Sunday, October 2, 2011

Shalom,


Psalm 93:5a:


5a Your testimonies are very sure; 


The "testimonies" here is the Word of God. They are very (exceedingly) "sure". This is the Hebrew word "`aman", which means: to support, to confirm, to be faithful, to uphold, to nourish, pillars (supporters of the door), to be established, to make firm, verified, reliable, confirmed, trusty, to stand firm. I like the Douay-Rheims Bible for this:


5a Thy testimonies are become exceedingly credible:


The more that we understand God's Word, and Him through that Word, the more "credible" or "logical" or "believable" His Word becomes! It is supposed to work that way! I also like the Message Bible for this verses:


5a What You say goes - it always has.


TRUTH! God's Word is settled forever, whether we believe it or not, but it can only affect my life when I believe it and obey it! Adjust YOUR thinking towards God's Word today so that YOU can continue to grow up IN HIM!


Luke 14:26:


26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters -- [yes] and even his own life also -- he cannot be My disciple.


There are a lot of words here to just basically say that we need to love HIM first of all and most of all!    How are YOU doing in that area? We can all do better! Let's begin NOW!


Nahum tells of the coming destruction of Nineveh. Remember that Jonah had come with a warning that caused the king and the people to repent so that Nineveh was not destroyed at that time. These people had forgotten and even gotten worse! I thought this was interesting from the Bible Exposition Commentary:



Queen Victoria was celebrating sixty years on the British throne when Rudyard Kipling published his poem "Recessional." Not everybody in Great Britain liked the poem because it punctured national pride at a time when the empire was at its peak. "Recessional" was a warning that other empires had vanished from the stage of history and theirs might follow in their train. God was still the Judge of the nations. Kipling wrote:


Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!


The prophet Nahum would have applauded the poem, especially Kipling's reference to Nineveh, for it was Nahum who wrote the Old Testament book that vividly describes the destruction of Nineveh, the event that marked the beginning of the end for the Assyrian Empire. Nahum made it clear that God is indeed the Judge of the nations


It would be wise for our nation to take account of itself in the light of God's Word, especially concerning our relationship with Israel! Remember, our  God IS God and His will reigns!  Here is Hillsong Live with Forever Reign:




Shalom in Him!!