The city of Nineveh was to
be put under siege after they were used by the LORD to judge Israel.
Nahum the prophet shared how “the LORD turned away the
excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel” and referred
to the manner the “emptiers have emptied them out , and marred
their vine branches”. In chapter two and verse three of his
prophesy, Nahum wrote about the “mighty valiant men” and
their “chariots” where we read:
The
shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in
scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the
day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
The verse begins, “The shield of his mighty men is made red, the
valiant men are in scarlet:” Nahum began with
the words, “The shield” or “the buckler which was worn
on the forearm to fend off blows” “of his mighty men”
which refers to “the strong and brave champions or chiefs who are
giants and valiant” “is made red” or “flush, glowing
red and rosy as to show blood and made ruddy”, “the valiant
men” which means “mighty, efficient, wealthy and forceful
men” “are in scarlet” or “clad in crimson”. The
warriors from the army of Nebuchadnezzar were clad with red colored
shields and garments of “scarlet” both to bring
intimidation and to disguise any blows revealing blood from their
foes.
The
verse goes on to say, “the chariots shall be
with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees
shall be terribly shaken.” Nahum continued, “the chariots”
or “carriages and horse drawn vehicles or rigs which transported
warriors in battle” “shall be with flaming torches”
which means “fiery and burning steel and iron” “in the day”
or “time period” “of his preparation” which refers to
“firm, stable, established, steadfast and secure”, “and the
fir trees” or “cypress, juniper and pine trees” “shall
be terribly shaken” which means “made to quiver, shake and
reel ”. In addition to their outer scarlet colored garments and red
shields, the “chariots” upon which they rode were fiercely
made ready in preparation for war which resulted in shaking the
“trees” as they furiously rode.
When we
meditate upon these words of Nahum, we understand more about the
equipment of the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. God would used the
Babylonians to destroy the Assyrian city of Nineveh, and the “red”
and “scarlet” colors would intimidate their opponents
and hide their wounds. This speaks once again to the awesome power of
God Almighty against those who oppose Him and His people. Can we even
imagine His resources against those who contend with His Son Jesus?
O' that men and women would realize the time for making peace with
God through Jesus His Son is now, and woe be to them if they remain
in opposition to Him.
Next
time we see Nahum write more concerning “the
chariots”,
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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