Nahum 2:13

January 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“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. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard” (Nahum 2:13).

I neglected to mention yesterday that this book is about Nineveh, the Assyrian city that Jonah was told to evangelize. On that occasion, which was 100-125 years before Nahum’s story, we see God’s offer of salvation to those who repent.

In Nahum, again, 100-125 years later, we see God’s response to a false or lack of repentance. In our verse, notice the Lord says, “I am against you!” No one wants to be in that spot, regardless of how much they may want to ignore God. After describing a variety of negative outcomes, he says, “the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.”

Reading this reminded me of an archaeology article I read over the weekend, which described the destruction of Nineveh both in its ancient fall to Babylon and when ISIS destroyed much of the Assyrian artifacts that remained into the 20th century.

The point that stands out to me today is that God graciously offers salvation to those who repent, and He stands on business with those who don’t repent.

Father, thank you for offering this sinner the chance to repent. Please help me to have a consistently repentant heart. Amen.

Filed Under: archaeology, Assyria, Babylon, devotional thoughts, Nahum, Old Testament, Sovereignty

Jonah 4:1-2

January 18, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster’” (Jonah 4:1-2).

Jonah wears his feelings openly. My first reaction is to criticize Jonah. In this story, He received mercy. Yet, he wants to deny such to the Assyrians. Who does he think he is?

How can I criticize him, though? Aren’t there people I prefer who would not be forgiven? I hate to admit it, but yes, there are. What about all those people whom I fail to share Christ with because I’m busy, or afraid, or I’m just not interested at the moment? I’m not actively saying, “they can go to hell.” However, my actions surely say, “I don’t care if they do.”

In the end, how am I different than Jonah? 

Father, forgive me for being so selfish. I have received so much mercy, yet I do not do much to see others have the same mercy. Please help me to grow out of this selfishness. Amen. 

Filed Under: Assyria, devotional thoughts, Evangelism, Jonah, Old Testament, Prophecy

Jonah 3:1-2

January 17, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’” (Jonah 3:1-2‬).

These verses tell us much about God. First, we see his kindness toward Jonah. Though we should not demand that God give multiple opportunities to obey, we see that He has the capacity to do so. However, notice that God required Jonah to do what He told him to do the first time. God didn’t reduce the requirement the second time just to get Jonah’s cooperation. 

Second, we see God’s kindness toward Nineveh. God continued dealing with Jonah to deliver the message of repentance to Nineveh. I know he continued offering me the message of repentance before I believed. He still does. 

Father, thank you for your kindness toward me. Please help me not to waste or tread on your kindness. Amen. 

Filed Under: Assyria, devotional thoughts, forgiveness, Jonah, Old Testament, Prophecy

Jonah 2:1-2

January 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice’” (Jonah 2:1-2‬).

Jonah found himself in a fix. While he got himself into this one, what we see here is applicable whether our situation of distress is our fault or not. 

What we see is that Jonah cried out to the Lord for help, which is a pattern found in the Bible. 

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.” (‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭7‬)

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears” (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭18‬:‭6‬)

“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.”
‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭118‬:‭5‬)

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me” (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭120‬:‭1‬).

Paul and Silas were praising the Lord around midnight while being unjustly jailed. (Acts 16)

If the pattern in Scripture is to cry out to the Lord in times of trouble, why is my first instinct to phone a friend? Why is venting to a friend, who usually can not help fix the problem, so tempting? Why isn’t first crying out to the Lord more natural for me? 

Father, please help me grow in my faith so that I will first turn to you when I’m in a pickle. Amen.

Filed Under: 2 Samuel, Acts, Assyria, devotional thoughts, Jonah, Old Testament, Psalms

Ezekiel 31:2, 10-11, 18

November 19, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?'” (Ezekiel 31:2)

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height, I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out.” (Ezekiel 31: 10-11‬)

“Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? You shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the world below. You shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord.” (Ezekiel 31:18‬)

Continuing with His Word against Egypt, the Lord used the downfall of Assyria to make his point. Egypt was aware of the downfall of Assyria and the rise of Babylon because Egypt was there when it happened. In fact, Egypt was there in support of Assyria with the aspiration of becoming the dominant regional power. However, the joint Assyrian-Egyptian forces were defeated by the Babylonians at Carchemish in 605BC.

I can’t imagine the upset stomach Pharaoh experienced when Ezekiel said,

“Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? You shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the world below. You shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord.” (Ezekiel 31:18‬)

Yikes! This pharaoh was fairly new to the job and was aware of his father’s defeat at Carchemish at the hands of the Babylonians. He had the opportunity to repent of the Egyptian pride upon taking charge, but he didn’t. And, Ezekiel told him this would result in the same fate as Assyria.

Pharaohs are not the only ones who struggle with pride. I also struggle with pride. So, I take this as a warning to me as well. Obviously, Ezekiel isn’t speaking specifically of me, but there is a lesson to be learned here. And why should I think God would look differently at my pride?

Father, please help me to continue growing in humility. Amen.

Filed Under: Assyria, Babylon, devotional thoughts, Egypt, Ezekiel, Old Testament, pride, Prophecy
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