RETURN TO ME: NAHUM

• It would be wise for followers of Jesus to read their Bibles and to read what offends God.
• When God called and sent prophets to people, their message was threefold.
  1. This is what God says: listen.
  2. God is offended by your sin; repent
  3. Get right with God now.
• Nahum, carried God’s message in his heart and spoke it from his lips. His message is this: God is holy enough to judge evil, powerful enough to defeat any enemy, and good enough to restore the brokenhearted from their sin.
• No empire is too strong for God to judge. No injustice escapes God’s notice. No enemy of God’s people has the final word.
• God sees, cares, will bring judgment on evil doers, and remains our refuge.
• Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.
• Nahum 1:2-3 The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies! 3 The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet.

• Numbers 32:23 But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.
• Genesis 3:8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.
• People are good at hiding. What fuels hiding? Shame.
• A city that seemed permanent proved not to be. The Assyrian empire seemed invincible, but it wasn’t. The people believed they controlled their destiny, but they discovered that history belongs to the living God.
• Nahum 2:2 Even though the destroyer has destroyed Judah, the LORD will restore its honor. Israel’s vine has been stripped of branches, but he will restore its splendor.
• Nahum 2:10-11 Soon the city is plundered, empty, and ruined. Hearts melt and knees shake. The people stand aghast, their faces pale and trembling. 11 Where now is that great Nineveh, that den filled with young lions? It was a place where people—like lions and their cubs— walked freely and without fear.
• Nahum 2:13 I am your enemy!” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “Your chariots will soon go up in smoke. Your young men will be killed in battle. Never again will you plunder conquered nations. The voices of your proud messengers will be heard no more.
• Nineveh’s fall reminds us that worldly power is temporary.
• Nahum 3:6-7 I will cover you with filth and show the world how vile you really are. 7 All who see you will shrink back and say, ‘Nineveh lies in ruins. Where are the mourners?’ Does anyone regret your destruction?
• Why does God tell us about divine judgment? So we would turn from sin because we have a sin problem.
• Revelation 19:15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.

• The Cross shelters everyone who acknowledges and confesses their sin.
• As we kneel in the shadow of the Cross, we are protected from the greatest judgment to come.
• A few permanent reminders:
  1. What looks impressive on the outside may be corrupt within. Everything tells a story.
  2. Religious effort is not the same as righteous living.
  3. Repentance is the wise response to truth. Embrace God’s truth.
  4. Listening to and living by God’s truth remains possible in a corrupt culture. Don’t be shaped by a lie.

I acknowledge that I am a sinner and cannot save myself. I repent of my sin and ask You to forgive me. I believe that Jesus bled, suffered, and died on the cross for my sins, and that You raised Him from the dead. Today, I place my faith in Jesus alone—not in good works or a religion, but in a relationship.

Jesus, I confess You as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me. I surrender my life to You and ask You to help me follow and obey You from this day forward. Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and the gift of eternal life. In Jesus, name. Amen.

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