WORD @ WORK Supplement
July – September Focus
On Nahum/Habakkuk/Zephaniah
NOTES on NAHUM
By Abraham Gan
“Battling Bullies In The Marketplace”
The Biblical Book of Nahum centers on Nineveh, the capital of the then super power of the 7th & 8th Century B.C.
With its lean & mean military might, Nineveh forced its way into global preeminence. Her foreign slaves built a beautiful & sophisticated metropolis with broad boulevards and a 100 feet high perimeter wall which she believed to be impregnable. She attracted a flood of foreign merchants (3:16) trading a splendid array of exotic expensive goods & services.
She had just defeated the city of Thebes (3:8-9) a famous stronghold of Egypt. She had won the world and no one would be able to challenge her paramount position. Wrong.
Nahum prophesied its destruction by a flood (see 1:8) and in 612 BC, when besieged by the combined armies of the Babylonians & Medes, an unprecedented rain storm brought down one side of her city walls and gifted her enemies a clear passage to deal a fatal defeat (3:19) on her drenched armies.
COMFORT FOR THE BULLIED
“Nahum” means “comfort, consolation or relief.” About a 100 years earlier, the people of Judah witnessed the destruction of their neighbour, Samaria or the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Subsequently, Assyria captured several cities of Judah. In the reign of Hezekiah, God gave Judah a temporary reprieve from the Assyrian threat (see Isaiah chs.36&37). The people of God lived in a climate of fear dreading that their turn for destruction would come soon.
But Nahum brought the good news of the soon collapse of Nineveh and the beginning of a new era of peace & restoration (1:15; 2:2)
BE ENCOURAGED!
Are you currently being bullied, terrorized, intimidated or threatened by some huge unfriendly, cruel force? God will visit all arrogant tyrants with His judgment and destruction. The bigger they are, the harder they shall fall!
THE GREATER CHALLENGE
– Battling the Bullies!
When our marketplace is dominated by ruthless & God defying despots working in tandem or under the spell of spiritual principalities (1:14 cf.Eph.6:12),
the well being of our cities and nation is under a grave threat. It is imperative for us to challenge these “bullies.”
If they thrive and triumph, our future and that of our children will be in dark danger. If we allow these terrorizing forces to plunder our God given rights and inheritance, they will usher in an unbridled reign of terror in our marketplace.
There is already an invisible cloud of fear and intimidation squeezing us to conform to its control (see Romans 12:2). People are afraid to go out of their way to care & share.
The sinister mantra of the spirit of today is: Don’t be a busybody. Just mind your own business. Live your own life. Why get into trouble by getting involved with other people’s lives? Concentrate on your business & career. Enjoy your little paradise. Why jeopardize your livelihood and your family’s future by entangling yourself in other people’s affairs. Let the big government and the paid politicians handle the mess.
Are we allowing ourselves to be bullied into just a corner? Perhaps, a cozy & comfortable corner in our little universe while the rest of the people can go to H…? We need to break free from this mockery of the abundant life in Christ. Let us rise up and battle the bullies in our marketplace!
LEARN MORE
In our coming Marketplace Bible Forum
Venue: RGBC, Air Itam
Date: Sat, 18th September, 2010
Time: 3.00pm – 6.00pm Teatime begins at 2.30pm
Speaker on Nahum: Sis Josephine Yoong , MBA attends Georgetown Baptist. With her family’s support & encouragement, she runs an exciting business catering to kids & parents. Her heart is for prayer & women in biz.
SPEAKERS for Habakkuk & Zephaniah are Bro Kew Chii Shiang & Bro Eddie Ng. We will introduce them in our next Word@Work supplement
MARKETPLACE DISTINCTIVE
In Penang, we have had many good seminars led by renowned speakers. In MP, we are committed to developing our local Marketplace believers into the full potential & destiny of God has for them. Help us to promote: “Buy Penang!” We believe ‘Local Ginger is Hot Too!”
Enquiries: 016-4428080 or Email: abrahamgan@hotmail.com
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