Nahum 1:12-15

Nahum 1:12-15 continued the proclamation against Nineveh but now God is described in the first person.

This is what the LORD says:
"Even though they are powerful -
and what is more, even though their army is numerous -
nevertheless, they will be destroyed and trickle away!

The rising and falling of great powers seems to be an inevitable part of the history of nations. One way of looking at this would be to attribute the instrumental cause of the Fall of Assyria to the rival forces of the era as described in ancient documents. However, in Nahum, God is viewed as the principle cause ...

Although I afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
And now, I will break Assyria's yoke bar from your neck;
I will tear apart the shackles that are on you."
The LORD has issued a decree against you:
"Your dynasty will come to an end.
I will destroy the idols and images in the temples of your gods.
I will desecrate your grave - because you are accursed!"
Look! A herald is running on the mountains!
A messenger is proclaiming deliverance:
"Celebrate your sacred festivals, O Judah!
Fulfill your sacred vows to praise God!
For never again will the wicked Assyrians invade you,
they have been completely destroyed."
(NET)

Would we dare do this today?

Would we dare attribute to God the principle cause of judgment, today?

Certainly, some people took a "prophetic" cloak and said that the 9/11 attack on America was God's judgment on the US for fill-in-the-blank reason(s). Thus, the instrumental cause would have been the 19 terrorists and the entities that supported them. Or some would proclaim the economic collapse of the last few years was God's judgment upon America's sin of greed. Again, an instrumental cause of the crisis could be identified but the principle cause would be God's judgment.

This kind of attribution to God's activity was proposed by Abraham Lincoln in regards to the Civil War in his Second Inaugural Address. Excerpt:

If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope -- fervently do we pray -- that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether."

Nahum had the anointing of God as a prophet to speak for God. Jews and Christians accept that as an article of faith.

But what about us? Can we do the same?

I suspect not. I think we can only go as far as Abraham Lincoln did. Lincoln took a prophetic tone but mixed it with a strong dose of humility.

I would not assign God as behind any political party. I can't imagine transferring the words of Nahum 1:12-15 from the Assyrians to fill-in-your-political opponent. In my mind, that would be wrong.

But what if one considers some of the horrible things that happen in some parts of the world? In places where children are forced into the sex trade, what does one say? In places where women can be killed because they dishonored the family, what does one say? In places where opponents of a dictatorship are disappeared, what does one say?

In those situations I want to be able to hear God say,
And now, I will break the oppressor's yoke bar from your neck.
I will tear apart the shackles that are on you.
Your authority will come to an end.
I will destroy the symbols of your power.
I will desecrate the graves of those you honor because you are accursed!

I suppose I could pray like that in my prayer closet?

But what if I'm in the position of authority to sway or command others? Can one take that up that kind of language?

We can't abdicate the responsibility of using discernment in choosing a course of action to deal with injustice in the world!

But can we claim this kind of prophet language?

Would the kind of language Lincoln took in the closing from the Second Inaugural be appropriate?

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan -- to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

I don't have any answers. I just have questions. But I have no question about the reality that injustice still runs rampant in this world. I want God to fix it. And I want the wisdom to know how to do justice in the realms where I can have an impact and trust God in the realms where I have no impact. Is that arrogant? Is that wrong?

Lord, have mercy. I want to see the oppressor's yoke bar broken where ever oppression is found. We are made in the image of God and I pray where sinful humanity has placed chains upon our fellow man that you would tear apart those chains. Crush those earthly powers that mock the value of human life. With humility and grieving and love but with conviction help me to pray that thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And grant to me the strength and wisdom to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Amen.

Nahum 1:2-11

Nahum 1:2-11 continued our introduction to the book of Nahum. It sets the stage and begins the pronouncements of judgment upon Nineveh (Assyrians).

In some cases, Nahum spoke of God in the third person and on other occasions he spoke for God in the first person.

In this section, he used third person. There was much text describing God as fully capable and willing to let the hammer of justice fall! I've broken the text up into 5 blocks. If you only read blocks A, C and E, you may think that God is just mean! But blocks B and D put the fierce parts into context.

Take a look ...

(A)
The Lord is a zealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and very angry.
The Lord takes vengeance against his foes;
he sustains his rage against his enemies.

(B)
The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will certainly not allow the wicked to go unpunished.

(C)
He marches out in the whirlwind and the raging storm;
dark storm clouds billow like dust under his feet.
He shouts a battle cry against the sea and makes it dry up;
he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
the blossom of Lebanon withers.
The mountains tremble before him,
the hills convulse;
the earth is laid waste before him,
the world and all its inhabitants are laid waste.
No one can withstand his indignation!
No one can resist his fierce anger!
His wrath is poured out like volcanic fire,
boulders are broken up as he approaches.

(D)
The Lord is good -
indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress,
and he protects those who seek refuge in him.

(E)
But with an overwhelming flood
he will make a complete end of Nineveh;
he will drive his enemies into darkness.
Whatever you plot against the Lord, he will completely destroy!
Distress will not arise a second time.
Surely they will be totally consumed
like entangled thorn bushes,
like the drink of drunkards,
like very dry stubble.
From you, O Nineveh, one has marched forth who plots evil against the Lord,
a wicked military strategist.
(NET)

Does a fearsome God who destroys bother you?

I suppose if one thinks of God as some dawdling old grandfather who doesn't know what is going on this picture would be quite jolting.

This is NOT a passive God! This is a fierce and passionate God.

Block C testified to the power of God with vivid images. I don't know what kind of storms hit the Middle East typically but foul weather is scary whether it is a hurricane, tornado, thunderstorm or monsoon. This was followed by a set of images that are the exact opposite: things drying up which leads to the slow lingering death and suffering of drought. The last set are images of the upheaval of what we feel to be the most stable: the ground under our feet and the large mountains on the horizon.

But is this all that God is?

Blocks B and D show the God of patiences and justice and one who protects.

If God is just the God of blocks of B and D without A and C, how would we think of God?

Not possible! In order for what it says in blocks B and D to be true, A and C have to be true.

This sets the stage for the final part in block E: God's hammer of justice is going to fall on Nineveh. Nineveh was given warnings before in the famous book of Jonah. In that story, Nineveh did turn from their wicked ways and were spared. But, they fell back to their previous patterns and now Nahum warns them that they will fall.

I'm glad that God is compassionate and desires to reconcile us to himself and each other. But I'm also glad that God is just and when the time is right, his justice will arrive in full force.

How about you?

Lord, the world is a mess. Some days, I feel I want to call up on you to rain down destruction upon people who make children into soldiers, who oppress and abuse women, who blow themselves up and kill and maim people going about their lives. Lord, in your time, you will bring justice. Help me to trust in your timing. Until that time, continue to pour out compassion, move amidst your people to serve others, bring people to the peace that knowing you brings. Amen.

Nahum 1:1

In light of my new awareness of copyright issues. I'll be making some format changes. I'll still link to the Bible passage at hand by linking to Bible Gateway. From there you could check out how various translations render the passage.

I'll also paste the text in the post using the NET Bible from http://bible.org since their copyright rules are crafted for the internet age.

When I started Blog Through the Bible, I could have started from Genesis and blog toward Revelation.

However, I opted to "jump" around for the sake of variety.

And so, now, let's go back to the Hebrew Scriptures and visit a book that probably doesn't get preached on very often. Have you heard a sermon in Nahum?


image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nahum-prophet.jpg
Image is an 18th Century Russian Orthodox icon of Nahum.

Nahum 1:1 introduced us to the book.

The oracle against Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:
(NET)

The nation of Israel was formed out of the people that left Egypt, one of the big powers in the region. As Israel grew, they faced threats from various nations. One of them was the Assyrians based in Nineveh. Israel was unified under Saul, David and Solomon but they divided and eventually, the northern part was conquered by the Assyrians with the fall of Samaria in 722 BC. The Assyrians would be supplanted by the Babylonians when Nineveh fell in 612 BCE. Nahum made reference to what appeared to be a conquered Thebes in Nahum 3:8 which suggests that this book was written at some point after the fall of Thebes in 663 BCE and prior to the fall of Ninevah. To get a good overview of the historical timeline, be sure to check out Bill Creasy's web page.

I took a look at Walter Kaiser's commentary that covered Micah to Malachi (pp. 97-98) to find out what we know about Nahum. Kaiser reported that all we know is his name from this verse! The name in Hebrew means "comfort" or "consolation." Kaiser added that the location of Elkosh is uncertain but is suspected to be 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem.

Lord, thank you that you have sent prophets through the ages to warn, comfort, challenge and teach us. Amen.

Copyright Statement

I have to say I hadn't even thought about the issue of copyright until I read this item over at the web site that hosts the NET Bible. Excerpt: Bible copyright policies typically require special permission before Internet posting, writing commentaries, allowing mission organizations to translate works into other languages, or when quotations exceed some verse limit.

Unless I crawl through all the blog posts on this site and count up the verses I've cut and pasted, I have no way of knowing if am out of compliance in terms of exceeding the number of verses cited without obtaining written permission. Likewise, I haven't indicated the version I was citing at the time of preparing the blog post. In any event, it would be a lengthy effort to fulfill the letter of the law in this case.

I hope this effort here will be taken as a good faith effort to acknowledge the intellectual property rights of the various publishers Bible translations I have used on this blog.

I have tended to cite from the following translations:

English Standard Version

New American Standard Bible

New International Version

New King James Version

New Living Translation

The Message

Today's New International Version (No longer available)

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Common English Bible

Outline of II Peter

Introduction, 1:1-2.

The journey of faith, 1:3-4
1. Building on the faith, 1:5-8
2. A warning and an assurance, 1:9-11

The foundation of faith
1. The testimony of the apostles, 1:12-18
2. The testimony of the prophets, 1:19-21

The challenges to faith
1. False teachers harming the community, 2:1-3
2. Judgment falls upon those who have rebelled, 2:4-10
3. Characteristics of false teachers, 2:10-22

The conclusion of faith
1. The Day of the Lord, 3:1-10
2. How we ought to live, 3:11-18

II Peter 3:11-18

Jesus is coming back. The world as we know it will be changed. So how do we live as we await this?

2 Peter 3:11-18 ...

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

You ought to live holy and godly lives ...

It can't be said enough: theology without a changed life is meaningless.

Ideas should have consequences. If we believe that God cares about how we live our lives, then we better live our lives differently! Likewise, if we believe life is pointless, then an ethic of eat, drink and be merry makes sense... have a blast while you last. Ideas have consequences.

But some people might think, well, if Jesus is going to come back and fix everything, then why should we bother trying to fix anything?

Indeed, God doesn't "need" us to do anything. He could do anything He wants with a snap of His fingers. He could say it is so and it is so.

Yet, God has us participate with Him in the transformation of a broken world and reconciliation of human beings with each other and with their God whom they have ignored and resisted.

And so, we have a responsibility. We should ... make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

We need to seek Him with our whole being for help.

So we need to stand firm in God drawing close to Him in humility asking that we think clearly and not be swayed. We need to strive to do what is right. Sometimes, our emotions are drawn to do what is right. We feel in our gut compassion and so our hands move to hug someone hurting. Sometimes, our minds can see that something will be beneficial so we write a check to an organization that helps get clean water wells built in a developing country saving lives. Sometimes, we do what is right because it is what God says we ought to do. For example, God says we should reconcile with one another. We don't feel like it. Our head says its too hard. But we need to do it because it is simply the right thing to do.

Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...

We live in a world where there is a struggle. The "spirit of the age" includes a "do it if it feels good" approach which we must resist. The intellectuals of this world attack the idea of believing in God and trusting the wisdom contained in a dusty old book like Bible. Yet, thinking more carefully and clearly, their evidence falls somewhat short of the confident claims they assert.

Lord Jesus, you came to save us by walking on this earth, dwelling among us, dying on the Cross and rising from the dead. And you will return to finish the work! God until you return, help me to live for you. Craft within me more humility so that I will seek you. Transform my whole being by stirring my heart, convincing my mind and strengthening my will to live holy and do good and be your hands and feet in this world. Amen.

II Peter 3:1-10

2 Peter 3:1-10 ...

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.

My immediate reaction was to think that Peter is referring to 1 Peter. But some commentators think that the subject matter and probable audience of 1 Peter and 2 Peter was so different that this line in 2 Peter referred to some other letter which has been lost to history.

This does raise the question of whether or not there are "lost letters" that should be in the Bible. Of course, that is unanswerable! What we can say is that there were a lot of other writings that did survive but in much smaller numbers than the texts that made it into the Christian Bible, the New Testament. The books of the so called Christian Apocrypha is numerous but they gained little to no consideration for inclusion into the New Testament because they were not widely accepted by the church, had questionable apostolic authorship and/or had content that was inconsistent with normative Christianity. More about the significance of apostolic authorship below.

I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

There was a body of text that Judaism held up as Scripture: the Torah (5 books of Moses), the Prophets and the Writings. And it is clear from the NT letters that the Apostles believed they had a mandate from Jesus much as the Prophets of the OT had a mandate from God. Thus, the Apostles believed they provided authoritative teaching verbally (when they preached) and in written text for the communities of faith.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

One teaching that Jesus gave was that he would return.

But when?

As time past, people began to wonder, when is this going to happen? Why the delay?

Thus, the Apostle Peter responded ...

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

The delay was due to God's patience and desire to provide time for humanity to repent - to turn around from choosing the way of the self to the way of God.

Dennis Prager the other day on the radio was saying the difference between people with a Judeo-Christian worldview and the secular worldview is identifying the source of the problems in the world. The secularist says the problem is society while the Judeo-Christian worldview says individual selfishness is the problem.

Thus, God's desire is for us to turn away from self and toward God for restoration. And so God waits ... but eventually ...

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Lord, thank you that you came to dwell among us. Thank you that you desire to restore us to yourself. We believe you will return one day to complete the restoration and to bring justice. Help me to keep my eyes on you while the world ignores you. Help me to have a gracious and persistent love for the people who don't call you Lord. Amen.

II Peter 2:10-22

image source:
http://web.d261.k12.id.us/Teachers/jacobsen/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=17&Itemid=29

Rodney King was not the best messenger but his plea, "Can we all get along?" has some value. Tolerance has its place in a civil society, yet, we do need to be discerning in our lives. Unfortunately, there are people we have to watch out for. Parents should want their kids to choose their friends carefully. One has to be careful of strangers lurking at schoolyards. Those running a business have to hire their employees carefully. Sincerity isn't enough because people can be sincerely wrong. One can sincerely believe one has a $1,000,000 in the bank but when that check for the mortgage bounces because there was really only $100 in the account, all the sincerity in the world isn't enough.

And, sadly, in addition to the sincerely mistaken, there are people who are actively seeking their advantage to the harm of others.

And so what we have here in 2 Peter 2:10-22 are some very hard words to those who would take advantage of the unsuspecting.

Things to watch out for:

1 - People who talk big and brash.
There is confidence. And there is something that crosses the line. It almost certainly will include looseness with the truth.

Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.

2 - People who leave a trail of broken people in their wake.
We often see nature as a beautiful thing and in many ways it is. But the reality is that there is a bloody side to nature: the predators eat the prey. However, our calling as human beings, should not allow us to destroy lives in the pursuit of our goals. Ends and means matter to us and this is what should separate us from the animals where the ends of survival is the prime directive.

They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.

3- People who seek pleasure.
There is joy and happiness in the Christian life. However, we all know there is a line that gets crossed and reading the verse below is clearly crossing it.

Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

4 - People who seek to control others.
Jesus calls us to a life of service not to lord it over people or manipulate them to get what we want.

With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable;

5 - People who seek after money.

they are experts in greed - an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey - a beast without speech - who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

6 - People who drain the life out of others
Christ is the way, the truth and the life. Christians, Jesus followers, should be pointing the way to God, telling the truth and doing things that bring life to others. The false teachers act for their own benefit, use words to gain advantage and destroy and damage the lives of others.

These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity - for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

In the last analysis, those who are wolves in sheep's clothing will get justice.

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

Harsh words, eh?

Can we accept a reality where the evil escape punishment and no one has a harsh word to say?

Or do we accept harsh words to warn and contend against people who mislead others and destroy lives in the name of God?

Lord, have mercy. Give me wisdom and discernment to see what really is. Not to be too quick to judge but yet not afraid to stand up for truth and righteousness. Guard me from hypocrisy. Infuse me with humility. But do not allow humility to be a reason for inaction. Do not allow my imperfections be an excuse for silence in the face of sin. May there be people who show me "tough love" and help me to offer the same to those you bring into my life. Amen.

II Peter 2:4-10

image source: http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/lightening-unbelievable-535780_1024_768.jpg

Previously, Peter had stated that false teachers were in the midst of the community. In 2 Peter 2:4-10, Peter recited times in the past when judgment fell upon those who opposed truth and righteousness.

Example number one - the angels who rebelled.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment

We know of humanity's fall from Genesis. However, there is also the fall of the angels which is much less described. Peter stated this theological reality here without any elaboration assuming the understanding of the reader.

What are the indications we have from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures of the fall of the angels?

Revelation 12 painted a picture of a cosmic battle that has taken place and continues to take place. Most vividly, "Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

Less clear is whether Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 described the fall of Satan due to pride. The primary meaning of the passages would be applied to the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre respectively. However, some interpreters have also assigned a second meaning to these passages as describing the fall of Satan and would link these passages with Luke 10:18. For a discussion of this idea see this article.

In any case, God judged the angels that rebelled.

Example number two - the world in Noah's day

if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others

Go here to read the beginning of the famous Noah and the Flood story.

Example number three - the wickedness of the people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly

To see the beginning of this story, go here.

and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)

The judgment of God is described here along with the rescue of Lot and the cautionary tale of what happened to Lot's wife.

if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.

Yet, amidst the judgment, God found a way to rescue the faithful. Peter wanted to assure the community from the history of God's dealings with humanity two truths: (1) judgment will strike down those false teachers who run contrary to what God wants and (2) God will rescue them.

Lord, give us discernment. We don't have perfect clarity on these matters. However, when we see something contrary to your truth and your ways, help us not to be fooled. Give us boldness and graciousness to stand against it wisely, to gently correct when it is a misunderstanding and to vigorously resist when it is clear those in error seek to misled. Lord, have mercy! Amen.