We've all been hurt. We all carry scars. We can all overcome these things and be
healed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's build that relationship
together right here. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Hey everybody
welcome back to the sanctuary. It's so good to have you with us and for those
of you who are new, welcome! Now you know last week we were looking at Naum
chapter 1 and we learned about the need to leave vengeance to God and how our
own selfishness just it gets in the way. And this week we're going to continue to
go through the book of Naum and we're going to see the judgment of Nineveh as
God shows he's in charge and he's not going to tolerate being mocked nor will
he tolerate the abuse of his people. Now there's quite a bit here we're going to
go through part of this kind of quick but we're gonna get there and it's gonna
get broken down trust me this is all leading up somewhere alright. Now as I
start I want to point something out because depending on how you read your
Bible you know when you're doing research when you're doing studies you'll
find that the numbering can be varied right here depending on the
translation that you have and the type of text in front of you. You see in in
Hebrew text where we left off at the end of Naum 1 verse 15 well in the Hebrew
text that's actually numbered as chapter 2 verse 1 and then continues through
numbering chapter 2 verses 2 through 14 whereas other translations actually you
know go from Naum 1 verse 15 into chapter 2 verses 1 through 13 so it's
just something to make note of when you're out there if you see something
that seems a little off on the numbering this is why okay. Now for those of you
who are following your Bible and those of you who are taking notes we're going
to continue from where we left off last time and we're actually gonna pick up in
Naum chapter 2 and then of course after that we're gonna continue through
through chapter 3 and what we're going to be learning in these these two
chapters here is that they're predicting Nineveh's downfall which happened in 612
BC and if you recall Nineveh was seen as just being absolutely impenetrable. It
was strategically built up they had an incredible army you know they had they
had their placement you know they're really the the the creme de la creme the
creme de la creme the creme de la creme the crop that you know they were they were the epitome of what an army in a
fortification needed to be at that time yet they they didn't stand a chance once
the Medes the Babylonians joined forces because they just ran right through them
they ran roughshod they owned them they dominated them they absolutely
obliterated them you know because when God sends and he sends on a mission his
will is going to be carried out the good the bad the ugly depending on how you're
looking at it which in Iran if you're on God's side you're gonna be in the good
now join me now Naum chapter 2 verses 1 through 4 the Bible says an attacker
advances against you Nineveh guard the fortress watch the road brace
yourselves marshal all your strength the Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob
like the splendor of Israel though destroyers have laid them waste and have
ruined their vines the shields of the soldiers are red the warriors are clad
in scarlet the metal on the chariots flashes on the day they are made ready
the spears of juniper are brandished the chariots storm through the streets
rushing back and forth through the squares they look like flaming torches
they dart about like lightning so pretty it's very poetic here it is very
cinematic in the description that it's given and really that's what we're going
to see as we continue going through these these chapters very cinematic very
poetic very beautifully written but even with that I mean just thinking of this
image is that that's a lot it'll either wow you or strike horror into you you
know and if you were when we're looking at it here in verse 2 it's actually
referring to the fact that Assyria had dominated like just absolutely
dominated the northern kingdom of Israel not only that but after doing so it
actually deported the people who lived there and we can learn more about that
in second Kings chapter 17 and 18 we'll save that for another time of course you
could always reference that you know in your own studies and what happened is
after that Assyria they doubled down and since they already take north now they
turn they turn their sights and they took over the southern kingdom of Judah
and Judah was also called Jacob the people of Judah however they were they
found themselves in a much different situation and they were forced to to pay
tribute you know and tributes tributes were a way of publicly praising someone
or something and showing loyalty you know even if that loyalty was forced on
people it didn't matter as long as you paid your tribute you know and you know
they they were taxed you know they're there for and they're forced into
servitude and for the history buffs it's worth recognizing there weren't always
two kingdoms in this region matter of fact when you're reading the Bible if
you're like wait when did this happen see this all happened after the reign of
Solomon and it was actually a result of the dispute basically there was a
dispute with Solomon's son and because of it ten of the twelve tribes they broke
off and they formed the northern kingdom they went to the north they formed their
own kingdom the remaining two tribes which were Judah and Benjamin they stayed
loyal to the lineage of David you know that whole line that came from David and
they formed the southern kingdom you know and so that's where those two those
two kingdoms came from it was basically one that divided in verse 3 if you look
to Ezekiel chapter 23 verses 14 and 15 you'll see that this was the same
description given to the Babylonians there as well the Bible says this she
saw men portrayed on a wall figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red with belts
around their waist and flowing turbines on their heads all of them looked like
Babylonian chariot officers natives of Chaldea now Chaldea that's another
name for Babylonia so we're already actually seeing one of the armies that
the Lord is sending in all right picking back up here in chapter 2 name chapter
2 we're gonna go through verses 5 through 10 the Bible says this Nineveh
summons her picked troops yet they stumble on their way they dash to the
city wall the protective shield is put in place the river gates are thrown
open and the palace collapses it is decreed that Nineveh be exiled and
carried away her female slaves moan like doves and be on their breast Nineveh is
like a pool whose water is draining away stop stop they cry but no one turns back
plunder the silver plunder the gold the supply is endless the wealth from all its
treasures she is pillaged plundered stripped hearts melt knees give way
bodies tremble every face grows pale Wow so we're starting out here just in verse
5 it's a very clear picture isn't it and it's just the place is going to be
leveled and everybody there is just they're gonna be in shock you know
they're gonna be scared like oh no what's going on what's what do we do and
it's not gonna matter because there's nothing they can do you know the Bible
says here yet they stumble and if you go back to Jeremiah chapter 46 verse 12 the
Bible says the nations will hear of your shame your cries will fill the earth one
warrior will stumble over another both will fall down together this is another
reference to what the Babylonian army you know was named for or was not was
known for I'm sorry not named for but known for you know they were some
there's some bad dudes I'm absolutely just tough ombres their reputation
preceded them you know so I mean people knew that they were some tough dudes so
just just hearing that they were coming let alone seeing that they were there
and that that was enough to inspire you know just put some terror into you and
so it was already turning into a matter of who was bigger and who was badder
and I'll remind you it doesn't matter how good you think you are it doesn't
matter how big and bad you are there's always going to be someone bigger and
badder there's always going to see what there's always going to be someone who
who can better you Proverbs chapter 16 verse 18 I'll just summarize pride goes
before the fall you know think about it this way the Assyrians were bullies
they were bullies they just went around doing what what they pleased you know
that they were that jerk that just shoved someone and says what what you
know like they're you know daring the victim to do something only at this
point the narratives changed and they just don't realize it yet you know Jonah
had already gone through and warned them and you know the Assyrians they cooled
their heels for a bit they chilled they relaxed like okay hold on they turned to
God's sorry sorry they repented but now Jonah's gone and they forgotten so
they're puffing up their chest after being told hey don't do it you don't do
it you better don't you're not gonna like what happens you better simmer down
there and basically what they're saying is oh yeah what are you gonna do you
want what army huh punk you know we're seeing parts of that army stand up
they're just blind to it now the River Gates could be one of two things you
know first it could be a reference to the actual invasion of Nineveh the
second thing it could be is an actual flood see when archaeologists they were
doing their excavations they found dam gates up a river and of course you know
damn gates there they were kept closed until water was built up at which time
they'd control it but you know as they'd open those gates up to let water flow
out but it was very controlled that's how dams work so the thought is is that
a large amount of water was built up and then with the invading forces and all
they came across and they just opened the gates completely which incurred
caused Nineveh to flood which is really a rather interesting and effective
tactic all right so let's keep on going here let's look at the rest of chapter
two before we go into chapter three here so naum chapter 2 verses 11 through 13
the Bible says where now is the lion's den the place where they fed their young
where the lion and lioness went and the cubs with nothing to fear the lion killed
enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate filling his lairs with
the kill and his dens with the prey I am against you declares the Lord Almighty I
will burn up your chariots and smoke and the sword will devour your young lions I
will leave you no prey on earth the voices of your messengers will no longer
be heard Wow doesn't that doesn't the end of chapter 2 read like a mob boss
putting out a head order I want the king dead I want his wife dead I want the
whole family dead I want the family dog dead for good measure I want the whole
city dead it's like they never existed you know God wasn't just angry he was
raging you know beast mode no no no no no beast mode is nothing God mode has
been fully activated and oh boy are they in trouble you know they say right here
they're not even have anyone to turn to no one to turn to even there they're
gonna be on their own done isolated they're on an island you see the Assyrians
they made their fortune from going through and ransacking other nations and
and taking tribute from them you know remember what I said earlier about
forced loyalty it was basically you know that that forced you know protection out
there it's that you're gonna pay up and we're gonna take care of you you know or
else you know so basically people you know they paid up or else and they were
very lavish you know the Assyrian standard of living was nothing less than
luxurious even if they meant that meant you know that they were directly
responsible for innocent people that they ruled over starving to death you
know not only that but they'd actually go it wasn't even just a matter of
taking you know their treasures their their food and all that but you know
they they were a plague they're like locusts they would actually exploit all
the natural resources of the lands that they had conquered to build up more
wealth which meant not only did people starve but they had no way to fulfill
their basic needs you know so when it came to these Syrians if it didn't make
them rich if it didn't build their army you know and provide for their standard
living then anything or anyone else meant nothing to them nothing and as we
learned in the book of Obadiah God will protect his people the oppressing of the
innocent to live in sinful luxury you know that's just it's stupid it's a
guaranteed way to upset the Lord and you know that's exactly what happened you
know God had already warned them that they needed to change their ways that
they needed to repent and change their ways when he sent no when he sent Jonah
you know there's there's a point of no return there's a line drawn in the sand
and Nineveh had crossed it see and that's why it's so important that not
only we repent as Christians but that we warn others as well you know part of our
battle against evil one of our biggest campaigns is to reach the hearts and the
minds of others so that they can repent and turn to Jesus before it's too late
one lost soul is one too many and if we do nothing to point them to Jesus then
that blood is on our hands our inaction can leave people to an eternity in hell
do you really want to risk that or would you rather be able to say I did what I
could they made their choice but I did what I
could all right continuing on here let's let's go now into naum chapter 3 okay so
naum chapter 3 verses 1 through 4 the Bible says woe to the city of blood
full of lies full of plunder never without victims the crack of whips the
clatter of wheels galloping horses and jolting chariots charging cavalry
flashing swords and glittering spears many casualties piles of dead bodies
without number people stumbling over the corpses all because of the wanton lust
of a prostitute alluring the mistress of sorceries who enslaved nations by her
prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft sounds an awful lot like
cities today doesn't it you know suddenly some actually take pride in
being called sin city you know or you know the party towns even universities
you know there's there is actually a list out there at the top party schools
you know the places where people are supposed to be bettering themselves and
preparing you know for their future and you know no it's you know they're all
about the party you know sin sin is a fire and you know fire spreads really
easily it only takes a small spark and that's all that's needed to start a
forest fire a small lie a white lie a little fib that's all that's needed to
get you caught up in sin every drunk started with just one drink every addict
started with just one high every cheater started with just one hookup every
gambler started with just one bet and so on and so forth because it starts as one
and then there's another and then there's another and it builds until your
entire life it's consumed by sin see Nineveh had built up its power and it
was all about that luxury that luxurious lifestyle they had they had an image
they were the thing to look up to that you know they were that you know to say
that they were prestigious is putting up mildly you know they were infamous you
know they were that that crown jewel that everyone looked up to you know that
that hot girl you know it's like it's hot and she knows it and like a
prostitute they lured in other nations with their beauty and their charm you
know they they just absolutely wowed them and the you know the Assyrians
what they do is they get these others to come in get them all warm and cuddly get
that nice fuzzy feeling you know they made them feel important they made them
feel important and as soon as they let their guard down boom their worlds were
turned upside down they were beaten and robbed before they even had a chance to
defend themselves well Nineveh was a beauty to behold on the outside it was
utterly rotten and ugly on the inside see here's the thing it wasn't just the
leadership it was the people the nation as a whole if we go back to Micah chapter
3 verses 9 through 12 the Bible says this hear this you leaders of Jacob you
rulers of Israel who despise justice and distort all that is right who build
Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with wickedness her leaders judge for a bribe
her priests teach for a price and her prophets tell fortunes from money yet
they look for the Lord support and say is not the Lord among us no disaster
will come upon us therefore because of you Zion will be plowed like a field
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble the Temple Hill a mound overgrown with
thickets now even in our country we've come to the point where we look at our
nation's leadership for everything we expect them to do everything for us it's
not just us we see this around the world you know but here's the problem we don't
even bother recognize the fact that they are a reflection of our country as a
whole yet we keep we electing the same fools we allow for ungodly laws and
cheer them on as a nation Zion another name for Jerusalem was going to be
destroyed by by the Babylonians which could be seen in second Kings chapter
25 and when it happens the fingers were pointed at the leaders as if it was
entirely 100% their fault the fact is it was just as much if not more of the
people's fault because they allowed for the corruption to continue from the
tippy top of leadership all the way down to the common man on the street without
repentance without turning to God and without demanding justice and obviously
we haven't learned anything from history because we still see it today we see it
right here at home we see it around the world around the world and that's why we
all need to be on guard you know especially as Christians there's a lot
of things a lot of businesses a lot of people that look good we're talking
smoking hot but they're looking to use you and me all of us to their own
benefit to their own gain and make a buck to build their portfolios and then
leave us all high and dry here we what we need to remember is we all have worth
we all have worth you have worth Jesus saw that it's why he died for us and
because that we should never let anyone put us in a position that questions that
we should never lower our standards we should never let our morals be
compromised to meet anyone else in their middle ground Jesus has placed us where
we are to be the high bar for what the world should look to not to lower
ourselves to the world remember in Matthew chapter 5 verse 14 Jesus said
you are the light of the world a town built on a hill cannot be hidden don't
let his light be stolen from you don't let others dim the light that is in you
let's continue now name chapter 3 verses 5 through 7 the Bible says I am against
you declares the Lord Almighty I will lift your skirts over your face I will
show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame I will pelt you with
filth I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle all who see you
will flee from you and say Nineveh is ruins who will mourn for her where can I
find anyone to comfort you Wow so they're gonna be embarrassed they're
gonna be embarrassed and anyone who's left isn't gonna be left for long and
and they're going to be just utterly humiliated they're gonna be taking out
that high horse see God here he's saying that the real Nineveh is going to be
shown to the world they're gonna be seen for what and who they really are that
everything that the Assyrians had been doing to others was about to be returned
you know in pro wrestling and yes I know it's scripted however in pro wrestling
there's a term called a receipt and basically when someone isn't pulling a
punch properly and lands a full force hit or continually botches moves which
could lead to an injury or is leading to injury with the person that they're in
the ring with basically that that that person that's been on the receiving end
they hit them back full force to let them know hey wake up you need to check
yourself you know it's basically a way of letting them know hey you're messing
up without having to say anything and it's kind of like that parent it kind of
gives you that look like ah you know they don't have to say anything you just
know from that look you know we're not talking about a squat here either we're
talking about a good stiff hard hit to get that other person's attention like
hey wake up and this was Nineveh's receipt with a full refund on the way
in Naum chapter 3 verses 8 through 11 the Bible says are you better than
Thebes situated on the Nile with water around her the water was her defense the
waters her wall Kush and Egypt were her boundless strength put in Libya were
among her allies yet she was taken captive and went into exile her infants
were dashed to pieces at every street corner lots were cast for her nobles and
all her great men were put in chains you too will become drunk you will go into
hiding and seek refuge from the enemy all right now so Kush is that's what the
the upper region of the Nile used to be called and Thebes Thebes is important to
see here you see Thebes they were a huge world power approximately 51 years
before this prophecy was given and they stood up against Assyria when the
Assyrians were moving into the south and starting to take over and you know they
stood up and the Assyrians beat them they'd beaten them so to the people of
Judah the situation was very grim it felt hopeless because they were totally
surrounded there was literally no direction that they could go in without
walking right into the Syphirians I'm sorry yeah without walking into the
Syphirians suffice to say you know they were they were in the eye of a hurricane
obviously they weren't Marines when surrounded by enemy troops Chesty Pullers
are shooting to say great yeah we could shoot them from every direction you know
it's real obvious here his outlook was different why was it different well I'll
tell you he was not only confident in his own ability but the ability of the
Marines around him and and this is the most important part that God was with
him see that that's the thing that changes mindsets this is what Judah had
forgotten what we all need to remember is that there is nothing absolutely
nothing on this earth that can hide us from God or his judgment there is
nothing and no one that can stand in his place
Thebes and Assyria both mistrusted or I'm sorry misplaced their trust when they
put it into alliances when they put it into their military they they learned
the hard way that God doesn't take a back seat he doesn't like to be mocked
and he absolutely will not tolerate anyone harming his children see God
needs to be at the forefront of everything in our lives
Psalm 118 verse 8 the Bible puts it this way it's better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in man see it's not anyone's intention to fail nobody
wants to fail it's just a cold hard fact in that mankind will do it you know we
all fail we follow we fail ourselves we follow each other you know at some at
some point but Jesus never will never will let's get back to our reading here
we'll pick back up your name chapter 3 verses 12 through 13 the Bible says all
your fortresses are like a are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit when
they are shaken the figs fall into the mouth of the ear look at your troops
they are all weaklings the gates of your land are wide open to your enemies the
fire has consumed the bars of your gates they're right for the picking everyone's
become complacent and overconfident in their abilities and their
fortifications you know we've all heard that phrase complacency kills and it
absolutely does see people they get disengaged from things that they
shouldn't be they stop paying attention to things that they should be they take
things for granted they slack in their training mistakes are overlooked and
short comes I'm sorry shortcuts become the norms you know there people just
assume that everything's great in the world at this point but it's you know we
are we all know differently it's not it's not you know they're asleep at their
post they're dead and they don't even know it you know they're they've gotten
lazy they're fat and lazy continuing on verses 14 317 the Bible says draw water
for the siege strengthen your defenses work the clay tread the mortar repair
their brickwork there the fire will consume you the sword will cut you down
they will devour you like a swarm of locust multiply like grasshoppers
multiply like locust they have increased the number of your merchants so they are
more numerous than the stars in the sky but like locust they will strip the land
and then fly away your guards are like locust your officials like swarms of
locust that settle in the walls on a cold day but when the Sun appears they
fly away and no one knows where the Syrians were essentially a plague on
the land you know however they you know they become complacent for so long their
ego was left unchecked for so long that things were already falling apart around
them you know as we're seeing here it's even talking about the fortifications
falling apart just in dire need of repair they just they didn't notice see
they were the thing is they were blinded by the world they had bought into Satan's
temptation and isn't that the same as what we see today you know everyone
needs to have the latest and greatest the biggest and baddest to be glamorous
and popular even politics even politics have become trendy you know it's about
numbers now even on social media every everyone's about numbers now we've all
bought into that you know who has the most quote-unquote friends who has the
most likes who has the most shares etc etc you know oh I need to get this much
so that I can monetize my account you know I know a few people who are no
longer on social media and they're much happier for it there's a very good
reason for that let it sink in and just kind of think on that all right let's
finish our reading here Naum chapter 3 verses 18 and 19 the Bible says King of
Assyria your shepherds meaning rulers so King of Assyria your shepherds slumber
your nobles lie down to rest your people are scattered on the mountains
with no one to gather them nothing can heal you your wound is fatal all who
hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall for who has not felt your
endless cruelty when someone finally stands up to a bully and knocks them on
their rear end everyone cheers it's not just in the movies it's an everyday life
fact is it just doesn't happen as often as we'd like why is that well let's look
at it with the example that's set here you know everyone hated being ruled over
by the Assyrians they hated these Syrians being in control and being in
power however at the same time they wanted to be just like them powerful
wealthy famous so they sat back down and hoped that they'd all get a piece of it
just by association we aren't that different today actors athletes
politicians celebrities of all kinds they're the ones that are allowed to set
the pace for us you know you think about we don't nobody likes the fact that you
know we're marginalized we look down on we put we're pushed away you know we
don't like that certain laws are made bent or flat-out ignored you know by by
these people of wealth and power without any kind of real enforcement or any real
punishment but partially forced upon us the common man you know with punishments
of fines or jail times you know other punishments that far outweigh you know
the crime not always but you know for the most part you know we've all heard
the ditty you know the boss makes a dollar while I make a dime you know we
don't like that we're so underpaid while others are so grossly overpaid
remember what I said earlier though people are always looking to make a buck to
look and you know take advantage see when we look inward we would all like to
have that prestige for ourselves wouldn't we we all like the idea of being kings
and Queens however that power it's an idol see it for what it is it is an idol
and it's a flame that quickly and easily consumes us so we're better off not
trying to grab a hold of it you know those who do grab for it they're going
to be consumed soon enough and much like the Assyrians they're gonna be gone for
good what we need to do as Christians is we need to relearn how to be happy with
what we have to be content with what the Lord has provided us so that we don't
get caught up like the Assyrians so that we don't get caught up in this you know
the same flame of idolatry and Philippians chapter 4 verses 11 through
13 Paul wrote I'm not saying this because I am in need for I have learned
to be content whatever the circumstances I know what it is to be in need and I
know what it is to have plenty I have learned the secret of being content in
any and every situation whether well-fed or hungry whether living in plenty or in
what I can do all this through him who gives me strength contentment or
happiness in life it doesn't come from having a lot of stuff it doesn't come
from having a luxurious lifestyle or image it doesn't come from having an
easy life you know rather it comes from the trials that we have and the hope
that comes with them that hope of knowing that God is working in our lives
to better us the hope of knowing Jesus is within us helping us to endure
whatever comes our way the hope of knowing that whatever calamity surrounds
us much like Judah will not be able to consume us we are protected we are loved
yes the world is a whirlwind around us however Jesus is standing before each
and every one of us you and me with his hand reached out his hand is right there
waiting for us to take it we need to keep our eyes on him you know a final
word here as we as we wrap up during the Battle of the Chosen Reservoir Chesty
Puller and his Marines were surrounded and he was quoted as saying this we've
been looking for the enemy for some time now we finally found him we're surrounded
that simplifies things the enemy can't escape Romans 8 verses 31 through 33 the
Bible says this what then shall we say in response to these things if God is
for us who can be against us he who did not spare his own son but gave him up
for us all how will he all not also along with him graciously give all things
who will bring up who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen
it is God who justifies see you can withstand the storm you just need to
keep your eyes on Jesus if we keep our eyes on Jesus we can stand our ground
against the darkness because of Jesus you can take the light into the world it
is because of Jesus and you and me and all of us you are the light of the world
God will take care of us he will take care of his children we just need to be
vigilant God bless y'all I want to thank you for joining us today if you have any
questions prayer requests or would like to know more about our ministry you can
find us on our website at be the light sanctuary org or on Facebook at be the
light sanctuary we'll catch you next time God bless