Prepare Your Grave (Nahum 1:14)

 


Saturday, September 21, 2024


Psalm 50

Nahum 1:1-14

Ephesians 4:1-16


Observance: Matthew, apostle, evangelist and martyr


Prepare Your Grave (Nahum 1:14)


Before we kick off our next minor prophet, it is important to have some context. We have moved back in time from Habakkuk, to a time just after Jonah and his adventures with the whale. Jonah had preached repentance to Nineveh, the capital of the evil Assyrian empire, and they had responded positively. But it was only temporary, and they returned to their evil ways – and how evil were these ways!


Enter Nahum. The Assyrians have already conquered the northern kingdom, and the people of the southern kingdom of Judah are trembling in their boots at the prospect of their own demise. To be conquered by the Assyrians was no liberation; they were known for their viciousness, and their kings boasted of their cruelty.


Against such hate, Nahum has some choice words for them. God has promised that the Assyrians will not get the better of the people of Judah, and the prophet is bold in his denunciation of them.


We should prepare ourselves for the words we will read in this book. If we thought that these prophets were harsh, then we might be some of the way towards being ready for what Nahum has to say. But if we recognise that there is something truly despicable about evil, and that God really is no fan, then we can use this book to get into the mind of God. We can get a little bit further into thinking God’s thoughts after him, of understanding just how big the difference is between good and evil. Realising this, realising the depths to which Jesus sank in order to bring us up out of those depths into the goodness of God, and realising the heights to which Jesus has raised us, should settle us firmly on a foundation from which we can approach the book of Nahum.


Evil deserves no quarter. We have been rescued from evil and, by God’s grace and sovereign power, been secured in that place where there is only goodness and love. Evil is vile, and God has prepared its grave. Meanwhile, the light of Christ is shining in our hearts, and we have been given the abundant life of his love.


What is your attitude towards evil in your life? What is the flipside to evil, and where might you find it?


Lord Jesus, you overcame the vile grave of evil out of your deep love for me. Grant me the abundance of your life, and the wisdom to keep all things according to your perspective.

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