Monday's Cover to Cover

Good Morning everyone!

Wow can you believe it is August already. I am doing a chronological reading of the Bible with a bunch of other women all over the nation/world hosted by Bev. Then below I will post some of the thoughts that lingered this week.

I had never read in full the book of Nahum so his book was interesting and some points that I think will linger for a long while. Nahum's name means "comforter". Although they are not sure when his reign was they think it had to be somewhere around 612bc. He makes reference to looking back to the destruction of Thebes in 663bc and looking forward to the fall of Niveveh 612bc. The fall of the Assyrian Empire Climaxed by the destruction of its capital city Niveveh and that is the subject of the prophesy of Nahum. The part of the book of Nahum that will stay with me hopefully all my life was stated in 2:13 and then repeated in 3:5 "Behold I am against you". These are words I never want to hear the Lord say to me.

Nahum goes to them pleading with them to turn from their evil ways. 1:2-8 He describes the goodness of God and what God's character is like. He is great in power, He will not equip the wicked, There is NO unpunished sin.

That's why we have it so good. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. He took that punishment. God isn't going to send an army to wipe us out all we need to do is accept Jesus, repent for our sins and they are gone. Pretty sweet Daddy huh? (Get personal with him he's not just your "Father God" he's your Daddy) He knows the ones that trust in Him. God is the only one that can break the yoke that binds you.

When the Assyrians plundered all the other cities then applauded it was only fitting that when God brought them down the cities they had terrorized applauded their demise.

The Bible tells us over and over that we will reap what we sow. If we are hateful, judgemental, we will reap judgement. If we are merciful, we will reap mercy. God dealt with the Assyrians the way they had dealt with others.

Here 's a thought to ponder: If God were to deal with you the way you deal with others, would you like it?

Habakkuk is another one that I haven't read all of before, his name means "Embrace"

1:3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
One of the commentaries on this said it was God wanted him to see how it grieves Him when we are like that. So that it would make us not want to do these things against the Lord.

2:2 Then the LORD answered me and said: “ Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. 4 “ Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

Without vision we perish, our visions are our dreams, our hope.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

In Jeremiah I noticed in chapter 11 and in 24 that he pleaded to God to protect him, it made me wonder if that's where we got the saying "Don't shoot the messenger" :)

Then we continue on to the book of Daniel and the story of Shaddrach, Meshach and Abednego.
Our reading this week stopped right as they got thrown in the furnace, so I'll have more on that next week.
Daniel 2:46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Notice that because Daniel seeked God for the wisdom for the meaning of the dream, God promoted him, and because Shadddrach, Meshach and Adednego, hadn't bowed down they were also promoted.
What will God do for us when we don't bow down to this world and its ways?

Have a blessed week. Remember to go check out Bev's blog and join us in our journey through the Bible chronologically.
Lynn