Nahum 3:8–11

 God shows no partiality. all who call on the name of  Jesus, will be saved.

He is our ever present help in times of trouble. Listen closely to the  still, small voice of Holy Spirit.

The more deeply we understand God's love, the more willingly our hearts trust His ways. God's Word assures us, "the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases" (Lamentations 3:22). Romans 5:8 declares, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus is the ultimate example of God's love and protection. His obedience on the cross gained eternal safety in heaven for those who trust Him. Not only is Jesus a tangible example of God's love for us, but He also confirms God's desire for us, shown here in Deuteronomy, to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). First5 

Jesus, we ask for the grace to find you in the Land of Unlikeness.
Free us from the “tyranny of personal preference,” especially when love or duty calls us to greater selflessness and freedom.
May we welcome people into the sphere of our lives
who are unlike us in significant ways.
May we face adversity and hardships with your courage and trust in God.
May we do the never-ending work of securing justice for all.
During this time of unlikeness, may we be open to personal growth, change, and the broadening of our perspective on life.
We ask for these graces through the power of your Boundless, Persistent, and Daring Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Melannie Svoboda “SabbathMoments “

Nahum 3:8–11

8 Are you better than No Amon

That was situated by the River, 

That had the waters around her, 

Whose rampart was the sea, 

Whose wall was the sea? 

9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, 

And it was boundless; Put and Lubim were your helpers. 

10 Yet she was carried away, 

She went into captivity; 

Her young children also were dashed to pieces. 

At the head of every street; 

They cast lots for her honorable men, 

And all her great men were bound in chains. 

11 You also will be drunk; You will be hidden; 

You also will seek refuge from the enemy. 

The New King James Version

The destruction of the city of Thebes near the Nile River in 663 b.c. was going to be a template for the destruction of Nineveh. 

No Amon is the Hebrew name for Thebes, derived from the Egyptian name meaning “City of [the god] Amon.” The argument seems to suggest that before its destruction, no one would have even dreamed of the fall of Thebes. But the destruction had happened—not long before the writing of the Book of Nahum. The city of Thebes was rebuilt only to be destroyed later during the Roman period (29 b.c.). Nineveh, however, would never be rebuilt. The city of No Amon had many powerful allies, but they were not sufficient to protect her in her hour of need. Who would ally with Nineveh to fight off the Lord’s attack? Nineveh would be like a helpless drunk hoping for refuge but finding nowhere to turn for it. The NKJV Study Bible

This ancient city, which was associated with the foreign god Amon, is called both “No Amon” and “Thebes” (where the Hebrew refers to the city simply as “No”). Thebes, the capital of southern Egypt (Memphis was the capital of northern Egypt), was the worship center of the god Amon, who was the southern counterpart to Memphis’ Ra. The city was known for its magnificent temples and the Valley of the Dead, where many pharaohs were buried. Thebes was situated on both sides of the Nile River, which gave the city an aura of invincibility. However, the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal conquered the city in 663 bc. 

The Nile flows through the entire length of Egypt before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. Cush was a nation bordering Egypt on the south that was allied with Egypt during the Assyrian period. “Cush” is often translated as “Ethiopia,” though it is not synonymous with modern Ethiopia. Biblical Cush was the northern part of modern-day Sudan. Biblical Put is modern Libya. The Assyrians deported the inhabitants of Thebes throughout the Assyrian Empire (the Assyrian foreign policy was the same as that of the Babylonians). 

Other old testament passages also attest to children dashed to pieces, a  barbaric practice. It was a common practice, to cast lots, in the ancient Near East. Here, people cast lots to determine which of Assyria’s honored men would become slaves. Faithlife Study Bible

Isaiah 13:16 

Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;

Their houses will be plundered

And their wives ravished.

Isaiah 20:4 so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

Jeremiah 46:25 

The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who trust in him.