The Feet of Him that Brings Good Tidings Nahum 1:15

As Nahum the prophet continued to share about the destruction that was to come upon the city of Nineveh, he wrote how the LORD would “break his yoke” and “burst your bonds in sunder” which were put upon the people of Israel. In chapter one and verse fifteen of his prophesy, Nahum shared concerning the “feet of him that brings good tidings” where we read:

Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

The verse begins, “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace!” Nahum began with the word, “Behold upon the mountains” which means “looking intently at the hill country or range of hills” “the feet” or “the lower leg, great toe or step in walking” “of him that brings good tidings” which is all one Hebrew word “basar” and means “brings good news, bears tidings, publishes, preaches and shows forth”, “that publishes” or “hears, listens to and obeys” “peace” which means “completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, health and prosperity”. Nahum desired for all to take notice of the one who “brings good tidings” and “hears, listens to and obeys” the ways of “soundness, safety and prosperity”.

The verse goes on to say, “O Judah, keep your solemn feasts, perform your vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off.” Nahum added, “O Judah” whose name means “praised” and refers to “the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon”, “keep your solemn feasts” or “to hold a festival, pilgrimage, festive gathering and pilgrim-feast or sacrifice ”, “perform your vows” which means “be in a covenant of completeness, safety, restoration and compensation”: “for the wicked” or “the worthless, good for nothing, unprofitable, base and destruction” “shall no more” which means “add, increase, do again, increase and join oneself to” “pass through you” or “alienate, carry, take away, march and cross over”; “he is utterly cut off” which means “totally cut off, eliminated, killed, hewn down and beheaded”. As Nahum closed his first chapter concerning Nineveh, he appealed to “Judah” to continue in the “festivals, pilgrimages and sacrifices” and “keep their covenants” because those who were “unprofitable and good for nothing” would be “totally eliminated” and never “carry” them away again.

When we think through these words of Nahum, we see the praise extended to those who declare the “good news” of “peace”, and we see the LORD's hope-filled beckoning because “Judah” would no longer contend with those who “wickedly” dealt with them. There is a day when judgment shall fall upon those who are in opposition to Jesus Christ, and lest they know the full meaning of being “cut-off” by Him, let all who read these words take heed, humble themselves, bow in submission to Jesus and turn from their wicked ways before it is too late to do so.

Next time we begin a new chapter and see Nahum write about “He that dashes in pieces”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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