richard cimino route66 - 20151123 nahum1-366/20151123_nahum1-3.pdf · richard cimino – route66 -...

Richard Cimino – Route66 - 20151123_Nahum1-3

of 27

ROUTE 66 Destination: Nahum We’ve been, in a sense, driving through the 66 books of the Bible.

And tonight we come to the 34th book in the Old Testament, the book of Nahum.

The book of Nahum is the 7th book in this little portion of the Bible known as the Minor Prophets.

The Minor Prophets is the final 12 books of the Old Testament.

And because they bear the name Minor they tend to be pretty obscure to the average Christian.

They’re probably – these last 12 books of the Old Testament – are probably the least read and

the least studied books of the Bible. But it’s my prayer that are drive through this part of the

Bible, this stretch of road that we’re going to cover tonight, called the book of Nahum, that we’re

going to see how amazing, again, this little collection of books really is.

So let’s open up with a word of prayer first.

Our Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your Word. We thank you that it’s in your heart to

speak to us because you don’t want us to be in the dark about you. And if you left us to

ourselves, fallen, finite, LORD, we would never know how to find you. We would just, we are

only capable of speculating. And, LORD, we look around at the world; and that hasn’t worked

out so well. LORD, we’re so glad that you desire to speak, you desire to flood our hearts with

the light of the truth of who you are. So would you help us tonight? Holy Spirit, would you be

our teacher. Holy Spirit, would you overlook my inadequacies as a man; overlook my

inadequacies as a teacher; so that tonight your Word would go forth in the demonstration of the

Holy Spirit and of power to save souls, to build up the body of Christ, to equip men and women

to serve you as they scatter from here, so that we would trust you more, worship you more, love

you more, and in all of it the name of Jesus made great in all the world, we pray, amen, amen.

While I was, I can’t remember now, if it was before I left for England when I was down in

Southern California for the Worship Leaders Conference, or whether it was in England, I saw

this little clip that a guy named David Robertson - he’s a pastor in Scotland - and he had this

little video clip of Alistair Begg, who’s a Scotsman himself. And I was so struck by it. I think it’s

so much the need of our time. He was beginning a sermon. And in the sermon he was quoting


of 27

some words in the New Testament. And he said, “And we know this.” It was a part of the verse.

“And we know.” And he said that he had just recently been at a church in Southern California.

He didn’t name it. He just said he was at a big church. And he says that when he’s invited to

places like that he feels this great liberty because he really doesn’t have to figure out what he’s

supposed to do. It’s kind of like whatever you want me to do I’ll come and do. And so he walks.

And as he walks in they’ve got this countdown screen going, and this crazy music going on.

And he says, “Man, I walked in. And I was in there. It started in 5 minutes. And it started

counting backwards. And I was there for two seconds. And it told me that it was 4 minutes and

58 seconds.” And he says, “And when the 5 minutes got down to 0, the worship band started

playing. And at the end of the time of worship the guy who was leading the band said to the

people, he says, “Do you all, everybody feel good?” At which his response was, “Are you

kidding me? Like I don’t need to feel anything. I need to know something.” And I just went,

‘Yes!’ You guys, I’ve said this on several occasions, there are Monday nights that, man, if you

knew what I was feeling, if it was like put on a placard, you would be like running out of the Exit

doors. I don’t have a dog. But sometimes if I had one I’d want to kick it sometimes. That’s

what I feel sometimes. And I was so amazed that he said that very thing. He says, “Man,

sometimes, if I had a dog I’d kick it.” There are days that I just feel horrible.” And he says, “In

the Christian life the great need, the great Gospel truth is not we need to feel something, not do

I feel good. What we need is we need to know something, not just feel something.” And I think

that is so important to what we’re going to see tonight in the book of Nahum.

So let’s start our drive by looking at the first verse of the first chapter where the author is

introduced to us. It says –

“1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.” And that’s all we know about this guy. He came from the town of Elkosh. And that would be a

helpful thing for us to know if we knew where Elkosh was. But we don’t know where it was.

There’s no archaeological evidence that confirms where that city, where that town was. But we

know this, that there’s a town that was very well known during the ministry of Jesus. In fact, it

was pretty much the base of His operations for his ministry in Galilee, the town of Capernaum.

And Capernaum in Hebrew is Kefar Nahum, right, which means the Town of Nahum. And so I


of 27

don’t think that means that Capernaum was actually at one time known as Elkosh; but surely it

would cause us to think that somewhere in the region of Galilee is where this hometown was of

this prophet.

And so Nahum was the prophet that God had called to announce the fall of Nineveh.

And Nineveh was the capitol city of that brutal Assyrian Empire.

That great city of Nineveh was a big part of the book of Jonah.

Remember Jonah was sent by God to warn Nineveh of impending judgment.

In fact, the message, the entire prophetic content of the book of Jonah is eight words long.

We saw it –

Jonah 3: “4 Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the response to that message was radical.

In Jonah 3:5 it says – “5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.” And Nineveh was spared because they repented. Now over a hundred years have passed

since Jonah showed up and preached to the Assyrians. And God calls Nahum to prophesy

against Assyria. And in the context of this prophecy he mentions the Egyptian city of Thebes,

and the capture of that city. And that occurred in 663 B.C. And then he predicts the fall of

Nineveh. And that took place in 612 B.C. And that means that he was ministering in the

southern kingdom of Judah during the reigns of Manasseh and Josiah. So that gives the time

context for his ministry.

His contemporary ministers would have been Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk.

And we’ve said this a number of times; and it’s worth saying again –

As we just look at like, ‘Hey, this guy’s ministry didn’t exist in a vacuum.’

He was preaching at the same time of Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk.

And, again, it’s worth noting God had a bunch of men prophesying at one time in a really tiny

piece of real estate in the Middle East, because –

He loved these people;


of 27

and He wanted to speak into their lives.

Now Nahum’s name means – comfort. And, no doubt, it’s not by coincidence that God would

have this guy named Nahum prophesy about the impending doom of Nineveh, because that

would have comforted the southern kingdom of Judah. The Assyrians had already taken the

northern kingdom of Israel, destroyed it in 722, led off the people into slavery. They were

dispersed into, never to be seen. And then they tried to capture Judah during the reign of

Hezekiah around 701 B.C. But they were defeated by an angel of the LORD. And we read of

that in Isaiah 37. Now the prospect of God doing away with the ruthless brutal Assyrians that

were constantly looming, just a huge threat of a brutal powerful foe over the southern kingdom,

surely their removal, their destruction, would have meant tremendous comfort to Judah.

But I think there’s more here in this guy’s name than just that. And I say that because

remember how Jonah had real bitterness in his heart towards the Ninevites? Jonah was

hoping that God would wipe out the Ninevites, so much so, that when God sent him to Nineveh

he booked a one-way ticket in the opposite direction because he didn’t want Nineveh to repent.

Jonah knew that if the Ninevites repented God would forgive them. Jonah would have loved to

be the guy given the prophecy that Nahum got to give about Nineveh. He would have loved to

be able to pronounce their destruction. But instead God sent Jonah, the guy that was bitter

towards the Assyrians, to give a message that was intended to provoke repentance, resulting in

mercy. I find it interesting that it was a man whose name means comfort that God would use to

pronounce judgment, because that’s so much like the heart of God. When I think of this

prophet’s name, I think of the nature of his prophecies, I believe that Nahum took no joy in the

things that he prophesied against Nineveh because of Nineveh’s rebellion against God. And

that is so much what the heart of God looks like when it comes to the subject of judgment.

Ezekiel 33: “11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die…?” That’s a heart that doesn’t want to see judgment.

And yet it’s coming from the heart of God, the Judge.

And that’s how we should represent God when we have to speak of the reality of judgment.


of 27

And that’s how we should think about a world that’s heading for judgment,

rather than finding our hearts just –

filled with rage,

and filled with anger in a sense that’s just self-serving.

I think that we need to look, and our hearts should break over the reality of impending judgment.

We need to have God’s heart.

And it makes me think of how Jesus wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41-44 –

“41 And when he drew near and saw the city,” – notice – “he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you.” And it says - “And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”” The heart of Jesus was so broken over the impending judgment that would come on Jerusalem–

because they did not receive Him,

because they rejected Him.

In 70 A.D. the Romans just –

pummeled the city of Jerusalem,

tore down the Temple,

threw the stones down from the wall, and some of the retaining wall.

And Jesus wasn’t sitting there, like looking, glaring in rage and anger at them.

He’s weeping over the reality of the judgment that was about to come.

Guys, you and I –

we need to understand –

when I think of this guy whose name means ‘comfort’,

when I think of Jesus weeping over the reality of judgment,


of 27

and I think of us living in a world that’s facing judgment, guys,

we need to understand that living on mission is a very relational thing.

It’s tied up in our relationship to Jesus.

Guys, we need to have a living connection between –

the life of Jesus,

and the compassion of Jesus;

So that when we have to talk about judgment, we talk about it as though our hearts are breaking

over the reality of it; that it’s not a message that we delight in proclaiming, because we can’t wait

to see the world that gives Christians so much grief finally face judgment; but that we would be

having our hearts broken over that thing that God’s going to have to do to the unrepentant

sinner, even though it’s breaking God’s heart that He’s going to have to do it.

Charles Spurgeon said this – he said –

“When you are speaking of Heaven you should have the biggest smile you can possibly conjure.

And when you’re speaking about Hell your normal face will do.”

I think his point is –

There shouldn’t be veins sticking out of our neck;

There should be no raging anger;

But rather a countenance that shows the deep desire of God for man to be reconciled.

Now in this little book of Nahum –

we’re told about the fall of Nineveh;

and we’re told about the details of its fall.

History records the accuracy of Nahum’s prophecy.


of 27

And, again, this isn’t the only message to Nineveh. A hundred years earlier Jonah preached

that eight word prophecy that led to the greatest revival in human history.

And, by the way, I think that the greatest revival yet to come in human history is yet future; and

it’s going to take place during the Great Tribulation. In the book of Revelation we’re told that

there will be multitudes beyond number from every tribe, nation and language that are going to

come to faith in Jesus during the Great Tribulation.

But until then this thing that happened in Nineveh as a result of an eight word proclamation of

Jonah is the greatest revival that we’ve ever seen in human history.

But here’s what I want to say, guys.

Only a few generations after that incredible revival,

following the eight words that were declared to the Ninevites;

Only a few generations after that there’s another message;

And this one it says, “Nineveh has got to go. Nineveh has got to go.”

Now why?

Well, somewhere along the line – think about it – a little over a hundred years earlier, the

greatest revival in human history; and yet now God’s saying Nineveh must go – that tells us

something, guys; it tells us that those who had been rescued from judgment failed to pass on to

the next generation the reality of –

God’s love,

God’s long-suffering,

God’s grace,

and God’s mercy.

The need for the prophecy of Nahum is so incredibly important to anyone who has experienced

the grace and the mercy and the love of God that’s wrapped up for us in Jesus. You see, it’s

our responsibility to effectively communicate the Gospel to the next generation.

Somewhere along the line all that God had done for them –


of 27

how God had spared them from judgment,

how they had turned from their idols to trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;

Somewhere along the line –

people stopped living that;

and people stopped communicating that;

And things had gotten so bad because of that,

that God was going to say, “Nineveh has to go now.”

It’s your, it’s my responsibility to effectively communicate the Gospel –

by our lives,

and by the proclamation of the good news.

And that is why Metro exists.

Jesus planted Metro to preach the Word of God. Preaching is proclamation.

Jesus planted Metro to teach the Word of God. Teaching is explanation.

That’s why Jesus planted this church –

so that you could grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus,

so that you might know, love and serve Jesus in such a way,

that your lives and your words would effectively communicate the Gospel,

to the next generation.

You see, guys, you don’t need to feel something. We’re not going to stand here every week,

and every time we meet, and try to pump something up so that you’re going to leave going, ‘Oh I

feel so good for being there’; but you walk away with no real faith.

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

We are so not concerned with what you feel. I mean, obviously, we’re not hoping that you’re

going to come in and have a miserable time, right? Like - You come in. You hear the doors


of 27

locked behind you. And you’re just going to feel like you would rather be dead than be here by

the time you leave. You know, we’re trying to do everything in a way that makes you feel

welcome and at home.

But, guys, the job of Metro is –

not to entertain you,

not to leave you feeling good.

It’s to leave you knowing something, so that you can truly know, love, and serve Jesus in such a

way that your lives and your words would effectively communicate the Gospel to the next

generation.

Parents, we love to minister to your children. But we only have your children for a few hours a

week. And that’s why we’re so totally committed to teaching you the Word of God. A lot of

parents get it really backwards. They’ll pick a church to go to because their kids are so

entertained; and their kids leave feeling all pumped up. But the parents are getting nothing.

Well, guys, that’s backwards, because you’ve got your kids all week long.

And you need to have something to give them.

You need to have something to live by.

You need to know something, not just feel something.

And that’s why we’re so committed to teaching you the Word of God –

so that you’ll built up in your relationship with Jesus,

so that you’ll have the Word of God stored up in your heart;

not so you can preach at your kids;

but so you can live out the Word of God before your kids,

so that you can let your kids see what it looks like to live by faith;

that you’re actually referencing the Word of God to know how to live;

that when you do things you can say, “Well, this is how God wants us to do it.”


of 27

And without using the grown up terms of, “You’re informed, defined, and directed by the Word of

God”, you can show your kids how you want God to fill you in. And you’re finding out how God

fills you in, in the pages of Scripture. So that when they see your life, and they see you trying to

navigate life in a fallen world, trying to navigate the things that Jesus is still making new in your

life, that they can see you stopping to say, “Hey, let’s pray about this”; or “Let’s see what God

wants to do in our life when we don’t know what’s happening.”

I read this tweet today. It was really great. I’ve got to paraphrase it. It says –

“We don’t always have a map;

But we always have a guide.”

Like in the midst of some circumstances we don’t know the next step.

But that passage in the Old Testament says,

“And you’ll hear a voice behind you saying, “Go this way.”” This book is the voice of God to us. And as we store it up in our hearts, as it’s brought into our

hearts and our minds, the Holy Spirit draws it up. And when we’re wondering what’s going on,

we don’t have a map. We don’t know exactly what is the next decision? What’s the address

that we’re supposed to move to? What’s the name of the company that we’re going to work for?

You don’t have that map. But you have a guide. And it’s the Holy Spirit directing you by the

Word of God. And your kids need to see that. We want to teach you the Word of God so that

you’ll have the Word of God stored up in your hearts, not to preach at your kids, but to share

with your kids, so that they can see how the Bible is God’s Word to them, not just God’s Word

for you. You know, in the Old Testament God says, “Okay, these things that I’ve told you about,

I need you to tell them to your kids, from the time you get up till the time you go to bed. As you

walk in the way, talk to them.” You know, I think for a lot of you guys, if you’ve got little kids

playing soccer, and they’re not travelling, I think last weekend was the last of that soccer

season. But, man, on the way to practice, on the way home from practice, things go on, things

happen, things at school, things happen. And they come in. And they’re saying, “Man, this kid

in my class”; “This kid on my team”; or “the coach wouldn’t”, or “I couldn’t”, or “I didn’t”, or

whatever it was. And you can have a discussion with them. And you can reference the Word of


of 27

God, not preaching at them, just sharing with them, so that they begin to know that God’s Word

is to them. It’s so important, so that they can say what God has to say about life to their peers,

and make an impact on their generation.

Why does Nineveh have to go?

Because somebody stopped communicating with their lives and their words,

the reality of God’s saving grace.

Here’s another big thing for us to see in Nahum’s prophecy of the fall of Nineveh.

We know for sure that God holds each individual responsible for their actions.

I’m not going to stand before God for your sins.

And you’re not going to stand before God for mine.

And that’s why –

every individual needs to hear the Gospel;

every individual needs to embrace Jesus as their Savior;

Because, you know –

you’re not going to stand before God for your kids;

your kids won’t stand before God for you.

Everybody needs the personal Savior.

But, listen, the judgments that are written in Nahum concerning Nineveh are not written to

individuals for their individual sin. They’re pronounced on a nation. God was judging a nation

for its national behavior. And do you know what? As people who live in America, I think we kind

of forget that. Why should we be desperate to pray?

And, by the way, next Wednesday morning is the first Wednesday of the month,

which is time to pray – 6 am - meet here for prayer.


of 27

We need to pray. Just because this is America doesn’t mean that it’s going to be forever free of

God judging it. As we look at what’s happening in the news, as we see what’s happening in our

culture, I mean, we’re not seeing things looking too much different than it looked for Nineveh.

And there will come a time when God will judge a nation. We can read through the Old

Testament, and see God judging entire people groups, entire nations, and think that somehow

He’s not going to be that way ever again.

As for an outline –

J. Sidlow Baxter, his book, ‘Explore the Book’ – it’s a great book.

You can get it online now. It’s hard to find it in print. If you can, it’s great.

J. Sidlow Baxter, ‘Explore the Book’ –

He gives an outline of Nahum that essentially follows the chapters.

And here it is – It’s a three chapter book.

Chapter 1 – Judgment is Declared.

Chapter 2 – Judgment is Described.

Chapter 3 – Judgment is Deserved.

In other words – Here’s the reasons for the judgment.

So let’s look at some of the highlights of the book.

And we’re going to be primarily in the 1st Chapter.

Chapter 1:2, 3, 7 are pretty much the key verses of the whole book.

And they’re important particularly because of the first three words that we see in those verses.

And those three words are – depending on the translation you’re reading from – “The LORD is”

Some of your translations might say – “God is”, okay?

And, again, we’ve said time and again, the Bible is the revelation of God to man.

This book is so important because it gives to us what we need to know about God. Again -

It’s not about what we feel.

It’s what we know.


of 27

We need to know things about God –

not just intellectually,

but they need to come in through our mind, and have an impact on our heart.

The things that God wants us to know about Him, He reveals to us in the pages of Scripture.

And in the book of Nahum we learn about who God is. God makes Himself known to us.

In verse 2 there are three words that are often greatly misunderstood.

And we need to spend a little time trying to understand them;

Because each one of them relate to the character of God.

Those three words are –

1. jealousy,

2. vengeance,

3. and wrath.

1. jealousy,

2. vengeance,

3. and wrath.

And if you want to put wrath/anger;

because we do read of the anger of the LORD in those first couple of verses as well.

Jealousy – What does it mean when it says that the LORD is jealous?

Well, we know that jealousy is –

an incredibly ugly,

and an incredibly powerful,

and an incredibly destructive thing,

when you are jealous of what others have; and you desire to have it for yourself.

The Bible says,


of 27

“Who can stand before envy?”

“Who can stand before envy?”

It was for envy that the religious leaders of Israel turned Jesus over to Pontius Pilate.

Jealousy is a powerful, destructive thing when it’s about –

what others have,

and you want to have it.

But it’s a powerful and protective virtue if it means –

cherishing what we do have,

and wanting to protect it.

Let me illustrate it. A faithful husband, a faithful wife –

They’re jealous over one another.

They’re jealous in the sense that they’re going to do everything to guard their own hearts

to preserve their relationship.

Husbands, you should be jealous of your marriage – not jealous of some guy looking at your

wife; but jealous of your marriage; and in your heart guard your own heart so that you would not

let anything enter your heart that would ever threaten your love for your wife.

And wives you should have that same thing. You will do anything to guard your own heart,

watch the way that you live in order to keep your relationship exclusive

That’s a big deal. That’s what jealous looks like as a virtue.

Now since God made everything and owns everything, He’s not jealous of anything, right?

Jealousy, in its sinful, destructive way –

looks at what somebody else has, that you don’t have, and you want it.

The Creator cannot envy creation, because He’s so superior to it. He made us.

He’s not jealous of what we have. He made us.


of 27

There’s nothing that you or I could ever possess that He would be jealous of.

But since He is the only true God –

He’s jealous over His glory.

He’s jealous for His name.

He’s zealous.

And, by the way, the word jealous in the Old Testament –

the root of that word is connected to the word that’s translated zealous.

He’s zealous for His holiness.

And though He loves the sinner, He truly burns with hatred against sin –

which, by the way, is the idea of wrath, this indignation that God has.

We’ll talk about that in a moment.

But when we studied the book of Hosea we learned that the LORD was married to Israel.

He had a covenant relationship with her.

The LORD, the ultimate husband, was jealous of that relationship.

Jameison Fausset and Brown, in their commentary, says that –

“He won’t tolerate a rival in His claims on Israel or His people.”

God won’t have a rival to His relationship with Israel in the Old Testament.

He won’t have a rival in regards to His relationship with the church.

He will not share His people with false gods,

any more than a husband would share His wife with another man.

Exodus 34:14 – You want to put this in the margins of your Bible there next to the first few

verses of Chapter 1. Exodus 34:14 – I’m going to read it from the New King James Version.

“14 (for you shall worship no other god,

for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)” When God condemns idolatry He says, “Let me tell you why.

I’m jealous for you.


of 27

I’m zealous for you.

I want to guard your heart against anything that would steal your affection.”

Now that’s followed by vengeance –

1. jealousy,

2. vengeance.

Vengeance is used to describe God three times in two verses.

His vengeance follows from His zealousness for His people.

God avenges His people, because He’s zealous for them.

We sang, “Our God is a Lion, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And He fights for us.”

Why does God fight for us? Because He’s jealous; Because He’s zealous for us.

God avenges His people.

He champions the cause of His people against any enemy that threatens His people.

And He avenges and He champions because He’s jealous; He’s protective of His people.

Some of you might find yourself in entrenched in very intense spiritual warfare.

Somebody that you love or care for, you can see –

that they’re really being attacked spiritually,

that their defenses have been worn down,

that they’re giving in,

that they’re starting to kind of drift away from the LORD.

And as much as that hurts you, you need to know how much it hurts God.

And God will be your champion.

Your God is a Lion, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And He will fight for you.

And He will fight for His people because –

He’s jealous of them;

He’s jealous for them – excuse me.


of 27

Judah’s enemies were His enemies.

While God is avenging for us, and on behalf of His people,

He’s avenging against His adversaries.

It’s for us, against His adversaries, because anybody that’s our enemy is His enemy.

And because He’s jealous, because He’s zealous for His glory and His holiness,

He’s going to avenge as well.

You need to write this down - Sin is first and foremost an offence to God.

Write it down - Sin is first and foremost an offence to God.

I don’t think we understand the sinfulness of sin until we understand that.

And I think the reason that we don’t understand the sinfulness of sin,

is why in the church there can be –

so much compromise,

so much moral compromise,

so much spiritual compromise;

Because men and women process sin first and foremost as something that adversely will affect

them if they do it, okay? It’s kind of risk-rewards. And so some people will actually risk

compromise because the temporary pleasure of sin outweighs what they think holiness might

be.

And so it’s so important to see that –

before sin ever affects humanity, sin is first and foremost a personal offence to God.

Don’t look at sin as,

‘Okay, if I do this, how bad will the consequences be? How much will this wreck my life?’

No, you’ve got to go,

‘Sin is first and foremost an offence against God. It’s rebellion against God.’

That should govern the way we view sin, and cause us to hate sin.

Because, you see,


of 27

If we don’t see it there when we just look at it as a matter of how is sin going to affect me –

sin can be really damaging;

sin can destroy us completely.

But there are times that we don’t see that.

And we think, ‘Well, this little compromise might have this little adverse effect. Maybe I’ll do it.’

But if you’re saying, ‘This sin that might only at this moment have a little negative repercussion

in my life, a little negative outcome, it doesn’t really look as deadly as God says it is. Maybe I

will do it.’ If that’s the way you’re looking at it, you might do it.

But if you’re looking at it first and foremost as, like,

‘I can’t do this because it’s an offence against God’,

that changes everything;

that’s a game-changer.

You can’t forget that.

All sin is rebellion against God.

Sin that’s rebellion against God, it does pervert, destroy, distort and rape God’s good creation.

That’s what it does.

Which brings us to God being full of wrath – wrathful

“The LORD is avenging and wrathful.”

Literally - it’s quite powerful here - it says - He is master of fury.

Wow! He is master of fury.

Who is the LORD? The LORD is master of fury.

Now that gets people a little sideways. Listen –

God’s wrath isn’t like human anger, which can be selfish, and out of control.

We can never think of God as having a short fuse.

In fact, Nahum speaks of the longsuffering of God, that He’s slow to vent wrath.

Wrath is not having a short fuse.


of 27

Wrath is God’s settled indignation against all that defies His authority and disobeys His Law.

Settled indignation is nothing like a short fuse.

Now here’s the thing.

Most people today, including many Christians, struggle with the idea of the wrath of God.

Now this is really huge, guys.

On the human level, if someone you loved was getting raped, would you be filled with wrath?

How many people would be filled with wrath if you knew somebody that was being raped?

I would be.

You’d have to be.

In fact, I’d say you’re a coward if you’re not.

I was reading this coffee table book I got for Christmas called, ‘U2’ by U2.

And in it Bono said that when he held his newborn baby daughter in his arms for the very first

time he said that he understood why men would go to war.

If you loved someone, and they were getting raped, and you weren’t filled with wrath –

you’re not loving;

you are indifferent.

Listen to this quote by Henry Ward Beecher –

“A person that does not know how to be angry does not know how to be good.”

You see, righteous anger opposes evil.

Thomas Fuller put it this way –

“Anger is one of the sinews of the soul. He who lacks it has a maimed mind.”

Something is radically wrong with us if we can stand by and do nothing,

when innocent helpless people are mistreated and exploited.

There’s something wrong.


of 27

And yet that’s the kind of God people want. They don’t want a God of wrath.

They hear wrath. And they think, ‘Well, I don’t want a God of wrath.’

Well, then, what you’re saying is –

You want a God who’s indifferent.

You want a God who’s coldly, callously indifferent towards injustice.

Instead they want a God who says, “You’re getting raped. Well, I’m indifferent.”

I want to ask you – Is that a God you worship?

Guys, the LORD is full of wrath because God is good.

He’s full of wrath because He’s good.

He’s full of wrath because God is love.

He’s full of wrath because God loves –

everything that’s right,

everything that’s true,

everything that conforms to Himself.

It’s because of that, that He can be full of wrath.

Now if the all-powerful God of the Bible is full of wrath alone,

and that’s all we know about Him, we’d have –

every reason to be filled with fear,

every reason to be just living in dread of how He might just vent His wrath on us.

But the God that Nahum introduces to us is a jealous God, who’s angry at sin;

and yet at the same time –

He’s longsuffering and good;

and He cares for His people.

See, God’s not one-dimensional.


of 27

Look at verse – “3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,” All of the infinite power of God is held in check. He’s slow to anger.

“and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.” So check it out.

It’s not that He doesn’t have anger towards sin.

It’s not that He doesn’t possess wrath.

It’s not that He doesn’t have the power to express His displeasure and judgment.

But neither will He let the guilty go free.

He’s slow to anger. How slow?

Well, He gave Nineveh over a hundred years of mercy. A hundred years He did nothing.

But they had gone so far in their brutality.

We talked about it a little bit when we were looking at the book of Jonah.

I showed you that bit from the British museum, that piece of a wall covering from the palace in

Nineveh, where it showed picture of these guys with tools with hooks on them, pulling flesh off

of people who were still alive.

And the LORD said, “a hundred years of that, that’s it.”

They had gone too far in their brutality and their violence.

And the LORD says, “That’s enough.”

But even though God is full of wrath, He is longsuffering, and He cares for His people.

“7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;

he knows those who take refuge in him.” And by inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

Nahum is exhorting us to do exactly what Paul asks us to do in the New Testament, in –

Romans 11: “22 Notice how God is both kind and severe.” We live in a time, a culture, a Christian culture that wants nothing to do with the severity of God.

No, the Bible says – “Notice how God is both kind and severe.”


of 27

In verses 4 and 5 Nahum gives this poetic flow of description of the power of God.

“4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;” It reminds us of the parting of the Red Sea, right?

“he dries up the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the flower of Lebanon wilts. 5 The mountains quake before him;” We think of the scenes at Sinai.

“the hills melt; and the earth heaves at his presence,” And then in verse 6, after listing this magnificent description of the power of God,

He asks the question -

“6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger?” In other words – Who can stand against God?

And that question was so incredibly relevant to the Assyrians because they saw themselves as

undefeatable. They had conquered the nations around them. You remember the threats that

they made when Hezekiah was king. In the Hebrew language they were throwing all these

threats out so that everybody could hear them and understand them. And they were saying,

‘Hey, don’t listen to Hezekiah when he tells you to trust in the God of Abraham. Your God’s not

going to do any better against us than the gods of all the other people around us. You’re dead.

You just surrender now, right? They believed they were absolutely undefeatable. They had

formed the largest Empire that the world had ever seen up to that time. They had a seemingly

massive, seemingly impenetrable city, walls a hundred feet high, thirty feet wide, towers that

measured up to two-hundred feet high, millions of residence within the city. It seemed that there

was no way that anyone could ever defeat them. And yet God poses the question, “If the hills

melt; if the earth heaves when I speak, how are your walls going to protect you?” But they saw

themselves as beyond it. And it was their pride that led to their fall.


of 27

And here’s the warning that the New Testament gives to us, guys.

It’s in 1st Corinthians 10:12.

“12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” Nineveh thought it would stand forever. But they underestimated the power of God.

Nineveh’s destruction would be complete. Look at verses 8 and 9.

“8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries,

and will pursue his enemies into darkness. 9 What do you plot against the LORD?

He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.” Chapter 2 gives us the details of the destruction.

The judgment details are given there in that division.

Chapter 3 deals with why this judgment was deserved.

And the first couple of verses make it clear. It says –

“1 Woe to the bloody city, full of lies and roberry—” Verse 2 talks about the crack of whips and the rumbling of chariot wheels.

It goes on in verse 4 to talk about the prostitution and the occult activity within the city.

And the worst thing about it is they celebrated those things.

It’s not just that they were doing those things.

They were celebrating those things.

God did not judge the Assyrians for no reason.

God didn’t do it in an outburst of anger.

He had suffered long.

And over that hundred year period of time,

they thought that meant God would never do anything.

And, you know, sometimes people do that.


of 27

I’ve met people, I’ve talked to people who have deliberately walked away from the LORD.

They’re living in sin, known sin. And they think, ‘Well, God hasn’t judged me. In fact,

my business is more successful than ever;

I’m happier than I’ve ever been.’

And they think just because God hasn’t let an 18-wheeler drop on their head,

that they think that God doesn’t see what they’re doing.

And they think that God’s never going to discipline them.

They thought they could live in total rebellion against God, and then celebrate their rebellion,

as if they could never be overthrown.

And that makes the book of Nahum incredibly relevant to us because –

that’s the world we live in today;

that’s America;

that’s Europe;

that’s Britain.

Nahum is so incredibly relevant, because it lets us know who God is.

It lets us know that God is love, and that God is jealous.

It lets us know that God is love, and that God is holy.

It lets us know that –

God is for those who have chosen to follow Him;

And He’s against those who reject Him;

And He’s against those that come against His people.

Now here’s what’s really amazing to me.

Apart from Jesus we are all deserving and we are all facing the wrath of God.

But the Bible tells us –


of 27

that God is so absolutely jealous of mankind, or for mankind,

that nothing could stop Him from rescuing us.

We’re the ones that are rebelling.

We’re the ones that have bought into the lie of lies that we can have life apart from God.

We’re the ones who have set up everything and anything in God’s place.

And God sees how all of that has done nothing but rape us, ruin us.

And He is so zealous for our hearts, that He did something to save us from wrath.

1st Thessalonians 1: “Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” How jealous is the LORD for us?

How much can the LORD not stand to have our affection given to idols –

that don’t love us,

and that can’t save us?

Here’s how much. Here’s how much He can’t stand to see us ruined by sin.

And we looked at it yesterday morning – The Most High became most low!

God came in human flesh. And he joined Himself to our humanity.

And He died on a cross, the death reserved for the lowest of humanity. And there on the cross

the wrath that you and I deserve for our rebellion was fired down on Jesus.

And anyone who would trust their lives to Jesus is delivered from the wrath to come.

That’s such great news.

That’s the news that the world needs to hear.

And I’ll close with this – especially for the believer.

In 2nd Corinthians 11:2 Paul says, “I am jealous for you.”

Remember I said that living on mission is a very relational thing.

It’s about our heart being connected to the heart of Jesus.

The reason that Paul was so jealous for the Corinthians is because God was jealous for them.

Paul saw the Corinthian church the way Jesus saw them.


of 27

Paul saw them as the blood bought bride of Christ.

And he saw that the world was alluring away from Jesus.

And when God sees that happening, He says,

“I can’t have that. I won’t have that; because I’m jealous for them.”

And we should not expect anything different.

So He’s going to love us. And He’s going to pursue us.

And He will discipline us because He is jealous for us.

Do you know why God disciplines us? It’s because He loves us and He’s jealous for us.

He can’t just stand by and do nothing when we’re being ruined by sin.

He will fight for us; because that’s who He is.

Father, thank you for this time in your Word. I pray, LORD, that our hearts would be filled with a

sense of you are, the complexity, the nuance, the majesty of your love for us. LORD, for that

person who doesn’t know you, I pray, LORD, that tonight they would see that your love is unlike

any other love, that they would understand what wrath is, and what it isn’t, and that without

Jesus they’re facing it; they’re headed for it; they deserve it. But you’re so zealous for them.

You’re so in love with them that you stepped into humanity to endure the wrath that we all

deserve so that we could be saved from it, and saved to a relationship with you. So I pray

whoever that person might be tonight that doesn’t know you, that they would give their heart to

you. And, LORD, I pray for that person who has wondered away from you. They know about

you. They may have even given their life to you. But they’ve been flirting with sin because they

don’t see that it first and foremost as rebellion against you. They just see it as something that

might make their life temporarily inconvenient. But there’s some pleasure to be had. They were

looking at the risk, the reward. And they’ll settle for some compromise. They’ll settle for some

sin. But you know the end of it. You know the end of it. You know how horrible it is. And

you’re so zealous. And you’re so jealous for them, that you’re going to say to them, “No, I can’t

stand for that.”

If you need to give your life to Jesus; or if tonight the LORD has spoken to you; and He’s made

it very clear, “No, no, no, I’m jealous for you; and I can’t stand for the fact that you’re drifting

away from me. And your heart is being pulled away by some idol, some thing that you’re


of 27

looking at as kind of a functional Savior, apart from the one who alone can save you.” So if you

need to give your life to Jesus, or if you need to come back to the LORD, I just want to be able

to pray for you. I’m so glad that God’s jealous for me. He’s zealous for me. And He just won’t

stand by and do nothing. Or LORD I’m that person; I need to give my life to Jesus.

richard cimino route66 - 20151123 nahum1-366/20151123_nahum1-3.pdf · richard cimino – route66 -...

Documents