S) "19 There is no relief for your breakdown,
Your wound is incurable.
All who hear about you
Will clap their hands over you,
For on whom has not your evil passed continually?"
Nahum 3:19 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Nahum 3
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Nahum 3
O) This is the final verse of condemnation from Nahum to Nineveh. There are essentially two ways of reading this verse. We can see it quite literally, in a physical or natural way. The city of Nineveh was utterly destroyed and, for centuries, it's location was unknown because it had long been buried. In a physical, natural sense, the city was broken down, never to recover, never to rise again. Its destruction was just about as complete as it could be. Then, there is a spiritual, supernatural sense to this verse. God was, after all, passing judgment on this city. Their incurable wounds were based in their idolatry and violence, and therefore their sins, their wounds, were spiritual. In either sense, it is God alone who controls that kind of judgment. Whether God meant this spiritually or physically, it was He who wounded them, He broke them down. So, surely His sovereignty and power meant that He could cure them; He could provide relief. But, in the end, we see that He would not, He did not. And, whether this was spiritual or physical, or both, the onlookers had no sympathy. That alone, is testament to their evil, passed continually on others.
A) This verse is a reminder that wounds are often spiritual and physical. As much as Jesus brings healing to my body, he also brings healing to my soul. Additionally, like a father disciplines a son with blows (keeping in mind that discipline is not the same as punishment), there will surely be times when God allows (or even causes?) my physical harm, if it will discipline me to live a more godly life. Even more to the point, though, my own sins will cause me (and others) spiritual wounds if I am not repentant. But, that is also by His design. Sins separate me from Him. The fact that they also cost me relationships or peace, the fact that I am hurt in my spirit when I sin, if that also brings me to repentance, then it serves His purpose and glorifies Him. Because He is sovereign, these wounds are in His control (whether active or passive, physical or spiritual). Thankfully, there is the cross. Because of the work of Jesus Christ, I can be healed. That is a provision of grace because He takes away my sins and heals me. I don't believe every wound is a result of my own sin, necessarily, whether it's a physical wound or a spiritual one. and, healing is sometimes a lifelong process. In the end, though, I know that I will finally be made whole in Christ. I won't suffer the same fate as Nineveh on the last day.
P) Father, thank You for healing me. Thank You for redeeming me and bringing me back to You. Thank You for allowing me to taste the wounds that come from my own sins. Thank You for allowing me to experience some of those consequences. Even still, I am certainly aware that I have not taken anything close to what I deserve, Your grace is amazing, Lord. Thank You for the confidence I have in the power of the gospel, that in Christ I can be healed from every wound. Indeed, in Him, I will be healed from every wound, even if I have to wait my lifetime to get there. You are so good to me. I am so aware that I deserve nothing good, yet You give me only what is good. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
A) This verse is a reminder that wounds are often spiritual and physical. As much as Jesus brings healing to my body, he also brings healing to my soul. Additionally, like a father disciplines a son with blows (keeping in mind that discipline is not the same as punishment), there will surely be times when God allows (or even causes?) my physical harm, if it will discipline me to live a more godly life. Even more to the point, though, my own sins will cause me (and others) spiritual wounds if I am not repentant. But, that is also by His design. Sins separate me from Him. The fact that they also cost me relationships or peace, the fact that I am hurt in my spirit when I sin, if that also brings me to repentance, then it serves His purpose and glorifies Him. Because He is sovereign, these wounds are in His control (whether active or passive, physical or spiritual). Thankfully, there is the cross. Because of the work of Jesus Christ, I can be healed. That is a provision of grace because He takes away my sins and heals me. I don't believe every wound is a result of my own sin, necessarily, whether it's a physical wound or a spiritual one. and, healing is sometimes a lifelong process. In the end, though, I know that I will finally be made whole in Christ. I won't suffer the same fate as Nineveh on the last day.
P) Father, thank You for healing me. Thank You for redeeming me and bringing me back to You. Thank You for allowing me to taste the wounds that come from my own sins. Thank You for allowing me to experience some of those consequences. Even still, I am certainly aware that I have not taken anything close to what I deserve, Your grace is amazing, Lord. Thank You for the confidence I have in the power of the gospel, that in Christ I can be healed from every wound. Indeed, in Him, I will be healed from every wound, even if I have to wait my lifetime to get there. You are so good to me. I am so aware that I deserve nothing good, yet You give me only what is good. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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