27th September 2026 : Nahum ch 1 v 1 - 15 by Roger Stone

Nahum ch 1 v 1 - 15 by Roger Stone

I'd like to read the word of God to you and it's from the Old Testament book of Nahum, the prophet. I'm going to read verses 1 to 15 of chapter 1. There's just three power points in there really and they point the way to other things as well as we draw in considerations from the rest of scripture.

So the prophet Nahum, I'll read those verses to you. The word of God is as follows. Do follow it in the church Bible if you've got one with you or your own.

The burden against Nineveh, that is the oracle and the prophecy or the vision. The book of the vision of Nahum, the Elkoshite. God is jealous and the Lord avenges, 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, and he will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts. The mountains quake before him, the hills melt, and the earth heaves at his presence. Yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation, and who can endure the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make an utter end of its place, that is Nineveh. And darkness will pursue his enemies. What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time. For while tangled like thorns and while drunken like drunkards, they shall be devoured like stubble fully dried. From you comes forth one who plots evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Thus says the Lord, Though they are safe and likewise many, yet in this manner they will be cut down. When he passes through, though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. But now I will break off his yoke from you and burst your bonds apart. The Lord has given a command concerning you, your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the moulded image I will dig your grave for you are vile. Behold on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace. O Judah, keep your appointed feasts. Perform your vows, for the wicked one shall no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off.

Hallelujah. Let's just pray.

Lord, in Jesus' name, what we take away today, regardless of the blessing or how you minister it to us, Lord, let it be a blessing that speaks in the days to come and include this word in it, Lord, greater understanding and Lord, a clear perspective, Lord, of scriptural things in a way that would teach us and lead us in the manner in which we live our life. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Amen.

It's funny today that, I mean, I struggle with this message because I thought I'd keep coming up with fire. I think the last song there was fire in that. And then in verse 6 of this reading, I hadn't really planned to mention it, there's fire again. And we introduced the service with a short passage from the gospel, Luke 22 verse 54 onwards, of how Peter sat round the fire with the rest when he denied Jesus. Curious thing that, it's just one of those little points that speak to me.

But anyway, we've got several power points here to look at. I don't mean up on the screen, I mean power points from scripture. And I may have commented on this passage before as a whole, the book of Nahum. I know I did once out at High Legh when we were running a mission there, but that's quite a while back now and I have no doubt the message will be different.

So the first thing to notice there is in the last verse, verse 15, you can read this again in the New Testament, can't you? Romans chapter 10, it's beautiful at the feet of him who brings, you know, all that stuff. In other words, somebody who brings the gospel. What was part of Nahum's vision? Nonetheless, that he saw the Messiah coming and bringing good news. So there's a mixture of things in there. And the good news, of course, of the gospel is Christ himself, Christ in you, the hope of glory, Christ the salvation from sin and death and hell and for your soul.

Don't forget to say thank you because his feet are beautiful. He brings good news of salvation. But stepping backwards, come all the way back to verse one, where it says the oracle and the prophecy, which the Lord gave Nahum through a vision, that is the book of the vision. And you know, we often think of prophecy as some kind of light bulb moment, don't we? You know, where somebody goes, ching, you know, and I should say this because this is the word of God. And it doesn't quite work like that.

Nahum was from a town that we don't recognise really. I don't know where Elkosh was. It's probably some obscure little village in the middle of nowhere. And who was Nahum? We don't know much about him, but we do know this. that he pursued a lifestyle and a desire to be with God and to have God with him. And God spoke to him and God spoke through him. And those are the credentials for anybody aspiring to the prophetic ministry, whether it's in the Old Testament or the New. It's all through that relationship with God himself. God speaks to people that he's familiar with and He was familiar with Nahum to the extent that he came to him in a vision. It's through vision that he received the oracle and the prophecy.

And I wonder, just reading this, did he settle down to sleep one day or did he just see it? I don't know. Visions are peculiar things, but of course they have their own characteristics. And this one brought with it a word from the Lord. What was it about? Let's look into the background of this passage. It's a sequel really to the book of Jonah. Because if you remember the book of Jonah, he was commissioned by the Lord to go to Nineveh, capital of Assyria, and prophesy against them, repent, otherwise destruction will come upon you. And the outcome was very different to this one because when Jonah prophesied, they did repent and disaster didn't come upon them. And he was as shocked as anybody else.

But when Nahum came later, a later time, he prophesied something very unusual, that this disaster would not only take place, but it's the timing of it. At that time, the Assyrian Empire was at the height of its power. And if somebody came with a word from the Lord for you and you said, but surely this speaks right across the circumstances. It speaks right across everything I understand. Can't you see what's going on out there? And if somebody brought a word like that, just cuts straight through those things and says, that's the world's perspective. But here's God's perspective. What does God say? And that's what Nahum had.

And I've no doubt that he wasn't a very popular person because of it. How would he be received? Again, there isn't much information there to go on in that respect. But he would have been regarded as very odd. And you know it's the same for us sometimes, beloved. You can be called by God to say something or do something or be somewhere. And it might seem odd to other people, but if you know that's from the Lord, and you've got that vital life-giving relationship with him, you've got to stick to God's plan and God's Word, haven't you?

All right, that's what Nahum did. He was faithful to God and to God's Word. And you know when people are like that, that's why he trusts them with visions and words and gifts of the Spirit. I think they're often looked at from the wrong perspective when we look into the New Testament. You can see it more clearly in the Old actually. But following down from there, you go into verse 3 and this is the first really of the power points because it says there something about God himself.

He's slow to anger. And we know that's an echo from the book of Exodus, don't we? Where God passed by in front of Moses and let him see a little bit. He lets him see his back. However that was done, I don't know. But he proclaimed his name, I am the Lord God, rich in mercy, slow to anger, quick to forgive, all that. He told him what he is like, proclaimed his character. And it does there in verse 3, slow to anger, implying he's quick to forgive. Is he quick to forgive you? Don't wallow in sin, get forgiven. And he's great in power and he doesn't acquit the wicked. Sin never comes back to him empty. God never ignores sin. Always confess it, get it done with.

But then this next bit is really powerful, I believe. It says, the Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm. I wonder if anyone in this room's in a storm right now. A storm of circumstances and you think I just don't have the answer for that. Never mind a vision like this man did. I feel as though it's getting worse. I don't understand and I feel as though there's a whirlwind around me and I'm being carried up in the centre of it. What should I do? And the prophet says something really interesting there. He says that the Lord has his way in a whirlwind. There's two ways of looking at this in application to the prophecy that's written down. God was coming in judgment of Assyria and they're about to be wiped out actually.

In the year 612, within the prophet's own lifetime, the kingdom of Assyria disappeared. It just gone because God brought someone else in. They were the Babylonians, okay? And when God speaks, God acts and nothing can stop him. But it must have seen a, to the people at the time, God's people who were going through this, one minute they were under the cosh under the Assyrians, the next minute the Babylonians are coming. What's going on? What's going on? What on earth is going on? Only God knows. It's like being in a storm. A storm of circumstances we don't understand and events that we can't see the end of. But God has his way in that storm and in the whirlwind. Are you in a storm? Is it a whirlwind of circumstances that surrounds you right now?

The Apostle James in the New Testament has something interesting to say about this, doesn't it? Chapter 1, read it down about verse 4, check it out yourself on your tea break. And he says, don't consider it strange, my brothers and sisters, when all kinds of trials come upon you. But perseverance, it enhances and develops your spiritual character. And he goes on to say that perseverance must finish its work.

I think halfway through or even a part way through the storm, a lot of Christians want to check out and say, not me. What's going on? I don't want to go any further with this. But perseverance must finish its work. Why? is God's way in the storm? It's so that your faith prevails. It's so that your faith overcomes, what does the Bible call us, apart from many other blessed names, but overcomers and we overcome by faith. And as we overcome by faith, it proves the character of God, it proves the purpose of God, and it proves the majesty and authority of God that you've come through a storm and your faith prevails and God's word is fulfilled because you stuck to it.

That's what that all means when you put it together. God's way is in the storm. He has a purpose that you can't see yet. Trust him to fulfil that purpose and as you trust him, stick to him like glue. Because in the storm, I don't know about you when I'm in something like that, I pray more, not less. I think, I don't know what else to do. What can I do? I don't have the answer. I'm only a man and I stick like glue to the Lord and I can give you testimonies to that, but they don't matter. They're history, aren't they?

What about the present? What about you? What's your testimony? And how's your faith prevailing in the storm? God's way is in it. It's a whirlwind. Think about Noah in the Old Testament. He went into the ark, he was safe from the storm and the flood, but he still went through it. The ark was right in the eye of the storm. He must have felt it. He must have heard it. It was all around him. But he was saved and everybody outside that ark was lost. And that's just as it is now, when you're in Christ, you are saved through the storm.

All right, so that's the first thing I want to get to, and verse 7 is the next. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. What do you do with a stronghold? You hide in it. Think of an army, something you've read from history, I once watched a daft film, but it was really enjoyable. It was called The Vikings. Anyone seen it? Remember that film? And they stormed a castle at the end. What an ending to a film. Brilliant. Great fun. I was about Matthew's age when I saw it. Big Brother took me to the pictures. And they started throwing axes at the portcullis, the front door. It was all made of wood. It would be, wouldn't it? Otherwise the axes wouldn't have stuck in. But anyway, I thought, what are they doing that for? And then the heroes ran towards it and grabbed them and used them as handles to climb up. And some of them got killed and some of them went in and they captured the castle. And it was a thrilling film to watch. Absolutely stupid, but very enjoyable. And it really tells us something about people in strongholds. They go inside and they shut the door and they do everything to protect the stronghold and themselves.

Now the Lord is not a stronghold that you can throw an axe at and it would make no difference if you did. But the stronghold is this, that we enter by faith, we enter into the blessing of the Lord, we enter into the relationship, which is faith from start to finish, and we cultivate it and we nurse it and we go into it as though it was a stronghold around us, impregnable, unassailable. safe like the ark in the storm. So the Lord is a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knows those who trust in him.

Does he know you? Are you trusting in him right now? Is this your purpose in your life? I trust in God and I know my Saviour is mine and I am his. You can finish that bit if you want to sing his banner over me is love. Sounds like the Bible, doesn't it? Sounds like a song. It's a stronghold. his banner over you. Safety. It's the only safe place whether you're going through a storm or not. And the Lord knows those who trust in him. Doesn't he know all the rest? Of course he does. But it's not the same relationship and it's not the same outcome. The Lord knows those who trust in him and he knows them intimately. And the Lord keeps faith with them to the very end, they cannot be lost. And then we do, we come to this end. And this is the good news that I spoke about.

Ultimately, it is Jesus, verse 15. But you and me are included in there as well. That prophet's vision was colossal, really. If you read through those three chapters, it's a short book. You'll get to the end and you'll see the very last verse that proclaims nobody will miss Assyria. They'll clap their hands over them because it's their endless cruelty that's come to attention of the whole world. And God had brought them to that place where he was about to wipe them away. And in this meantime, even in those circumstances, what the prophet saw was the good news, the good tidings, someone coming to proclaim peace. When would they have peace? One kingdom replaced another in those days, after the Babylonians it was the Persians, and after the Persians it was the Greeks, and after the Greeks it was the Romans. And so it went on.

When would they have peace? And what could the prophets see that no one else could? People pray for peace now, but what do they mean? Jesus said you'll have wars and rumours of wars to the very end. Don't kid yourself. That's the human condition. They fight with each other. What did he mean by peace? What did the prophet see? What is the peace of Jesus Christ that reigns in your heart from day-to-day? It's this peace, knowing that you're safe, even in the whirlwind and in the storm. You've got peace with God. You're in right relationship with him. And that's something you keep like treasure and you look after it as though it's a precious thing. More especially when the storm's raging round you.

And the Lord brought that word to me about fire. there's several places in the New Testament that talk about fire. We talk about the wind and the storm and the whirlwind here, but there are other illustrations of the trial. They usually come by fire. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 from verse 11 says that if you build on your faith on the right foundation, it's like building with gold and silver, precious stones. But it's also possible to build with wood, hay and straw and stubble. One cannot be burned in the flames and the other will be.

And beloved, it's a funny thing, but I thought about that and I thought the Lord at the end will salt everything with fire. Mark 9 verse 49, Jesus said that everything will be salted with fire. What will survive the fire and the flames? Do you know everything we say, the praise that we make, the prayers, the fellowship, everything we do say, it's a work which is either built on either gold or silver, whether the storm's raging round us or not. And if you build on those precious things, it will survive the flames and it will survive into eternity. But to build with straw and hay and stubble, What do we understand by that? Something that's not faith. Maybe something that's sin. It could be anything, but it won't survive the flames. And you know, I sometimes think about that and I think, I wonder if the people who engaged in them, I wonder if they'll survive the flames. It's an interesting question.

But the Lord will salt everything with fire. And meanwhile, there's a storm. But all the time we live by faith from first to last. And the Lord salts us with great things. The Lord will answer your prayers. Keep faith with him. Let's pray together.

Lord, we want to bless you. Lord, you're the same God in the storm and the whirlwind as you are in the mountaintop experiences. But Lord, we pray that Lord, you'll give us a vision of good news. You'll envision us as you envision Nahum. You'll come to us in visions and dreams and reassure us, envision us, and present us holy before your throne of grace because you love us. Lord, in Jesus' name, even through the storm, we pray for that envisioning and for that faithfulness wherein you keep your hand upon your people and steer their circumstances and everything that happens to them so that they cannot be lost. Lord, in Jesus' name, I just pray for anyone in the room right now who is going through a storm, who does feel as though it's a whirlwind around them. And I pray that you'll enrich them with faith and that you'll come to them particularly in a vision and through your word and that you will speak gently and that you will remind them you're a God of mercy, rich in mercy, slow to anger, quick to forgive and a God who keeps faith from generation to generation with those who love him. Lord, let your will be done. Let your kingdom come and especially in the lives of those going through a storm right now. Thank you, Lord. Amen.