Nahum 1:1-7
1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. The Lord 's Anger Against Nineveh
2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;
the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all
the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
5 The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it.
6 Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him
In this Book of the Bible, Nahum was a prophet. This Book is called the Book of the Vision of Nahum. The prophet was called a seer and he wrote this to the Ninevites. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and Nahum never went to Nineveh but instead wrote this and sent it to them. You probably remember reading about Jonah and how he was sent to Nineveh to warn them of their sins and if they didn't get things right, they were going to feel the wrath of God. But the Ninevites repented and God saved them from destruction. Unfortunately they returned back to the things that they use to do and again they were in sin. Nahum tells them what their fate would be if they don't turn things around again. This was a hard and heavy burden for Nahum. In Verse 2 it says that God is a jealous God and he will take vengeance on his adversaries - the Assyrians - who were enemies of God and His people.
Nahum is saying that the Lord is slow to anger and the Lord gives people time to repent; yet He will not acquit the wicked. In the last day all the wicked will be destroyed. To everyone who repents, knows and trust, leans on Him, seeks shelter and commits to Him, He will take notice and take care of them even in trouble. He is saying this because God doesn't want His faithful to be discouraged at all because His power is so great. He wants to show them that He has mercy and He cares for those who repent and are committed and love Him always. You have to have trust in a relationship and God knows what we desire, what we long for and what we pray. God says even though we think we are alone in times of trouble, He is always with us. The Lord is so good! He will destroy the wicked - the ones who depart from God and will never return. Nahum wrote this Book about 100 years before the destruction of Nineveh. He was sending a warning to them but they didn't take heed. Those of us who take heed and love our God and commit in all ways to Him, will know that He is a good God and in our days of trouble will be right by our side. So we need to repent, take heed and turn from our sinning ways and come back to God with zeal and commitment to do His works. Sometimes we come and repent and we are ok for awhile and then go right back to the sins we were committing. Please repent so that future generations will not become godless. Pray for all the souls and nations who have turned their back on God that they will repent and will come back to Him.
