Read
1 I am Nahum from Elkosh. And this is the message that I wrote down about Nineveh.
The Fierce Anger
2The Lord God demands loyalty.
In his anger, he takes revenge
on his enemies.
3The Lord is powerful,
yet patient;
he makes sure that the guilty
are always punished.
He can be seen in storms
and in whirlwinds;
clouds are the dust from his feet.
4At the Lord's command,
oceans and rivers dry up.
Bashan, Mount Carmel,
and Lebanon wither,
and their flowers fade.
5At the sight of the Lord,
mountains and hills
tremble and melt;
the earth and its people
shudder and shake.
6Who can stand the heat
of his furious anger?
It flashes out like fire
and shatters stones.
The Power of Assyria
7The Lord is good.
He protects those who trust him
in times of trouble.
8But like a roaring flood,
the Lord chases his enemies
into dark places
and destroys them.
9So don't plot against the Lord!
He wipes out his enemies,
and they never revive.
10They are like drunkards
overcome by wine,
or like twisted thornbushes
burning in a fire.
11Assyria, one of your rulers
has made evil plans
against the Lord.
12But the Lord says, “Assyria,
no matter how strong you are,
you will be cut down!
My people Judah,
I have troubled you before,
but I won't do it again.
13I'll snap your chains
and set you free
from the Assyrians.”
14Assyria, this is what else
the Lord says to you:
“Your name will be forgotten.
I will destroy every idol
in your temple,
and I will send you to the grave,
because you are worthless.”
15 Look toward the mountains,
people of Judah!
Here comes a messenger
with good news of peace.
Celebrate your festivals.
Keep your promises to God.
Your evil enemies are destroyed
and will never again
invade your country.
Reflect
You know how evangelicals are supposed to love the whole Bible but certain books and verses are really, really, really loved? Well, while growing up in Scripture Union circles one of such verses dearly loved was “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31, KJV) How true, how profound, how powerful!
But have you ever thought of the reverse of that scripture? Flip that around and that is the picture portrayed in today’s passage. In what I would call the anchor verse in this passage God categorically declares, “The Lord All-Powerful is against you, Nineveh.” (v 13a). Wow! Now the flip I speak of is this: if the Lord All-Powerful is against you, who can be for you?
If God is on our side no one can be against us; but if God is against us, equally no one can be for us. NO ONE can fight God and win.
In the end, that is exactly what happened as the Medes totally destroyed Nineveh in 612 B.C.. God was not on the Ninevites’ side. It is in our own interest that we find out what pleases him and line up our plans and desires accordingly. Even if all the world and devils are against us, if God is for us we will win. But if God is not on our side, no one and nothing shall prevail. If God be against us, who can be for us?
Respond
O Lord All-Powerful, what a potent truth that I have everything going for me when you are for me and nothing at all if my life is against you. Today I want to declare that the Lord All-Powerful is for me and not against me. So help me live like it. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Yaw Perbi
Dr. Yaw Perbi is a physician, pastor and president of International Student Ministries Canada (ISMC). He is the founder and Global CEO of The HuD Group and has ministered in 45 countries on five continents. Yaw is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative and a Lausanne Movement Catalyst. Dr. Perbi currently resides in Montreal, Canada with his dear wife Anyele and six delightful children. He owes all this to Christ Jesus.