Nahum...Choose Life

Nahum is another minor prophet of God. Like Jonah, he is tasked with telling Nineveh to repent. When Jonah came, this great city repented and experienced a revival. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the same with Nahum; disobedience always has consequences.

Nahum 1:7–9 (MEV)

The Lord is good,

a stronghold in the day of distress;

and He knows those who take refuge in Him.

As a flood running forth,

He will bring to an end the distress,

and He will pursue His adversaries into darkness.

Why do you all scheme against the Lord?

He will bring it to an end.

It will not rise up a second time.

Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians. It was a place filled with all sorts of wickedness. They had repented once when Jonah reluctantly warned them. This time though, they would ignore Nahum’s warnings.

100 years earlier Nineveh had repented. In 612 B.C. the great city would fall to the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythian's joint forces to overthrow the Assyrians. This is a story of repentance or the lack thereof and judgment. This is where we pick up today on Resurrection Sunday!

Mark 16:1–20 (MEV)

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at the rising of the sun. They said among themselves, “Who will roll the stone away from the door of the tomb for us?”

But when they looked, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. For it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white robe. And they were frightened.

He said to them, “Do not be frightened. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, as He told you.”

They went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now when Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him as they mourned and wept. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.

After that He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they sat at supper, and He reprimanded them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

After the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. Then they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Have you ever realized how Jesus did for us what God tried to do for Nineveh? It's a powerful reminder of God's love and mercy towards us. Let's take a moment to reflect on this and appreciate the amazing sacrifice that was made for us. He has allowed us to repent and turn from our sinfulness. When Jesus overcame death and grave, He defeated our last and greatest enemy. He rose out of that grave so that you and I could choose life.

John 3:16–20 (MEV)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the verdict, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

The question we all face this morning is whether we believe Jesus is who He says He is. If we believe this morning, we choose Jesus to repent of our sins and be saved. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus for us.

Romans 10:8–13 (MEV)

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” This is the word of faith that we preach: that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is generous toward all who call upon Him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

However, like Nineveh, if we refuse this gift of grace we are choosing condemnation. Gods heart is that all would repent and be saved! What will you choose???