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#155. Waiting on God When Evil Seems to Win: Lessons from Nahum | Biblical Parenting · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  Steph: This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  Steph: I'm Stephanie Hickox.
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  Steph: Today, as we glean from the Book of Nahum, we will be reassured that God certainly cares about the suffering of His people and the injustices occurring in the world whether it's today or long ago.
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  Steph: God will confront evil and rescue his righteous remnant the book of Nahum is filled with a collection of poems that proclaimed the impending doom of Assyria but the audience is also God's righteous remnant As you'd expect, Nahum is
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  Steph: the author, but we know very little about him His name means comfort and is a shorter version of the name Nehemiah, which means Yahweh comforts We don't encounter Nahum anywhere else in scripture one, one tells us that Nahum
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  Steph: lived in Elkosh There are several theories about where Elkosh was located.
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  Steph: Some speculate that he was part of the exile and that Alkosh was in the Assyrian Empire.
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  Steph: And some believe that Alkosh later became Capernaum, which literally means Land of Nahum God sent this prophet to deliver a message declaring that the evil empires of the earth will not endure, and though they prosper for a time,
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  Steph: they will meet their end although Nahum's prophecy particularly related to the Assyrian Empire and to their great city of Nineveh These prophecies extend far beyond their wickedness And confirmed that one day God will bring an end to every
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  Steph: nation that does not submit to Him.
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  Steph: it was about 100 years before Nahum that Jonah in absolute reluctance appeared in Nineveh preaching a brief yet effective message of repentance At that point, many of the Ninevites did repent and look to the Lord.
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  Steph: But Nahum comes about a hundred years later When Assyria is the largest empire the world has ever seen, and they are ruled by Asher Banipal who was known as the cruelest king of the Assyrians Ashurbanipal was the grandson
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  Steph: of Sennacherib and his father stressed the importance of learning.
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  Steph: His dad required him to learn to read and write, many of the depictions that have been uncovered of him reveal him With a stylus or writing utensil tucked in his belt If you've ever heard his name, it's likely
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  Steph: not because of his cruel acts, but because of his world-renowned library, it was the greatest library in the world at that time, and may have even inspired the Library of
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  Speaker 34: Alexandria
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  Steph: When the Library of Alexandria caught fire, all of the scrolls contained inside were destroyed.
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  Steph: But Ashurbanipal's library was full of clay tablets And when it was burned, it only served to harden and preserve these tablets.
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  Steph: however They were hidden from archaeologists for thousands of years one of the tablets reveals a detailed flood account And we learn much about the cruelty of this empire.
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  Steph: From their own words, they were ruthless and didn't just defeat enemies They devoured and tortured them Ashurbanipal was his father's fourth son.
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  Steph: When his oldest brother died, his dad passed over the next two sons.
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  Steph: They rose up in rebellion against Ashurbanipal, but he crushed them and defeated them in a merciless manner When he became ruler of the Assyrian Empire, his first act was to crush a rebellion in Egypt, in the city of
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  Steph: Thebes.
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  Steph: It was one of the greatest cities in Egypt at the time.
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  Steph: And keep this point in mind We'll speak of this city again in chapter three Because Thebes fell in 663 And
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  Speaker 34: Assyria fell in 612, we know that Nahum was written between those dates.
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  Steph: Nahum is largely trying to encourage his people that have been oppressed by the Assyrian Empire.
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  Steph: He wants them to know That God is a God of justice He sees their suffering and it will not go unpunished and so we move from the Book of Isaiah where God tenderly describes himself as a shepherd, and
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  Steph: his love for Israel as the love of a mother and the love of a father and now we're gonna see God rise up in righteous anger to defeat those who have harmed his children I remember a time I
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  Steph: gained the courage to tell my parents that something terrible had happened to me.
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  Steph: I remember My dad patiently and kindly asking me questions.
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  Steph: He wanted to know exactly what had happened I'm so grateful for how gently and delicately my dad responded.
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  Steph: But I think there was a part of me that wanted to know that my dad was angry at what had happened to me As I've gotten older, I've realized the audience matters.
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  Steph: I was still a little girl, and my dad didn't want me to think that he was angry at me at all and I'm certain that he saved his anger for another moment So as I look to Nahum and
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  Steph: I think about the protective love of a father I think it's beautiful to see God rise up to defeat the enemies of Israel The book begins quoting Exodus 34, but instead of beginning that the Lord is slow to
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  Steph: anger, it begins with judgment And it's because that aspect of his character is what is on center stage at this point An oracle concerning Nineveh, the book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
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  Steph: The Lord is a jealous and avenging God.
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  Steph: The Lord is avenging and wrathful.
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  Steph: The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.
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  Steph: The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
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  Steph: His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
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  Steph: He rebukes the sea and makes it dry.
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  Steph: He dries up all the rivers.
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  Steph: Bashan and Carmel wither.
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  Steph: The bloom of Lebanon withers.
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  Steph: The mountains quake before him, the hills melt.
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  Steph: The earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it.
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  Steph: Who can stand before his indignation?
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  Steph: who can endure the heat of his anger?
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  Steph: His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
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  Steph: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble.
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  Steph: he knows those who take refuge in him.
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  Steph: But with an overflowing flood, he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness What do you plot against the Lord?
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  Steph: He will make a complete end.
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  Steph: Trouble will not rise up a second time.
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  Steph: For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink They are consumed like stubble fully dried.
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  Steph: From you came one who plotted evil against the Lord, a worthless counselor.
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  Steph: Thus says the Lord, Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut down and pass away.
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  Steph: Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.
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  Steph: And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart."
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  Steph: The Lord has given commandment about you.
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  Steph: No more shall your name be perpetuated.
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  Steph: From the house of your gods, I will cut off the carved image and the metal image.
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  Steph: I will make your grave, for you are vile.
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  Steph: Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace.
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  Steph: Keep your feasts, O Judah.
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  Steph: Fulfill your vows, For never again shall the worthless pass through you.
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  Steph: He is utterly cut off.
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  Steph: When verse six said, "Who can stand before His indignation?"
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  Steph: It reminded me of Psalm 7:11.
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  Steph: God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day Webster defines indignation as a strong feeling of anger caused by something you believe is unfair, wrong, or mean.
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  Steph: It's often described as righteous or moral anger because it is a justified desire for fairness I remember reading this psalm and thinking about some of the ways that my children disobey and thinking, Yeah, I feel indignation every day
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  Steph: too."
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  Steph: But I can't honestly say that all of my indignation is righteous we know that the Lord's is, and He has patiently held this indignation But now he acts.
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  Steph: Chapter 1 didn't even mention Nineveh or Assyria, and actually used many of Isaiah's words regarding the end of the Babylonian Empire.
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  Steph: As I said, these words of Nahum will extend beyond the Assyrian Empire But in chapter two, we're introduced to the overthrow of Nineveh Nineveh was a well-protected city and had a reputation for being indestructible It's believed that the
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  Steph: walls were 100 feet high and that there was a moat 150 feet wide and 60 feet deep surrounding it but just as Nahum prophesied in 1:8 With an overflowing flood, God made an end of his adversaries.
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  Steph: God made the Tigris River overflow and it destroyed some of the walls of Nineveh so that the Babylonians were allowed through.
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  Steph: we also know that much of the city burned And as chapter three will tell us The city would be hidden And it wasn't uncovered until archeologists discovered it in 1842 Chapter two begins, the scatterer has come up against
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  Steph: you.
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  Steph: Man the ramparts, watch the road, dress for battle, collect all your strength.
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  Steph: For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel.
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  Steph: For plunders have plundered them and ruined their branches."
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  Steph: And chapter two ends, Behold, I am against you," declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions.
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  Steph: I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard."
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  Steph: Chapter three zooms out from Nineveh's destruction as Nahum describes God's judgment upon the nation of Assyria, he reminds this bloodthirsty nation of their wickedness and cruelty toward those they oppressed Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies
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  Steph: and plunder, no end to the prey.
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  Steph: The crack of the whip and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot, horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end, they stumble over the bodies and beginning in
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  Steph: three eight we read about the downfall of Thebes Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with water around her, her rampart a sea and water her wall?
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  Steph: Cush was her strength, Egypt too, and that without limit; Put and the Libyans were her helpers.
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  Steph: Yet she became an exile, she went into captivity; her infants were dashed
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  Speaker 33: in pieces
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  Steph: At the head of every street.
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  Steph: for her honored men, lots were cast, and all her great men were bound in chains.
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  Steph: You also will be drunken; you will go into hiding; you will seek a refuge from the enemy All your fortresses are like fig trees with first ripe figs.
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  Steph: If shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
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  Steph: Behold, your troops are women in your midst.
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  Steph: The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies.
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  Steph: Fire has devoured your bars.
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  Steph: The city of Thebes Which in some Bibles might be read as No Ammon was the capital of southern Egypt It was known for having 100 gates, and it had a highly sophisticated system of canals.
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  Steph: And Nahum warns the Assyrians and Ashurbanipal, if Thebes could meet its end, surely Nineveh could as well I believe the message of Nahum calls us to trust and to endure well Let's be honest, in our current society, we
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  Steph: and our kids are being trained so that we do not have to wait for anything.
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  Steph: Forgot to order that birthday present?
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  Steph: No problem.
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  Steph: Amazon Prime to the rescue having to stand in line for a minute?
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  Steph: That's okay.
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  Steph: Be entertained on your phone having a craving Don't worry.
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  Steph: get that late night snack delivered And I'm not cutting down these modern conveniences but I do want to encourage us to balance these comforts with a focus on intentional character building that would also teach our children, waiting well
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  Steph: and trusting in God's timing This is probably one of the hardest lessons of life So let's make sure that our kids aren't shocked by the waiting of life when they leave our homes Heavenly Father We praise you that
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  Steph: you are available and forgiving toward all who come to you we thank you for your tender love and care and for the protective, jealous love that you have for us though you require us to be patient we can
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  Steph: trust That you will use difficult circumstances for our good I pray that you would bless us with a patience in the midst of suffering that is based upon a deep faith in your goodness And I ask that our
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  Steph: patient endurance would be inspiring to our kids in the midst of a society, so focused on instant gratification, I pray you would faithfully instruct us and how to develop our kids' character So they learn to wait well upon
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  Steph: you We thank you that all you do is worth the wait And we praise you for the goodness that you have stored up for those that love you As we see the judgment of those who do not follow
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  Steph: you, we are grieved and we pray for many to come to salvation Make us bold, that our feet would be those that bring good news to those that do not know what a wonderful Savior you are.
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  Steph: It is in your name we pray, Jesus.
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  Steph: Amen.