Nahum – God keeps His word
"The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked." Nahum 1:3
One thing we learn while reading the Bible is that God is God. He is in charge. He doesn't change, He doesn't waver. He remains holy, righteous, and just. Eternally. In Exodus and again in Deuteronomy Moses wrote:
"Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him." Deuteronomy 7:9-10
He blesses the faithful and punishes the wicked.
Nahum's brief prophecy is about God's judgment of the Assyrians. As you recall Jonah was also called to preach to the Gentiles in Nineveh and, reluctantly, he finally did so. Jonah told them judgment was coming in a matter of days if they refused to repent. The Ninevites, all the way up to the king himself, received God's word and repented, and God withheld judgment.
But over time they slipped back to their old ways. In fact, they eventually became worse than ever, barbaric and cruel without measure. And their sin did not go unnoticed. God sent Nahum back to Nineveh (over 100 years after Jonah) with another message of judgment.
This time God's word was ignored and a short time later the Babylonians and Medes marched against Nineveh and decimated them.
What God had originally told them through Jonah was still true. He didn't change His mind, then change His mind again. He just reminded them of what He had said a century earlier – He is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.
God didn't forget, He didn't change, He didn't move on. He kept His word. This is the changeless character of God. God doesn't bend. This is good news for the faithful and bad news for the faithless. Good news for the selfless and bad news for the selfish.
But it is nice to know that there is One you can count on in life. I've known people who worked entire careers with the same organization only to be forced out as they neared retirement age. No reciprocal loyalty. Left without the retirement package they counted on. Or the couple who was having problems and decided (wrongly) the solution was to consummate their relationship with intercourse before marriage, giving them a true, lasting bond – it didn't, and the guy disappears the minute his supposed forever-girl shows him a positive EPT. Is there any loyalty? Any true, unfailing love? Anyone who just loves you because you're you?
Yes. Jesus Christ.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
Dear one, Nineveh represents sinful humanity and God has pronounced judgment against our sin – death and grievous separation from our loving Creator for eternity. But Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, stepped into space and time and saved us. He did so by redemption.
He paid the price to redeem us from sin by taking all sin upon his sinless shoulders and dying in our place, defeating sin for all mankind on the cross, then conquering the grave by rising again, alive, the third day!
Now, by His unmerited and unwavering favor, you are saved from the consequences of sin by faith in Christ, by entering into covenant with Him. "He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands."
You can count on it. God keeps His word.
Sincerely,
Ed
