Day 689: Nahum 2- Enemies No More

The scatterer has come up against you.
    Man the ramparts;
    watch the road;
dress for battle;
    collect all your strength.
2 For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob
    as the majesty of Israel,
for plunderers have plundered them
    and ruined their branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is red;
    his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
The chariots come with flashing metal
    on the day he musters them;
    the cypress spears are brandished.
4 The chariots race madly through the streets;
    they rush to and from through the squares;
they gleam like torches;
    they dart like lightning.
5 He remembers his officers;
    they stumble as they go,
they hasten to the wall;
    the siege tower is set up.
6 The river gates are opened;
    the palace melts away;
7 its mistress is stripped; she is carried off,
    her slave girls lamenting,
moaning like doves
    and beating their breasts.

8 Nineveh is like a pool
    whose waters run away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry,
    but none turns back.
9 Plunder the silver,
    plunder the gold!
There is no end of the treasure
    or of the wealth of all precious things.
10 Desolate! Desolation and ruin!
    Hearts melt and knees tremble;
anguish is in all loins;
    all faces grow pale!
11 Where is the lions' den,
    the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness went,
    where his cubs were, with none to disturb?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs
    and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he filled his caves with prey
    and his dens with torn flesh.
13 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your[f] chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
 
Meditation
God’s sovereign grace will level enemies who seek to stand against Him and raise up the lowly who trust in Him for salvation.
 
Israel had been decimated by Assyria as “plunderers had plundered them and ruined their branches” (2). Yet this flex of strength from the world’s superpower was not the final word. God’s rule over creation will prevail.
 
Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria and their destruction was prophesied by Nahum. The enemies of God should not get comfortable in their perceived victories. God’s justice will prevail and as the Lord invites them to ready their defenses (1) He promises they will lose their security (3-4), authority (4-5), sense of order (6-9), strength (10), and future generations (11-12).
 
God is rich in mercy and historically God gave Nineveh the opportunity to repent (see Jonah 3). God is great in grace and He reveals His love in that while we were His enemies Christ died for us (Romans 5:8-10). God desires everyone to be save by coming to knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). This is good news for all the earth! Yet only those who know they need salvation will turn to the Lord for salvation.
 
God’s sovereign grace will vindicate His name and vanquish His enemies as He blesses, protects, and delivers His people. God offers peace through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you feel like the enemies of God win? Why or why not?
 
-God’s grace reveals we are all enemies of God needing salvation and forgiveness. How does the revelation of God’s love give you security to love your enemies and share the good news of Jesus Christ with others?
 
-Who do you need to share the hope of Christ with? Take time to pray for this person.
 
Key Verses
2 For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel, for plunderers have plundered them and ruined their branches.