Digging in Deeper: Genesis 1:9

“Then God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I read a lot of news. Well…I read a lot of headlines. Actually, I read a lot of headlines from the Bing search engine website from Microsoft. I don’t mean this as a commercial, but I signed up to earn Bing points for doing basic internet searches. Every so often I cash in the points for free gift cards. Bing raises their search profile and I get free stuff for my family. And I stay broadly informed of what’s happening in the world. Not a bad deal. In any event, the easiest way to do this is to click through the headlines that Bing posts each day on their main page. Usually I just click from one headline to the next without paying too much attention. On occasion, though, something grabs my attention. This morning I want to share with you about one headline that grabbed and hasn’t let go.

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Digging in Deeper: Nahum 2:13

“Beware, I am against you. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. I will make your chariots go up in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the sound of your messengers will never be heard again.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

When the apostle Paul was retelling his testimony to King Agrippa before being sent off to Rome in order to be tried before Emperor Nero, he added something to what Jesus said to him on the road to Damascus. When Jesus asked Paul why he was persecuting Him, He also made a statement: It is hard for you to kick against the goads. It is indeed hard. And, as Nahum describes here, the harder we try and kick against them, the harder the pushback will be.

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Digging in Deeper: Nahum 2:1

“One who scatters is coming up against you. Man the fortifications! Watch the road! Brace yourself! Summon all your strength!”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

What does it look like when God acts? Have you ever thought much about that? We often talk about this or that being something God did, but what does His activity actually look like? I mean, He’s God, so it seems like His activity in our world should be something that no one could miss. It should be completely obvious to anyone who looks. But is that really the case? I’m not so sure, and I think Nahum here helps us see why.

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Digging in Deeper: Nahum 1:3

“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.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

How well do you know who God is? That’s kind of a big question right out of the gate. Let’s back off from that one for a minute. Think of someone you’ve known for a long time. Maybe a sibling or spouse or parent or friend. How well do you really know them? Perhaps you know a whole variety of good things about them, but do you know any of the hard things? I would argue that until you know at least some of the hard things, you really don’t know someone as well as you think you do. The same goes with God.

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Digging in Deeper: Nahum 1:1

“The pronouncement concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We are finally finished with Micah. It’s time for something new. This morning, we are turning to the collection of prophecy we have from a man named Nahum. Nahum’s book is one of the shorter works of the Minor Prophets. It is one of the more focused as well. It is about the downfall of the city of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire. Still, as brief and concentrated on a single subject as it is, there is much for us to learn if we will look closely and pay careful attention. God included and preserved it for a reason. Let’s begin digging in and see what kind of treasures we can uncover.

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