Our Jealous God

The oracle concerning Ninevah. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is fierce in wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance against His foes;
He is furious with His enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
The Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.
His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
He rebukes the sea so that it dries up,
And He makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashen and Carmel wither;
Even the flower of Lebanon withers.
The mountains quake before Him,
And the hills melt;
And the earth trembles at His presence-
The world and all who live in it.
Who can withstand His indignation?
Who can endure His burning anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
Even rocks are shattered before Him.
Nahum 1:1-6

The Assyrians were a cruel and harsh people. They ruled from  725-605, 120 years of cruelty. But this was coming to an end.
The Assyrians remind me of modern day ISIS. They killed mercilessly and heaped the corpses of those slain in mass graves. The same spirit that ruled Assyrian is alive in another form.
Yet, as this scripture tells us, God is a God of vengeance and justice. He is in charge.
God used Assyrian to deal with the unfaithfulness of His people, but He remembered their harshness and was ready to call their reign to and end.

There was a drought in the land they ruled and this was a part of God's judgement. Their gods were unable to save them.

I am reminded of the scripture: 'When the enemy comes in, like a flood, I will raise up a standard against them.' Is 59:19 

So much unrest and turmoil is now in the world, it rocks and reels and is driven by the wind. There is only one saviour, we are not able to save ourselves. Only God will save us. He is our reward, our stronghold, our answer, our hope. Amen!

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