Jeremiah 1

 The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah when Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah were kings of Judah, "until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive..."

The Lord said to Jeremiah: 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. 

Jeremiah doubted and said he could not speak because he was only a youth.

But the Lord replied:

...you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you.

And the Lord touched Jeremiah's mouth with His hand, and said:

...I have put My words in your mouth...I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.

Then the Lord asked Jeremiah what he saw, and he saw the branch of an almond tree. This meant that Jeremiah was ready to perform God's Word. A second time the Lord asked Jeremiah what he saw, and Jeremiah saw a boiling pot facing away from the north. This meant that the Lord would send an enemy from the north (Babylon) to bring judgment upon Judah for their wickedness, because they had forsaken the Lord, and worshipped the works of their own hands. 

The Lord told Jeremiah to prepare to speak to them all He commanded. Jeremiah was made for this day. "...they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you."

COMMENTARY

McGee gives us some reference for the book Jeremiah: Hilkiah, father of Jeremiah, was the high priest who found the book of the Law, which set off a revival, during the reign of Josiah. 

Jeremiah's ministry began in the thirteenth year of Josiah. He was a young man, maybe in his early twenties, and he did not feel experienced enough or qualified to be a prophet. But God set Jeremiah apart from the time of his conception in his mother's womb for this very purpose. 

God told Jeremiah that the people will reject his message and ignore him, and being a tender man, it broke his heart. Maybe this was why God used Jeremiah because He wanted His people to know how much He loved them, that He wanted to save and deliver them. 

God did not want Jeremiah to be concerned about his ability or effect to deliver the message because it was God's words; all he had to do was give the message. Jeremiah was not responsible for the response or lack thereof. He was only responsible for being obedient to God and giving God's word with authority, as God gave it to him. Remember, God uses the weak things of this world to do His will.

God asked Jeremiah on two occasions what he saw. Once he saw an almond tree, which represented a "waker" or "watcher." Jeremiah was to be a waker of the people, though they wanted to hit the snooze button too many times and stay asleep.

The other object Jeremiah saw was a boiling pot from the north, which represented the rising power of Babylon. That would be the warning the people would disregard.

McGee gave more references to the other prophets and where they were or are on the timeline with Jeremiah. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, and Nahum, contemporaries of Isaiah, are no longer "on the scene." Zephaniah and Habakkuk may still be living during the time of Jeremiah. Ezekiel and Obadiah were contemporaries of Jeremiah, but they do not prophecy until AFTER the captives are in Babylon. And Daniel will come later. But Jeremiah will deliver the judgments of the Lord alone.

God told him they won't listen, but continue to give the messages. The Lord will put His words into Jeremiah's mouth. How unworthy Jeremiah felt, but there is no excuse bigger than God's calling. 

 

from Love God Greatly

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Book of Nahum

CHAPTER 1

The book of Nahum announced the doom of Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, and also explains how God will eventually deal with the wicked. 

God is a jealous God and He avenges His adversaries. 

He reserves wrath for His enemies. He is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.

Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure he fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are throw down by Him.

The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.  

God is all powerful, holy and jealous, able to avenge those against Him. God also demonstrates His power in nature. 

Sadly, after Nineveh had repented, heeding the warning of God's judgment through Jonah, they had returned to their idolatry and wickedness. Patiently God reserved His punishment for at least a century; but eventually justice must come, and God punishes the wicked. 

COMMENTARY

The theme of this book is the judgment of Nineveh. This prophecy has already been fulfilled. Nahum pronounced God's judgment as total destruction of Assyria. After Jonah brought God's message to Nineveh, Assyria did not become a godly nation. After a century or more, they returned to their old ways.

Yes, God is love, but He is holy and must judge sin because He is just. He will destroy godless nations. God is jealous, and this is not a bad attitude to have, especially of one's spouse. "A good husband is one who is going to love and want [his wife] above everything else. And he won't want to share [her] with anybody." A healthy relationship should have a measure of jealousy about it. For example, a good spouse should fiercely protect his/her relationship from outside threats. A spouse who is not jealous is a weak, lazy spouse, IMHO. 

Keep in mind, anything God does is right, even if we do not understand. So when Assyria was destroyed, God was glorified in it. God Himself destroyed the army of the Assyrians. And He used the armies of the Medes and Babylonians to destroy the city of Nineveh in 612 BC.

Finally, Nahum shared good news -- "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publish peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows; for the wicked shall no more pass through thee.; he is utterly cut off. "

God is saying, "Don't leave Me. Don't withdraw from the Mosaic system. Don't give up because I will destroy your enemies and send to you the Messiah, who will brings tidings of great joy.

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CHAPTER 2

In this chapter, Nahum described Nineveh's foe, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who God will use to exact justice. Nineveh hastily made plans to protect and defend itself, to no avail. The people were terrorized and the land was plundered and left desolate. Where is Nineveh now? 

COMMENTARY

Nineveh was destroyed when the Medes came against the city and Babylon joined them in battle. And the attack was permitted because God declared that He was against Nineveh.

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CHAPTER 3

Assyria was a bloodthirsty nation, full of lies, pride, theft, and murder. Now God was going to publicly humiliate the wicked nation and lay waste to it. Nahum compared Nineveh to Egypt, which was conquered, and its people were taken into captivity. No matter what Assyria did to fortify itself, it failed. Its battle forces were as good as weak women. Nahum also declared that their watchmen were sleeping, unable to warn of danger. No one would be left to help them. 

In 612 BC, Nineveh fell.

COMMENTARY

This is how God deals with nations, very much the same way He deals with individuals. Assyria was full of lies. How many governments today that tell the truth? I wonder. God, the Creator of government institution, will judge human governments. God raises up kings and He removes kings. He does the same with governments and nations. 

In chapter 3, God compared Nineveh to No Amon, or Thebes, the capital city of Egypt, to which they should have learned from. But God described their weak defenses as women, which is a mark of a civilizations downfall. Look at September 11, 2001, in the United States. They could not keep Americans safe from the inside! That is a sign of incompetence and the disintegration of a civilization, among a million other things. 

How God deals with the nations