17/05/2011 - Don’t fear the enemy!

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“The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum, the Elkoshite” (Nahum 1:1)
The people of Judah were worried about the Assyrians who had already taken ten tribes into captivity. Hezekiah was the king of Judah then and he made a big mistake by driving his people into despair at their enemy’s threat. However, God raised Nahum to prophesy the fall of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire.
No vision described in the Bible was given at random. The message of the Scriptures is only one and it was given as a revelation of the divine will. The Words spoken to the Hebrews in the Old Testament are suitable for everybody throughout the generations. Those examples, those warnings and all those recorded facts are empowered to teach us the most precious lessons which will deliver us from our enemies. The enemy’s strategy remains the same and his main goal is to snatch us from the hands of the Lord. Yet, those who stand in the Word of God will never be deceived by our enemy.
Judah’s inhabitants were deeply afraid of the great Assyrian empire which won battles every day and their power was growing. At that time, the reign of the North had just been taken into captivity and King Sennacherib was determined to subject Judah as well (II Kings 18:13). In fact, he had already set foot in the land of the people of God; therefore going into Jerusalem was just a matter of time. Hezekiah, a servant of God, was the king of Judah then. My brethren, even the servants of the Lord are likely to commit big errors, and Hezekiah was no exception.
When he realized that the Assyrian threat was real, the ruler of Judah made a foolish decision – he wouldn’t have committed such a mistake if he had consulted with the Lord. The Assyrian king had gone up and besieged all Judah’s fortified towns. Fearing the worst, Hezekiah sent some messengers to that ruthless oppressor to ask for peace (II Kings 18:14-15). Then, the king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the
temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria. (II Kings 18:16). But he was completely mistaken in doing so because the enemy’s wrath wasn’t held back (II Kings 18:17).
The people of Judah got desperate at the Assyrian threat. However, God – who should’ve been consulted before the king of Judah took his mistaken position – raised Prophet Nahum to predict the fall of that monstrous enemy. That prophet even described how the Babylonian invasion of Nineveh would happen. It was in this prophecy that Nahum was used to speak of the creation of the automobiles so popularly known in our days (Nahum 2:4). He might’ve received a night vision of our present-day highways with all that traffic in which road accidents are commonplace. Seeing automobiles running at a speed of over a hundred miles per hour must have been more than shocking for him who was only used to the speed of horses.
Nahum prophesied in the days of Isaiah when Hezekiah reigned. How good were those days when people could count on true men of God; men they could turn to in times of threat and danger! How wonderful will be the days we will enjoy in this generation if only we remain faithful to the Most High by fulfilling His holy will! If need be, you must leave things behind in order to carry out the Lord’s plan without thinking twice! Our Father has promised He’ll reward us on the last Day.
In Christ, with love,
R. R. Soares