Nahum 2

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“The scatterer has come up against you.” God would remove the Assyrians from their seat of power by using the Babylonians and others to achieve His purposes. Just as in the days of the Tower of Babel, the Almighty was directing the events of world history.

What was the Lord doing in the fall of Nineveh? He was “restoring the majesty of Jacob.” His great love for His own children had led Him to use the nations to their east as agents of His discipline. Now those larger powers would be punished for their own offenses against God.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the great capital of Assyria would face devastating turmoil. A “siege tower” would be built at Nineveh's wall, and “river gates” would be opened, releasing floods of water. “Chariots” driven by foreign soldiers would race through their streets, and the palace itself would be under attack. The leading women in the royal family would be carried off naked, their “slave girls lamenting” and “beating their breasts.”

The silver and gold of the Assyrians would be plundered by the invaders, and the entire metropolis would be well described as only “desolation and ruin.” Those who had been the reigning “lion” and “lioness” would be in no better position than the lower orders of society. They had once “filled” their “caves with prey,” but now Jehovah Himself had come against them. Their time of supremacy would soon be over forever.

Why would Yahweh cause these words to be recorded for posterity? Like Israel and Judah of old, we need to know that the King of kings does all that He desires among the nations of the world. We are thankful to hear that He not only scatters the proud, but that He also gathers the humble through the blood of the Lamb and makes them to be members of His beloved family.

This detailed musing of the demolition of a privileged society has at least two holy purposes. First, it serves as a warning to those who are in charge that they will one day be called to account for their abuse of those who needed them to lead in love. Second, it is a comfort to the weak to remember that we are not being foolish when we wait upon the Lord. Authorities that appear unstoppable at the present moment will themselves be brought low at the proper time. The end of all things will come when the Lord has safely assembled all of His sons and daughters. We will then know what it feels like to be included in a victory that is far greater than anything we could ask for or even imagine.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, if men and nations had their way with Your church we would have been overcome long ago. Violent abusers want to kill and destroy the weak. They would carry away people and possessions as though they were in the right. You know the desires of every heart and the actions of every life. Powerful leaders and empires may enjoy decades of privilege, but there is a day of reckoning coming for every person on this earth. Even the strongest people groups that once seemed perfectly secure can be swept aside in a moment. Keep us in Your kingdom, for in You alone we have safety.

Nahum 1

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In the book of Jonah we learned of God's mercy to the people of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. In Nahum we find His justice coming against this same imperial power. Both the Lord's gentleness and His vengeance are components of His good news for His covenant people. Without His righteous judgments, God's family would face the persecutions of their oppressors forever. Without His gracious forgiveness, there could be no hope of salvation for anyone.

The Lord is a “jealous and avenging God.” He comes to the aid of all those who are called by His Name. Though He is “slow to anger,” He is also “great in power,” and He will “by no means clear the guilty.”

Who is the God of the Jews who dares to assert His dominance over all those who would threaten the well-being of His elect? Jehovah is far above all imaginary gods. “The clouds are the dust of His feet.” He created all things, and the massive formations of moisture that fill the skies and bring rain upon the earth are under His sovereign authority. He is in charge of every detail both in this fading world and in the age to come.

One further doctrine concerning God is of vital importance: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” Here alone can mankind receive security—in the shelter of the Almighty. But for any who resist His purposes, “He will make a complete end of His adversaries.” All plots against Him must ultimately fail. Those who would threaten the weak are no match for the Lord.

Compare the God of the Jews with the supreme ruler of the Assyrian Empire. The ruthless leader who once had his throne in Nineveh was “cut down” and has passed away, but the Lord lives forever to rescue His chosen ones. All who put their trust in mortal princes will be severely disappointed, but those who live by faith in God will find His promises to be entirely true.

The destruction of every deadly menace is a vital part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There can be no assurance of eternal shalom for those who rest in Jesus Christ unless the powers of darkness are entirely cut off from the Lord's eternal kingdom. “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace!” Christ is victorious, and the forces of evil shall be no more.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God Almighty, judgment will come upon Your enemies. You are slow to anger, but when You come in vengeance, who can stand? When Your wrath is poured out like fire, You will destroy Your adversaries. You love those who take refuge in You. Our greatest desire is to rejoice in Your protective love forever. Bring us good news of the perfect holiness of Your Son. Publish the message of Your peace to Your people throughout the world. Keep every invading foe far away from us, that Your kingdom may be utterly secure.

Micah 7

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“Woe is me!” Micah looked at the cities of Israel and Judah and found nothing admirable. The godliest among them seemed to have “perished from the earth.” Every man was eager only to serve himself, even those leaders who should have set a good example for others. “The prince and the judge ask for a bribe; and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul.”

Even among the close circle of friends and family, no one could be trusted. Where could an honest prophet turn when it appeared that there were none who remained faithful to the Lord? “I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” Though everyone else may have abandoned all that was right, Micah would continue to put his hope in God.

Throughout this time of societal decline, the enemies of the righteous were emboldened. They saw the discipline of the Almighty upon the remnant of His people as a sign of God's rejection of His covenant community. Outsiders were making accusations against those whom the Lord loved. Micah recalled God's sacred promises and proclaimed, “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light to me.”

Eventually the Lord would publicly vindicate His faithful servant. The borders of the Promised Land would reach their fullest measure, and the people of the Lord would dwell securely. They would know God's special care for them, for the Lord would “shepherd” His people. Those outside the walls of the kingdom of God would “turn in dread” to the Lord of glory.

It is fitting that Micah would conclude his book by extolling the greatness of Israel's Redeemer. “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance?” Yes, God was disciplining His children, but He would not “retain His anger forever.” He would find a way to deal with their “iniquities.” God would surely cast the sins of His chosen ones “into the depths of the sea.” Through the blood of our sinless Messiah the debt that stood against the Lord's beloved worshipers has been fully paid. They are counted as holy in His sight because of the work of the Son of God.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Glorious Lord, have mercy on Your church. We feel so small in times of trouble. The evil of the world around us seems to enter quickly into the life of Your assembly. Our families face unusual disappointments, and our watchmen become easily corrupted. Grant us wisdom and courage in the day of difficulty. You will be our help. We look to Your holy Son Jesus, and we turn away from the sinful pattern of the world all around us. Gather Your elect, O Lord God. Fill us with joy even in the time of testing, and provide for us what we need for our lives by Your marvelous and mighty hand. There is no other god like You. You delight in steadfast love, and have tread our iniquities underfoot through the cross of Christ. In Him there is hope for all Your chosen people.

Micah 6

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“Hear what the Lord says: Arise plead your case.” God had an “indictment” to make against His people. The “mountains” and “hills” would be witnesses in God's courtroom. The Lord reviewed the facts from Exodus and Numbers. He had brought them up “from the land of Egypt” and had redeemed them “from the house of slavery.” Yet they had not been faithful in the days of Balaam who enticed them with spiritual and physical immorality (Numbers 25:1-9). Even though they had broken covenant with the Almighty, He had allowed their children to renew their national commitment to Him in the days after Moses (Joshua 5). Nonetheless, the Law proved to be a burden that they could not bear. (Acts 15:10)

The Lord called them to a simple life of holy and humble obedience as those who would “do justice” and “love kindness” as they continued to “walk humbly” with the Lord of Glory. They were instead committed to greed, dishonest business practices, and violence.

Because of these persistent transgressions, God had appointed a “rod” of correction for His children. He would “strike” them with a “grievous blow.” Though they might be ever so diligent in working their fields, they would be continually disappointed with the yield from their labors. Why would their lands be so unfruitful? They had chosen to follow the counsel of godless kings and had ignored the Word of their God. Because of centuries of willful disobedience, they would now “bear the scorn” that God's people deserved.

The Lord's chosen congregation of worshipers could not have faced the fullness of divine wrath that stood against them and their forefathers. They did not have the strength or holiness to pay the overwhelming debt that had been building up for so many years. Only the Messiah could fully atone for sin, but how should those who would be delivered from evil by the Lord respond to God's grace? God called all those who trusted in Him to commit their lives to holiness by following His Word. Repentance from sin was a sign of genuine consecration to Jehovah.

The answer for our wretched brokenness has come in person, and He alone can give us what we need in order to turn away from false and empty patterns of life. As Peter testified before the elders in Jerusalem, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:30-32)

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God Almighty, You had an indictment against Your people under the Old Covenant. You provided them with many blessings and with great saving acts. What did You require of Israel? They should have done justice, loved kindness, and walked humbly with You. These are the weightier matters of the Law. How have we fared by the same holy requirements? O how we need Your grace! We who have been saved through the righteousness of Your Son are not required to do less than those who came before us. We have been given much, so much is required of us. Your Son has covered our sins. Please forgive us and fill us with Your Spirit, so that we will walk in love according to Your commandments.

Micah 5

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The Lord would soon send the Assyrians against Israel and Judah. The reigning human “judge of Israel” would suffer the indignity of a pagan emperor's discipline. Yet in the years to come, a Ruler would be born in Bethlehem who would be “from ancient days.” He would gather “the rest of His brothers” from far off lands. They would “return to the people of Israel” where this new King would “shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord.” The final Son of David would “be great” not only among the Jews, but “to the ends of the earth.” What would the importance of this Savior be to both Jews and Gentiles? Micah announced, “He shall be their peace.”

The Messiah would be able to achieve the most important restitution of relationship that all human beings desperately need—shalom with God. Because of their sin God's justice stood against all of mankind. Through His obedience and His atoning death, Jesus has healed the breach between His chosen ones and their God. This does not mean that there would be no discipline from the Lord for God's elect. The horrors of brutal oppression would bring much sadness to the descendants of Jacob for the next two centuries after Micah. Yet eventually God would accomplish a glorious victory that no military power in creation could ever have brought about.

Meanwhile, the Assyrian and Babylonian armies would decimate communities in both Israel and Judah. Because of these external attacks, the “remnant of Jacob” would be broadly scattered “among the nations” of the known world. This would create a Jewish diaspora that God would use in order to make the message of Jesus known not only to Jews but also to those Gentiles who had been drawn to synagogues where they were admirers of the monotheistic God of Israel.

Through the centuries of gospel proclamation, the story of the child of Bethlehem who obeyed the Law of God for us and then died on a Roman cross has become the common knowledge of many people all over the earth. Yet followers of Jesus need more than information. They require a powerful healing of body and soul that only God can give. Micah prophesied that the Lord would take away from His family all their idols that once captivated them. Throughout their history they had looked to foreign powers to save them, but the Lord would remove these false hopes from their grasp. He would also take away strongholds of occult practices and base idolatry that they once imagined to be their spiritual strength.

Even now our King is rooting out of His church every sin that so easily besets us. When our life here below is completed and we come into His presence, we are instantly perfected in holiness (Hebrews 12:22-23). In the kingdom of eternal life that will be revealed at the last day, there will be no “sorceries” or “carved images” for false worship. The reigning Lamb of God will be our joy forever. All this was announced first to shepherds in the vicinity of Bethlehem by a great host of angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father, You have sent us a great Savior to be our holy Ruler. Your eternal Son was born in Bethlehem, according to Your Word. He is now the Shepherd over Your people. We are being gathered from many nations. You have helped us in the midst of our adversaries. You have brought us into a safe place, for You have cut off from among us all our idolatries. Your Son will come again to execute vengeance upon the people that will not obey You. Our only refuge is in His perfect righteousness, for He is our Substitute.

Micah 4

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God promised long ago that He would bring about a time of extraordinary well-being “in the latter days.” Though Israel and Judah would first face the horrors of exile, at some point after those difficult years, not only the Jews, but also “many nations,” would eagerly seek to learn and obey the Word of God.

The biblical accounts that we have of migration back to the Promised Land in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah could not possibly be the complete fulfillment of Jehovah's plans contained in Micah 4. The prophet wrote about a time of lasting shalom. The beloved children of God would live in such absolute security that it could be said that no one would “make them afraid.” Furthermore, the Lord's covenant people would be so faithful that they would “walk in the Name of the Lord” not just for a few years, but “forever and ever.” Such glowing oracles of glory could not describe any period in the history of Israel or the church.

In the New Testament era, the nations beyond the descendants of Jacob began to hear the good news of the greatness of God and the love of Jesus, but the Lord's ambassadors faced much suffering and persecution in preaching the gospel. Something more magnificent in scale than even the early centuries of Christian life was described by Micah so many centuries before.

Those who go to be with the Lord after their days are completed under the sun go to the present heavens. There they experience a generous portion of the wholeness that God has in store for those who call upon His Name. The Scriptures teach us that the very best days of eternal life will ultimately arrive when the Son of God returns to earth again. Then “the Lord will reign over them” in the world of resurrection “forevermore.”

Anyone who heard Micah's words when they were first revealed would have concluded that God had amazing plans for His chosen followers. Nonetheless, two questions remained for which we now possess very solid answers.

First, what man would be the “Lord” of the kingdom described by Micah? We now know the identity of the final King of kings who is both fully human and fully divine. His Name is Jesus, and through His death and resurrection, He has won for us all that God promised so long ago.

Second, how would this outstanding eternity come to people groups beyond the Jews? The Lord would use His church to call sinners to Himself. Broken people of faith would reveal the message of grace over many centuries. God's covenant community would be called to pray, preach, and serve so that many people would eventually confess faith in the Jewish Messiah. Only after Christ was proclaimed all over the earth would the ultimate glory of Micah's words be accomplished.

When Jesus returns, our King will bring a new creation with Him. Then our most complete yearnings for salvation will be seen and experienced, for God will establish what no human endeavors could ever have achieved.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Our Father, take us to Your holy mountain. Bring many nations home to You through the work of Your Son. Speak to us from Your heavenly Zion. Give us eternal peace, for we long for the fulfillment of Your great promises. We will walk in Your Name forever and ever. May the weak and the lame find a place in Your house, O God. We cry out to You for help! We long for Your rescue. Though the nations assemble against Your church, Your Son will deliver us from every trouble.

Micah 3

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The Lord's indictment against Israel and Judah included a pointed rebuke of her most influential men. Some were rulers in matters of civil justice. Others were “priests” who stood between God and the people as guardians of worship. Still more were “prophets” who were ambassadors of the Almighty charged with bringing His Word to the nation. The kings and their administrations were to lead justly, the priests were to mediate between God and humanity with humility, and the prophets were to speak for the Lord truthfully. Instead they bore much of the blame for the sad condition of God's covenant community.

When Israel and Judah faced imminent danger in the days of Micah, those who reigned in Samaria and Jerusalem were people who chose to “hate the good and love the evil.” Micah gave a horrifying description of their malice and violence. The top men who should have been serving God and His children instead were inclined to “chop them up like meat in a pot.”

Eventually the day would come when the abusers would themselves be confronted by enemies who would be too strong for them. They would then call out to God for help, but He would “not answer them.” All of the chiefs among them would desire direction from Jehovah, but there would be “no answer from God.”

Micah was faithfully declaring to everyone their “transgression” and “sin,” but they were unwilling to turn away from evil. The best positioned among them were ready to take bribes and to “teach for a price,” but they were far from leading by example. Nevertheless they imagined that they were safe from any divine judgment. “Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.” Yet Zion would soon “be plowed as a field,” and Jerusalem would “become a heap of ruin.”

God appointed prophets, priests, and kings for the good of Israel and Judah. Instead of serving sacrificially they enriched themselves at the expense of those who needed their help. We now have a better Ruler over the house of God, Jesus, who reigns in love. He is a Mediator who is able to sympathize with us in our grief, and who speaks and lives out the truth of God as our Redeemer and Lord.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God, You have granted leaders in Your church to be pastors who would love the families that they guide. What shall we do if those servants only serve themselves and destroy Your beloved children that they should be helping? Father, receive our thanks for the provision of the greatest and best Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. His heart is always fully seeking our good, and His strength will accomplish His purposes. Even now He is ascended on high providing many blessings to Your people. Restrain the wickedness of men, O God. We praise You for the provision of godly elders who will lead us by Your Word in a day of great confusion.

Micah 2

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“Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds!” The Lord used His servant Micah to bring an indictment against the rich who took advantage of the poor. How serious were their offenses? “They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away.” Because of the way that powerful individuals were exercising brutality toward the weak, God warned them that He was “devising disaster” that would soon draw near to them.

The Lord would bring ungodly rulers into the territory of His own beloved children. As they had stolen from others, they themselves would soon lose their land and homes to invaders from afar.

Micah brought this solemn warning from Yahweh to the privileged families among the Jews, but God's word was not readily received. Their response was to attack the messenger. “One should not preach such things.” If they had been willing to walk “uprightly” they would have been eager to hear what God's ambassador was saying. Instead they would have preferred a more entertaining sermon series. Something about “wine and strong drink” would have delighted their ears.

How would God ever save His chosen ones when they closed their minds to the true voice of correction? The Lord God would have to come in person. Even then He would be rejected by the rulers and authorities of His day, yet in His suffering and death Jesus would accomplish the holy obedience that they were morally unable to give. The Lord of Hosts would become the eternal King over all of His saints. He would win a battle for hard hearts that no earlier prophet could have won. By His life-giving Spirit He would grant them ears to hear, so that they might be “cut to the heart” and truly “repent.” (Acts 2:37-38)

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Great God and King, we turn away from our private schemes of wickedness. We cannot fool You. The lesson of Your ancient people should be powerfully obvious to us. There is no wisdom in resisting Your true Word as Your nation did so long ago. Even their shepherds did not follow in the way of godliness. They destroyed whole families and pursued covetousness and malice against the weak. Come soon, Lord God! Save us from all iniquity!

Micah 1

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Micah and Isaiah both served the Lord during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The first and third of these kings did what was right in the eyes of God, but Ahaz was an evil monarch. Regardless of who was sitting on the throne of David, there was much throughout the cities and villages of the Promised Land that required divine correction.

The Lord began the book of Micah by saying something to all the nations of the earth. God in heaven was sending trouble upon Israel and Judah. How would this be instructive to other countries? If this was the way that the Lord would deal with the sin of His own beloved flock, all those outside of covenant relationship with Him needed to consider what their fate might eventually be (1 Peter 4:17).

The capital cities of Jerusalem and Samaria had become centers of idolatry and immorality. Micah lamented deeply over the disobedience of his countrymen and the serious consequences of their sins. The condition of Israel was “incurable,” and the same “wound” had touched Judah.

The prophet used the names of various towns in order to reinforce the sure judgment that was coming. He referred to their fate by using Hebrew words of tribulation that sounded like the very places that would soon suffer these trials. For example, the locale known as Beth-le-aphrah sounded like the Hebrew words for “house of dust.” Therefore Micah said, “In Beth-le-aphrah roll yourselves in the dust.” There were no less than nine similar word plays in this chapter as the Lord's ambassador mourned over what would soon come upon this territory from greater powers to the north and east.

In every age the honest observer finds deceit and sin all over the earth. If inclusion in the line of Jacob could not save people from the discipline of Yahweh, what possible hope would there be for those who had no relation to the Lord's elect nation?

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), yet the Almighty was not content to leave His children without hope. The Lord Himself needed to accomplish our salvation. Through the cross of Christ we see displayed an ultimate and effectual “exile” that sinners deserved. Christ was nailed to a cross though He had done nothing wrong. He was cut off from the Lord’s people for one very dark moment so that we might be brought into God's eternal kingdom of light forever. We have been justified by God's grace as a gift through the redemption that is ours in Christ Jesus.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, thank You for the true Word spoken through holy prophets of old. You are against all wickedness. We will never be able to stand if You come against us for our sins and transgressions. The problem of our unrighteousness was something that we needed to learn. How could we have understood the work of our Savior, if we did not see the reality of our wickedness? You gave Your people the Law, and through that system we began to see the punishment that we deserved. Glorious Lord, gather Your elect, for You have accomplished our redemption.

Jonah 4

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God sent a reluctant man to preach to the inhabitants of Nineveh. Though Jonah originally sailed in the wrong direction, the Lord used a dangerous storm, a ship full of pagan sailors, and a very large fish to move His ambassador in a better direction. Jonah eventually arrived on the scene and presented his no-nonsense message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Amazingly, the people of Nineveh repented. Good news? Not to Jonah. The prophet was very angry, and He expressed his disappointment to the Lord God in prayer.

Jonah knew of the Lord’s character from the beginning of this ministry. God was gracious, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love. He knew that God might relent from judgment if the Assyrians humbled themselves. Jonah wanted to see the Lord’s justice come against his enemies. He was unwilling to allow God’s compassion to get in the way of his dreams. Now that the people of Nineveh had turned from sin, Jonah was so angry that he wanted “to die.”

God asked Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry?” The Assyrians were brutal and oppressed Israel and Judah. Their leaders spoke against the Lord and His people with impunity. Jonah would have done well to have righteous indignation concerning that empire, but he was very wrong to be angry with Jehovah for extending His kindness to repentant sinners.

Jonah set up camp outside of the city and waited to see what would happen to Nineveh. In the meantime, the Lord caused a plant to grow in order to provide shade for His rebellious servant. Jonah was pleased with the plant, but the joy of this unusual gift was soon gone. God had appointed a worm to destroy the amazing growth. God then turned up the heat and the wind on His messenger, and Jonah was once again ready “to die.” He seemed to love that miracle shrub more than the thousands of image-bearers who were inhabitants of a great city.

God is the Maker, Keeper, and Judge of humanity. If He chooses to save some, we have no right to question His wisdom or goodness. When Christ came to die for the sins of His people, there were religious leaders who were very offended by His kindness to unworthy human beings. Many did not approve of the notion that Gentiles could become true followers of Christ without becoming Jews first. Jesus gave His life for the fulfillment of the divine plan of worldwide grace. We should never resist God's good news, but join with angels in rejoicing when even one sinner repents and finds life in our Redeemer.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Great God of Israel, You have a plan for the entire earth. You are a God of grace. Will we hate mercy? We do not do well to be angry about Your kindness. Your Son is our shade and our protection. The scorching heat of Your justice is coming upon the nations of the world. Make us to pity the people who live in darkness, for there are so many who are facing judgment with no knowledge of Your Word. Send us forward in Your service, O Lord, that people everywhere may know that You are God.

Jonah 3

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God had previously given Jonah the instruction to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Jonah refused that mission and had moved quickly in the opposite direction. That choice led to a storm, a cry to God, a vow, a prayer of praise from within the belly of a fish, and the beginning of a new life for the prophet. Jonah was then commanded to bring God's message of divine judgment against the city of Nineveh. This time he went in the right direction.

Nineveh was apparently a very large city. It took three days of walking just to get from one end of it to the other. It was also the seat of power for a ruthless people that had demonstrated their ability to conquer other nations, relocating captive peoples in far-off lands, and bringing a substantial amount of territory under their subjection. Surprisingly, Jonah displayed no sign of fear concerning the task before him. His suspicion all along was that God might show mercy to the Assyrians, which disturbed him more than any trouble the Assyrians might bring to him personally.

With a thirst for God to destroy Nineveh that was hoping against God’s compassion, Jonah spoke of the impending destruction of this great city in just forty days. Then the worst happened, at least in the mind of Jonah. The people believed and took appropriate ethical actions. This was unspeakably shocking.

What did the Assyrians do? They fasted, humbling themselves before God at the preaching of Jonah. This movement which Christ calls repentance in Matthew 12:41 seems to have started among the people, though news soon reached the king. Instead of trying to stop this zealous reaction to the words of a foreigner, he joined in promoting Yahweh's message and issued a proclamation not only for fasting, but for a true changing of their ways, a turning away from evil and violence with the earnest desire that God would relent concerning His just anger.

The Lord heard those pagan Assyrians as they cried out to Him. This was the very thing that Jonah had been afraid of, that God would show kindness to Nineveh. As Jonah had testified at the end of the previous chapter, “Salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9)

There is a coming Day of Judgment that will be more than the Lord’s previous expressions of wrath throughout history for one group of people or another in any one place and time. We do not know when it will happen, but the fact of this future Day is absolutely certain. Jesus is the only way out of that devastation. We should give glory to God when anyone turns to our great Redeemer in faith, and continually seek His generous compassion in our own lives. Nonetheless, some who should tremble at the Lord's Word will not do so. We are told this by Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 12:41, “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord of Glory, grant us courage to move forward in mission in the most frightening places. Will we have the boldness to cry out, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed?” If we will not speak, we will miss the joy of true repentance in the darkest corners of creation. Angels are ready to rejoice. Teach Your church to call all men everywhere to turn to You, for You have granted life to many. Perhaps they will repent like the king and his subjects in Nineveh in the days of Jonah.

Jonah 2

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When we last left our reluctant prophet Jonah, he had been rescued from the seas by God's use of a great fish. We were told that he was kept there for three days and three nights. This period of being entombed in that large creature was compared by Christ to His time in the grave prior to His resurrection. Almost the entirety of the second chapter of Jonah comes to us from inside the fish. From there Jonah was praying to the Lord, not so much seeking release, but praising God for the deliverance that He had already received.

Jonah spoke in the opening of his prayer about crying out to the Lord from a different “belly,” the prison house of the land of death, called here “Sheol.” Jonah was effectively a dead man when he was cast into the sea. He had called out to God from the waters, and the Lord heard his cry.

Jonah remembered the waves that had passed over him, and despite the fact that it appeared that all hope was lost, the words that came out of his mouth were full of faith and an expectation of divine help. “I shall again look upon your holy temple.” What was his hope then? The Lord's ambassador was looking for a better country. Expecting that his mortal life would be over in a matter of minutes, he knew that there was a heavenly temple where he would live in the presence of the Almighty. In what appeared to be the closing moments of his life, Jonah considered that Yahweh was the God of the living and not of the dead. He was going to the place of the patriarchs who were alive with Jehovah.

As Jonah's life was fainting away, the Lord heard his prayer. Where was God when He listened to Jonah? The Lord was in His holy sanctuary above. Jonah made a vow, asking for more mortal life. He promised that if the Lord give him further years on this earth that he would pay give what he had committed to the Lord. “With the voice of thanksgiving” he would “sacrifice” to God. He kept his word right away when he gave this glorious testimony from his temporary place of rescue: “Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

When our Savior was facing the end of His earthly days on a Roman cross, He also cried out to God with the words of a vow. In quoting the opening of Psalm 22, Jesus was not merely pointing to His condition as one who had been forsaken by His Father. The psalm was a song of praise. It included a faithful expectation of deliverance, and a promised payment of worship yet to come.

God listened to Jonah when he was in the sea and He heard Jesus as He suffered on the cross. The fish was a place of praise for Jonah and the empty grave has become an astounding proof of the resurrection of our King. Salvation truly belongs to the Lord!

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Blessed Lord, Your Son called out to You from the belly of Sheol, and You heard His cry. He trusted You fully. Though He died for our sins, You brought up His life from the pit, for He had authority to lay down His life, and authority to pick it back up again. He has promised to give to You the fullness of Your Kingdom of grace. What He has vowed, He will surely pay.

Jonah 1

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The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy that the one who desires the work of an elder desires a good thing. Paul tells the Ephesian church that those who proclaim the truth of the Lord are gifts from God. Nonetheless, it is not always easy to be an ambassador for the Lord.

In the case of the Old Testament prophet Jonah (see also 2 Kings 14:25), we encounter a man who emphatically rejected the specific mission that God gave to him. The Lord called him to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, and to preach against that great city, calling them to repent of their evil. Jonah refused to do this.

Jonah traveled west by sea, despite the fact that reaching Nineveh required going east by land. He was attempting to sail away from the command of God, and even “from the presence of the Lord.” For Yahweh's spokesman to be perplexed, frustrated, or even overwhelmed was not that unusual, but to pick up and run in the opposite direction of God’s calling was not normal.

There was no safe way out for the Jonah. He brought danger upon his life because of his refusal to obey. Not only that, those with him were put in peril by his disobedience. Even the pagan sailors on board the ship were beginning to wonder what God was doing as they faced such troubles at sea. The God that Jonah needed to obey controlled the wind and the waves.

The captain of the ship expected everyone to turn earnestly to some god or other in the midst of this crisis. Amazingly, Jonah was trying to sleep through the violent storm. Everyone else was beseeching various deities except for the man who knew in his conscience that he was responsible for this situation. The sailors cast lots in order to identify the guilty party, and they managed to find their man. Was it one of those frantic prayer warriors pleading with some false god? No, it was the Lord's servant, Jonah, who simply refused to bring the Word of the Lord to the Assyrians, the mortal enemies of Judah and Israel.

Naturally the other men on board wanted to understand what Jonah had done to merit Jehovah's displeasure. Jonah plainly told the story of his unwillingness to obey the Lord by going to Nineveh. His solution to the problem was very straightforward: “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea.” The crew did not want to send him overboard, yet they were forced to do so because of their own desperate condition. It soon became obvious that Jonah would have to go if any of them were to survive this strange judicial ordeal of trial by drowning.

Prior to throwing Jonah off the ship the sailors turned to the true God in prayer. They wanted Jonah’s Lord to know that they were taking no joy in what was sure to be the death of His subject. Yet Jonah did not die. The sea ceased from its raging. God had a plan for this reluctant preacher. He appointed a great fish to rescue Jonah, and so he was inside that fish for “three days and three nights,” becoming a “sign” for a great future display to the watching world. (See Matthew 12:40 and Luke 11:30.)

Many centuries later a perfect prophet was raised up for a tougher ministry than that of Jonah. While we were yet sinners, Christ was called upon by God to die for us. He too was beyond the reach of men for three days, but in His sufferings He faced the death that we deserved. Jonah is known for a fish that saved him. Christ is known for a cross that saved us.

By running away from his mission, Jonah stands as a supreme biblical example of unwillingness. Jesus never abandoned His calling. Even though He had the power to end His suffering and to send legions of angels against His enemies, He played His unique role with a perfectly holy resolve. This was especially confirmed prior to His betrayal in these glorious words: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” In Jesus we see the greatest example of dedication ever known. In His death we have the powerful accomplishment of the fullness of our salvation, a salvation that could never have been won for us if our Savior had sailed in some other direction away from the cross.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, You surely love Your people and You use us as messengers of that great love. Can we refuse You? Will we be like Jonah, determining by our own counsel that it is wise to run from You? Such a man brings much trouble upon himself and others. It will do us no good to flee from Your presence in the day of chastisement. Surely if we decide to fight against Your purposes, You will win. Who are we to reject Your call to speak for Your kingdom? We bow before You Lord Jesus, for You have rescued us from death and hell.

Obadiah 1

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This brief book of Biblical prophecy was written concerning the ancient land of Edom which is no more. Nations rise and fall, but the Lord rules over the events of history. He is the One who accomplishes all His decrees. Men think they are in charge. They look at their strategic advantages and suppose themselves to be safer than they are. They do not see their weakness rightly, missing the danger that has come to them from their pride. God looks on the arrogance of the sons of men. He knows that their hubris is not an advantage for them. They too easily forget about the Creator of the world. They imagine that they are beyond defeat because of some natural advantage that they possess, but the Lord can bring them down swiftly.

When God fights against a country, it is His to decide how they will fare as a result of the attack. What would happen to the Edomites was more than could be explained by the typical results of other military engagements. An unusual destruction was envisioned. In that day, the allies that Edom considered to be their friends would show that they had been deceitful. Those who were thought to be trusted enough to sit around the table with the Edomites and eat with them like brothers would destroy them with alarming treachery. The wisdom and power of the most insightful men among the descendants of Esau would not be able to anticipate this loss nor deliver their countrymen from a horrifying slaughter.

It was a bitter pill for proud Edom to suddenly be destroyed. Why would such a thing happen? The answer was very plain. God was the Protector of His covenant people. It was easy to understand how those who treated Israel with brutality might presume that the God of the Jews had no abiding love for His people. Judgment was beginning with the household of God, but it was unwise for Edom to gloat over people that the Lord called His special possession. The Lord of Hosts would bring His justice upon the heads of Israel's enemies.

When would this destruction of the descendants of Esau take place? When would the world see the vindication of the sons of Jacob? While there may have been some small taste of what the prophet referred to here in some moment from the histories of Edom and Judah, this little book is speaking about a much bigger battle, a much more wonderful victory, and a far more glorious kingdom than we can find in the annals of the Ancient Near East.

When the Lord, the Son of David, is ready to return, His resurrection people will be with Him in His final judgment of the world. These “survivors” of the “Mount Zion” which is above will inherit the earth, and they will face no further attacks from the adversaries that once tormented them. The “kingdom” has been given to the ultimate suffering Servant of the Lord. He has determined that those who have faced loss with Him in this era will also reign with Him in glory. (2 Timothy 2:12)

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God Almighty, the pride of the most amazing men will not win for them any eternal security. Though we may belong to a wonderful country in the opinion of our fellow citizens, though we may have many wise and mighty men in our number, though other people groups may respect or fear us, You are able to bring us down in a moment. You can destroy any adversary very quickly. What is the case for our innocence that we would make before You? Edom gloated over Jerusalem in the day of her misfortune. Have our nations loved You and served You? There can never be a secure hope for us in any of the kingdoms of this world. There is much trouble and sin in every corner of creation. Judgment is near and there is only one place of safety. We come to You, the King of the city of God. All those who belong to You are citizens there. We are Your possession, and we shall inherit the earth. In Christ alone we have the fullest safety and peace.