Thurs.’s Devo - Nahum

Read: Nahum 1:1-3:19; Revelation 8:1-13; Psalm 136:1-26; Proverbs 30:7-9 Nahum means “Comfort”. He prophesied the fall of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Assyria had been a thriving power for centuries. They were known for their cruelty to other nations and boasted of their savagery, abuse and torture to the nations they conquered. They practiced a policy of taking their conquered exiles and scattering them through their empire to strip them of their identity and culture. This had happened to Israel. Assyria finally fell in 612 B.C. Nahum begins telling us about the character of God. He is jealous for his people and his glory and will avenge both. He is very patient and merciful but when it is time, he is not afraid to fight and no one can stand against Him. The Medes and the Babylonians were the destroyers of Nineveh. The Medes hated idolatry, and would delight in destroying its idols. As the Assyrians had treated the gods of other nations, so their own should be treated (2Ki 19:18). In the second Chapter, Nahum talks of the restoration of God’s people. Though the Assyrians have the most up-to-date artillery, they would be no match to God’s army. Their enemies crossed a 150-foot moat outside Nineveh and moved battering rams against on or more of the 15 gates in the wall around the city. There were dams built by Sennacherib to control the water flow into the city but the invaders had closed the rivers to get to the city, then let them loose causing a flood which destroyed the dried mud bricks and made the city a pool of water. It had once had neatly designed waterways but when God pulled the plug, everything became a muddy mess. In the 11th verse it said that Assyria had been a dwelling of the lions because Assyria’s kings used the lion as a symbol of who they were” “king of the beasts”. The third chapter explained why God was attacking Assyria and bringing it down. She was a nation of idolatry, murder and deception. All of their leaders were taken down because of their wickedness. In Revelation, the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll and there was silence for about 30 minutes in heaven. The seven spirits of God were each given trumpets. Another angle was given a gold incense burner full of the prayers of heaven and earth and he filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down to the earth. There was thunder, lightning and a terrible earthquake as the prayers hit the earth. The first angel blew his trumpet and hail and fire mixed with blood was thrown to earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire and a third of the trees burned and all of the grass. The second angel blew his trumpet and a moaning of fire was thrown into the seal. One-third of the water became blood and one-third of the creatures in the sea died. One-third of the ships sunk. The third angel blew his trumpet and a great car fell from the sky like a torch which fell on the rivers and springs. The star’s name was Bitterness. Many died from drinking it. The fourth angel blew his trumpet and one-third of the sun, moon and stars was struck. They became dark. An eagle appeared crying terror to all who are still on the earth when the last three angels blow their trumpet. Lord, thank you that you are the Comforter to your people and you avenge the blood of the innocent and punish the destroyer.