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Song: Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah!
Scripture: Nahum 1:1-15
Nahum saw the vision that Jonah had hoped to see and deliver, the destruction of Nineveh (612 BC). No certain date can be attached to Nahum’s prophecy other than that the warning was given while Assyria was still enjoying the privileges of empire, and a cruel empire she was. The prophecy of Nahum is a testimony to the sovereignty of God.
The sovereignty of God is simply the notion that God reigns supreme in the universe. Some folks have a concept of sovereignty that eliminates free will. It says that God programs the destinies and so the choices of individuals. The biblical concept of sovereignty is far more majestic. God rules the nations, but does not override the free will of man. In fact, what God seeks is for man to love Him willingly, not because God forces him. He then weaves the free will choices of man, whether good or evil, into His purpose to redeem the world.
Nineveh, the capital city and so the symbol of the Assyrian empire, was used by the sovereign God. He used her to discipline Israel for her sins. He used her evil choices to teach others a lesson. Then God punished Assyria for her cruelty because she had no compassion for man and did not recognize that God had permitted her building of an empire. The humble penitence found in Nineveh in Jonah’s day was gone. She had to be punished. Nahum is the prediction of her judgment to come.
God will use men and nations to accomplish His purpose. The only way to make a significant difference in this life is to align your purposes with God’s. If you don’t He’ll still find a way to use you to help someone else. That’s how powerful He is.
Jason Moore
