Sunday

Reading Through the Bible - NAHUM








Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.








NAHUM  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

34th book of the OT 
34th book of the Bible



It starts with the Greatness of God 







and continues with the Goodness of God.







It is always good to be reminded of the attributes of God. 





What is it?

The Book of Nahum is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.



How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.



When was it Written?

It is generally thought to have been written in 650 BC



Who Wrote it?

Nahum

The second part of the very first verse tells us who Nahum was

"The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite."

Presumably this word "Elkoshite" refers to his birthplace or homeplace. 


Bible Gateway tells us the following

"It prob. refers to a place, but if so, the place is unknown."




Who was it about?

It was written about the people of Ninevah as we see in
 chapter 2 verse 8:

 "Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away."






Why was it Written? 

It was written to tell of God's judgement on Ninevah the capital of Assyria.  
The same city that Jonah had been sent to and the people repented but later they had gone back to their old ways. 


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Nahum foretells of God’s judgment on Nineveh, the capital of Assyria."

which is stated in the first part of the first verse 



"Teach Sunday School" tells us the following

"... almost exclusively focuses on God's pending judgement against Nineveh .....the nation that had invaded and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel nearly a hundred years earlier."





What structure does this book take?


The Overview Bible  gives us a quick outline

  1. The Lord: Nineveh’s vengeful enemy (Nah 1)
  2. The siege of Nineveh (Nah 2)
  3. The inevitable judgment of God (Nah 3)



What is important to take away from this book?
 

The view of the nature of God in chapter 1 v 3








What other books of the Bible have something in common to Nahum?

  • Jonah also prophesied about Nineveh
  • Obadiah was also written to a foreign country





How does it end?


With a direct warning to the King of Assyria in chapter 3 v 18

    "Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria;
     Your nobles rest in the dust.
     Your people are scattered on the mountains,
     And no one gathers them."





OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 





Wednesday

10 Bible Verses of Encouragement about Love



We all need encouragement and the best place to go is to the Bible.

In this blog post I have tried to gather some Bible passages or Bible verses which will encourage us all around the topic of God's Love.








I do believe that we should not just grab a verse and read it on its own but we should always lift our bibles and read a passage of scripture to make sure that we know the real meaning and context of each of the verses we are putting our trust in. 

I pray that you will do the same and only use this list to guide you as to where you may find help.



So here are 10 Bible verses or short passages for us to turn to in times when we need to be encouraged about Love 




1.   Zephaniah 3 v 17    

Perhaps this is the first thing we need to let God do

-  quiet us with His love

Calmness.








2.   Deuteronomy 6 v 5



God instructed His people about loving HIM from the beginning.







And God has not changed so His Word to us does not change.




3.   Leviticus 19 v 18


God also instructed His people about loving OTHERS from the beginning


"You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord."


Yes it's not just a command in the New Testament.





4.   John 13 v 34



God's love may be for us but we have to remember that God does not expect us just to receive His love and keep it to ourselves.

God loves us because He is Love but He also loves us so that we can love others and in fact it is a command.



5.   John 3 v 16 

Always considered a verse about Salvation but it is also one of the best verses to show us this great love of God





the Love that caused everything else to be and gave us the only way to become His children




6.   1 John 4 v 18 





The only perfect love is the love of God and fear cannot exist where that perfect love is.    






7.   1 Chronicles 16 v 34

What have we got the example of from way back in the Old Testament?






To give thanks to God for His goodness which is the result of His everlasting Love.





8.   Proverbs 10 v 12

There is always wisdom to be learned in the book of Proverbs.








The Love of God led to the death of Jesus for our sins against the hate the enemy has towards God and us.

Let us remember that we can show God's Love instead of hate to all people. 






9.   Psalm 36 v 7







It is important that we realise, understand, acknowledge, and be thankful for His great love - it will help us to trust in Him more.











10.   1 Corinthians 16 v 14


 

 


What better way to finish than by remembering this admonition by the Apostle Paul at the end of his first letter to the Church at Corinth.












Sunday

Reading Through the Bible - JOEL









Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.








JOEL  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

29th book of the OT 
29th book of the Bible



It starts with a straight announcement in the first verse stating that it is the word of the Lord through Joel. 


So in other words  "take heed"  or   "pay attention".





What is it?

The Book of Joel is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.



How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.




Who Wrote it?

Joel

The first verse tells us who Joel was

"The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel"

 

He was the son of someone called Pethuel but it gives us no indication who Pethuel was.


The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Joel is the second minor prophet, who ministered to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. We don’t know much about him, and we don’t know much about how his message was received."





When was it Written?

It is difficult to get a true timeframe for this book as there is very little information in it about Joel.




Who was it Written to?

Nothing is mentioned about the people Joel was prophesying to in the whole of the first 2 chapters.

We see in some verses in chapter 3 that it was to the people of Judah.

"Teach Sunday School" tells us the following

"The problem dating the book of Joel comes through the fact that the prophet has very little to say about himself.  Many of the prophets name the kings under which they were serving, but Joel does not"




What destructive creature dominates the first part of this book?


The locust.





Why was it Written? 

It was written because God want to send a distinct message to the people.

Verse 13 of chapter 2 tells us God wanted the people to repent



  

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Joel explains to the people what the Lord wants from them: repentance. The Lord would soon have His day, both with Judah and the whole world. Joel’s message has two strong points:
  • God is judging Judah, but He will bless and restore them again when they repent.
  • God will judge all the nations on Judah’s behalf."


"Teach Sunday School" tells us the following

"Joel prophesied about destruction ............  He also prophesied about the Day of the Lord .......... and therefore some of his prophecies remain futuristic."

 


What does Joel state that is also good news?

The people can be glad because God has done marvelous things as this verse tells us.







The Overview Bible  tells us the following


God disciplines His people, but He also defends them. Joel says that although Judah is under God’s wrath right now, in the future holds many exciting things for the people of God:

  • The Lord will pour out His Spirit on all mankind.
  • Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.
  • The Lord will avenge Judah of her enemies.
  • Judah will again become a land of plenty.



What structure does this book take?

Chapter 1:   
  •  Locusts
Chapter 2: 
  •  Day of the Lord.
  •  Promised Deliverance
  •  Promise of the Spirit
Chapter 3:
  •  Judgement of the Nations
  •  Blessing of Judah


The Overview Bible  gives us a quick outline

  • God judges Judah (Joel 1–2)
    1. God sends a plague of locusts on Judah (Joel 1:1–2:11)
    2. God calls Judah to repent (Joel 2:12–17)
    3. God promises to restore Judah from the plague (Joel 2:18–27)
  • God judges the nations (Joel 2:28–3:21)
    1. God promises to pour out His Spirit on all mankind (Joel 2:28–29)
    2. God provides opportunity to repent before the day of the Lord (Joel 2:30–32)
    3. God judges the nations on behalf of Judah (Joel 3)







OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE