Today's Reading:O.T. - Nahum 1 - 3
N.T. - Philippians 3:7-21
Focus Verses: Nahum 1:7-9
7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, 8 but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh ; he will pursue his foes into darkness. 9 Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.
Insight:
God is good, and gives refuge to those who trust in him. But where does that leave the trouble makers? How can God defend those who are oppressed without taking action against those who are oppressing?
Ninevah had inflicted so much pain and trouble on others that they had become an enemy of God. Their plots against others, Nahum says, were really plots against God as they were contrary to God's ways. To act with injustice, brutality, hate, or indifference toward others is to oppose God's good will and in so doing become his foe. And being a foe of God is not a very wise thing to be!
Response and Action:
I need to put my trust in God in times of trouble. I need to give and value justice, dignity, love, and concern for others. I need to work with God in his acts to protect, save, and deliver those who are in trouble. If I am indifferent to the needs, troubles, and hardships of others (or worse yet profiting from them), I should expect to be opposed by the God who delivers and saves.
O God, help me to walk with you and commit myself to work with you in your acts to save and redeem. Give me a heart for the concerns and interests of others. Search me and try me. If there is any hurtful way in me, help me to see it and change it. Lead me in the way of your eternal goodness and grace. Thank you for being a refuge and strength in troubled times. Amen.
Proverbs: 23:10-11
"Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you."
Resources:
Practical Justice: Living Off-Center in a Self-Centered World
by Kevin Blue
