Will God’s promises hold even when such seems impossible? David Capoccia finishes his look into the book of Nahum and explains how God encouraged the people of Judah to look past the great power of the kingdom of Assyria and rest assured in God’s coming vengeance. David Capoccia discusses the second and third of the three main points of Nahum along with a few necessary closing thoughts:
1. Remember God’s Characteristic Justice and Wrath
2. Prepare for the Stunning Reversals of God’s Judgment
3. See Through Man’s Useless Strength and Defenses
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well good morning my joy to be with you again and bring you the word we’re back in ahem this week let’s pray Lord God this is a great word that we have before us because you are a great God and you sent your Prophet to declare this word not only to the people of that time but to us today so God exalt yourself now show yourself to be so great as the just God the faithful God the god that we can place our trust in that we can be secure in help me to be able to explain this word help the people to understand it and to apply it in Jesus name amen amen one of the great sources of discouragement and despair that we face in life is The Impossible perhaps you thought something like this no matter how much so and so hears the Bible’s truth he’s never going to believe or change he’s just too hard-hearted it’s impossible or I’m never going to be able to give up this sin habit I’m too weak and it’s too strong my own life choices have made it so that I cannot change now it’s impossible or there’s no way our family is going to survive all these unexpected expenses we just didn’t prepare enough and now we are doomed rest is impossible we may find ourselves sometimes saying such things when it comes to the evil and and Injustice of our world the rich always get away with their evil you can’t touch them they have too much money they have too much influence there’s no justice on the evil rich or false and flattering teachers claiming to be from God they just keep gaining more and more followers no one seems interested in sound Doctrine or careful exposition of the B never be able to win the people for Christ or nothing can stop that evil government they have too much power too much control they oppress their people too well they’ve spies everywhere they’ve silenced all criticism and opposition they have too many soldiers cannot be stopped cannot be resisted anymore have you ever such have you ever thought such despairing thoughts either about your own life about the situation in the world how quickly we forget the unbreakable nature of God’s promises promises that are tied to God’s nature itself God’s nature itself and that directly contradict our depressing thoughts consider Deuteronomy 7: 9-1 God declares know therefore that the Lord your God he is God the faithful God who keeps his Covenant and his loving kindness to a thousandth generation with those who love him and keep his Commandments but repays those who hate him to their faces to destroy them he will not delay with him who hates him but he will repay him to his face or Matthew 6: 31-32 do not worry then saying what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear for clothing the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things for your heavenly father knows that you need all these things but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you or Matthew 19: 24- 26 Jesus said again I say to you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of an needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God I.E it’s impossible when the disciples heard this they were very astonished and said then who can be saved and looking at them Jesus said to them with people this is impossible but With God all things are possible we hear we have such promises in the scripture yet even with these promises we are slow to believe we tell God God do you know what you’re up against how can you Prevail against such a mighty obstacle either in my life or in the world people of nahum’s day were wondering the same thing about the evil Kingdom of Assyria last time we discussed how this aggressive greedy brutal and deceitful Empire had conquered all the kingdoms of the Middle East they had annihilated Israel’s northern kingdom Samaria and they had subjugated Israel’s Southern Kingdom Judah these were God’s people by the time of nem’s Prophecy around 650 BC the Syrian Empire was more powerful than ever and God’s promise to judge evil and vindicate the faith of his people seemed infinitely remote nevertheless through nem’s prophecy God tells his people take comfort I will destroy evil oppressors this is the main message of the book of nahem God says take comfort I will destroy evil oppressors in the first part of nahem we saw how God directed the people to his character we articulated this point one of three points in the face of ongoing evil remember God’s characteristic Justice and wrath it has always been God’s characteristic it’s always been part of his heart to hate evil to love Justice and to judge wickedness with overwhelming holy wrath Nim describes the mere anger of God as upheaving the world causing the Seas to dry up vibrant lands to wither and mountains to crumble God specifically promises Nineveh that was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and then also Assyria as a whole and its king that he will destroy them well at the same time he promises his people that he will remove the Assyrian oppression and he will restore he will one day restore their Splendor the Splendor of Israel God even commands that these these two peoples respond appropriately Judah God’s people are to believe and celebrate while Nineveh is to get ready for battle and for their downfall but the question surely arose how is this possible oh God Assyria is Invincible their empire is vast their armies are Mighty their King has strict control how could you possibly overthrow this Kingdom so the book of nem continues with God’s preemptive answer to such an objection these next two sections of nim and the next two main points were critical for Judah to understand if they were going to take comfort and they’re also critical for us to understand if we are to take comfort in God’s justice and God’s faithfulness so how should we respond in the face of ongoing evil number one as we saw last week remember remember God’s characteristic Justice and wrath but also number two prepare for the stunning reversals of God’s judgment and also number three see through man’s useless strength and defenses let’s now read the second section of nahem and look more closely at this second point if you haven’t done so yet open your Bibles to nahem chapter 2 the book of nahem is towards the end of the Old Testament right after Jonah and Micah it’s page 931 if you’re using the Bibles in the Pew turn to nahem chapter 2 where we see the second section of the book of nem NM 2:3 NM 3:7 let’s read this section and then we’ll talk about what is the second point of nem’s message so name chap 2:3 down to verse 7 of chapter 3 follow along with me the shields of his mighty men are colored red the Warriors are dressed in Scarlet the Chariots are enveloped in flashing steel when he is prepared to March and the Cypress Spears are brandished the Chariots race madly in the streets they Rush wildly in the squares their appearan is like torches they Dash to and fro like lightning flashes he remembers his Nobles they stumble in their March they hurry to her wall and the mantelet is set up the gates of the rivers are opened and the palace is dissolved it is fixed she is stripped she is carried away and her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves beating on their breasts so Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days now they are fleeing stop stop but no one turns back plunder the silver plunder the gold for there is no limit to the treasure wealth from every kind of desirable object she is emptied yes she is desolate and waste hearts are melting and knees knocking also anguishes in the whole body and all their faces are grown pale where is the den of the Lions and the feeding place of the Young Lions where the lion and lioness and Lion’s Cub prowled with nothing to disturb them the lion tore enough for his Cubs killed enough for his lionesses and filled his layers with prey and his dens with torn flesh behold I am against you declares the Lord of hosts I will burn up her chariots and smoke a sword will devour your Young Lions I will cut off your prey from the land and no longer will be heard no longer will the voice of your Messengers be heard woe to the bloody City complete completely full of lies and pillage her prey never departs the noise of the whip the noise of the rattling of the wheel galloping horses and bounding chariots Horsemen charging swords flashing Spears gleaming many slain a mass of corpses and countless dead bodies they stumble over the dead bodies all because of the many harlotries of the Harlot the Charming one the Mistress of sorceries Luc sel’s Nation by her harlotries and families by her sorceries behold I am against you declares the Lord of hosts and I will lift up your skirts over your face and show to the Nations your nakedness and to the kingdoms your disgrace I will throw filth on you and make you vile and set you up as a spectacle and it will come about that all who see you will shrink from you and say Nineveh is devastated who will grieve for her where will I seek comforters for you we see here in the second section of nahem a second exhortation of comfort from God in the face of evil and it’s this prepare for the stunning reversals of God’s judgment our second point is prepare for the stunning reversals of God’s judgment notice this section features a series of images and these pictures all have the same theme Divine reversal God will take the once great seemingly Untouchable people of Nineveh and suddenly turn the tables on it let’s look at each of these Vivid images there are six of them in our text first in verses 23 to 25 we see the great besieger now becoming the besieged verse three gives us a picture of this resplendent Army preparing for battle mighty men dressed in red with gleaming bronze Shields and flashing steel only there’s a problem this is not a picture of nineveh’s Mighty Army but of the army marching against Nineveh Nineveh isn’t depicted in glorious Marshal array at all verses four and five show the state inside Nineveh is one of panic chariots are careening wildly through the streets as the commanders race to make all the preparation for battle Mighty Men called The Nobles here they’re not standing tall and proud they’re stumbling as they hurry to the walls battle has come and the people of Nineveh struggle to get ready Syria was famous for their Siege engin Assyrian armies were expert in bringing down walled fortresses but now the siege works are brought against Neva the text says the enemy sets up a mantlet that is a large defensive Shield or covering behind which infantry can hide this is our first image second in verses 26 to 28 we see the impregnable water Fortress actually compromised by water Nineveh trusted in her moat her Aqueduct and her canals to keep her safe during a Siege but now the gates of the rivers burst open and the water itself begins to destroy the city the palace is broken down and washed away the female slaves and servants those who would not be at the walls defending the city They Mourn over the sudden destruction Nineveh the once secure city of pools remember that that Nineveh was associated with water just like Venice is today this once secure city of pools now has her water fleeing away and destroying the people cry halt against the water to no avail the unleash torrent cannot be stopped what exactly is being described here we cannot say for sure perhaps since the city was built between two rivers one of the rivers unexpectedly flooded damaging the structures of many great buildings in the city and probably lengthy sections of the critical City walls or or yeah perhaps this flood occurred as a failure in nineveh’s engineering the bursting of a City Reservoir the failure of a critical piece of the aqueduct or Canal perhaps that was the cause of the flood or perhaps the besur cleverly stopped up certain channels of water around or near the city to overload other channels of water so that the waters burst through and overwhelmed sections of the city of Nineveh this is so such an event is supremely ironic because the Assyrians had done prec precisely the same thing when they had besieged the when they had besieged the city of Babylon decades earlier they had re rerouted channels of water to compromise the city’s defenses intriguingly deodor culus a Greek historian from the 1st Century BC reports that Nineveh was indeed com compromised by flooding waters before it fell he says a section of the city wall crumbled away due to a flood giving this once impregnable City a ready Avenue of invasion however this flooding happened the protective Waters God declares the protective Waters of Nineveh will turn against the city Nineveh will be invaded From the Inside Out not by men but by water that’s our second image third in verses 2 chapter 2: 9 to 10 we see the city once filled f with plundered Treasures now plundered the breach caused by the flood makes the way to the city’s wealth Wide Open Notice the character characterization of this City’s wealth there’s no limit to it wealth of every kind of desirable object because of ass Syria’s incessant conquests and the tribute it stored up from the various subdued Nations the city of Nineveh was one of the greatest and most beautiful of the Ancient World perhaps the most beautiful at this time it was filled with plundered treasures and the kings of Assyria took great effort to Adorn the city and its many temples but all this treasure is suddenly seized the great city of treasure is now made empty of treasure and it becomes a desolate ruin the the inhabitants cannot even comprehend this reversal Hearts melt knees knock faces turn pale and bodies are racked with anguish it’s our third image of reversal and fourth verses 11 to 13 of chapter 2 we see the one time Predators turned into prey verses 11- 13 describe the city of Nineveh like a Den of Lions a safe place for the Lions to return after they’ve hunted other creatures the king his Nobles and his soldiers they’re characterized as a a lion and Young Lions while while their wives and children are characterized as lionesses and lion cubs Nineveh used to be a place to cure for these Lions a den filled with prey plunder from all the nations attacked betrayed and subdued by Nineveh but in verse 11 nem asks what happened to this Lion’s Den the den has been invaded the prey have been removed the lionesses and the lion cubs are no longer safe moreover God himself declares directly I am against you oh Nineveh Den of Lions God promises to destroy the city and her shoulder soldiers to remove the prey from these lions and to even cut off the voice of The Messengers it’s going to be a Communications breakdown Lions who once hunted will be hunted and their once secure Den will be plundered fifth in naam 3: 1-3 we see the corpse making City full of corpses God pronounces woe on Nineveh woe is a word of judgment a word of warning even a word of lamentation your Devastation is going to be great God warns woe to you why God says because you are a bloody City full of lies and pillage you shed the blood blood of countless innocence you are brutal you are brutal to enemy soldiers and prisoners you have stolen that which does not belong to you as your plunder and you are full of lies you betray the trust of those who sought to make peace with you you turn against those who sought your protection and friendship and you turn them into prey Isaiah 33:1 by the way says the same thing about ass Syria’s bloodthirstiness and treachery here’s Isaiah 33:1 one woe to you oh Destroyer while you were not destroyed and he who was treacherous While others did not deal treacherously with him as soon as you finish destroying you will be destroyed as soon as you cease to deal treacherously others will deal treacherously with you Assyria indeed spilled much blood throughout the Middle East and piled up corpses literally piled up Corp corpses they did that as a psychological um technique a strategem to prevent other people from fighting against them but now the tables are turned in verses 2 to 3 we see the chaos of battle unfold chariots rattling Horsemen charging swords clashing Spears gleaming and what’s the result widespread death bodies everywhere and notice the great emphasis on this death there’s a fourfold description of the result of this Carnage and it keeps getting greater and greater first many slain actually a mass of corpses actually so many dead bodies you can’t even count them all actually so many dead bodies you can’t even walk straight you stumble over the dead bodies because they are everywhere thus the corpse pilot city is now filled with the corpses of her own people and her own soldiers six and finally in nam 3: 4 to7 we see the once proud and successful Harlot utterly exposed and abandoned this is our culminating culminating image of reversal why are all these great judgments coming down upon Nineveh ultimately it is because the harlotries of the Harlot Nineveh representing all of Assyria had seduced Nations by her power her wealth and her religion the peoples wanted to become her allies and her trading partners they wanted to adopt her customs and her Gods we see even Israel doing this like a harlot then Nineveh corrupted the Nations but more than this Nineveh betrayed her lovers she attacked them she plundered their wealth and took their people as captives and slaves in doing so Nineveh enriched and beautified herself seeking to increase her charms even more but what does God declare will happen to this har lotous Queen God says again I am against you and he promises a supreme Act of disgrace God says he will publicly lift the skirts of the Harlot over her face she will be completely shamed and exposed she will lose all pretense of majesty and charm she will be exposed as a powerless and unclean prostitute Every Nation will see her nakedness her true corruption and shame and she will be made completely vulnerable blinded and naked furthermore God says he will cast filth he will cast Abominations on her that which is disgusting and repulsive you will cast th those things on her and she will become a spectacle not a spectacle of royalty beauty or Charm as she was accustomed to be but a spectacle of Shame and degradation Nineveh will have no friends in that day every nation for will see her for who she really is she will not be able to lie to the Nations anymore and no one will support her no one will comfort her the great seductress will become an exposed Harlot and abandoned by all now why all these images why these images of complete reversal God strongly underscores to Judah what will happen to evil and oppressive Nineveh this great City along with its great Empire will be completely overturned all her power all her security all her wealth and Grandeur will evaporate will be replaced with complete shame and destruction no one could have expected that such reversals would come yet God tells his people get ready for it I will bring about the unthinkable for Nineveh I will do even the impossible would this not be a great comfort to Israel who sees Nineveh just going on and on and evil gaining Glory gaining riches because of her Wicked acts seemingly Unstoppable God says I am the god of divine universals I will bring this wicked and seemingly Invincible Empire down to the depths she will be abandoned by all I will do the impossible this is the second point that we have in nahem prepare for the stunning reversals of God’s judgment but how sure are these images of reversal because perhaps Wicked Nineveh might be able to foro This calamity with the right preparations what if Nineveh acquires more soldiers or a stronger economic base maybe Nineveh will get away with her wickedness after all so we turn to the third and final section of the book of nahem that’s name chap 3: 8-9 let’s read this third section and then we’ll see the third point so name 3 starting at verse 8 are you better than no Aman which was situated By the Waters of the Nile with Waters surrounding her whose Rampart was the sea whose wall consisted of the sea Ethiopia was her might and Egypt too Without Limits put and luim were among her helpers yet she became an exile she went into captivity also her small children were dashed to pieces at the head of every street they cast lots for her Honorable Men and all her great men were bound with feathers you too will become drunk you too will be hidden you too will search for a refuge from the enemy or you two will search for Refuge from the enemy all your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit when shaken they fall into the eater’s mouth behold your people are women in your midst the gates of your land are open wide to your enemies fire consumes your gate bars draw for yourself water for The Siege strengthen your fortification go into the clay and tread the mortar take hold of the brick mold their fire will consume you the sword will cut you down it will consume you as the Locust does multiply yourself like the creeping Locust multiply yourself like the swarming Locust you have increased your traitors more than the stars of Heaven the creeping Lo or more than the stars of Heaven and the creeping Locust strips and flies away your Guardsmen are like the Swarm Waring Locust your Marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers settling in the stone walls on a cold day the sun rises and they flee and a place where they are is not known your shepherds are sleeping oh king of Assyria your Nobles are lying down your peoples are scattered on the mountains and there is no one to reather them there is no relief for your breakdown your wound is incurable all who hear about you will clap their hands over you for on whom has not your evil passed continually in this third section of Mayhem we see the third and final comforting exhortation from God in the face of evil see through man’s useless strength and defenses see through man’s useless strength and defenses notice vers 8 to 11 in these verses nahem asks Nineveh a question are you better than noan what’s noan well noan is another name for the city of Thieves thieves was a city or another let me say this there’s another name for the city of Thieves a great and illustrious city of Southern Egypt a city that had recently led a promising Rebellion against Assyria in 664 BC this will be fresh in the minds of the people of the time notice the description of Thieves starting in verse 8 thieves also called noan thieves was a city just like Nineveh thieves was built on both sides of the Nile in Egypt like Nineveh thieves was a water City that ex seemed that seemed extremely well protected and well prepared for any kind of Siege Beyond water and wall defenses th had many great armies to protect her armies from Ethiopia armies from Egypt and armies from the peoples of Libya puts and lubben this was thev situation when she rebelled but what happened to thieves Assyria came besieged thieves and a supposedly Invincible water city fell verse 10 describes the result the survivors were taken captive their children were killed all over the city and the the city’s greatest men were assigned as prized slaves marched away in Chains what’s the point of bringing up thieves verse 11 makes the connection just as you Nineveh are like thieves in your greatness in your wealth and your defenses so you will be like thieves and your calamitous fall of all who want to know that even impregnable cities can fall Nineveh you are to know God announces to Nineveh as you did to Invincible thieves so it will be done to you you will be taken captive your children will be torn apart your Nobles will be sold off as prized slaves you will stagger as drunken thieves staggered you will try to hide yourself just as the survivors tried to hide and flee from Fallen thieves thieves great defenses did the city no good neither will nineveh’s famous defenses name further illustrates this point of defenselessness in verses 12 to 17 name says Nineveh is like a tree full of ripe figs sure looks impressive from the distance full but get closer give it a little Shake all the figs just pop right off right into the mouths of awaiting eaters verse 13 says Nineveh is like a city defended exclusively by women now no offense to ladies but women at this time were not known for strength for courage and they certainly were not trained for battle so when God says they are defended by women he’s essentially saying Nineveh is defended by weak untrained cowards verse 13 further says that the city is like one with its Gates wide open the city may look strong to men it may actually have its Gates closed but from God’s perspective it’s like the gates are completely open it’s like the gates it’s like the the bars of the gate have already been burned with fire any Invader can easily come in in verse 14 we see the taunting commands of God given to Nineveh get yourself ready for the siege secure Provisions strengthen the defenses the first half of 15 like we saw earlier in nem makes clear that these defensive preparations will not change their Destiny sword and fire will will destroy them the city will be consumed just as locusts strip crops bare and leave nothing behind this Locust comparison leads to another metaphor regarding locusts because some in the city might have sought Security in greater numbers let’s increase the number of our soldiers let’s increase the number of our Traders let’s get a strong supply network going so we can withstand even the greatest Siege God even sarcastically commands the people to multiply themselves in preparation multiply yourselves like locusts multiply themselves do you know what the problem with Locust is one day locusts arrive in such numbers that they black out the sun and the next day they’re all gone locusts disappear so quickly versus verse 16 begins to allude to this fact but verse 17 makes this point even more directly God says your soldiers are like a horde of locusts and a horde of grasshoppers sitting on cold stone walls as soon as the sun rises as soon it get as it gets hot what will your Locust do they will fly away and you will not be able to find them anymore God says this is what your multiplied soldiers and Traders will do they will flee like locusts the more people you gather to strengthen your defenses oh Nineveh the more people will flee in an instant in an instant your Mighty looking defenses will disappear but what about our King some of them must have thought surely we can find strength in our King he will rally the people and He will lead us to Victory but verses 18 to 19 show that looking to the king for strength is futile verse 18 addresses the king of Assyria directly naam tells the king your leaders are sleeping possibly meaning they are dead your leaders are sleeping and your people are scattered fleeing to the mountains for safety why have they scattered why can they not be regathered why is there no leader to bring them together to stand and fight where is their mighty king implication the king is gone in nahem 1 the Lord said he was preparing a grave for the king and now we see that the king is removed the people will be without their great king when they stand against their enemies this decision from God is fixed verse 19 referring against the king says there is no relief for your breakdown your breach your fracturing your wound is incurable nothing can preserve nothing can save your life any preparations you make are useless and you know what you Wicked King God says when you’re gone the peoples of the world will not weep they will not sigh they will not shake their heads but what will they do when they hear that you have died the end of verse 19 declares they will clap their hands over you they will celebrate God’s justice on you they will be glad that you are gone all your glory all your pump all your accomplishments wiped away in an instant the last memory of you is one of gladness that you are no more why God tells the reason for on whom has your evil not passed continually who in the world was not your victim O King whom did you not oppress whom did you not harm with your evil and not just once but continually none of the Nations will mourn the passing of the king of Assyria the king will not be able to save Nineveh and no one will be able to save him so behold the Unstoppable Justice and wrath of God Nineveh sure look strong in 650 DC even Invincible but God exhorts his people see through their useless strength and defenses they have no true security what they have is all show it’s a mirage none of their preparations will matter their strength will evaporate in an instant they will be completely exposed in their deserved judgment I will accomplish this I have promised this I will do the impossible so we see the third Point see through man’s useless strength and defenses let’s now review what we’ve seen in this book God’s people had suffered greatly at the hands of the wicked king of Assyria the city of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire in general the people wondered God why do you let the wicked Prosper where is your Justice why have you stopped being good but God through nahem tells the people emphatically take Comfort my people for I will destroy your evil oppressors God gave his people and it gives us three exhortations of comfort in the face of evil remember God’s characteristic Justice and wrath prepare prepare for the stunning reversals of God’s judgment and see through man’s useless strength and defenses do not despair in the face of try triumphing evil God says my plan is already set I am good and evil will receive its rightful recompense I will do even the impossible I will suddenly cast down the mighty I will utterly shame and expose the proud and any preparations they make will be useless when you see all of this oh my people you will understand just as Isaiah says behold your god reigns did nahum’s prophecy against Nineveh come to pass most certainly did while Assyria was at the height of its power around 650 BC by 625 BC only 25 years later the strength of the Empire had deteriorated as the empire was beset by Civil War the Nations that had formerly been subjugated by Assyria rose up in Rebellion with Babylon taking the lead this Rebel Coalition defeated Assyria in a number of battles until in 615 BC Nineveh itself came under siege the city’s defenses did not save it nor did ass Syria’s armies Nineveh the greatest city in the world up to this time fell to Invaders many of the survivors were massacred the rest were taken away as slaves and the great city was burned to the ground and left a ruin and it has remained a ruin to this day Assyria itself did not long Outlast her great city after another 10 years of war at the Battle of charch Miss in 605 BC Assyria Was Defeated for the last time and the Assyrian Empire ceased to exist Babylon became hegemon in the Middle East and no one was sad to see Assyria go God’s stunning prophecy of judgment came to pass exactly as nahem had declared so what does all this mean for us as Christians in the 21st century does Nim’s prophecy really matter now that the Assyrian Empire no longer exists of course it does not only are the principles of this book Timeless for responding to tests of God’s faithfulness and justice but the fact that this prophecy was completely fulfilled by God should encourage us all the more to believe in him my brothers and sisters let us stop despairing and becoming discouraged in the face of the supposedly impossible if God has made a promise to us in his word we can be sure of that promise’s fulfillment even if everything our eyes tell us say that there is no way that God can keep his promise now understand that I’m not saying that God will do whatever we want that’s impossible this message is not a call to name and claim even the impossible of God because God will do it no we can only expect from God that which he actually promised God could do the impossible for things he hasn’t promised but we’re only talking about what God has promised for us as Christians he didn’t promise US riches but he did promise perfect provision he didn’t promise US good health but he did promised to bring us safely into his Heavenly Kingdom and he didn’t promise US freed us from temptation but he did promise to strengthen us so that we can stand in the day of testing so if God’s promises seem contradicted by impossible situations do not be shaken in your confidence is the arm of the Lord Too Short is our God so impotent nothing will be impossible with God he is the god of divine Divine reversals he exalts the humble and suddenly cast down the proud wait on your faithful God to do the impossible however long it takes he will not fail he will act in the right time and when you consider the injustices and evils in the world today the peoples the practices the governments that seems so impossible to stop or to bring to Justice remember that your God still does the impossible to keep his promises evil no matter how mighty No matter how seemingly secure and well prepared will not escape the eye and the wrath of God God will judge all evil oppressors just as he did Assyria God did not judge Assyria immediately God gave Assyria time God was patient but God’s patience does not last forever in God’s perfect and wise timing he called those Wicked ones to account and he will do the same with those who practice evil today either in their own lifetimes or at the final judgment so let us never despair in the face of ongoing evil let us remember the words of n God will judge evil oppressors there are three other final thoughts I’d like to give you before we close our steud on the book of nahem number one understand that the comfort of nahem regarding God’s faithfulness and Justice is not an allowance to passivity let us never say because God has promised me I no longer need to act God has given you commands alongside his promises commands such as agonize to put your sin to death work hard to provide for yourself and your family and to give to others proclaim the gospel so that people might repent and believe have mercy on the poor and oppressed expose sin and Injustice let us not put God to the test by using God’s promises as an excuse to be disobedient God’s promises are to comfort us and Empower us in our obedience not lead to laziness and apathy even as we consider the world’s Injustice and oppressions let us remember that we have a duty to oppose evil and show Mercy even as we rest in God’s promise to bring Justice number two some of you might be wondering how all this taking comfort and God’s Wrath and Justice fits with the commands of the Bible to love your enemies and to pray for them and to give them the gospel these truths may seem contradictory and there is a tension to be sure but these truths actually fit together we love our enemies and we hate wickedness at the same time when we witness evil we ought to feel both a desire to see Justice and a desire to see Mercy we ought to cry to God please have mercy on these wicked men help them realize their wickedness open their eyes so that they might cry out to you and be saved as we also pray God do not allow them to continue in their wickedness do not allow them to oppress anymore bring your Justice if they will not repent let them be confounded do not let them get away with what they do never do we hate or feel anger for our own sakes but we ought to feel righteous anger on God’s behalf we ought to feel Zeal against Injustice and blasphemy just as our Lord did when he drove the money changers out of the temple so yes let us obey the Lord’s command to love our enemies to the uttermost even doing as Jesus did laying down our lives for them but let us also work to stop oppression from continuing let us beseech the Lord to establish justice on the earth and to avenge his oppressed people and then number three as I said last week understand that the comfort of nem is only for those were truly God’s people if you still live as king of your own life if you still live in habits of sin if you still refuse to love God and worship God with all that you are then woe be to you because you are like Nineveh you are a rebel against God and an agent of Oppression in the world like Nineveh you may feel secure now you’re not yet old you’re relatively healthy you feel you do more good than bad in your life you feel smart enough to evade death and injury you’ve got a fair amount of money surely you can talk work or pay your way out of any emergency I heard you do not think so foolishly Because unless you’re absolutely perfect before God you’re unacceptable to him that’s Matthew 5:48 your tainted good works actually stink in God’s nostrils and you are not safe before him you live under God’s overhanging Wrath which could come crashing down on you at any time you could die today unexpectedly happened to others it could happen to you and if you die in this rebellious State and what will you face only God’s holy anger only God’s overwhelming judgment you would be like the foolish man the foolish rich man that Jesus describes in his Parable in Luke 12 19 to 21 the man who said to his soul soul you have many Goods laid up for many years to come take your ease eat drink and be merry but God said to him you fool this very night your soul is required of you and now who will own what you have prepared so was the man who stores of treasure for himself and is not rich toward God Nineveh did not see her judgment coming and persisted in evil till it was too late so I urge you do not make the same mistake and do not say to yourself Jesus is too loving he’s too understanding to punish me he the warning that Jesus himself gave in his Sermon on the Mount Matthew 7: 21-23 Jesus says not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven will enter many will say to me on that day Lord Lord did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform any Miracles and I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness Jesus is not just savior he is Judge and if you do not repent of your sins Jesus will be the one who separates you as a goat from his sheep and he will say to you depart from me a cursed one into the Eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels that’s Matthew 25:41 and what’s the only reason that Jesus hasn’t judged you yet he patience his undeserved patience his great goodness and patience you have not deserved God’s mercy but he has given it to you because he is that good so do not spurn his patience do not reject his Mercy or you’ll only Heap greater judgment on yourself but what must you do repent and believe confess God to be right and you to be wrong confess him to be deserving of all worship and obedience and yourself to be a great sinner deserving God’s fiery anger a sinner unable to reconcile himself with God throw yourself upon God’s mercy as it is found in Christ take Jesus as the substitute for your sin and Trust in Jesus’s righteousness alone to make you acceptable to God give up your sin give up your own way take Jesus’s good yoke upon you submit every area of your life to his will become a true disciple of Jesus follow your master until death and you will obtain eternal life and better than that you’ll obtain God God will give himself to you turn to Jesus while you can you do not know how much time you have as nahem says in nahem 1 verses 7 to8 the Lord is good the stronghold in the day of trouble and he knows those who take refuge in him but with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of its sight and will pursue his enemies into darkness dear Calvary the day of the Lord is drawing nearer and nearer God’s judgment is eventually coming on the whole world must then live soberly while we are on the Earth but in Hope God will keep his promises to us during our sojourn even if he has to do the impossible what’s seemed more impossible than him saving us from our sins and according to God’s promise God will one day perfectly judge the wicked and vindicate his people does the he judged ass Syria according to the word of nahem let’s close in prayer God you were so great what I’ve sought to communicate to the people the greatness that you declare about yourself in your word but holy spirit I pray that you would do the work because you’re the only one with power my words don’t have power but you used the preaching of your word you use the word as the means to affect change so please affect change in your people affect change in those who don’t know you I pray God that we would all love you find our security in you run to you for your mercy and believe you because you are God worthy to be believed you will keep your promises even promises to judge the wicked and be faithful to your own I pray that every person here would be realizing that taking firm hold of that meditating on that and living lives in accordance with that truth in Jesus name amen amen
