King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday. August 03, 2025
Chapters: Nahum Chapters 1-3
Message: Nahum: God is Jealous
Hello My Friend,
As we read the Book of Nahum we learn that God is jealous and while everyone is given the freewill to follow Him, but expects those who choose Him to have no other gods before Him. Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 10:35-37 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.]
What Jesus is saying is that anything and anyone that takes place over Him is considered distraction and liability on our faith and will cause us to be at odds with Him. I am not going to lie, but since I got married it has affected my ministry, Paul was right when he said, [1 Corinthians 7:32-34 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.]
I stress this because we all backslide a little bit from time to time, and if we are not careful to keep Christ in the loop then we will suffer, and there are way too many Christians suffering right now because they left their first love, [Revelation 2:2-5 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.]
The Book of Nahum contains three chapters, the author is Nahum and it was written to the people of Nineveh. The timeline was about 660BC. The purpose of the book was to warn them of the coming judgment, after they fell away from God. What we are to learn from the book is that God is jealous, He hates and avenges all evil, [Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.]
Nahum, prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah, about one hundred and fifty years after God sent Jonah to them and they had turned from their wicked ways, [Jonah 3:8-10 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.]
Nineveh, had everything going for them, but sadly, Jonah was correct when he said that they would turn on God and not only that, they became more wicked than they were before. They do not even know who God is anymore and that the judgment they were facing was from Him and so God sent Nahum to inform them of just what a powerful God He is.
[Nahum 1:1-3,6-7 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. 2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. 7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.]
[Indignation; Extreme anger] This is why no one can get saved and turn to a life of sin. Jesus, said it this way, [Matthew 12:43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.] This is why I believe that once one sincerely accepts Christ as their Saviour they cannot fall away from their faith, on the other, hand many will play the part for a little while and the devil might leave them alone for a bit, but because they are not saved the devil can possess them, [Luke 9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.]
So who can stand before God’s extreme anger toward sin and rebellion? Until we know Christ as our Saviour we are enemies with God because of our sin, regardless of the amount of sin that we committed. However, once we acknowledge that we are a sinner and accept that Christ died to save us from the fiery furnace of hell that is when we belong to Him and not even the devil can change that even though he can still oppress us, [1 Peter 5:8-10 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.]
While this message was addressed to Nineveh it applies to all of us, God, surely is a jealous God and has every right to be since He went through such great lengths to make sure that our soul did not end up in hell. He does not force anyone to come to Him, but does give everyone the opportunity. As Nahum continues he wants to know who in their right mind would test God’s limits.
[Nahum 1:11-15 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor. 12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. 13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. 14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. 15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.]
This was in reference to God saving Judah at the time after they had prayed with Isaiah and the angel of the LORD killed them all, [Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.]
There is a promise here from God to every saved, born again Christian, He may afflict us when we get out of hand, but there will come a day when we will be afflicted no more, [Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.]
While we cannot avoid all affliction right now it is actually necessary to keep us faithful to God otherwise we will lose sight of Him and start thinking that we can get through this life leaning on our own understanding. Again, if Nineveh would turn away from their gods and return to God He would spare them, but this was also a warning to Judah as well. As Nahum continues, God, is telling Judah that they need to get ready because judgment is coming to them as well for their sin, but He will not destroy them.
[Nahum 2:1-3,5 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily. 2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches. 3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. 5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.]
This is in reference to God removing the other tribes of Israel from the Northern Kingdom when He scattered them all over the world for their turning their backs on Him. While God does send the rain on the just and unjust, He cannot and will not watch those who make a mockery out of Him destroy the very things that He gave them. As for the saved, while He does chasten them, He will not destroy them and the sole reason is because of their faith in Christ, [Romans 3:22-24 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:]
It is a sad truth that our once God protected His nations have forgotten their God, they are strong, cruel tyrants who have no regard for what they are doing, no remorse, no shame, no guilt, and are oblivious to the judgments cast upon them. Through Nahum, God, also points out that Nineveh will be emptied too.
[Nahum 2:8-11,13 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back. 9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture. 10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness. 11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid? 13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.]
This is in reference to the King of Assyria, while living in Nineveh. This fool fearing that he, his family, and wealth were likely to fall into the hands of Babylon, gathered up all his gold, silver, and royal apparel then enclosed himself, his wives, eunuchs, and concubines in a fortress. It is said that he had a pile of wood stacked around it, set fire to it, and destroyed himself and them (Athenaeus apud Rollin’s Ancient History) Do you see how God does not need to lift a finger to destroy the wicked, they do so by themselves? [Philippians 3:18-19 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)]
God, is a loving and merciful God, but He is also a just God, and will destroy sin one way or another, even if that means wiping out an entire nation of reprobates. The sins of Nineveh were charged and now they were about to be judged under their own shame.
[Nahum 3:1-5 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.]
Today, the bloody city accounts to the millions of babies killed in their mothers womb by abortion, in particular the ones that were developing or even fully capable of surviving. The lies and robbery account to the countless deception of politicians, the noise in the streets account to the constant violent protests, the carcasses account to the countless innocent lives lost by the ones defending the wicked. It is a sad truth that the wicked are praised while the righteous are persecuted, but the day will come when the wicked will get what is coming to them.
[2 Timothy 3:1-3,15 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.]
Proud sinners create enemies within themselves, and if God sees fit to expose their sin, no one will have compassion on them, and they will bring themselves to their own shame and destruction. Yes, we are saved by grace, but it is not a free pass to live in sin expecting God’s blessings and protection. If our nations refuse to heed the warnings, and continue in their sin, God will take them out one by one.
[Nahum 3:8-10 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? 9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. 10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.]
Way too many nations believe themselves to be powerful against God, but will all find out just how powerful God is. This is a warning to all nations to get ready for the judgment, [Nahum 3:13-15,18-19 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. 14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. 15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. 18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them. 19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?]
If our nations refuse to heed the warnings, and continue in their sin, then there will be no healing. I am convinced that the only reason why our nation is not in war right now is because of God’s faithful few who will not bow down to the wicked world. As long as we are faithful, and repentant, God’s mercy will endure until He brings us home, [Matthew 24:12-14 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercy and grace that saved a sinner like me when I trusted in Your Son as my Saviour. I know that I am forgiven of all my sins, past, present, and future because You no longer look at me through me, but through Your Son. You promise to never leave nor forsake me no matter what I do, and that I am saved forever no matter how many times I mess up. Lord, I do not want to sit idle, living anyway I please, without any regard for the great sacrifice You made to set me free from my sin. I want to be honorable and respectable in Your eyes, even if everyone else shuns me or mocks me for living to please Your. Lead me and guide me, give me Your power, strength, wisdom, mercy, grace, patience, and guidance to be the righteous instrument You need me to be so the lost can see You and be saved too. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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