Nahum and Habbakuk

You can be seated. We're going to continue our series into the minor prophets tonight. It's just a reminder those minor that description minor is not in regard to its importance but rather that uh these books are shorter than some of the other prophets in length you know such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. But we're going to spend some time in both the books of Naam and Habach or however you want to pronounce Habach. I understand some of you may pronounce it incorrectly, but it but you pronounce it the way you want to.

But we're going to begin with Naam. And this book of Naam uh has just three chapters. But in those three chapters uh God is delivering a powerful message. Now many of us we we recognize the story of Jonah. We recognize the story of Daniel. But as we were discussing or as I was discussing with a few, we we I don't remember the great Sunday school Bible story of Naam. And I don't remember the scene depiction of the the story of Habach. So, these are somewhat, if you might say, or if you could allow me to say, overlooked books or overlooked uh prophets.

Um, but yet their message that was prophesied 2600 years ago is still relevant for us today. Let's begin by looking at Naam 17. And this is a good place to start because it says, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in him." Now, while we will learn later that God is a just God and judgment is coming to Judah's enemy in this book, this verse reveals a lot about the heart of the book that God has a message and is going to be a comfort for his people who are under or who are living under oppression.

Now like I said that central overall subject or central uh part that Naan writes about the most is this in uh coming destruction of the Assyrian capital city of Nineveh. Now of course when we hear Nineveh who do we think about Jonah right and now we are hearing Naam talking about Nineveh about a hundred years after the story of Jonah. Um, of course we know, uh, as we heard a couple weeks ago, um, that Jonah was sent to Nineveh. And much to Jonah's surprise, the city repented from the king all the way down to the commoners.

They all repented. They all became humbled. They humbled themselves before God. And because of that, because of their repentance, he showed mercy on them. And because of that, he spared the city. But now we're a hundred years later and that repentance has not lasted. Uh within a few generations, Nineveh has now returned to violence, idolatry, cruelty, and pride. And instead of remaining humble, they have become even more brutal than they were before. So we see the city that has once experienced mercy is now going to experience God's justice.

which is somehow how a little bit ironic taken that Naam's name means comfort or consolation. So while this book is going to talk about the judgment of Nineveh, it's also going to reassure us through Naam's words and reassert uh the people of God that he has not forgotten their suff suffering. Sometimes judgment against evil is good news for God's people. It's good news for us when evil doesn't triumph or when God takes care of it. Now, if we look back at verse two of this same chapter, we do see the word the phrases and that we see that God is jealous and God and the Lord avenges and is furious.

But if we follow that up in verse three, it says, "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power." God's patience doesn't mean he simply ignores sin. But he's giving an opportunity for repentance. And I don't know about you, but I'm thankful God showed some patience to me. And I'm glad he gave me a time to get right with him, to understand what I was doing, and said, you know, he said to me, you know, he you're not doing it all right at the moment, but I'm going to give you an opportunity to make it right.

Now, what do we know about this author? Um, the opening verse of this book tells us essentially all we're going to know. It says, "Nah, or Nahm the Elushite." Uh scholars are uncertain about exactly where El Kosh is located. Some say it's in Judah while others suggest that it has uh been or might have been more further north. Um but unlike Isaiah and Jeremiah, Naam just doesn't tell us a whole bunch about his ministry. But what we do know is enough. He's a prophet called by God and he's going to deliver a message and probably a message that many of God's people are going to it's going to seem a little unbelievable.

Um and while name Naam's name means comfort uh which is perfect for his mission or his message here in this book that comfort was not intended for Nineveh. That comfort was intended for his chosen people. For decades, Judah had been living in the shadow of the Assyrian Empire, an empire known for its military strength and for ruling the land with fear. So to God's people, Assyria must have felt or seemed unstoppable. But Na's purpose was to remind Judah that no earthly kingdom is greater than God.

the greatest empire of the time would still answer to the King of Kings. Naam's ministry was pointing God's people back to this truth that we find in Psalms 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very pleasant, very present and pleasant, very present help in tr times of trouble. um to understand this a little bit of the historical context of this book. That's what really what makes Naam come alive here. Uh during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, uh Assyria would have been what we might call today a superpower, right?

Uh the capital city Nineveh was enormous with massive walls, uh impressive palaces. It had libraries that were filled with historical clay tablets and immense wealth from other conquered nations which included Israel uh when many of them were taken into captivity. From a human perspective, Nineveh would have looked invincible. Uh and Judah was also facing the repeated threats and invasions from the Assyrians. Kings like he uh Hezekiah had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of this empire. And Nathan's prophecy of its demise must have seemed a little far-fetched.

How could the strongest city in the world at the time collapse? And yet, despite what's appeared to be a perfectly fortified or perfect fortification, Naam and God declares it with fall. Naam 21:13 says this, "Behold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts." That opening statement, that's authority. That's certainty. Behold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts. I will burn your chariots and smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.

And God and Naam are just getting started here. But history tells us that's exactly what happened. In 622 BC, a coalition of Babylonians, Mes, and Cytheians attacked Nineveh. And some ancient historians also record that there was some unusually heavy rainfall and weather at the same at this time which caused part of the city's defensive walls to start to crumble and start to weaken. And that allowed the invading armies to enter the city. When they got there, they destroyed Nineveh so completely that for centuries, many historians questioned whether the Nineveh actually existed.

There was no evidence that it was there. Now, it's located, we know from archaeological uh discoveries in the 19th century that it is located right about where Mosul, Iraq is today. Uh but even when archaeolog archa ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar archaeologist now that word even when those people digging in the sand were trying to restore and were trying to uh bring back and re uh res restore uh the gates and some of the walls of that city.

the conflicts that were happening in the early 2000s and 2010s were actually dam redamaging them and re putting them back and so they're pretty much absorbed by the city of Masul right now. So when God said it was going to be destroyed completely, it's basically been forgotten and it does not exist today. So now Naam's prophecy came true with remarkable accuracy and that reminds us that you know when God speaks history is going to catch up to his word. So complete would be the description. Naam sums it up like this in chapter 3 verse 19.

Your injury has no healing. Your wound is severe. All who hear news of you will clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not your wicked wickedness passed over. Naam emphasized that Nineveh's destruction would be so complete and the nations that had been affected by the Assyrians would literally celebrate and rejoice at their demise and at their defeat. I don't know who needs to hear this, but God sees exactly where you are. And God sees exactly what you're going through. God knows exactly the situation that you're looking at.

And one day, you're going to rejoice and clap your hands and be victorious over that. Amen. Three major themes that we find in NAM is one, God is sovereign. God is in complete control. Empires are going to rise and fall. Kingdoms will come and go. But God remains on the throne. Naam opens this book by describing God's power over creation. He controls the storms. He dries up the rivers. The mountains tremble before him. Nature itself obeys the creator. While Assyria believed its military strength made it unstoppable, God reminded him that no government, no nation, no economy, no military is beyond his authority.

When the world seems chaotic, God is still ruling. Nothing surprises him, nothing catches him off guard, nothing overturns his purpose. Secondly, we understand from Naam that God is patient but his justice is certain. Sometimes people ask that question why God allows evil to continue. But Naam helps answer that question. Why is it because God is patient? He's merciful. Nineveh had already received that opportunity to repent during Jonah's ministry and he waited nearly a hundred years before bringing judgment again. But God's judgment and God's or excuse say God's patience should never be considered for weakness.

Eventually every sin will be dealt with. either it's judged at the cross with faith in Jesus Christ or it's judged in eternity apart from him. It may seem delayed. Sometimes we look at situations and we wish, hey, this should happen sooner, but it's never absent. We would be good to heed Paul's warning in Romans 2 and 4 when speaking about that opportunity for repentance. Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance or longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

God's patience is an invitation to repentance, not an invitation to continue in sin. It's a invitation to turn our back on what we're doing or what we are doing to sin. Final theme is God protects his people. God protects his own. Going back to Naam Naam 17, that you know that the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. That promise doesn't say we're not going to experience trouble. It's just saying God himself will be that refuge we need while we're walking through that journey.

His goodness never changes. His fortress is where his people find safety. And through that covenant relationship, he knows each one of us personally. And that can be shown consistently through scripture. John 10:27-28. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. Sometimes he changes the circumstances and sometimes he changes us while we're walking through the circumstances. Either way, he never abandons us in those moments when we need him the most.

Naam's application for today, how can we, you know, how can we apply what we've what we know about this book? Well, first, we can trust God's timing. There are going to be times when evil seems to prosper. when con when uh when corruption seems to rain or violence increases or simply injustice spreads and it can feel like God is doing nothing but na reminds us that God sees it all. He sees everything. His j his justice operates on his timetable not ours. Our responsibility while we're going through it is to be faithful knowing that he's going to be faithful in the end.

Galatians 6:9, you know this verse well. And let us not grow wearying and welloing for in due season. In due season, in time we shall reap if we do not lose our if we do not lose that faith in him. Secondly, never confuse God's patience with God's approval. Second Peter 3:9 says it this way, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promises, as some count slackness, but his longsuffering toward us, not willing that any of us should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Sometimes we assume that since justice hasn't come immediately that God must not care or he must not be looking at it or he must not have seen it.

But when the truth is God is patient again because he wants to have that relationship and form that repentance within us and stir that within us. And that really should motivate us to share this gospel more and more because we know that we are in that time of patience. We are in that time of mercy and eventually some of that is going to be taken up. Many of us live in that anxiety because the security is placed in things or in uh excuse me, pardon me.

Uh I would I guess you know we we should share that gospel because that is the time that we are living in. We await his coming but in that time or right now while we're doing that we should be sharing his gospel. And again I'm I'm thankful that I live in this time and I'm able and able to access that forgiveness from him as well. Thirdly, God is our refuge. Psalms 18:2 says it this way, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength.

In whom will I trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Many of us are living in that uncertainty or that anxiety because our security is placed in things or in people that can easily be taken away. Jobs disappear. Health changes. Economies fluctuate. Relationships sometimes even disappoint us. But God never changes. He's never changed us. He's never left or leaved us. He's never forsaken us. Every earthly security may may or will fall, but God remains constant and forever by our side. Amen. I'm going to move on uh just from Naam, but I want to reiterate what uh Naam is saying here is he if we look at Naam 1, it says, "Behold on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings and proclaims peace." And I'm going to connect that with Romans 10:15.

How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things. Does any of that wording or phrasing sound familiar? Tidings, good things, maybe great joy. So while in this context of this verse in Naam Naam is talking about J Judah's deliverance from Assyria, it's also pointing a little bit forward uh to the ultimate good news of Jesus Christ and salvation through him. So Naam is not nearly nearly about the destruction of an ancient empire, but it is about the character of God.

He's holy as we sung tonight. He is just. He is patient. He is faithful and he's our refuge. And just and because of Jesus Christ, we know that our justice, the justice against our sin, has been satisfied at the cross, allowing all who trust him to experience mercy instead of his judgment. And may we cling to that hope, trusting more deeply in the God of our history, the God of our history, and who faithfully cares for us. Amen. Moving on to Habach. As we look to another book that's relatively short, Habach does have a very different a distinct difference of perspective.

Uh unlike many of the prophets, uh Habach is not coming with a message primarily to speak to God's people on God's behalf. Uh instead, this book records a conversation um between Habach the prophet and God. And Habach is wrestling with some questions that really believers today are still asking. Why does God allow evil to continue? Why does just injustice seem to prevail? Why does God or why doesn't God act when his people cry out? These are not questions uh that are just relevant for Habach's time.

It's questions that we still ask today. Uh but they're not questions of unbelief as in I don't believe in God or I don't believe God exists because of what I'm asking. It's asking because of sincere faith in that uh we're looking and to we're trying to seek understanding. uh Habach is going to teach us that God is not offended by us asking sincere questions. Instead, he's going to invite his people to trust him even when his s when his plans seem uncertain or un or or uh that we don't understand them.

Uh this book just like Naam is only three chapters but includes one of the commonly quoted phrases in scripture. If you see if you go to Habach 2:4 it says this, "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him." And then it has this phrase, "But the just shall live by faith." That phrase is something we recognize, of course, but it also is quoted three other times in the New Testament in uh and by the end of this book, we're going to witness Habach's faith change and that he's going to live by faith.

He's going to go from confusion to confidence. He's going to go from questioning unbelievably to worship. and he's going to go from fear to faith. His struggle becomes a model for us as believers who struggle to understand God's ways. Now, what do we know about Habach? Well, let's see. Okay, let's go to the next section because we don't know a whole lot. Seriously, I mean the opening verse says the burden which the prophet Habach saw period, no hometown, no family history, uh nothing about his background.

Uh we do believe that his unusual name comes from the Hebrew word meaning to embrace or to cling. uh and that would be appropriate in the context of this book as ultimately Habach does learn to cling to God despite the circumstances he can't explain. But as I mentioned before, he has a very different ministry or writing perspective than we see from such prophets as Isaiah or Jeremiah where they stood before the people delivering God's message. Habach is standing before God delivering the people's questions. There is also some speculation that uh in some Jewish traditions that suggest he may have served also in the temple as chapter 3 concludes with some musical instructions and uh scripture doesn't not explicitly confirm this but it could be suggested that Habach's final prayer in chapter 3 was intended to be sung uh publicly by God's people um similar to what Brother Aaron related about Jonah, what makes Habach especially relatable is he doesn't pretend to understand everything God's doing.

And I kind of feel sometimes I'm in that boat from time to time. Maybe you do, too. Um, he speaks openly about what troubles him while maintaining a reverence uh toward God. His example in doing so serves as an example that faith does not require us to pretend problems don't exist. In actuality, our faith is what our faith is what drives us to ask God about these things. From a historical context, Habach ministered in one of the the darkest periods of history of in Judah probably somewhere between 609 and 605 BC.

The godly reforms that King Josiah had put in place had ended with his death. And after his passing, Judah quickly returned to idolatry, violence, corruption, and injustice. as well. We see Habach describe the state or the spiritual condition of the nation in the first chapter verses 2-4. He says, "Oh Lord, how long shall I cry and you will not hear? Even cry out to you violence and you will not save. Why do you show me iniquity and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me.

There is strife and contention arises. Therefore, the law is powerless and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous, and therefore perverse judgment proceeds. So notice the complaint. It's not about a foreign land. It's not about a foreign enemy. This complaint is about God's people. It's about the spiritual decay within God's own people. Violence filling the land. Justice be justice being ignored. righteous are powerless. And Habach's wondering, why is God silent? Be careful what you ask for. Verses five and six, God gives an answer.

Look among the nations and watch. Be utterly astounded, for I will work a work in your days, which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Calaldanss. The Calaldanss are also known as the Babylonians, a bitter and hasty nation. Now, at this point, Habach's going, "Wait, what? I just wanted you to take care of the people, you know, let's do some more reform. Let's have a revival." But rather than immediately judging Judah through revival or reform, God announces he's going to raise up the Babylonians to dis to discipline his people.

But in Habach's mind, this creates even more confusion. How could God use a ruthless, violent, and proud, and idolatrous nation to judge his own people? And that really is the question at the heart of this book. The prophet wasn't questioning God's existence. He was questioning God's methods, the way that he was going to work. And many of us ask those same questions. You know, why do the innocent suffer? Why does uh this not have a resolution yet? Why does my problem still not have an answer?

And Bakus teaches us that those are not new questions but that God has re or God's people has wrestled with them for thousands of years. I'm trying to move along as quickly as possible. Some of the major themes again we revisit God's sovereignty here. We we see again that we are learning the lesson. God remains completely control in this human historical place. Even when nations believe they are acting independently, God is orchestrating the chest pieces. We see this in verse six of for I I am for I I God am raising up the Calaldanss.

So while the Babylonians believe they were conquering nations through the strength and military night might God declares that he is using them as his instrument. Uh and yet God didn't allow simply that that Babylon or the Calaldanss would believe in its own pride and conquest. In chapter two of this book, he actually pronounces these five woes against the Babylonians. Uh and so God's saying, "Hey, I may use you for for the good of my nation or good of my people, but I'm not excusing what you're doing." And that reminds us that reminds us that again he's never out of control.

Political changes may take place. Economy problems, wars, natural disasters, none of these catch God offguard. He remind He still remains the king over all creation. Another theme is living by faith. And we talked about this again. That statement carries prominence into the New Testament being quoted in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, and reminding us faith is not simply believing that he exists. Faith cont is continually trusting him. Yes, when his plans don't make exact sense to us. Habach never received all the answers he was looking for.

Instead, he received a greater revelation of God's character. And I'll repeat what I said, and we can learn both from Naam and Habach. When we're going through those situations, he's going to do one of two things. He's going to change the situation. He's going to resolve it, or he's going to make a way for it to be answered, or he's going to use us and change us to make a uh to help us and to develop us and to refine us while we're going through it.

God's delays are never failures. Abraham waited on Isaac. Joseph waited years before becoming a ruler in Egypt. David waited years before becoming king. God is never early and he's never late. He's always right on time. The final thing we get from Habach is worshiping in difficult circumstances. Anybody relate or have trouble relating? I will raise my hand. It's hard when you're going through difficulty to say, "All right, Lord, I'm going to one turn it over to you, and now I'm going to lift your name. I'm going to worship for who you are." That's difficult.

We live in a in sometimes in difficult moments in our lives. But chapter 3 joins among others in scripture as a great prayer of faith. Habach remembers God's mighty acts in Israel's history and gains confidence that God will soon act again. The book ends with one of the strongest declarations of faith that you might find in the Bible. Habach 3:16 starts this way. Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit beyond the vines, though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength. He will make my feet like deer's feet. And he will make me walk on my high heels. Notice now Habach's not praising God because everything has improved. And the answers all of a sudden have fell at his feet. Nothing has changed externally, but his viewpoint has changed. Babylon's still coming. judgment is still certain, but his competence is no longer based in that circumstance or the situation that he's looking at. Instead, it's based on God's unwavering faithfulness and his unchanging character.

I heard a or I should say I read a great quote today from a book on grief uh specifically on uh the loss of a child, someone going through the loss of a child. And it the author stated it this way. He says or she said, "I stopped trying to find God in my feelings. I stopped trying to find God in how I was looking at a situation or how I was looking at a circumstance. And then I found God in his faithfulness." meaning I stopped just overviewing the situation that I didn't really understand or how it could happen or what I was going through, but I knew in the end I was going to meet him there.

I hope I can just get a hold of something like that and say whatever comes my way, whatever I have to go through, let me have the confidence in God knowing that he's going to meet me in the end. He's going to be faithful to me. This book starts with a question. How long, oh Lord? And then it ends with worship. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habach never learned every detail of God's plan. He never saw Babylon defeated.

He never received all the explanation explanations. He never received all the explanations that he may have wanted, but he learned something greater. Faith is not based on understanding everything God does. It's trusting God, who we know always does it right. He's always going to do it in your best interest. When life is confusing, when prayers seem to go unanswered, when evil reigns, and when God's timing seems slow, this book calls us to remember this timeless truth. The just shall live by faith. May we just like Habach move on from questioning to trusting, from fear to faith and from uncertainty to a joyful confidence in who God is and that he's always sovereign.

He's always wise and he's always faithful. Amen. Would you stand with me tonight? Would you just take one moment raising your hands and giving God the thanks that he is patient and that he has given us the Lord the confidence in him. Lord Jesus, we appreciate you. We thank you Lord God that you have given us your word. We thank you God that you are patient with us that you allow us to come before you with our questions and with our concerns, our needs. Lord, you are understanding in that manner.

But Lord, we want to express our confidence in you that no matter what we go through, no matter what life throws at us, that you will be faithful to us and to our walk with you. We declare that in Jesus name. We have our faith in you. Would you give him a hand clap to praise tonight? We worship you, Lord. We thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise God. Praise God.