In this episode of ADDBIBLE, we reflect on the power of prophecy and the purpose of God’s use of nations through the lens of Nahum. Explore the themes of sincerity, repentance, and God’s unwavering commitment to rebuilding what is broken. Step into the captivating story of the Ezra Project and discover the personal journey that led to the connection of countless believers with God’s Word. Dive deep into this spiritually enriching narrative of faith, devotion, and divine orchestration.
Welcome to ADDBIBLEe, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 01 :
Today we are in the second chapter of the book of Nahum. I’m going to read the 13 verses of Nahum chapter 2. The scatterer has come against you. Man the ramparts, watch the road, dress for battle, collect all your strength. For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel. For plunderers have plundered them and ruined their branches. The shield of his mighty men is red. His soldiers are clothed in scarlet. The chariots come with flashing metal. On the day he musters them, the cypress spears are brandished. The chariots race madly through the streets. They rush to and fro through the squares. They gleam like torches. They dart like lightning. He remembers his officers. They stumble as they go. They hasten to the wall. The siege tower is set up. The river gates are open. The palace melts away. Its mistress is stripped. She is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away. Halt, halt, they cry, but none turns back. Plunder the silver, plunder the gold. There is no end of the treasure or of the wealth of all precious things. Desolate, desolation and ruin. Hearts melt and knees tremble. Anguish is in all loins, all faces grow pale. Where is the lion’s den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb? The lion tore enough for his cubs, and strangled prey for his lionesses. He fills his caves with prey, and his dens with torn flesh. Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the swords will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard. Back in 1991, when I was 36 years old, I read all of Nahum in one day. I summarized this yesterday, but it’s worth sharing again. Nineveh, the great city, is in a panic, and I was referring to chapter 2, verses 8 through 10. What was stable is shaken. What people hold on to doesn’t matter anymore. So it will be when God shakes a person, a people, a nation, a world. The best thing to do is keep God on your side by obeying His word and worshiping Him. At 46 years old in 2001, I read Nahum on the same day, and I referred to the verses I referred to in chapter 1 in yesterday’s recording. At 56 years old in 2011, I again read all of Nahum in one day, and I did refer to a verse out of chapter 2. I wrote, the Lord was against Nineveh, and I was referring to verse 13. Chapter 2 is like Nahum’s eyewitness account of something that’s going to happen in the future. Nahum describes the destruction of Nineveh as if he’s seeing it live and in person. God used Assyria, the Medes, the Persians, the Babylonians, all to bring judgment on his own people, the land of Israel, the nation of Judah, and Jerusalem. That judgment now completed, he doesn’t need the nation of Assyria anymore. Verse 2 describes it. For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel. So the judgment is over and God is going to restore Israel. So again, he doesn’t need Assyria. He doesn’t need the Babylonians to judge Israel anymore. So now he turns his sight on them. Verse 1, the scatterer has come against you. And he’s referring to Nineveh. This time the great city of Nineveh is going to be under attack. Nahum takes us right inside the city as it’s under attack in verses 8 and 9. Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away. Halt, halt, they cry, but none turns back. Plunder the silver, plunder the gold. There is no end of the treasure of the wealth of all precious things. Yes, Nineveh was filled with wealth, but now it is being plundered by someone else. Again, inside the city, desolate, desolation and ruin. Hearts melt and knees tremble. Anguish is in all loins. All faces grow pale. Why? Verse 13. Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts. So, what can we get out of this chapter? What applications can we make in our lives? First of all, God uses nations and people for His work. Yes, He used the Assyrians to judge Israel, but now He judges them. Secondly, as mentioned in the introduction of this book, being used by God does not mean you are right with God. Assyria was definitely used by God, but they were never right with God. Have you seen that in Christianity today? Have you seen people appear to be successful, appear to be used by God, only to find out that they were not sincere, that they were not truly right with God, and therefore God judged them and took them down as well? Thirdly, there may be an application of consistency in this chapter. Is your Christianity sincere or is it shallow? Is God using you though you may not be right with him? If so, punishment is on the way. But like in Nineveh once before, when Jonah cried out to them, they repented and God spared them. You too can repent today and God will spare you. So if you feel like you may be being used of God, but your heart is not right with Him, it’s time to get square with the Lord. Might you confess your sins, because He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Get your heart right with God today. Become a consistent Christian. Through the minor prophets of the Old Testament, we continue to learn that God is a God of restoration. He sees right through you and He knows your heart. So today, let’s get square with God. Let’s line up internally as well as externally with the Lord God Almighty. Father, we thank you that you may have used us in the past, even though our hearts weren’t right before you. Today, let us get consistent with you once again. Cleanse my heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Line me up with you, Lord, so my internal thoughts and my external behavior will be consistent before you. Thank you that you are a God of restoration. Thank you that you are a God of consistency. Help me be consistent as well. For it’s in the name of Jesus we ask it. Amen. AdBible is brought to you by the Ezra Project. What do you know about the Ezra Project? The Ezra Project was founded in 2002 to connect God’s people to God’s Word. I was in the business community at the time, a partner in a business consulting firm. I had a passion for God’s Word since my born-again experience at 15 years old as a teenager. I went to college, got a degree in political science, and expected to become a lawyer. Instead, I got my first job at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on the staff of the Colorado State Legislature. After that, I became a lobbyist for the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, representing the business community in Colorado before the Colorado General Assembly. After that, I joined a business consulting firm, training small and mid-sized businesses in strategic planning, goal setting, and management training. All this before starting the Ezra Project. But through all those career stops, I was always a daily Bible reader. You see, God had put the desire for His Word in my heart that day I gave my life to Him at 15 years old. Throughout my early career, I often wondered whether God could use me in full-time ministry. I joined the Gideons International at 24 and served as a volunteer for years. At one point, I thought God was calling me to full-time service in the Gideons, so I moved my family to Nashville, Tennessee, the headquarters of the Gideons International. It didn’t work out for me, so I returned to Denver. You see, there was a restlessness within my spirit between a career path and full-time service to God. I prayed about it many times, but could not see God’s plan, though He was working behind the scenes all the time. As you have heard, I journal my personal time in God’s Word. I started that back in 1983 at 28 years old. I don’t remember why I started or why I even continued. but God knew. So 25 years into my career, God made the change. He dismissed me from the consulting firm in 2002, and I remember coming home that day and saying to Terry, it’s time to start the Ezra Project. Three months later, we did. I believe God has put a passion in my heart for His Word. He has called me to share that passion and try to pass it on to others. The Ezra Project is my heart’s desire. Though there appears to be no way to make a living trying to get Christians to read their own Bibles, God has made a way for 16 years. Amazing. So that’s the story behind the scenes of the Ezra Project. God had been setting me up for this moment in my life since I was 15 years old. He had me start journaling at 28 for no reason that I understood. And he’s consistently kept me in his word daily my entire life since I was 15. You see, friends, God’s ways are unexplainable. He was preparing me all along to start the Ezra Project in 2002. He was preparing me all along to connect God’s people to God’s Word. He prepared those Bible reading journals for over 30 years before they were ever used. So that’s the behind the scenes story of the Ezra Project. Now you know a little bit more about me and you know a lot more about the Ezra Project. Maybe now we have the credibility and the authenticity for your support. If so, visit EzraProject.net today. And may God use the Ezra Project to connect you to His Word. Amen. AdBible is sponsored by the Ezra Project, connecting God’s people to God’s Word. We are financially supported by friends like you who believe we need to provide quality Bible reading resources to enhance Bible engagement in your community and across the world. We pray you will consider partnering with us to keep AdBible on the radio where you are listening and to expand our outreach to more listeners around the world. To do so, visit EzraProject.net and locate the Donate button. Or send your support to the Ezra Project, 1399 South Havana Street, Suite 201E, Aurora, Colorado, 80012. All givers over $20 will receive a study booklet called 12 Practical Principles of Leadership According to Ezra. It is a dynamic and fun study of how the priest and scribe Ezra led the people of Jerusalem back to God’s Word. Exactly what our mission is today at The Ezra Project. I know you’re going to enjoy it and want to share it with others. Thank you for considering a financial gift so we can continue to connect God’s people to God’s Word.
SPEAKER 02 :
The ESV Bible, the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, ESV, text edition 2007, all rights reserved. English Standard Version, ESV, and the ESV logo are registered trademarks of Good News Publishers, used by permission.
In this episode of ADDBIBLE, we reflect on the power of prophecy and the purpose of God’s use of nations through the lens of Nahum. Explore the themes of sincerity, repentance, and God’s unwavering commitment to rebuilding what is broken. Step into the captivating story of the Ezra Project and discover the personal journey that led to the connection of countless believers with God’s Word. Dive deep into this spiritually enriching narrative of faith, devotion, and divine orchestration.
