GOD'S PATIENCE AND OUR HOPE

The book of Nahum is one of those small Minor Prophets that, I’ll bet, if you're like me, you don’t dive into too often. With only 3 chapters, it’s easy to flip right past it, but it is a powerful little book packed full of truth about God’s holy character and standards and how “all” His enemies will eventually meet their demise. It is a book about the judgment of nations and a proud city, Nineveh. God sent His prophet, Jonah, to Nineveh 120 years earlier and the whole city repented. In Nahum, we see that they had turned away from the Lord, had become a wicked place again , and that they were setting themselves up for God’s judgement.

It’s amazing to me, as you read this short book about God’s judgment on a city, that we find not only glimpses of God’s power in wrath but also glimpses of His patience as well as hope for those who take refuge in Him. Listen closely and lean in to what verses 1:7-8 have to tell us...

Nah. 1:7 The LORD is good,  a stronghold in a day of distress;  He cares for those who take refuge in Him.  8 But He will completely destroy Nineveh  with an overwhelming flood
and He will chase His enemies into darkness.  

As always in the Old Testament, the message is loud and clear. Seek the Lord, take refuge in Him, and He promises to be a “stronghold in a day of distress” (verse 7), but for those who choose a path apart from the Lord, like Nineveh, the consequences will be one of utter destruction and darkness. Often, we look at the mess the world seems to be in and we lose hope. Let’s refocus today and take our refuge in God, who will win all the battles ahead of us as we place our trust in Him.