In the Day of Trouble God is Good

If you’ve ever seen mom’s Bible you’d know it highlights, underlines, and post-its.

One of the post-Its had an interesting verse written on it. As I wondered why mom had this verse on a note, I began to realize how perfect that verse was for today.

Nahum 1:7 (ESV)

7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

When Jonah preached repentance on the streets of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the people responded and were spared. A century later, sometime between 663 and 612 b.c., Nahum preached in a time when Nineveh would not repent. Nineveh, which had destroyed Israel’s northern kingdom in 722, itself fell to Babylon in 612—just a few years after Nahum’s warning. The Assyrians were notorious for the brutality of their treatment of other nations. Nahum declared, however, that God is sovereign: he punishes whom he will, and they are powerless to stop him. Much of Nahum’s prophecy was directed to the people of Judah, who could rejoice at the good news (1:15) of Nineveh’s impending fall.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

7 The Lord is good

The LORD - not a sentiment but a Person.

It is the personal name of God

The LORD IS good

Mom had this underlined in her note.

It is really simply

Sometimes in the face of difficulty and death we raise the question of why God has allowed bad things to happen. In other words, “Why has the LORD not DONE good to me?”

But the assumption is backwards.

God IS good. It is the core of who He is.

He is what stands as good in the middle of difficulty and death.

Even in the face of death, God IS good.

It is not that when God does good we can call him good. The fact is that God IS good by nature and all he does is good.

Doesn’t always feel this way, but feelings as strong as they may be, do not always indicate reality. Sometimes, our perspective needs to shift.

ILLUST - I would hold our daughters when they received shots. They experienced something they would call “bad” — a shot. However, they knew ME - that I only wanted what was good for them.

They couldn’t understand at the time — they had limited understanding of diseases and vaccines.

They needed to rely on their understanding of who I AM in relation to them - my character toward them. The more they knew me, the more they would trust me. (This is why the doctor would want a parent to hold the child while receiving the shot.)

Sometimes people question the goodness of God because they judge the character of God based on a situation rather than viewing the situation in light of the character of God.

The Israelites had experienced extreme suffering at the hands of the Assyrians and the Ninevites (beyond being slapped by fished - Veggie Tales reference, here)

When situations are bad, God IS good.

Then Nahum gives two other phrases that express ways in which God is good.

a stronghold in the day of trouble;

he knows those who take refuge in him.

a stronghold in the day of trouble

a “day of trouble” is not just speaking about having a bad day.

The day of trouble that Nahum is speaking about is judgment on those who do not have a relationship with God.

Isn’t just like a prophet to bring up judgment?

It is times like this, when confronted with the reality of death, that we must also wrestle with the reality of what comes after death.

Hebrews 9:27 (ESV)

27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

God never intended for us to be naive about judgment following death, nor did he intended live in fear of it either.

This verse of promise is couched in judgment

Nahum 1:5–6 (ESV)

5 The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

Nahum 1:8–9 (ESV)

8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. 9 What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.

It was written to the Israelites about the Assyrians

Hearing of the Assyrians judgment raised questions for the Israelites of their safety.

ILLUST - I know it is not everyone’s experience, but I felt safe with mom and dad. Perhaps a bit more with mom than dad. Not because dad wasn’t protective or kind, but because with dad’s adventures you were more likely to find yourself in a dangerous situation:

racing us down Alpine Slide

setting off fireworks at home and having them land on the roof.

With judgment in the background, Jesus keeps you safe.

In the face of judgment, you can have the peace of safety.

There is no peace in hoping you’ve done enough good or avoided enough bad, or attended enough church, or been baptized the right way.

None of these bring peace in the face of death because none of these things guarantee eternal life.

You can never earn God’s peace because of what you DO but you can receive God’s peace because of who you ARE.

ILLUST - my adopted children don’t need to do certain things to earn a place in our home, WE chose them and they received what we offered to become part of our family.

You cannot do certain things (like church attendance, etc) to earn a heavenly home, but you can receive by faith what God has done for you through Jesus.

When we realize there is no stronghold on earth to save us from God’s judgment, we trust in Jesus who keeps us safe.

ILLUST - Dad asked me to read about heaven - not how to get to heaven

he knows those who take refuge in him.

he knows those who take refuge in him.

“knows” = yada

intimate, relational knowledge

When dad passed away, it hit me — I’m an orphan.

Many of us are experiencing a change in relationship — We’ve lost a mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, friend.

The change in relationship that death brings can be hard. It can be lonely. Few people know us as well as our parents.

It’s in the face of losing someone who knows us that Nahum tells us God knows those who trust in Him through Jesus.

As relationships change, God knows and remains.

A lot of things about life are unknown and this can bring anxiety

But Jesus knows. He knew the moment of mom’s first and last breath. In fact, he controlled every one of them in between. If Jesus was good to give mom life, and Jesus was good to sustain his life, then Jesus is good even in the face of death.

Though we may be confused, Jesus is never surprised at illness or death,

Who does He know? While God has knowledge of everyone, He has a relationship with “those who take refuge in him.”

God has a relationship with those who have trusted in him as their refuge - their safety and we do that through Christ.

Proverbs 14:32 (ESV)

32 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death.

ILLUST - Dad asked me to read about heaven - not how to get to heaven. He knew heaven would be his refuge because of his relationship with Jesus — Not because of his church attendance (he was unable to physically attend), not because of his good deeds (there was little he could physically do).

If today you face eternal death because you have never trusted in Jesus then acknowledge your need for a savior and trust in Jesus.

Dad is with Jesus not because he was a nice guy (though he was), not because he went to church (though he did), he is with Jesus because he knew Jesus! Not as an abstract concept but as his Savior.

Don’t waste this face with death unsure of what will happen when you face death for the final time.

ILLUST - When I was done reading to dad about heaven, i asked if there was anything else I could do and he said, NO, I got what I needed.

As we’ve heard the truth of God’s Word today, did YOU get what YOU needed to find peace in the face of death?