Nahum: Wrath to Jonah

Introduction

Last week Collin did a fantastic job of preaching from the book of Jonah last week. From it, we saw God’s grace for the people of Nineveh.

Year after Jonah and Nineveh’s salvation, Nineveh was judged by God for their continuing sin, and Nahum is the prophet who shares of their condemnation.

Jonah wanted Nineveh to be condemned, and Nahum is preaching the sermon that Jonah wanted to preach.

CIT: While the nations fall to God’s judgement, He is good to the remnant of people who call upon His name.

Explanation

What’s Happening

Nahum shares with his listeners the character of God.

God judges out of his holiness.

Because He is holy, He is jealous for his name.

As sin defiles his name, He avenges His name as he does not allow sin to stand. God will place people where they should be. Nations rise and fall, but God remains through them all.

Even so, He is slow to anger, and He will abate his vengeance if man will call upon his name.

No nation is beyond God’s wrath if they continue to sin against Him.

That includes the United States of America

Because Assyria was terrible and oppressive, God is punishing them for their sins.

Babylon is on the way, and Assyria (capital, Nineveh) will soon be overthrown.

God is in the process of ending the Assyrian empire.

Nahum is reminding everyone that this is what God does.

Sodom, Gomorrah, Philistia, Ammon, Moab, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc., etc.

God’s remnant, his people, are saved. Verse 7, and 12-15 speak of God’s people.

Although they had been punished for their sin, God was restoring them.

God still loved and cared for them.

The Blessing of God’s Remnant

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

The Lord is good. What does that mean?

We hear the phrase, ,”God is good all the time, all the time, God is good!” But, what does that phrase mean. I haev a few definitions.

Wayne Grudem // “All that God is and does is worthy of approval.”

Nothing that God has ever done will we look back on and say, “God, that was bad.”

We will look back one day at every decision that God has made and say, “That was the right decision.”

Athanasius // “For God is good - or rather, of all goodness He is the Fountainhead.

Everything that God gives is good.

Everything that you have ever been given, received, earned, held, touched, tasted, etc. that is good has come from the infinite goodness of a God who from his goodness decided to share.

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

I went to a new restaurant yesterday (Super Chix) in Flowood and got Erin and I some lunch.

Guys, it was one of the best chicken sandwiches I have ever eaten. We had loaded fries with queso and bacon on top. It was SO good. And when Erin and I finished our chicken sandwich and fries, we said, “That was really good.”

Goodness is something that we can taste. Actually, if you haven’t tasted it, you really cannot speak to it’s goodness.

If you came up to me and said, “Man, Connor, that chicken sandwich is really good!.” I would ask, Oh wow, when did you go there? “Well, I haven’t actually eaten one. I saw the advertisement, I heard about them, and I even drove by there and smelled one.”

I would look at you kinda strange… because you haven’t actually tasted the chicken sandwich.

In the same way, God’s goodness is something that you have to taste. You can’t just hear about it. You have to “taste and see” that it is good.

I became a Christian when I was 11 years old. I knew Jesus, and I gave my life to Him. I know that for certain, and my life started to change from that point forward. But the day that my life changed forever was at a camp when I was 14 years old.

a stronghold in the day of trouble

A stronghold is a fortress. When others attempt to fight or overtake you, you go to the stronghold where you are protected by the walls that surround you.

God is that place where we retreat to safety.

People do strange things when they are afraid. They build doomsday bunkers and hoard 10 years worth of potted meat.

When God is our safety, we run to Him. We know that He holds and protects us.

When Satan assails us with temptation, and the world assaults us with trouble, God is gracious and good. He protects and upholds us.

Is your heart anxious or troubled? This week, make the conscious decision to believe that God hides you in his arms.

Take all of your troubles and cast them at his feet.

Trust that God will take care of you.

He knows those who take refuge in Him.

God hasn’t lost count of you. He loves and cares for you.

When David fled from Saul and hid himself in a cave, he wrote a psalm

Nahum 1:7’s placement is interesting. You think it would be in this section, but it isn’t. It is in the section that pronounces God’s judgement.

In the chaos of Nahum 1, God cares for His people.

Conclusion

Taste and see that God is good.

Return to Him.

Join us in membership.

Give yourself to full time ministry.