READING FOR MAY 8, 2026: NAHUM 1, 2 CORINTHIANS 10, PSALM 40:1-8
NAHUM 1 The prophet Nahum pronounces a judgment against Nineveh more detailed but not unlike what the prophet Jonah pronounced earlier against this capital city of Assyria. The extreme violence of God’s judgment described here is troublesome to many Christians. Why is God this vengeful when Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek? Does God act worse than humans are expected to act? These are fair questions to ponder. Let’s look at the details.
First of all, remember that when Jonah prophesied the destruction of Nineveh, the people repented and God relented. Jonah was upset but God said, “Should I not also have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people” (Jonah 4:11). He had compassion on Nineveh, not hatred towards them. Now once again, they have been disobedient. We know from 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles that they had mocked God in front of the people of Jerusalem and sought to destroy God’s temple and people during the time of King Hezekiah. In verse 2, God says He is a jealous God, meaning as the only true God he desires that we not worship that which is false and deceptive. It is decidedly for our own welfare that He seek this for all humanity. But we learn in verse 14 that the Assyrians worshiped carved and metal images.
In verse seven it says, “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.” Only He is all knowing and all good, as evidenced by offering refuge to all. Part of this goodness, though, is also his sinlessness, his holiness. Sin is so terrible in His eyes that it must be addressed. Although he patiently waits for our repentance, in His perfection “the Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (vs. 3).
That is why we, as limited humans, are not qualified to take vengeance on sinful people or nations. Only God has that right: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). Yet, In the midst of all this judgment against Nineveh, Nahum points to some good news: “Behold, on the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace!” (vs. 15).
This good news or “gospel” for us was ultimate suffering for Jesus, the only sinless One, who paid full price for the sins of the world: “It was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that
He carried; Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. But He
was pierced for our offenses; He was crushed for our for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him” (Isa. 53:4-6). God’s ultimate vengeance against sin was taken against Jesus, so that we can be saved from God’s wrath through faith in Him.
2 CORINTHIANS 10 Reading Paul’s letters is a lot like listening to one side of a phone conversation. The reader must glean what the other side communicates from limited information. It appears there were people in Corinth who were not fans of Paul, questioning his authority and his approach to ministry. Paul believed that his READING FOR MAY 8, 2026 CONTINUED: 2 CORINTHIANS 10, PSALM 40:1-8 reputation with some had been as stern in his writing but unimpressive in person. His preference was to interact with the Corinthians in gentleness, but he was willing to be firmer should that be needed.
Paul’s call to spiritual warfare focused on the battle for the mind. He urged the Corinthians to take every thought captive in obedience to the Lord. One teacher visualizes capturing each dis- honoring thought with a butterfly net. That’s a good way to be intentional. Paul also asserted his apostolic authority, not to build himself up, but to work for their good. To support this view, he reminded them that they heard the Gospel first from Him. In fact, Paul, as he did in his letter to the Romans, hoped they would help him continue his calling: preaching the Gospel to those who have never heard. Do we know what our calling is? Try to articulate it. Finally, he recommended that everyone praise God, not build up themselves.
PSALM 40:1-8 When we read the words, “I waited patiently for the Lord” don’t we just sense the next words will be good news? So it is in this case. About what are we waiting patiently for the Lord today? Just as the Psalmist experienced deliverance, God can deliver us, as He defines deliverance. Consider this passage from Hebrews: “Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35). Obviously whenever moms receive their kids back from death, we celebrate God’s deliverance. Being tortured to death for our faith is another matter, but the Bible calls it even a better resurrection. Can we view deliverance, life, and death from God’s perspective? It starts by waiting on God.
For those of us who are born again, the Lord has already heard our cry and reached down to rescue us. We were hopelessly stuck in a pit of muck and mire, but Jesus paid the price with His blood to save us from sinking away forever. He placed us on the solid rock. He put a new song in our hearts. It is not a lament but joyous praise to God. Remember our new solid position the next time we worship together in song. Singing is not just tradition. It is not just filling time before the main event, the sermon. It is the expression of praise from the depth of our soul to our God for saving us from eternal disaster and giving us eternal blessing. In fact, verse 3 suggests that those who witness such singing will be moved to put their trust in God. What a fantastic witness. Sing as if the eternal life of others sitting in our pew depends on it.
Verses 5-6 state an undervalued truth: Those who trust in the Lord are the most blessed. Being a believer will entail offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12.1), but the return on investment (ROI) far exceeds anything possible from Wall Street. We get the presence of the Holy Spirit to encourage, comfort, guide, and empower us; we are guaranteed eternal life; we get the fellowship of other believers around the world and throughout the centuries; and we get the constant personal attention of the wisest, most powerful, and most loving being in the universe. It is anything but gloomy. Don’t let Satan tell you otherwise.
Verses 7-8 say that God does not require burnt and sin offerings. Consider these words about burnt offerings: “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it”’ (Lev.6:8-9). Read this about sin offerings: “Also the Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord. It is most holy”’ (Lev. 6:24-25). Is this contradictory? No. Note verse 8 David says God’s law is written on his heart. As with God’s message in Isaiah 1:11-17, God abhors offerings brought by those with evil intent and deeds. Offerings must be accompanied by pureness of heart and with actions that are just.
