Flight MNH01 - Part C

At one time they repented, but now they have repeated the same sins of their fathers. They're back to where they began.

In fact, they're at a worse stage morally than they were before the time of Jonah. But first, here's a resource to help you on your journey to true spiritual freedom. If you want to fix a broken political system, you need to infuse it with truth and expose ourselves to the truth of the Word of God. True freedom is ours, but we need to understand the terms. That's what you'll find in our Freedom Package of Resources by Skip Heitzig. The package features Skip's 10 full-length message set of your path to freedom messages, including Securing the Foundations and Jesus in the Age of Confusion. The Freedom Package is our thanks for your gift of $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig.

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It's that simple, and we'd love for you to join in. Now, let's turn to the book of Nahum for today's teaching. Nahum is a prophecy that Jonah would love to have preached.

It is a message of total wipeout destruction on the city of Nineveh. Now Jonah did preach to Nineveh, but 150 years before, and he did preach a message of judgment. Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown, but Jonah knew that God was merciful, knew that if they would repent, God would relent and not punish them, and that's exactly what happened.

In mass, the city of Nineveh turned. We saw the greatest revival in history when we went through the book of Jonah last time. But 150 years have come, and they have gone. And at one time, they repented, but now they have repeated the same sins of their fathers.

They're back to where they began. In fact, they're at a worse stage morally than they were before the time of Jonah. So Nahum chapter one, verse one. And by the way, there's three chapters. If you want to name the three chapters, you could say chapter one is the destruction of Nineveh decreed. Chapter two, the destruction of Nineveh described. And chapter three, the fall of Nineveh or destruction of Nineveh deserved.

Why God is judging them. Chapter one, verse one, Nahum, the burden against Nineveh. I can just see Jonah salivating to say this, but he's dead. The book of the vision of Nahum, or we'll just say Nahum because we're Americans. Nahum, the elkishite. Now, what is an elkishite? It's a dude who lives in Elkhosh.

That doesn't help anybody. Where is Elkhosh? Well, there's a few guesses, and you can't be certain. There is a town just north of present-day Nineveh called Elkhosh. And Elkhosh is they still have a tomb to the prophet Nahum. They have an old cave where they say that's where he's buried. That's one guess.

There's also an elkhosh in Judah, in ancient Judah, though it's uncertain where. That's another guess. That's in some writings.

Or a third possibility, and I couldn't tell you which is which. Frankly, I don't care, but it's just interesting. Some believe that he's from the town of Capernaum. Ever heard of Capernaum?

It was Jesus' headquarters for three and a half years. He moved from Nazareth to the town of Capernaum. When you go to Israel, you'll hang out in Capernaum. The name Capernaum comes from the Hebrew word kaphar, which means the town or the village. Kaphar Nahum. The village of Nahum. So because of the name Capernaum, Kaphar Nahum, some believe that is where he is from. Galilee rather than Nineveh, which would make sense as an Israelite prophet. But I couldn't be certain.

Just thought I'd FYI that for you. OK, the book begins by describing God's character, which becomes foundational to the rest of the book, the reason he destroys Nineveh. Look at verse two. God is jealous. God is jealous and the Lord avenges. Think of jealousy and vengeance in the purest form.

In the burning perfect standard of God, not tolerating other gods being worshiped, etc. The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and he reserves wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger. And great in power.

Now notice both of those things together. He's furious, but he's slow to anger. In other words, it takes God a long time before he acts. And he's great in power.

He will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm and the clouds, the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry and dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel, those very verdant places up north, wither. The flower of Lebanon wilts. The great cedars of Lebanon were also very, very verdant place.

So here's the deal. If God can punish Israel, and he did, then certainly he can and will punish Assyria. And the capital city of Assyria was Nineveh. A lot of times people think that God is passive, that God is weak. And yet, do you know the Bible calls God jealous eight different times? Why would you use that term referring to God?

Simply this. God wants no rivals. If the Lord went to the extent of making sure that you could be purchased by the blood of his perfect son, Jesus, so that you could be in heaven with him forever, then for you to worship any other God is like the biggest affront possible to him.

He wants absolutely no rivals. That's the first commandment. I'm the Lord your God.

You will have no other gods before me or besides me. Verse seven balances out the characteristics. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. And he knows those who trust in him.

Now it's interesting. Martin Luther, during the great Protestant Reformation, the seeds of the Reformation, found this verse, what he called a great consolation or overflowing with consolation to him. Verse 18 or verse eight, but with an overflowing flood, he will make an utter end of its place and darkness will pursue his enemies. It's speaking of the sacking of Nineveh by the Babylonians and the Medes. Chapter two, verse three.

I want to point something out. The shields of his mighty men are made red and valiant men are in scarlet. The chariot comes with flaming torches in the day of preparation and spears are brandished.

Did you know that the Medes and the Babylonians both? Used. The blood of bulls mixed with red dye to stain their shields, red, bright, shiny red. Why? For two reasons. Number one, it looks cool. That's retro to intimidate.

Just this big red flashing thing coming at you. Number one, number two, to conceal their own blood. So their enemies, if they were bleeding while holding it, it wouldn't get on the shield because when an enemy combatant sees blood on his enemy, it invigorates him. It incentivizes him to finish him off. So to hide one's own blood is one of the reasons that the shields were often painted. Both Babylonians and the Medes did this. Verse nine, take spoil of silver, take spoil of gold.

There is no end of treasure or wealth of every desirable prize. Verse 10, she is empty, desolate and waste. The heart melts, the knees shake.

Much pain is in every side. All their faces are drained of color. Very descriptive of the fall of the city of Nineveh. But there's three words, did you notice them in verse 10?

Empty, desolate, waste. In Hebrew, those three words sound very similar. Because the words are onomatopoetic words. Remember that word onomatopoeia?

Remember your English class? Onomatopoetic. That is the word sounds like the description of the activity. So the Hebrew words are buka, mebuka, balak. Once again, buka, mebuka, balak. Onomatopoetic words, the words sound like the breaking of pottery.

It was meant to be a very descriptive form of communicating. Chapter three, verse one. Woe to the bloody city.

It's all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs. The noise of a whip and the noise of rattling wheels, of galloping horses, of clattering chariots, horsemen charged with bright sword and glittering spear. There's a multitude of slain, a great number of bodies, countless corpses.

They stumble over the corpses. The Ninevites were known for their brutality. Even back during the time of Jonah, 150 years earlier, God said, go to Nineveh and cry out because its wickedness has come up before me. It's reached a point where I must act. There is an inscription that is written by one of the Assyrian kings named Ashur Banipal II that describes how brutal their practices were.

I'll just read it to you. Great is the number of them in the land of Kerhi that I slew. Two hundred and sixty of their fighting men I cut down with the sword. I cut off their heads.

I formed them into pillars. I flayed, that is roasted, all the chief men of the city who revolted, and I covered the pillar with their skin. From some I cut off their hands and their fingers. From others I cut off their noses, ears of many. I put out their eyes. I bound their heads to posts, that is tree trunks, round about the city." So that's the kind of stuff they were known for.

The Ninevites even became adept at skinning the victims and covering their furniture with the skin, the human skin of their victims. So God just said, their wickedness has come up before me, there's corpses everywhere, and he pronounces their judgment. All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs. If they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. Very descriptive of the walls of the city that were there for strength would become so weak they would topple just like ripe figs that would fall off of a tree.

You just open your mouth and you get to pick the fruit, eat the fruit. Verse 13 is another kind of a chop. No, it is a chop indeed, a cut. Surely your people in your midst are women. Now, soldiers would not like to hear those words. You're all a bunch of women when it comes to being able to fight off. No offense to any women who are in the military because I know you can be rough, tough, and tumble, but you get the point. Your people in your midst are women.

Sarcasm would go a long way. The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies. Fire shall devour the bars of your gates. Now, we have four minutes to cover the last book.

No problem. Habakkuk. Actually, the Hebrew pronunciation is Havakuk. Every family, Havakuk. But that helps.

Sometimes those things help. He is the puzzled prophet. Habakkuk struggles with what everyone struggles with. How can a good God allow evil to exist? Gallipole asked Americans a few years ago, if you could have a meeting with God and ask him one question and we're confident that he would answer you, what would that question be? The most frequently asked question people would ask God is, why do you allow evil to exist?

That's a big one. Now, if only villains got broken limbs, hooray. If only rapists got cancer, hallelujah. There'd be some sort of celestial justice, but when good people, when children, when God's own people suffer, that's tough.

And that's an issue he faces. Chapter one, verse one, the burden or the oracle or judgment or prophecy, the burden, which the prophet, Havakuk, saw. Oh, Lord, how long shall I cry and you will not hear, even cry to you? Violence and you will not save.

In other words, God, why don't you answer my prayer? Why do you show me iniquity, verse three, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me. There is strife and contention arises. Therefore, the law is powerless. Justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous.

Therefore, perverse judgment proceeds. What he is referring to is sin among his own people, the people of Judah and principally the city of Jerusalem, people around me. God's people are sinning.

And God, you're not acting. It was a time of spiritual degradation, backsliding. There had been a king, a good king by the name of Josiah. You remember him? He became a king when he was eight years old.

At age 16, he enacted spiritual reform. But he's dead, followed by several bad kings. Jehoahaz, Eliakim, who became Jehoiakim, followed by Jehoiachin, followed by Zedekiah, all bad dudes. The nation went downhill.

Godly people suffered, while bad people prospered. So here's the prophet sort of like tapping his fingers, going, okay, God, I'm waiting, I'm praying. When are you going to act?

When are you going to do something? So God says, verse five, look among the nations and watch. Be utterly astounded, for I will work a work in your days which you would not believe that were told you. For I am indeed raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. Oh, Habakkuk, I am moving.

I am acting. I am going to do something about the ungodliness in Jacob, in Judah, in Jerusalem. I'm going to bring an enemy army to take them captive, destroy their city, and give them one big celestial spanking.

Well, that is not what Habakkuk expected. He thought, I'm praying God will be intervening and he will be sending revival, like in Josiah's time. He says, no, I'm going to actually send, not revival, but retribution. I'm going to punish you guys by 70 years of captivity. Verse 12, the prophet says, are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my holy one? We shall not die, O Lord. You have appointed them for judgment. O rock, you have marked them for correction.

You get the drift. Hey, we're your covenant people. We're bad.

Granted, I know I complain, but those guys of Babylonians, way worse. You're using them to punish us? Verse 13, you are of purer eyes than to behold evil. You cannot look on wickedness. Why do you look on those who deal treacherously and hold your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?

Here's an equivalent, perhaps. The United States of America, the churches in America, carnal, obsessed with worldliness. We could pray, we could complain. And what if God says, okay, I'm going to answer you. I'm sending ISIS to wake you up.

No, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Surely you wouldn't do that, God. You get the prophet's dilemma. Chapter two, verse one, I will stand my watch, set myself at the rampart, watch to see what he will say.

I will answer when I am corrected. It's good to do when you don't understand. Just hold that thought. Just just stop and think about it. Do it in the presence of God. Remind yourself of what you know about God like the prophet did in verse 12 and commit the problem in faith. Then the Lord answered and said, write the vision, make it plain on the tablets that he may run who reads it.

In other words, take notes, take large notes, write big letters, make a large print edition. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak. It will not lie, though it tarries.

Wait for it because it will surely come. It will not tarry. Behold, the proud. His soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith. This is one of the most important verses in all of the Bible, so much so that Paul, the apostle, refers to it three times in his writings.

Here's the context. God is saying, I'm going to judge evil eventually, verses 5 through 19, by sending Babylon. But then I'm going to punish Babylon. Verse 14, the future is going to be glorious. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God like waters cover the sea. In the meantime, while you're waiting for that ultimate glory, in the meantime, when it gets really bad, as the pain gets ratcheted up, live by faith. The just shall live by his faith. Deliverance will come, but it won't come immediately.

It will come eventually. Chapter 3, verse 2. Oh, Lord, I've heard your speech and I was afraid. Oh, Lord, revive your work in the midst of the years.

In the midst of the years, make it known. In wrath, remember mercy. Okay, I'm surrender to it.

It's inevitable. The Babylonians are coming. But in your wrath, remember mercy. Verse 16, when I heard, that is, I heard God's revelation, what he told me, my body trembled, my lips quivered at the voice. Rottenness entered my bones. I trembled in myself that I might rest in the day of trouble.

When he comes to the people, he will invade them with his troops. When I found out what God was up to using the Babylonians against us, I lost all my strength. I freaked out. Loosely paraphrased. But look at verse 17 and 18. Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, though the labor of the olive may fail and the fields yield no food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

The word means exult. I will spin around and dance for joy in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. He looks ahead to the Babylonian invasions, the destruction of the orchards, the crops, the vineyards. The people are carried away.

The flocks are carried away. And he says, OK, I don't know what you're up to, but I resign to live by faith. And I rejoice not in the invasion, but I rejoice in the Lord.

Listen, faith doesn't always understand God's means, but it always trusts God's motives. So when you suffer, instead of saying like we always do, how can I get out of this? Say, what, Lord, can I get out of this? What are you trying to show me? What are you trying to build within me?

How can I get out of this faith? That concludes Skip Heitzig's message from the series The Bible from 30,000 Feet. Find the full message as well as books, booklets and full teaching series at ConnectWithSkip.com. Right now, here's Skip and Lenya to share some exciting news about a trip to the Holy Land. I'm guessing that many of you have thought about, talked about, maybe even dreamed about visiting Israel.

Well, let's make that happen. Lenya and I are taking a tour group to Israel next summer in 2024. And I can't wait. We'll start in Tel Aviv, head north to Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. We'll spend several days in Jerusalem and see the Garden of Gethsemane, the Upper Room and so much more. And we'll wrap it all up with a swim in the Dead Sea. Now, I've been to Israel many times, like over 40. In fact, I can honestly say, though, that visiting the places where the Scriptures unfolded, where Jesus lived out his earthly ministry, it never gets old.

No, it doesn't. The incredible sightseeing will be punctuated by times of worship and teachings that you'll never forget. And Jeremy Camp and Adie Camp will be with us to lead worship.

And he plans to join us next summer in Israel. God has revealed himself to us through the Scriptures so that we can experience abundant life and salvation in Christ. That's why we share these messages, to help you and others connect with God and walk with Jesus each day. And when you support this ministry today, you'll help expand the reach of Connect with Skip Heitzig into more major U.S. cities so that others can know Christ. Just call 800-922-1888 to get the gift today. That's 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. That's connectwithskip.com slash donate. Thank you. Be sure you tune in tomorrow as Pastor Skip begins his message from Zephaniah about the splendor of God shining through, even in times of judgment. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.