The True Lion - Nahum 2 (Week 4 - Post 2)

Read Nahum 2.

This chapter vividly describes the destruction of Nineveh.  History tells us that the Medean soldiers wore scarlet uniforms and carried scarlet shields.  Notice verse 3.  I suspect it was a terrifying sight. 

Also notice the emphasis on lions in verses 11 - 13.  Archaeology reveals to us that the Assyrian Empire used the lion as her symbol.  Strength.  Power.  Prowess.  Stealth.  A fearful beast indeed!  Nahum tells Judah that the den of lions will be gone. 

Peter uses the imagery of a lion in his warning to all believers in 1 Peter 5:8:  "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith ..."


When I think about my enemy, the enemy of our souls, being portrayed as a lion, I find comfort in this chapter from Nahum!   God is against him. 

In Nahum 2:13, God says, "I will burn up ..." and I hear John in his Revelation say,

"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20: 9 - 10)

Nahum 2:13, God also says, "a sword will devour your young lions."  And I hear John in his Revelation say,

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  With justice he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.  He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations ..."  (Revelation 29: 11 - 15)

The Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5) ... will accomplish these things.  As God delivered His people from the evil of Assyria, so He will deliver His people from the evil of Satan.  That day is coming ... trust it.  Count on it.  And go ahead and celebrate ... because the outcome is set! 

God Is ... Nahum 1 (Lesson 4 - Post 1)

This week we will study the book of Nahum.  It is a small, 3 chapter prophetic book written probably sometime between 663 BC and 612 BC.  The author is Nahum, the prophet.  We don't know much about this man.  Even the town mentioned as his home town is not easily identifiable.  The book's purpose is to pronounce God's judgment on Assyria and its capital, Nineveh.  And that pronouncement would bring comfort to the people of Judah - for Assyria was a potent and violent threat.

Warren Wiersbe tells us:  "Assyria was a ruthless enemy that practiced brutality on men, women, and children.  Their armies destroyed and looted; they buried their enemies alive and even skinned them alive; they impaled people on sharp poles and left them to burn in the sun.  Assyria had been used of God to chasten the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Every nation feared Assyria and tried to win her approval.  Finally in 612 BC, Nineveh was destroyed by the Medes and the Babylonians; and so complete was their conquest that the ruins of the city remained undiscovered until 1842."  (Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament.)

Nations trembled with fear because of Assyria.  Judah was afraid.  So God sends this message to His frightened people through Nahum.  Remember, this message is going to Judah - not Assyria!  Nineveh had already received warning from God through Jonah the prophet.  (If you need to refresh your memory, read Jonah before you move into Nahum.)  So this prophecy, written to Judah, is announcing God's judgment ... the time for repentance is over. 

As you read ... look for what you learn about God.  You may want to begin another list of things that you learn about Jehovah. 

Read Nahum 1.

Two things stand out to me from this chapter:

1.  We get a view of the character and nature of our God.  And it is both splendid and sobering.  Are these things on your list?

The Lord is a jealous God (burning zeal, not human jealousy)

He is avenging

His vengeance and wrath are for His enemies

The Lord is slow to anger

The Lord is great in power

He will not leave the guilty unpunished

The Lord is good

The Lord is a stronghold in the time of trouble

He knows those who take refuge in Him

There are things here that cause us to tremble.  And there are things that give us comfort.  In the face of the vengeance and wrath of God against sin ... never forget that GOD IS GOOD.  "Good" is an interesting word.  In our humanness ... we see "good" as something that is pleasant and beneficial for me or something that I want.  In God's economy, "good" has infinitely broader strokes and purposes.  And God knows those who take refuge in Him.  Do I?  Is God my refuge or do I keep thinking that things in this world, somehow, will give me security?  Today ... I recommit to taking refuge in my God alone.  God is our fortress - our place of safety - only God.

2.  The second thing that jumped at me was the very last phrase in the chapter:  "he is cut off completely."  Who is this "he"?  Look at the beginning of the sentence - "the wicked one".  The New Living Translation uses "your wicked enemies".  That was indeed good news for Judah.  And it is good news for us.  Nahum tells the people of Judah to go ahead and celebrate the feasts.  Continue with your service.  The people of Judah were going to endure about 50 more years of threat from Assyria ... but they were not to live in fear because they knew the outcome!  I wonder if they did.  I wonder if some of them trusted the word from God through Micah. 

Is there application for you and I?  Look to John 16.  Jesus is preparing His disciples for His imminent departure.  He promises the Holy Spirit.  He warns them of hard times ahead.  And He concludes the discussion with:

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world." 

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 - 11:

"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you doing."

You see, the fact that God will avenge His character and will deal with wickedness and evil is not a source of fear for those who belong to Him.  Build each other up with that reality. 

Lord, our God, there is none like You.  Your faithfulness and purity, Your righteousness and goodness, are our security and our hope.  We place our trust in You.  We take refuge in You.

 



Confidence (Lesson 3 - Post 3)

Let's close Micah's third and final message.  Read Micah 7:8 - 20.

Remind yourself of the things we have learned from Micah's third message: 

• God is clear about what He expects from His people ...  (6:8)

                 * to behave justly
                 * to love mercy
                 * to live with humility before Him

• Regardless of the corruption and darkness in the culture around us ... we still are responsible for our own behaviors, thinking, and attitudes ... "But as for me" ... (7:7)

We come today to the third application point I want to emphasis.  And it is all about confidence - and hope - and security.  What a splendid way Micah closes this sermon!

Notice Micah 7:8  "Though I have fallen, I will rise.  Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light."

I keep pausing at the phrase, "though I have fallen, I will rise."  God's people continue to fall - our attempts to play with sin, with idolatry lead to the discipline of our holy God today as in the days of Micah.  But the confidence in this statement thrills me!  The 'falling' is not the end of the story.  It was not the end of the story for God's remnant preserved through the captivity by Babylon ... and it is not the end of the story for you or me. 

I am reminded of another writing by the German born writer and photographer, Ulrich Schaffer:

You might think

that I am breaking,

that I have fallen

and will not survive the storm,

but you are mistaken.

I am still growing.

I will not give up.

In desperation and hope

I will push down roots

into the hard ground.

You will see:  I will live.

I gave up form and style long ago.

Survival in the gaping wound of life

is the goal which nourishes me.

I wrestle from life

the days needed for my fulfillment,

and when I finally do fall,

because in the end everything is a falling,

it will be upward

into the hands

of the waiting one.

Anyone claiming to be without sin is fooling herself.  (1 John 1:8).  There will be "falling".  That we know.  That we have already experienced.  But the "falling" is not fatal!  At least it need not be. 

I will rise!

The Lord will be my light!

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:  God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."  (1 John 1: 5, 7)

That's a promise.  Forgiveness ... cleanness ... purity.  All from our God - the God of Micah.  Just as Micah described in 7:18

         

Micah closed his last message wanting the people to see the hope and the coming restoration.  I love that!  And I want to close our reflection on this little book with a quote from Revelation ... full of the SAME hope and coming restoration.  Revelation 22: 3 - 5

May we have the confidence and the assurance of that promise ...



No longer will there be any curse.  The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  There will be no more night.  They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.  And they will reign for ever and ever.

Micah 6:9 - 7:7 (Week 3 - Post 2)

Today, read Micah 6:9 - 7:7 as we continue to hear, and to think about, Micah's final sermon.

Micah once again paints the bleak picture of corruption and darkness that permeates the land and the people of God.  We can so easily make the parallels with our own country and cities ... where corruption and greed and dishonesty and bribes seem to carry the day. 

What does one do?  If you "hear" this message from Micah and long to respond to the God who is merciful enough to send out the warning ... what do you do? 

Yes, we confess our own complicity and trust the forgiveness of our merciful God ... but these few verses give us another glimpse into the appropriate response from each one of us.  We find it in 7:7:

But as for me,

I watch in hope for the LORD,

I wait for God my Savior;

my God will hear me.

Did you catch it?  "But as for me ..."  That's the phrase!  That's the person I want to be. 

One of the mantras that has carried me through some pretty bleak times is, "I am responsible for the purity of my motives and the integrity of my behavior."  Period.  I can't be responsible for yours.  I can be concerned, moved, challenged, etc. - but I can't be responsible. I can only be responsible for mine.  Each of us carries the responsibility for our own lives - regardless of the culture in which we live.  Regardless of the families we had or didn't have, currently have or don't have.  Regardless of the struggles or the joys of our current situations.  Regardless ...

"But as for me".  How are you living in our corrupt culture?  The excuses are known by us very well.

           Well, everyone else does it (whatever "it" may be that violates the righteousness of God). 

           God would not expect me to stay with this spouse - he/she doesn't make me happy anymore.

           No one will see.

           I have a right to my revenge.

           I can cheat a little ... I'll be careful to not get caught.

           Of course I didn't mean it ... I lied to get my way.

           Guarantee?  You've got to be kidding!

           I promised?  Oh, well ...

           I deserve this thing.  No, I can't afford it but I can work the system to get it anyway. 

           I'll treat him/her anyway I want ... she's not worth anything.  He doesn't matter. 

And on and on and on ...

"But as for me".  Oh my friends ... the only person on the planet you have any control over is you.  Look around you.  Where do you need to stand and say, "I know this is how the 'world' thinks ... but as for me." 

Will you join me in committing to a new group?  Let's form the "But As For Me" association!  

BUT AS FOR ME

We are the Bas-for-me' organization - the "But As for Me" girls!  Want to join?  Initiation fee is everything you have - all of it.  Annual dues are your total surrender to God.  It will take courage.  It will take an ever-growing knowledge of our Lord and God.  It will take a willingness to go against the "flow" of our culture and world.  But the good news?  You won't get kicked out for messing up! 

I'm in!  How about you? 

          

God Builds His Case (Week 3 - Post 1)

Micah 6 - 7 make up the third and final message of this little book.  Micah sets up a court room scene.  God, the plaintiff, brings a case against His people.  We will consider this message in three parts. 

Read Micah 6.  If you read it out loud, you will get a sense of the flow of the material and the drama of the scene.

Today we will consider verses 1 - 8. 

God pleads his case in verses 1 - 5.  He asks His people to explain what He has done to reap such unfaitfulness from them.  What has He done to "weary" them so!  And He then lists a few of the incredible things He has done for them - the deliverance, the protection, the provision.  The cross-references in your Bible will show you where you can read about each of the events and people that are mentioned.  Deliverance ... protection ... provision. 

Do you ever consider the ways of the Lord too hard for you?  Does relationship with God place a "load" on the believer that is too heavy to carry.  Are His righteous requirements too strict?  Are they unreachable?  Do you ever think about just giving up and living like the world around you?  Is living for God too wearisome? 

It is in the times of discouragement that we MUST reflect back on the deliverance God provided for each of us - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." (Galatians 5:1)  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8: 1 - 2)  We MUST reflect back on the protection He offers - "we find refuge in the shadow of your wings" (Psalm 36:7).  We MUST reflect back on the provision that is always available.  "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)  "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." (John 7:37)  Reflecting back is exactly what God asks His people to do in the first few verses of Micah 6.  Remember ...

Israel makes her first reply in verses 6 - 7.  It is as if the people reply with:  how in the world can we satisfy this God?  What does He want from us?  Is it the ordinary sacrifice of a calf?  Or perhaps we need to bring thousands and thousands of sacrifices?  Would that do?  Or perhaps we even should offer our eldest children to Him?  Would that satisfy this God? 

Micah answers with the beautiful words of verse 8 - perhaps the only verse from Micah that you already knew.  Before this study, it was the only verse from Micah that I could quote and knew where to find!  Read it aloud for yourself ...

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly

and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Act justly ... to live right in relation to one's fellow man in social and political affairs.  Get rid of the "better than" thinking that is so much a part of human nature.  Act justly - even with those who are not of your "group"!

Love mercy ... exhibit the quality of steadfast loving-kindness which is such a part of the nature of God, Himself.  Show mercy to your children ... your spouse ... your friend ... your colleague.  The definition in English is: "a refraining from harming or punishing offenders, enemies, persons in one's power; kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness."  Love it!  Quit wanting people to "get theirs!"  Quite delighting in revenge.  Love mercy.

Walk humbly with your God ... there is no place for arrogance among God's people.  Humility before God is the position of your heart.  Bowed down.  Honoring God more than yourself ... or anyone else.  Walk that way.  Live that way.  Every day.  At both work and play.  At home as well as church.  When recognized and when passed over. 

The requirements of our Lord are not unreachable ... they are not "wearisome".  The are beautiful.  They require surrender.  Often they require His life living through us ... but that's OK ... because you who belong to Christ have the very Spirit of God living in you! 

Micah 6:8 ... memorize it.  Make it part of your being so that when circumstances arise in your day tomorrow that challenge you ... justice, mercy and humility will be spill out all over those around you.  And God will be honored ...

The Promised One - Micah 5 (Week 2 - Post 3)

Read Micah 5.  Remember it is part of the 2nd message which is given in chapters 3 - 5. 

I think verses 1 - 5a belong with chapter 4.  They continue the beautiful description of the hope for the remnant of Judah.  We will come back to them.

Verses 5b - 9 describe the overthrow of Assyria.  That had to be a comforting message!  In verses 10 - 15, the Lord reveals through Micah how He will judge the nations for their rebellion and their disobedience.  Once again, Micah is intent on his hearers realizing the seriousness of sin and idolatry.  Why is that such a hard lesson to get?  Why do we continue, even into our day, to assume the lesson is always for someone else?  Again, may I encourage you to deal with your own sin-business ... the behaviors and attitudes that bring shame on the name and person of Christ (if you are a believer, the name you wear!) 

Let's take our focus back to the beginning of the chapter - this splendid prophecy of Messiah.  Read it again slowly and isolate the descriptive phrases. 

    from Bethlehem Ephrathah

from God

ruler in Israel

His goings forth are from long ago - from eternity

shepherd of His flock

has the strength of the Lord

will be in the majesty of the name of Lord God

great to the ends of the earth

our peace

Oh Lord - open our eyes so that we may see!  Help us to understand the majesty of You through Your sent Messiah.  What beautiful language You gave to Micah to enhance our understanding.  Thank You.

To close your reading and your study today ... I want you to do a little cross-referencing.  I found it to be wonderful - thrilling actually to see how God weaves His purposes throughout scripture.  So just sit back with your Bible ... and carefully read through the following:

Micah 5:2 mentions Bethlehem Ephrathah (there is more than one Bethlehem, hence the distinction)

Genesis 48:7

Genesis 49: 8 - 10

Ruth 1: 1 - 2, 22; 4: 13 - 14, 21 - 22

1 Samuel 16:1; 17:12

Matthew 2:1, 3 - 6

John 1: 1, 14

Isaiah 9: 6 - 7

Revelation 19:11 - 16; 20:4

Thank You Lord!



Promises - Micah 4 (Week 2 - Post 2)

We are in the middle of Micah's second sermon.  For continuity ... begin your reading today with Micah 3 and then focus intently as you read Micah 4. 

When we began this study, I asked you to be sure that you looked for "grace" ... for "hope" ... for "redemption".  While God disciplines and judges sin and rebellion, He never leaves His people without hope and promises of life again aligned with Him.  Chapters 4 and 5 beautifully, poetically point hearers to that hope. 

Remember that Isaiah was a contemporary of Micah.  You can observe the closeness of their messages by   reading Isaiah 60: 1 - 3 and 10 - 14. 

 There are a variety of opinions over the timing of these things - how literal the promises are, how metaphorical they are.  Search your commentaries for scholars' opinions on such things.  Also, remember that prophecy has more than one fulfillment.  If you have driven to Colorado (or toward any mountain range) you are well aware of the way the different ranges appear from a distance to be one right after another.  But as you drive closer, you begin to grasp the great distances that exist between what looked close together.  Even prophets speaking these words often did not comprehend the various fulfillments of their visions.

Regardless, what an incredibly beautiful picture is painted here.  Do you see the peace, the unity, the provision?  Outcasts will be established as valuable. Wars will be over.  Fear will be gone. 

Micah reminds these people that, while very difficult days are coming, don't be in despair.  There is absolutely no reason for despair.  Because God has not abandoned you.  Do you need to hear that message today?  Whatever you may be facing right this minute ... don't despair.  God has not, and will not, abandon you.  You will be rescued!  Maybe not tomorrow ... or next week ... but we were designed to trust the hand, the mind, the plans of Jehovah God.  It's a choice.  Will you trust His hand in your life today? 

I love Psalm 119.  Over and over again David extols the value of meditating on the word of God.  Not occasionally ... daily!  One example is in verse 97:

Oh, how I love your law!

I meditate on it all day long.

Are you kidding - all day long?  What about the things that must be done in the day?  One of the ways I try to keep the word of the Lord in the forefront of my mind all day long is using cards with scripture that I want to "ponder" upon - to think about throughout the day.  Then I can carry it with me.  It can go in my car ... my bag ... on my desk.  I am claiming one of those meditation passages from Micah 4. 

Though all the peoples walk

each in the name of his god,

As for us, we will walk

In the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

Let's together meditate on that.  Just what does it mean to "walk in the name of the Lord our God forever"?  What does it mean for your day today - tomorrow?  Maybe that is why the first people mentioned in verse 6 are the "lame" - those unable to walk.  The lame are going to be strong - able to walk in the name of the Lord.  So can you.  So can I.  We just have to decide that it is of primary importance. 

Let's choose it ...

Lord, help us want to walk in Your righteous name today.  Show us how to do that better than we did today.  Give us the strength to stay on that path even when the winds are powerful and attempt to blow us off.  We choose to walk in Your Name.