King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 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.]
Date: Thursday, August 04, 2022
Chapters: THE BOOK OF NAHUM
Study: One Final Warning
Hello My Friend,
I had a hard time staying focused this morning, I made some cookies for samples and was more focused on getting them baked than in the reading of Nahum, which by the way I realized should have been yesterday’s reading instead of today. I did wake up the same way I went to bed though, asking God to forgive me where I failed Him and you can be sure that since these chapters for today are small and pretty straight forward that I will be talking to Him a little bit more this morning. I actually thought about this verse as I was reading the chapters, [Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.]
Is it not amazing and quite incredible that God can get angry with us and yet not only forgive us when we do mess up, He will also help us clean it up? I told someone yesterday that the past two years have been the worst ever for me, and things are finally coming together and God is blessing me again, and I am not messing that up for anything. Think about it, Jesus has given every person who sincerely accepted Him as their Saviour eternal life, and while we will all stand before Jesus to give an account to Jesus when He returns, our judgment will be based on what we did for Jesus after we were saved, [2 Corinthians 5:8-10 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.]
Since we can never do anything to lose our salvation, I have always believed that our judgment for unrepentant sin comes right now. If we are sincere in our faith and have some sin that we are working to overcome and are repentant, then we can come to God all day long confessing it and He will forgive us. However, if we are not, that suffering we face would really be unbearable, even to the point that God sees no other way to save us from ourselves than to bring us home before our time, [Hebrews 6:4-6,9 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.]
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 hates and avenges all evil, [Nahum 1:12 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.]
Nineveh, was saved from destruction when God made it an appoint to send Jonah there to warn the people of the judgment upon them. Immediately they turned away from their idols and set their sights on God. Sadly, it did not last, and here we are a hundred and fifty years later, and they are facing judgment again. Nahum describes God’s anger, judgments, power, and who is able to stand before Him in His anger.
[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.]
[Who can stand before his indignation?] [Indignation; Extreme anger] God’s extreme anger against the unrepentant for their ingratitude and rebellion. Did you know that if a person who gets saved returns to a life of sin, that they become worse than had they never been saved? Jesus said this, [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.]
God really is slow to anger, His mercies are so much more than we realize, He is also God is a jealous God, and anytime His people start swaying He will send judgment.
[Nahum 1:9-12,15 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. 10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. 11 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. 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.]
[What do ye imagine against the LORD?] Nahum, has a question that all of us who are faithful to God have, “Who in their right mind would go against God when He saved them? While this message is addressed to Nineveh, it is also addressed to Judah, back when God had delivered them from Assyria during Hezekiah’s days. And now Assyria is attacking Nineveh, and warning Judah that He will do the same to them if they do not repent. There will come a day when every soul will stand before Christ. Who exactly is able to stand before the judgment seat of Christ? Only those whom have sincerely accepted Him as their Saviour.
[Revelation 21:4,7-8 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]
God, made it clear when He sent Jonah to Nineveh that He wants every nation to be saved from judgment, but just like He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their sin, He will destroy any nation that turns to wickedness. God will not be mocked, His mercy will run out eventually for those who refuse to repent. As Nahum continues, God is telling Judah here that they need to get ready because judgment is coming to them as well, even though He will not destroy them.
[Nahum 2:1-2,8-10,13 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. 8 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. 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.]
[watch the way, make thy loins strong,] It does not matter if we are saved from the judgment, we must always be ready, and watching because Jesus will come as a thief in the night, [Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.]
[Behold, I am against thee,] God protected His nations, but they have forgotten their God, they are strong, cruel tyrants. They have no regard for what they are doing, no remorse, no shame, no guilt, oblivious to the judgment cast upon them. Sound familiar? Yes, God is a loving and merciful God, but He is also a just God, and will destroy sin, even if that means wiping out an entire nation. The sins of Nineveh were charged, called out by God Himself, and now they were about to be judged for them to their own shame.
[Nahum 3:4-7 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. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. 7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?]
[whence shall I seek comforters for thee?] 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, [Romans 6:1-4 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.]
God gives so many warnings for repentance to avoid the consequences of such drastic judgment, which is why Jesus has not returned yet today. However, there does come a time when there is one final warning for that nation, which is what He was doing with Nineveh. God was merciful to spare them the first time, but they took that for granted, trusting that He would always be there for them, and now this is the final warning.
[Nahum 3:14-16,19 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. 16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away. 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?]
[There is no healing of thy bruise;] If our nations refuse to heed the warnings, and continue in their sin, there will be no healing. As long as we are faithful, and repentant, God’s mercy will endure until He brings us home. We are to never take His mercies for granted, and live our remaining time on earth to do what is pleasing to Him. Are we always going to please Him? No. And we will face suffering for it. Are we always going to suffer? No. And if we live our remaining time on earth being faithful to God, the suffering will be less.
[2 Timothy 2:11-16 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.]
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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