Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Nahum 2:5 – Counting on your worthies or the Worthy One

Nahum 2:5 reads “He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.

This verse specifically speaks of how the king of Assyria (Sennacherib) would call for (recount) his noble and gallant men (worthies) and send them to walls of Nineveh to defend the city against the invading armies of the Medo-Babylonians that the Lord was sending to punish the Assyrians. The vile king of Assyria, who blasphemed against the Lord (Nahum 1:11; 2 Kings 19:22), shall trust in the military strength of his nobles, only to find out that they would stumble in their walk, implying that their knees will not be able to hold them straight up, against the Lord’s chosen army (in this case the Medo-Babylonian army). The nobles (worthies) shall dwell in the dust i.e., lie dead and to dust they shall return and the people scattered in the mountains (Nahum 3:18).

Points to ponder:
In the presence of the Lord of lords and the King of kings (Revelation 19:16), even the knees of kings shake as was the case of king Belshazzar (Daniel 5:6). Who can stand against the Lord God Almighty? No one, absolutely no one. (Nahum 1:6; Isaiah 14:27; Isaiah 59:19; Hebrews 13:6) Those who trust in their own strength, counting on what they think is worthy shall realize that counting is futile. King David counted his fighting men, instead of relying on the Lord God and this displeased the Lord (2 Samuel 24). Let us not be like King David who foolishly counted his fighting men (2 Samuel 24:10), or like the blasphemous and vile king of Assyria who futilely counted his fighting men (Nahum 2:5), but let us rely on the Lord God for successes and victories in the wars of life. Jesus is the only Worthy One whom we can count on (Revelation 5:12). It is not a matter of whom you are counting, but Who do you count on?

Nahum 2:5 (KJV)
He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.

Revelation 5:12-13 (KJV)
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Nahum 2:3-4 – Mighty men/Man in Red

Nahum 2:3-4 reads “The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.

This mighty men refer to the men in the Medo-Babylonian army whom the Lord was raising against the people of Nineveh (Assyria) to punish them for their wickedness against his people and the others who they captured. Shields made and valiant men in scarlet is a possible reference to either shields and armor dyed in red or which bear the blood of the Assyrians whom they would destroy completely. Chariots with flaming torches speaks of the immense speed of the wheels of the chariots that rotated with speeds like a whirlwind, drawn by horses who ran like lightning (Nahum 2:4), whose hooves were like flint (Isaiah 5:28). These chariots would rage in the broad streets of Nineveh justling against one another. The fir trees that shall be terribly shaken is a possible reference to the lances made of fir tree wood that will be used in the battle of Nineveh. In other words, the people of Judah who sought the justice of the Lord would finally get it through the mighty men of red that the Lord God was raising up.

Points to ponder:
First, it is important to recognize that it is not the chariots of the Medo-Babylonian army that brought about the salvation to the people of Judah from the Assyrians, but it was the Lord God who raised the Medo-Babylonian army against the Assyrians. The Scripture makes it evident that we ought not to trust in chariots or horses (military strength) as some do, but we must trust in the Lord (Psalm 20:7).

More importantly, it is imperative for us to recognize that while the mighty and valiant men in red of the Medo-Babylonian army brought justice to the people of God against the vile and evil king of Assyria, Jesus is the true Mighty Man in red, for they put on him a scarlet robe (Matthew 27:28) and his vesture is dipped in blood (Revelation 19:13), as the valiant captain (commander and chief) of the armies of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15), who has brought about ultimate justice for all mankind (Matthew 5:17; John 19:30) against the vile and evil god of this world, the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4), destroying him completely (1 John 3:8). Jesus shall return on a white horse (Revelation 19:11) as lightning (Matthew 24:27). Do you trust in Jesus?

Nahum 2:3-4 (KJV)
The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.

Matthew 27:27-29 (KJV)
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

Revelation 19:13 (KJV)
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Nahum 2:2 – God’s Excellency and God The Excellency

Nahum 2:2 reads “For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.

What is the excellency of Jacob (who was rechristened Israel (Genesis 32:28))? Physically, the temple (santuary) in Jerusalem, which the descendants of Jacob a.k.a Israel (Jews) desired, was the excellency according to God (Ezekiel 24:21; Psalms 47:4). Spiritually, the excellency of Jacob refers to God himself for God is A excellent Spirit (Daniel 6:3; John 4:24).

The emptiers who have emptied refer to the wicked people of Nineveh that plundered and spoiled (emptied) the lands they captured, depriving the lands of their wealth and worship (Psalm 80:15-16). This included the Jews (the people of Judah) – the Israelites, who are referred to as vine branches (Hosea 10:1, Psalm 80:8-16) that the Assyrians marred.

Prophetically this verse meant that the Assyrian oppressors of Judah (and Israel) will now be destroyed completely (dashed into pieces) by the Babylonians whom the Lord was raising and that God will restore (turn away) the excellency of Jacob (i.e. Israel) for the Assyrians who spoiled Israel and the Jews shall be utterly destroyed (Nahum 1:8,9,15).

By assuring that the Lord has turned away (restored) the excellency of Jacob, God was stating that he shall afflict (chastise) his people no more (Nahum 1:9) and avenge them against their oppressors (Nahum 1:2) and that his people would once again be able to worship God by performing their vows and keeping their feasts of tabernacles (Nahum 1:15), for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (Jesus) The Excellency will himself be the temple (Revelation 21:22).

Points to ponder:
Jesus is the Excellency of God (2 Corinthians 4:7). He is God The Excellency. He spoke of himself to be the temple of the living God (John 2:19) and when we believe in him, we become the temple of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:17). God restores his excellency in us when we acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus and when we believe in his name, confessing our sins, which his blood cleanses, for the Bible records that we have this treasure (Jesus Christ) in earthen vessels (bodies of ours fashioned from the dust in the earth), that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7). No matter who our oppressors are, we need not fret, for God is an excellent God in us – whom do we need to fear? No one! Can it be said of each of us, as it was said of Daniel, that we have A “Excellent” Spirit of God in us?

Nahum 2:2 (KJV)
For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (KJV)
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

1 Corinthians 3:17 (KJV)
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Revelation 21:22 (KJV)
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Nahum 2:1: God’s battle axe and hammer

While Nahum chapter 1 describes God as a Jealous God who would avenge his people against their oppressors (Assyria), Nahum chapter 2 describes God as a Judging God, and prophetically informs his people, how God would judge Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. God would raise the Babylonians to destroy Nineveh completely so that it would never raise again.

Nahum 2:1 reads “He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.” The one who dasheth in pieces is in reference to the Babylonians, who have come up against (before the face of) Nineveh . The prophet Jeremiah describes Babylon as the hammer of the whole earth (Jeremiah 50:23) and the battle axe [in God’s hand] that will break (dash) into pieces the nations (Jeremiah 51:20). In 612 B.C, the Babylon led by Nabopolassar in the Battle of Nineveh, allies with the Medes led by Cyaxeres, captured and destroyed Nineveh.  The Assyrian’s war cries to keep their munition, watch the way, making their loins strong (which is symbolic of the seat of one’s strength – Job 40:7) and fortify their power mightily was merely futile, for it was the Lord God who was going to strike them with his battle axe and hammer – the Babylonians and their allies.

Points to ponder:
When God strikes, there is no amount of military strategy (watching the way, girding one’s strength) and/or strength (keeping munition, fortifying power mightily) that can stop his strike. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31) who is the judge (Revelation 19:11) and true and righteous are his judgments (Revelation 19:2).

Nahum 2:1-2 (KJV)
1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.

Jeremiah 50:23 (KJV)
23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

Jeremiah 51:19-20 (KJV)
19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name.
20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

Hebrews 10:31 (KJV)
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Computer Christianity

As I was teaching our beloved 7 year old son, Reuben, to write a computer program, he was figuring out that by using the shortcuts such as Command+C to copy and Command+V to paste, he could hasten his development time. He then started asking me about other shortcuts and I told him the importance of Command+S to save his work and Command+X to cut a piece a code and when he made a mistake, he could use Command+Z to undo his mistake.

Suddenly, he experienced an epiphany and gleefully expressed with a twinkle in his eye, “Dada, dada, Command+S is what Jesus does – he saves, while Command+X is what the devil does – he cuts.” and I said “Yes, that is so true.” and then we digressed into thinking as to what Command+C (to copy) and Command+V (to paste) and Command+Z (to undo) could mean and Reuben said, “Jesus is the Copy of God – fully God and each time the devil tries to cut us down, he uses Command+Z to undo the work of the devil and uses Command+V to paste back what the devil tries to take away from us.”

Out of the mouth of babes, God perfects praise (Matthew 21:16).
All of these are Biblically sound and supported.
Command+X: The thief’s (devil’s) purpose is to steal and kill (cut) and destroy. (John 10:10, NLT)
Command+S: For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10, NLT)
Command+C: Jesus Christ is the visible image (copy) of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15, NLT)
Command+Z: He that doeth sin, is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. In this thing the Son of God (Jesus) appeared, that he undo the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8, WYC)
Command+V: Restore (paste) to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. (Psalm 51:12, NLT)

Points to ponder:
Are your under the bondage of the devil who seeks to cut you down and take away the joy of your salvation? Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has come to seek you and me and save all those who are lost. He is the copy of the invisible God and he came to undo the works of the devil and restore to us the relationship that man once had with God, before he sinned.

Nahum 1:15 – Perform thy vows

The promises that the people of Judah had vowed to the Lord, the Lord is asking them to perform through his prophet Nahum, for the Lord was going to completely uproot the Assyrian’s who likely hindered the worshipping practices of the people of Judah. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word “vow” as a solemn promise, one by which a person is bound to an act, service or condition. It is synonymous to the words: pledge, oath and promise.

When we vow to the Lord, we must not be slack in keeping/performing it, for God does not have any pleasures in fools (Ecclesiastes 5:4). We find in Jephthah, the classic example of a man who hastily vowed to the Lord and that cost him his very own daughter (Judges 11:34).
Jesus said, let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’ for anything else that proceeds from your mouth is of the evil one (Matthew 5:37).

Points to ponder:
Don’t swear or make vows that you cannot be sure of fulfilling, but if you do or have done, “Perform thy vows” says the Lord, for there will be no one to hinder you. So when we vow to the Lord, let us be bound to the act of loving him with all our being, and to the service of reconciling man with God on the condition that we are God’s ambassadors. Let this be our pledge, our oath and our promise and let us perform it.

Nahum 1:15 (KJV)
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Ecclesiastes 5:4 (KJV)
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Matthew 5:37 (KJV)
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Nahum 1:15 – Keep thy solemn feasts

When a pagan and vile nation that boasts in its own strength, blasphemes against God and afflicts you, the commanded practices of worshipping God gets hindered and this was the case with Judah as the Assyrians were oppressing them. In this midst of this affliction, the prophet Nahum counsels the people of Judah to keep their solemn feasts, which may seem absurd at first glance, since feasts are usually associated with rejoicing and victory, and not oppression and/or affliction. So why would God ask the people to do such a thing through his prophet? To understand this, we need to first know what the solemn feast is and why it was commanded? Deuteronomy 16:13-17 gives us the answer.

Deuteronomy 16:13-17 speaks of the feast of tabernacles that should be observed for seven days, and during this time, the people are commanded to rejoice. They are to keep this solemn feast in a place which the Lord shall choose, because the Lord God shall bless them in all their increase and works. Herein lies the answer – the solemn feasts are to be kept in a place which the Lord God shall choose, meaning that while the Assyrians and their vile king Sennacherib, thought that the land of Judah was their place to conquer, this land was chosen by God, for only in the land which the Lord God chooses, were the people commanded to keep their solemn feasts. Additionally, God would bless them in spite of their affliction which gives all the reason to rejoice and hence the prophet Nahum brings not just the message of comfort to God’s people, but a message of choosing – of God’s choosing.

Points to ponder:
We did not choose God first, but God chose us first and loved us (1 John 4:19). Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). We are a chosen generation (1 Peter 2:9). A tabernacle is a place of sanctuary or temple and we are the temple (tabernacle) of the Holy Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 6:16). When we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God comes into our life to in dwell in us, God’s tabernacle, and that gives us all the reason to rejoice and keep the solemn feast, in spite of any affliction we may be facing or shall face. People of God, rejoice and keep your solemn feast for God has chosen you.

Nahum 1:15 (KJV)
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Deuteronomy 16:13-17 (KJV)
13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

Nahum 1:15 – Stepping into battle

The title “Stepping into battle” may seems a little odd when referring to the first part of the fifteenth verse of the first chapter of Nahum, which reads “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah.This verse speaks of the feet that brings good tidings and peace, then where is the question of battle and warfare? Before we delve into that, let us first recognize that this verse succeeds God’s assurance of comfort to the people of Judah from the Assyrians, for God promises to afflict them no more (Nahum 1:12). God’s comfort is possible only when the Comforter is present and the Holy Spirit of God is referred to as the Comforter by Jesus himself who will testify of Jesus (John 15:26) . True peace and good tidings comes only when Jesus comes into a person’s life. So this verse in essence is a messianic prophecy of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as not just as God’s messenger of peace but as God’s message of peace and the God of peace (Philippians 4:9). Prophet Isaiah refers to the same analogy to describe to coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 40:9). When Jesus was born, the angelic host (army) sang, peace on earth and good will (tidings) to all men (Luke 2:14).

Ever wonder why an army, that to, an army of angels, sing about peace. To publish peace in a world that is sinful and under the bondage of the evil vile one (2 Corinthians 4:4) is not just a struggle but a battle and it would take an army of warriors. This is why the armor of God, which ought to be donned for victory in spiritual warfare, lists as one of its elements, the shoes of peace that comes from the Good News (gospel of Jesus Christ) (Ephesians 6:15 – NLT).

Points to ponder:
When we take the gospel of peace to people who have not yet believed in Jesus, we can take comfort, that we are being, God’s feet that brings good tidings and publishes peace (Nahum 1:15).
When we put on the shoes of peace to proclaim the gospel of peace to a world that is lost without Jesus, we are in essence stepping into battle, but we can take comfort in the fact, that by doing so, we are following Jesus’ footsteps. Jesus said, “Do not think I have come to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34) meaning that when we take the gospel of peace to the lost, it will pierce their inner core as a sword would penetrate the soul and spirit, joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12) as we engage with spiritual warfare.

Nahum 1:15 (KJV)
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Isaiah 40:9 (KJV)
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Luke 2:14 (KJV)
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Nahum 1:1-4 – Comfort and 3-strike Condemnation

The prophecy of the Lord, that prophet Nahum brought, against Nineveh speaks of a wicked counsellor who was vile, whose yoke and bonds on the people of Judah, the Lord will break (Nahum 1:11-14). To the people of Judah, God sends a message of comfort that though the Assyrians were many, they shall be cut down and while he had allowed them to reprimand his people, he will afflict them no more (Nahum 1:12). The identity of this vile and wicked counsellor is not mentioned by name in the book of Nahum, but cross referencing other parts of the Scripture, unveils that the reference to the wicked counsellor and vile one is to Sennacherib, the king of Assyria who sent his aide Rabshakeh to rail and blaspheme God. The wicked counsel (2 Kings 18:20) that Sennacherib sent by word of Rabshakeh was that the people of God (Judah) should not heed to the voice of their king Hezekiah anymore for Hezekiah believed that God would deliver them. He also blasphemed God by asking the people to not trust in God to live, but instead surrender to him so that they may live (2 Kings 18:29-32). Hezekiah prayed to the Lord against such blasphemy and God’s prophet Isaiah assures Hezekiah that God will not forsake his people, but will fight for them and that Sennacherib will fall by the sword in his own land (2 Kings 19:7).

On one hand, God’s prophecy of comfort is promised to his people, but on the other hand, a personal prophecy of three strike condemnation is given against Sennacherib, the wicked and vile one, who reproached and blasphemed God.
First Strike – God says that there shall be no more of any new seed (children) of Sennacherib, meaning his name (lineage) shall continue no more (no longer be sown) (Nahum 1:14).
Second Strike – God says that the house of the vile one’s gods (deities) shall be cut (Nahum 1:14).
Third Strike – God says that he himself will make the grave of the vile one, meaning that God will orchestrate the events that will lead to the death of the vile one (Nahum 1:14). Interestingly vile is an anagram of evil.

Points to ponder:
The 3-strike condemnation is assured to the vile one. The destiny of the vile one would cease. The deities of the vile one would be cut. The death of the vile one would be caused.
But the promise of God’s comfort is given to those who are his people. Are you God’s?

Nahum 1:11-14 (KJV)
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

Nahum 1:9&10 – When God strikes, it is strikeout

Nahum 1:9 suggests the state of how God’s enemies will be dealt with. The Assyrians were a wicked people who boasted in their military strength and oppressed the people of God (the people of Judah) and it is in this situation that prophet Nahum brings the message of hope, the God will fight for his people. The people who hate God and oppress God’s people may plan and imagine things against the Lord, but this only makes him laugh (Psalms 2:1-4). God will make an utter end of his enemies and when he strikes, it is strikeout, for affliction shall not rise a second time (Nahum 1:9). Nineveh (Assyrian capital) is no where to be found today, making it impossible for it to rise again, which is a testament to God’s faithfulness in the fulfillment of his prophecies. Though the enemies are like a thorny curse (Genesis 3:17-18), their mental state shall be a state of instability like a drunkard (Nahum 1:10) and they shall be devoured by the fire (Nahum 3:15) of God’s wrath as stubble fully dry (Nahum 1:10).

Points to ponder:
When you are persecuted for belonging to God and ridiculed for bearing the Name of Jesus Christ, take solace in the fact, that it is God who will fight your battles. God does not need us to defend him against those who bully us for his name sake. He finds these bullies (just like the Assyrian king and army was) to be jokers who make him laugh. All we ought to be is be still and know that he is God for he will be exalted among the heathen and the whole earth (Psalm 46:10). He can fight for himself and will fight for us, his people, and when God strikes, it is strikeout – affliction shall not rise a second time.

Nahum 1:9-10 (KJV)
What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

Psalm 2:1-4 (KJV)
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Psalm 46:10 (KJV)
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

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