Sermon Tone Analysis

RECORD

Today marks the halfway point in our series Major messages From the Minor Prophets as we prepare to take a look at book number 6 of the 12

And of course because we are doing this series in chronological order instead of in the order these books appear in your Bible that means that today we are looking at the book of Nahum

Now I have a confession to make to you, this series has actually been much more difficult to prepare and preach than I had first expected it to be

The reason that I am finding it more difficult than first expected is because a) a lot of the time the messages shared by these prophets were very similar to one another making it hard to keep a fresh message every Sunday, something that I believe is important to do

And b) the vast majority of the messages brought forth by these men were full of doom and gloom and warnings of God’s wrath

Let me give you an example from this weeks text,

Now I do believe that there is a time and a place for such preaching, I don’t think that it’s healthy to do so week after week for 3 months on end

And to be completely honest, knowing the congregation that I am preaching to, you don’t need that type of preaching week after week, it would probably do more harm than good

Preaching should also include building up and encouraging

And so as I approach each of these minor prophets I try to see how I can take what is predominantly a difficult message and put a positive spin on it while still being true to the text

As I studied today’s text this was turning out to be extra difficult and then the Holy Spirit gently whispered to me, ‘Read between the lines.’

and in just a few moments I will show you what I believe He meant

But first some background

Like many of the minor prophets not a lot is known about Nahum, in fact even the location of the city he was from is disputed by historians

What we do know is that his message was directed against Nineveh

You may remember Nineveh from our first prophet in this series, Jonah

Jonah was sent to Nineveh by God but tried to run in the opposite direct, eventually God got him to Nineveh where, much to his dismay the people heeded his message and repented and were spared by God

Now fast forward around a hundred years and not only has Nineveh fallen into its old ways, it is far worse than it has ever been before

According to historians it was known throughout the world at that time as the “City of blood” where the more cruel the act and disgusting the better

They would often decapitate their enemies and build a pyramid with the heads outside of the city gate

In chapter 3:9 God says of them, “For who has not felt your endless cruelty”

Now despite the fact that the message of Nahum is clearly spoken about Nineveh, unlike Jonah, Nahum never went to that city to preach it

Instead Nahum preached his message to the southern kingdom of Judah

So why preach to Judah if you are preaching about Nineveh?

Once again I think the answer is to read between the lines and you will find that although he may be preaching about the judgement and destruction of Nineveh, Nahum is actually speaking a message to the people of Judah

A message that they desperately needed to hear and so do we

You see Nineveh which was a city of the Assyrians was a pain to every nation around them including the 2 kingdoms of Israel and Judah

This is what happened in 722 B.C.

2 Kings 17:1-

From their strongholds in the northern kingdom the Assyrians would send raiding parties into Judah who would pillage and kill at will so you can imagine that the citizens of Judah hated the Assyrians but were powerless to do anything about it

It is now around 650 B.C. when Nahum steps up and gives the following message in what we have broken into 3 chapters

Chapter 1 is the WHAT of God’s judgement against Nineveh

Chapter 2 is the HOW of God’s judgement against Nineveh

Chapter 3 is the WHY of God’s judgement against Nineveh

But as I said earlier let’s read between the lines of what Nahum said and we will find a fantastic message about God’s character that ought to inspire and encourage any of us, no matter the hardships and difficulties that we might be facing

I actually have 12 points to get through today so I am going to be very brief on each point and then move on to the next one so that we can cover them all

So let’s look at 12 characteristics of God hidden in the message of Nahum

In verse 2 Nahum tells us that God is our AVENGER, that it is He who will repay those who have done wrong, including those who have done wrong to His people

Listen to what Paul says about this to the Christians in Rome who were under severe persecution from almost every side

Romans 12:

Secondly in the very next verse of our text Nahum reveals 2 more characteristics of God,

It’s almost as if Nahum wants us to realize that God’s punishment on the wicked is not delayed because He is powerless to do anything about it but rather that God is 2) patient and 3) powerful

And who among us should not be grateful that God is patient when it comes to His wrath, for who here would not have experienced His wrath by now?

Peter contextualizes it for us in the modern day this way,

2 Peter 3:9-10

God is indeed patient but don’t be fooled into mistaking that patience for His approval of your sin because He is able and will eradicate all sin when His time is right

Now we move on to verse 4 for the next characteristic

Our 4th characteristic is that God is in Control

When the unthinkable happens in our lives our first thought tends to be, “Where is God?” and the answer is simple, “God is on His throne and in control even if you can’t see it!”

Lamentations 3:37-38

We’re 1/3rd of the way there so let’s keep moving, next we move to verse 7 where Nahum fits in 3 important characteristics of God

#5 God is good!

Psalm

He’s good, there’s no flaw in Him or in His ways and His desire is for us to follow those ways and we will find that they always produce good results!

#6 He is a refuge when there’s trouble

When we need it He is a stronghold, a solid place, a fortress where we can stay and be safe

Psalm 46:1-

No matter what happens it cannot shake the Lord and in Him we are safe and secure

#7 is kind of different because on the surface it seems to speak of the providence of God as it pertains to how He looks after our needs

He takes care of us and that is in and of itself a great thing

But the word for “cares for” is the Hebrew word “Yaw-dah” which is perhaps better translated by the KJV when it says

(KJV 1900)

7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble;

And he knoweth them that trust in him.

The word talks about “making oneself intimately known, not just relationally, but experientially

Now we may be used to hearing this today but can you imagine the incredible reaction this would have garnered from Nahum’s original audience

To know and experience the Lord God almighty on an intimate and personal level is not something we should ever get used to or take for granted

Characteristic # 8 is found in verse 9

Don’t allow the current state of things to fool you, God IS and WILL BE the ultimate victor

Colossians 2:9-

Oh could I preach on that for the next hour but we still have 4 more hidden characteristics to look for and the next one is in verse 13

This was spoken to Judah not Nineveh and it shows us that #9 God sets us free!

I was raised on the music of the gospel quartets with groups like Nations and I still have some of their albums which I listen to from time to time

And on their live album the tenor singer, Dan Tomen Jr. is introducing a song and he refers to God as “the setter freer” and that term has always stuck with me since my childhood

That’s why I love to sing that song “I Am Free” because He is the setter freer no matter what it is you are in bondage or captivity to, He is the setter freer

Likewise characteristic #10 is that He gives peace

Life is more hectic and stressful and worrisome than it has ever before

And just a couple of weeks ago we had our own experience with terrorism as 2 young lives were snuffed out while eating supper at restaurants on a street in Toronto

How do you find peace when the world is coming apart at the seems

Simple it can only be found in one place, in one person, in Jesus Christ

We also find our 11th characteristic at the end of that same verse as God promise to protect His people, “Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows.

No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.”

and fulfill your vows.

No more will the wicked invade you;

they will be completely destroyed.”

Of course this speaks of the day when God will put all things under His rule but even in the meantime we can count on His protection

Okay now for our 12th and final characteristic and for this one we have to go to chapter 2:2

He is the God who restores

Make no mistake that enemy kills, steals, and destroys as tells us and he is very good at his job and I am certain that at some point he has done that to you and if not he will

But we can rest in the assurance that God is still that God that restores and no matter the enemy has taken from you God can and will restore it to you if you will look to Him to do so

In the 51st Psalm David confesses his sins to God and cries out for forgiveness and mercy and then in verse 12 asks this

Psalm 51:12

What is it you are missing?

What has God’s Word promised you that you no longer have?

What has the enemy stolen from you?

Like David confess your sin to God, trust in His forgiveness and mercy and ask Him to restore that which is missing

So there you have it, the book of Nahum, a book of judgement and wrath but when you read between the lines it is a book of hope and encouragement revealing a God who we can call upon rely upon

Let’s Pray

I Am Free