directly.  Just as No-amon was toppled, God promised that Nineveh too will become drunk and incapacitated, unable to defend itself from its assailants (cf. Isaiah 29:9; Zech 12:2).”

(cf. Isaiah 29:9; Zech 12:2)

“9 ¶  Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink!”

“12  The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;”

“Though the Ninevites thought they could avoid God’s wrath, having previously experienced His mercy (cf. Jonah 3:9-10), the Lord assured them they would become like Thebes.”

(cf. Jonah 3:9-10)

9  Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish." 10  When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

“Nineveh would be hidden as divine wrath would obliterate the city, causing the people to search for a strong defense as they would flee from the enemy.  If the Ninevites thought such judgment impossible, Yahweh assured them that what He did to Thebes, He would do to them too.  Indeed, the massacre that took place at Thebes in 663 BC paralleled the slaughter thatoccurred at Nineveh in 612 BC.  These ancient cities both serve as memorials to the certainty and severity of God’s judgment on the wicked.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  One of the great troubles that Nineveh had was pride, and pride is one of the great sins, and with the Lords help pride will continue to go from my life and humility would be increasing in my life.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting for the will of the Lord to be done for my wife as she continues to deal with the cancer that has invaded her body.  I am  trusting the Lord to also continue to prepare me for the Sunday school lesson I am to teach this Sunday.

From the pen of Dr. David Jeremiah:  “God’s promises are like stars; the darker the night the brighter they shine.” (David Nicholas)

For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the Glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

2/19/2026 9:38 AM

 

           

 

“HISTORICAL BACKGROUND” (Luke 1:5a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/18/2026 8:26 PM

My Worship Time                                                       Focus:  “HISTORICAL BACKGROUND”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 1:5a

            Message of the verse: “In the days of Herod, king of Judea,

            We will be talking about Herod in this SD.  Herod (Herod I or the Great) is the first and is the best known of the Herod family that is mentioned in the New Testament as the others are Antipas (Luke 3:1; cf. Matt. 14:1-2; Luke 23:7-12), Philip [Luke 3:1], Archelaus [Matthew 2:22], Agrippa I [Acts 12], and Agrippa II [Acts 25:13; 26:1 ff.]).  Now I am not at this time going to quote all of these verses about all of these men, but can say that there is not a good one in the bunch. 

            I heard a story a long time ago that kind of goes along with what I just said about these men.  The story, if I remember came from Chicago and there was a very rich family who had two brothers in it and one of them died.  The surviving brother wanted to have a proper service for his brother and went to a fairly famous Pastor to ask if he would be willing to do the funeral.  The Pastor really did not want to do the funeral because he really did not anything good to say about this man.  The living brother said that he had to say something good about his brother which made the Pastor even less willing to do it.  He relented and the day of the funeral this Pastor began to say a great deal of really awful things that this man had done, but at the end of his message the Pastor said that this dead brother was really a good man compared to his living brother.  Hope you like the humor in this true story.

            Now Herod’s father, Antipater, had supported Julius Caesar, even risking his life for him during the latter’s war with Pompey, so in gratitude, Caesar made Antipater governor of Judea.  Antipater in turn appointed Herod who was then only 25 years old governor of Galilee.  Herod immediately gained favor with both the Galilean Jews and also the Roman officials by killing a notorious bandit leader and many of his followers.  Now after his father’s death Herod, having fled to Rome to escape a Parthian invasion of Palestine, was declared king of Judea by Octavian and Antony which had to be approved by the Senate, which was done in 40B.C.  With the aid of the Romans, Herod drove the Parthians out of Palestine and established his kingdom becoming undisputed ruler in the year 37 B. C.

            John MacArthur writes:  “Herod was not a Jew, but an Idumean (Edomite).  Since the Edomites (descendants of Esau) were traditional enemies of Israel (Num. 20:14-21; 1 Kings 11:14-22; 2 Kings 14:7; 2 Chron. 25:5-16; Ps. 137:7; cf. Jer. 49:7-22; Ezek. 25:12-14; 35:15; Amos 1:11-12; Obad. 1-21), Herod felt the need to ingratiate himself with the Jewish people.  He married Mariamne, a member of the prestigious and wealthy Jewish Hasmonean family, which had ruled Israel during much of the intertestamental period.  He also utilized all of his considerable diplomatic, oratorical, and administrative skills to increase his standing with the Jews.  Herod conducted a vast public works program, highlighted by the rebuilding of the temple (still ongoing during Jesus’ ministry), and the construction of the port city of Caesarea.  He also revived the city of Samaria and built the remarkable and virtually impregnable fortress of Masada.  He showed favor toward the people by twice lowering their taxes, and during the severe famine of 25 B.C Herod even melted down gold objects from his palace to buy food for the poor.  He was so popular with some Jews that they formed the pro-Herod party called the Herodians (Matt. 22:16; Mark 3:6; 12:13).  Like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Herodians were enemies of Jesus (Mark 12:13).”

            Now I guess you could say that these were that good things however in spite of these positive achievements, there was a dark side of Herod.  This man could be ruthless, vicious, and merciless, and was incredibly jealous and paranoid, constantly afraid that someone would come along to usurp his power.  His cruelty and bloodthirstiness manifested itself, among other things, in the murder of his wife, her brother, her mother, and several of his own sons.  Now his barbaric savagery reached a horrifying low point in the slaughter of the innocents (Matt. 2:16-18), which was motivated by his fear that one “born king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2) would supplant him.  Now as Luke’s narrative opened, Herod’s long reign was ending.

(Matt. 2:16-18)

“16 ¶  Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18  “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’”

(Matt. 2:2)

“2  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’”

            MacArthur concludes this section:  “Having laid out the historical background, Luke turned his attention to Zacharias.  He portrayed his personal righteousness, his priestly responsibility, his faithless response to prophetic revelation, and the divine reproof for his unbelieving response.”

            I guess I have my assignment for the next few days.

2/18/2026 9:04 PM