Unlocking The Old Testament

Nahum

In looking at the book of the prophet Nahum, David Pawson says that time had run out for Assyria. Jonah had preached a warning from God 150 years earlier with great success. But now it was time for judgment. David warns that today people think that God will never be angry, because he is slow to anger, offering mercy first. Judgment on Assyria was good news for the Jews who were living under Assyrian occupancy. Chapter 1 of Nahum gives warning to the capital city of Nineveh; chapter 2 gives details of how it will happen. God doesn’t judge a heathen nation for breaking the 10 Commandments, but rather for their inhumanity, and this applied to cruel Assyria. Less than a decade later, the devastation occurred & Nineveh has never been inhabited again. Why study the prophets? Because they reveal God to us. He is presented as the all-powerful God, in total control of nature and history. In our modern scientific age, we must keep hold of the fact that God can cause miracles within nature and movement within history. Also, God is a unique combination of both justice and mercy. He can change his plans for people depending on how they react to him. An important study.

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Habakkuk

David Pawson looks at Habakkuk and finds that the prophet sometimes argued with God because his view of Him wasn’t quite accurate. But he clung to God until he got his answer. At first, he is disturbed by what is happening and calls on God for justice. When God gives his answer, he is further disturbed because He isn’t going to do what Habakkuk expects. David reminds us that we often come to God and want him to fit in with what we think He should be doing. David recommends what Habakkuk did - interrogatory prayer – where we ask God questions. David says when God reveals to us what he is going to do, he does so so we can tell people to get ready. Faith - both in the Hebrew and the Greek languages – is the same as faithfulness. So we demonstrate faith by remaining faithful. Habakkuk named 5 things for which God would punish the Babylonians after they had punished the Jews – Injustice, Imperialism, Inhumanity, Intemperance and Idolatry. When he stopped arguing with God, Habakkuk ‘saw the light’, and was at peace.

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