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Nahum 3

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Verses 1-7, “Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs. The noise of a whip And the noise of rattling wheels, Of galloping horses, Of clattering chariots! Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. There is a multitude of slain, A great number of bodies, Countless corpses— They stumble over the corpses— Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, The mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries. “Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts; “I will lift your skirts over your face, I will show the nations your nakedness, And the kingdoms your shame. I will cast abominable filth upon you, Make you vile, And make you a spectacle. It shall come to pass that all who look upon you Will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her?’ Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

Nineveh was a bloody city with its rulers known for their cruelty. This made them ripe for judgment, but even worse than that is that they led other nations to follow in their ways. Because of this, the Lord would cast their abominable filth upon their heads and make them a spectacle to other nations. Although any unrepented sin can separate you from God, there are sins that are especially despised by Him. Proverbs 6:16‭-‬19, “These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.” When committing these abominations, it would appear that one's heart has gone to a place where they do not fear the Lord any longer. It is a pattern of prideful, lewd, in your face kind of behavior, versus giving into the temptation of the desires of your flesh in a moment of weakness. Nineveh had the notion of superiority while they committed their abominations, angering God to the point of exposing their shame to bring them low.

Those who are in the faith should examine their own heart and behaviors to avoid the judgement of God. We may not be among violent murderers, but what if you have murder in your heart and the object of your hatred is innocent toward God? Do you speak lies or stir up trouble, creating division among God's people? Are you proud in your heart and unteachable and uncorrectable by the word of God? These acts also display that you do not fear the Lord. If you won't examine yourself, you invite the judgement of God. I Corinthians 11:27‭-‬32, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”  Our nation, much like Nineveh, has left the fear of the Lord. Community is their ideology and Facebook or social media is their church replacement. Fellowship is no longer promoted because God has been far removed. This nation is ripe for judgment, and nothing about that deserves a thumbs up.

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