The Lord Is Good

Nahum, the man who wrote the book that bears his name, was like many of the other prophets, content to stay in the background so that God and the truth of God would be in the foreground. So we know very little about Nahum himself but he shows us many helpful facts about the one true and holy God.

The Lord is good. That is a very strong statement and one that must have helped God's people when they heard this. You see, God's people were living in a very cruel and ugly world. Nahum writes about the city/state of Nineveh — a beautiful city but built on cruelty and aggression. In contrast to that, God is very different — He is good, he is powerful, someone to whom his people can turn in their days of trouble and find safety in him; he is like a strong tower which can stand solid against the enemy's attacks. Christians need such a strong and good God if they are to survive when Satan and his crew of tempters come against them. To live as a Christian is not easy but Nahum tells us that not only is God good (he uses a strong word) and powerful, he also knows those who take refuge in him. When Nahum says God knows these people he means that God fully understands their problems and temptations and so can help them in just the way they need. That is great to know.

Prayer

Dear Lord, you know the temptations that I face and how easily I can yield to them. Please help me to stay close to you and to fight the tempter. Amen.