Nahum 3
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departs not (2964 “prey” [tereph] means food, an animal hunted or caught for food, nourishment, leaf, or what is consumable.)
DEVOTION: Here we have a nation that took advantage of other nations. The people who lived in the capital of the nation were described as murders and liars. In other words, they were those who were wealthy by hurting others. They looked at those who were not in their class as victims.
So everyone who was not in their select group were considered people they could take advantage of for their own personal gain. They didn’t care for the little men and women in society. They only cared for themselves.
In our capital we have elected officials who are supposed to be concerned about what is happening to those they represent but it seems that the only ones they are concerned about is themselves. Those who get their way are lied about or their reputation is ruined so that no one will listen to them. There is even talk at times that there are people who are murdered for what they know and are ready to reveal about our elected officials.
We are not to look at people the same way. We are to be encourages of those who are suffering. We are to be helpers to those who need help. We are to be good neighbors.
In fact, we are told to help those who consider themselves our enemies. God is the one who is going to deal with those who are murderers and liars. HE is going to deal with those who treat others as their victims.
CHALLENGE: HE does it in Nineveh and HE will do it here in America or any place that acts like the people of Nineveh.
: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that sells nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. (3785 “witchcrafts” [kesheph] means sorcery, black magic, or acts of obtaining powers from evil spirit.)
DEVOTION: Today here in America we have many places that practice trying to communicate with the dead. We have some television programs that promote people sitting around a table all holding hands to call up the spirit of someone who died. It is a multimillion dollar industry. People for some reason want to have a final word with someone who they loved.
We have King Saul trying to communicate with the prophet Samuel after he had died. But in heathen nations where evil spirits or fallen angels are even more prevalent demon worship was practiced.
The nation of Assyria was making allies by lying and deception. They were a very cruel nation to those they conquered. They were noted for worshiping whatever god was going to get them an alliance with other nations. They would sell out nations by their illegal associations. They would sell out families by their black magic. They dealt with demons on a regular basis.
Each nation has good angels and bad angels working through it. The bad or evil angels were winning at the time of Assyria’s fall. We read more about their activity in the book of Daniel.
Today we find that many Christians don’t believe that there are evil spirits working in America and around the world. They think that they might be working in Africa or Asia or someplace like that but not here in America. When a nation wants to leave God out of their lives, the evil angels are working. We have given the evil angels a foothold in our schools by taking the Word of God out.
We have given the evil angels a foothold in our government when they want to forget about teaching anything to do with God. Our moral decisions are to leave God at the door.
Our politicians try to say that their personal convictions are not going to affect their political decisions. We have moved so far to the left that if it looks like a Biblical belief, it must to be wrong. Assyria was there and the LORD had to judge them for it. If we are there, will the LORD have to judge us for it?
CHALLENGE: Believers are not to mix with evil spirits or trying to speak to the dead. Avoid supporting programs or movies that endorse demonology.
: 7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look on you shall flee from you, and say, Nineveh is lad waste; who will bemoan her? Whence shall I seek comforters for you? (5162 “comforters” [nacham] means to regret, to be sorry, to console onself, a person who commiserates with someone who has had misfortune, console, or express sympathy.)
DEVOTION: God is a God of comfort to those who love HIM. HE is not a comforter to those who disobey HIS commands.
The people of Nineveh were those who disobeyed HIS commands. They were not to treat people the way they did. They were to realize that their worship of false gods was going to have consequences.
God has sent an army to destroy the nation of Assyria. They are going to leave corpses in the streets so high that they couldn’t get around them without falling over them.
HE asks a question regarding finding a comforter for Assyria. HE was destroying them because of their pride. HE was allowing another heathen nation to defeat them because of their lack of repentance.
So the answer to the question was that there would be no comforter for this nation. They had reached the point of no return from the LORD. Their wound was so grievous that there would be no healing.
Will the LORD ever leave HIS people without comfort? The answer is always NO. HE is always going to give comfort even in the most trying times in our life. Trust HIM to be there in every storm that comes your way. Thank HIM for HIS love. Our wounds will never be without HIS healing touch.
CHALLENGE: Remember there is no comfort from the LORD when people treat each other bad. This includes believers treating other believers bad, as well as, those who don’t know Christ.
: 19 There is no healing of your bruise; your wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of you shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not your wickedness passed continually? (8088 “bruit” [shema] means report, hearing, fame, tidings, rumor, news or message.)
DEVOTION: Throughout the history of the world there have been wars. There are times when one nation fighting is against another nation or a group of nations fighting another group of nations.
People have a natural tendency to be selfish. In fact, in their selfishness they want more possessions for themselves. They get to the point where they don’t care how they get the possessions. There are thieves that break into houses to take other peoples possessions for their own. There are nations that want what another nation has and so they go to war to take it for themselves.
Assyria was a nation that liked war. They would conquer nations. They would take all their possessions for themselves. They didn’t care for the LORD.
Now it was their turn to be conquered. All the other nations heard the report of their defeat and clapped their hands. They were happy that they didn’t have to worry about the nation of Assyria.
Nahum states why they were happy. Assyria had the reputation of continually doing wicked things to other nations. So they didn’t come into a nation once and defeat them, they kept coming back for more possessions for themselves.
Assyria was not going to be healed by the LORD again. Nations that don’t honor the LORD will end up the same way Assyria ended up. If our nation continues on the path that it is currently on without a revival amongst Christians to the point where they start reaching their neighbors for the LORD we will experience a grievous wound as well.
All revivals start with a small group getting together with prayer and fasting. As that group prays and fasts they confess their sins to the LORD. Once they reestablish a good working relationship with the LORD HE can use them to reach their world for the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Are you ready to start such a group?
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