July 19, 2019: Day 83 – Nahum 1

Do you remember Jonah who was given a mission to proclaim Good News to the Ninevites, even while God said that they would perish because they were wicked?  Do you remember how they repented and turned to God and God had compassion on them and rescued them?  Well, not so much in the book of Nahum.  We find ourselves in another minor prophet, and this time we find this prophet speaking many oracles against the nations, beginning with Nineveh. 

You may wonder about this seeming schizophrenic approach to a nation.  No, it makes sense, because in one, Jonah, we see that the grace of  God is allowed to extend to whomever God chooses to extend the grace of God.  In another, so in this case Nahum, we see  that the justice of God is allowed to extend as far as God wants the justice of God to extend.  He wants to be sure that Israel knows that God is an avenging and jealous  God.  Remember in the New Testament, in Romans, where God says vengeance is mine.  The implication is that we are not to take vengeance because God is able to do it on His own.  

When we get to verse 15 we find that the Gospel is proclaimed.  Remember that Gospel really means Good News, and so when we read about one who proclaims peace  and is able to help us celebrate with good news, well, that is Gospel.  The good news is  that the enemy is about to die, which will, of course, bring about peace. Nahum, like Joel, is also short, just 3 chapters.