NAHUM

The following comments are from Navigator's and Quiet Time Diary journals. One verse will be entered, then the comment, then the date.

1:3    The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

    God is love, why would He want to hurt people? Not all people are His children though, and what should a parent do to disobedient children? Those who don't follow His way will receive punishment eventually. A storm (meteorological or spiritual) is just an example of what He can do to get my (our) attention. The goal is to walk only in His way, and avoid as many storms as possible. (DRM 8/19/07)

1:4    He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
         He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither;
         The blossoms of Lebanon wither.

    If we, as a country (no matter what country) don't obey the Lord God and His known desires to serve and proclaim Him, our country will be subject to God's wrath and vengeance. (v. 2)
    What can He do? He can do anything He wants. This verse gives us just one example - He can withhold rain. Without rain, our food supply will wither and probably the dessert conditions will cause more heat, but not necessarily up north. (I think of desserts as being hot.) If our country followed the Lord, He would bless us with rain and good crops, etc. (DRM 3/21/15)

1:7    The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.

    I continuously need encouragement and reminders that the Lord really cares for me. I must not keep thinking "what if" or have any doubts that He will provide for us if it is in His will, and we have complete and total trust in Him.  (DRM 12/22/86)

1:9    Whatever you devise against the LORD,
         He will make a complete end of it.
         Distress will not rise up twice.

    While Nahum was speaking about Nineveh (1:1), this verse could apply to anyone today.
    God is in complete control. No matter what your plan is - He can change it if He desires. If you have a plan against the Lord; it will not succeed. Even if you try more than once on a project that isn't His will, it will fail again. (I've done that!)
    When you know what God=Jesus wants done, and it's clear you can do it, then work on whatever the project is - it will 'more likely' succeed. (DRM 12/15/16)

2:4    The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. 

    While the title to this chapter is "Nineveh to Fall," it seemed remarkably similar to last weeks events in Beijing, China. In v.3 the word "red" is emphasized which is most appropriate. God IS up to date! (DRM 6/11/89)

3:4    . . . all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.

    This is the difference between Nineveh and China of today. The cause of the evil was different, but the pain seems to be the same. In both cases, whatever the Lord deems to be correct will be accomplished. (DRM 6/11/89)