As Nahum
continued to describe the judgment that was to fall upon the people
of Nineveh, he reported how the warriors were dressed in “scarlet”
and wore “shields” of red. They also drove “chariots
with flaming torches” and in the “day of their
preparation” they would be so “fierce” they would
“shake” the “fir trees”. In chapter two and
verse four of his prophesy, Nahum continued his description of the
“chariots” as they were “raging and justle with
torches” where we read:
The
chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against
another in the broad ways:
they shall
seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
The
verse begins, “The chariots shall rage in the streets,
they shall justle one against another in the broad ways:” Nahum
began with the words, “The chariots”
which refers to “carriages and horse drawn vehicles or rigs which
transported warriors in battle” “shall rage”
or “shine, flash forth life, praise, be boastful” “in
the streets” which means
“outside, outward, separate by a wall, outdoors, abroad, in the
field or highway”, “they shall justle one against
another” which is all one
Hebrew word “shaqaq” and means “to run about or to and fro,
rushing back and forth, be eager, greedy or thirsty, ranging, longing
” “in the broad ways” or
“open places or plazas”. The war “carriages” will “rage and
rush” through the streets of Nineveh when Nebuchadnezzar and His
army invades it.
The
verse continues, “they shall seem like torches, they
shall run like the lightnings.” Nahum
added, “they shall seem” or
“in sight, appearance, vision, phenomenon and what is seen” “like
torches” which refers to
“shining flambeau, lamps or flames”, “they shall run”
or “dart, move quickly, hurry, drive and run away” “like
the lightnings” which means
“lightning flashes or flashing, bright and glittering arrow-heads”.
The speed of the “chariots”
rushing through the city of Nineveh would be so quick they would seem
like lightning-flashes “glittering” in rampant pace.
When
we think through these words of Nahum, we see the awesomeness of this
instrument of God's wrath. The “chariots”
or “war vehicles” of the Babylonians would be so fierce and fast,
the people within Nineveh would not be able to fend them off. This
reminds us of the power and strength of the LORD Jesus as He shared
in the gospel of Matthew chapter twenty-four and verse twenty-seven,
“For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines
even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Those who read these words
should take heed. The LORD Jesus allows us an occasion to humble
ourselves and repent before the time of His judgment comes, but alas,
if they reject Him, His “chariots”
will be swift and thorough.
Next
time Nahum writes how God shall “recount
his worthies”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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