JUSTICE FOR GOD’S BELOVED PEOPLE
LESSON FOR THE JUNIOR CLASSES
STUDY SCRIPTURE: NAHUM 1:1-3, 6-8, 12-13, 15
KEY VERSE
A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; the Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies.”.
Nahum 1: 2
INTRODUCTION AND STUDY
The people of God have always had difficulties coping with the behaviour of people among which they lived. Jesus and the prophets have warned that most people do like to follow the commandments of God for these commandments clash with and restrain human tendencies toward illtreating others weaker than themselves, abusing others, and simply not treating others the way they would like others to treat them. Most do not like to obey God’s rules prohibiting sexual immorality.God also has done great things for usG
But all these commandments and rules were made by God for they will benefit human beings. God loves people and has been faithful to providing whatever they need to bring happiness to them.Since most human beings love to disobey God, reject the value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring salvation to them, and walk away from the goodness of God and His mercy and kindness, they always oppress and illtreat the people of God who want to follow Him.
One such nation was the Assyrians with their capital called Nineveh. They were cruel and bloodthirsty, and they loved to torture people they captured and terrify them so much that people were afraid to fight them.
They captured and scattered the people of the Ten Tribes of Israel all over the different countries. then they attacked the smaller nation of Judah with its capital in Jerusalem where the Temple of God was. They managed to get the most wicked king of Judah named Manasseh to become violent, practise idolatry, and be as bloodthirsty as they were.When they were captured and taken into exile away from their countryWSometimes people who should know better
But God raised up the prophet Nahum to tell the Assyrians that they had crossed the red line God had established to restrain evil by nations. The Assyrians had been preached to by the prophet Jonah 150 years before and they had repented of their terrible sins, but now they went back to their evil ways.
Nahum told them bluntly that they had become so vile that God would destroy them in one day, and so it happened. Nobody would remember or even talk about the Assyrian nation. God would wipe out their name.
The people of Judah who had been disobedient would however be brought to repentance. They would change their bad ways and be saved and restored.
God would do this because He loved them and had made a covenant with Abraham to save them by turning their hearts away from practising idolatry and behaving as the bad Assyrians.
This was a great comfort to the people of Judah that wanted to follow God’s word. They were happy that Nahum had brought the word from God that He would change the nation and save them. The feet of the people who brought the good news that Assyria would be destroyed and would no longer be able to oppress and damage Judah would be called “good feet”.
This name of “good feet” will be applied to those of us today that bring the Good News of Salvation called the Gospel, for it tells all those who hear that Jesus came to earth to take away our sins by His sacrifice on the Cross. Believing in Him will save them from the vengeance of God the Father and from death.
This message is the most important message you can bring to others. You will be highly thought of for doing that. God will bless you and reward you and help you in every way throughout your life on earth and throughout all eternity.
So like Nahum bring the Good News that God will one day punish the wicked nations and the wicked individuals and bless those that follow God.
Warn the nations that are doing all kind of evil, abusing others, robbing others, and making themselves rich on the backs of others that they will not escape the Judgment of God for God will avenge evildoers.
Invite them to repent and to change their life. Make sure the Holy Spirit is guiding you in everything you do.