Nahum pronounced great
judgment that would come upon the people of Nineveh because they
turned their backs on the LORD. He shared how they should be aware of
Him that “dashes in pieces is come up before” their face,
and he charged them to “keep the munition, watch the way, make”
their
“loins strong and fortify” their “power mightily”.
In chapter two and verse two of his prophesy, Nahum shared concerning
“the excellency of Jacob and Israel” where we read:
For the LORD has turned
away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the
emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
The
verse begins, “For the LORD has turned away the
excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel:” Nahum
began with the words, “For the LORD”
which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and the
proper name for the one true God” “has turned away”
or “returned, gone back, refreshed and restored” “the
excellency” which means “the
exaltation, majesty and pride” “of Jacob” whose
name means “heel catcher or supplanter” and refers to “the son
of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the twelve patriarchs of
the tribes of Israel ”, “as
the excellency” or “the
exaltation, majesty and pride” “of Israel”
whose name means “God prevails or governed by God” and refers to
“the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling
with the angel at Peniel and the name of the descendants and the
nation of the descendants of Jacob ”.
The
verse goes on to say, “for the emptiers have emptied them
out, and marred their vine branches.” Nahum
continued, “for the emptiers”
or “ones who lay out, make void and devastate” “have
emptied” which means “laid
out, made void and devastated” “them out”
which refers to “those who opposed Jacob and Israel”, “and
marred” or “destroyed,
corrupted, ruined, spoiled, decayed and spoiled” “their
vine branches” which refers to
“the vine, twigs, shoots and branches of the vine bushes”.
When
we meditate upon these words of Nahum, we see how the LORD vindicates
whose who turn their hearts and lives toward Him. Jacob and Israel
were chastised by the LORD for their apostasy, and He used Nineveh
and the Assyrians to do so. Now it was time for Assyria and it's
capital city, Nineveh, to pay their price for their insolence. The
LORD would recognize once again the “excellency” of Jacob and
Israel, and He would come to their aid. So it is with those who put
their trust and faith in Jesus Christ. He will vindicate them in the
end, and although they may see defeated now, the Messiah Jesus will
justify and defend them at the great judgment day.
Next
time we see Nahum write about “the
shield of his mighty men”,
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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