Is Israel The Suffering Servant?

Indeed, Israel is the suffering servant - but has not yet attained to the measure that is set, the measure that is set by Yehoshua HaMashiach for her – and only with him can she attain to it...  And already she does attain this merit with Mashiach Yehoshua, for it is he who holds her hand in all her suffering and gives her all victories, though she does not know it.  She has the merit because he is with her and will never leave or abandon her, but how shall she receive what is hers with honor and joy, the honor of the suffering servant, who redeems the lost nations?  Only when she claims the good news that is hers, his gift of himself for her, will she do this.

Glorify the Lord of Israel in the Fires

We are told that circling around the Pacific Ocean is the "ring of fire".  As the weight, the glory, of God's presence presses in on time itself, Scripture tells us that the earth will be moved, causing ever more frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.  It is within this very circle of the Pacific Ocean that the "ends of the earth" as measured from Jerusalem are to be found.  It is the coming to these "ends of the earth" of the Good News of Israel and her Messiah, the good news of the King and his Kingdom, his Kingdom of those whom he chose, though they did not choose him, it is the coming of this good news that is the true and only mark of the end - according to the word of Israel's Redeemer himself.

Isaiah 64:1-5
Oh that You would rend the heavens, that You would come down, that the mountains might flow down at Your presence, as when the melting fire burns, the fire causes the waters to boil, to make Your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!  When You did terrible things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains flowed down at Your presence.  For since the beginning of the world no one has heard, nor perceived by what they have heard, neither has any eye seen, O God, beside You, what he has prepared for those who wait for him.  You meet them who rejoice and work righteousness, those who remember You in Your ways: Look! You are angry; for we have sinned: in this confession is our sustainability, and we shall be saved.

Isaiah 24:14,15
They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the oceans.  Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the seas.

And the prophecy was given to Elijah to bring the understanding of these signs, as it says,

 1 Kings 19:12
      And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

For the earthquakes and the fires are only for preparation, in order that we, the Human Race, might know our need for mercy.  But the heart of God is not in the anger or the expression of the possible merciless sentence of death for the Human Race.  The heart of God is in the grace of the quiet and gentle voice of mercy and salvation - which will be heard when He has finally brought us all to silence in His courtroom.

Talking About Nahum

ESV's Introduction to The Book of Nahum http://biblia.com/

When Jonah preached repentance on the streets of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the people responded and were spared. A century later, sometime between 663 and 612 b.c., Nahum preached in a time when Nineveh would not repent. Nineveh, which had destroyed Israel’s northern kingdom in 722, itself fell to Babylon in 612—just a few years after Nahum’s warning. The Assyrians were notorious for the brutality of their treatment of other nations. Nahum declared, however, that God is sovereign: he punishes whom he will, and they are powerless to stop him. Much of Nahum’s prophecy was directed to the people of Judah, who could rejoice at the good news (1:15) of Nineveh’s impending fall.

Yehoshua (Jesus) the Messiah of Israel, identified the sign that Nineveh received from Jonah having been dead for three days and three nights - which brought them to a measure of repentance - with the sign that Israel would receive from his being dead for three days and three nights and then coming to them again.  This is the background for Talking About Nahum.

In Nahum 1:9 we read that the God of Israel will not allow iniquity to rise up a second time.  When the prophecy is fully studied and understood it will be realized that there is an ultimate prophetic reading to this statement.  It will be seen to apply to the whole history of the world.  God has designed the history of redemption in such a way that He not only will deal with the first uprising of iniquity which has characterized this whole world and its history from its beginning, He will also deal with it in a way that makes it as certain as His word that iniquity can never rise up a second time.  This is the crown of the Good News.  Therefore, this is a most precious study for us to undertake.

A person needs to be prepared inwardly to come to this understanding.  It is not enough to simply read about it in the form of a conclusion.  One needs to be a disciple, a student of the word of the Messiah of Israel.  Even to come this far you had to have some interest in the Book of Nahum.  That is unusual.  Hopefully, you were drawn to this interest by the Holy Spirit.  If you follow on from here in this study you will find it a little difficult.  If you continue on you will come to the realization of its promise.

In the following study section you will find a few of my notes in the following format:

MCK NOTE ->   ..............

RESOURCE STUDY SECTION

First See Rabbi Greenbaum's notes on Nahum 1 posted here:

http://www.youversion.com/users/Benjamin-ben-Nathan/notes

Talking About Nahum: Part One - Resources and Orientation for Hope and Faith

• 2 Peter 3:9 KJV
  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1 Peter 5:9  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. (NASB: Lockman)

-> 

1 Peter 5:9 Commentary

1 Aug 2010 ... (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word Pub) ..... 106:43, 44, 45, 46; Is 30:18, 19, 20, 21; Lam 3:32; Micah 7:7, 8, 9; Nah1:12 ... In turning us to God -Deut 4:30,31; Neh 1:8,9; Ps 78:34; Is 10:20,21; Ho 2:6,7 ... Only the KJV is free with this download but you can also download a ... www.preceptaustin.org/1_peter_59.htm

MCK NOTE -> Knowing that the faithfulness of the faithful is based upon the faithfulness of the God of Israel, who is faithful in that He tempers His judgment with mercy:

Nahum 1:12  

"Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more."

Tempered with mercy -

Ps 78:38,39; 106:43, 44, 45, 46; Is 30:18, 19, 20, 21; Lam 3:32; Micah 7:7, 8, 9

Talking About Nahum: 
Part Two - 


Resources and Orientation for Faith to Face Judgment

Ezekiel 7:1-13

1 Aug 2010 ... (The Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Translation: 1995. ..... Let usboldly petition God for 5 things as did David, "Search me, ..... "own possession" (KJV"peculiar treasure", NIV "treasured possession") (Ex19:5)! ... (Nah1:6) The answer is that only those whose "life is hidden with Christ ... www.preceptaustin.org/ezekiel_71-13.htm

The question the prophet Nahum posed applies to every person ever born -- "Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken up by Him."  (Nahum1:6)

Talking About Nahum: Part Two - Resources and Orientation for Faith to Enter Eternal Life

THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD, 'A DISASTER, UNIQUE DISASTER, BEHOLD IT IS COMING: (Nahum1:9)

...described by Jesus as "a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall." (Mt24:21)

MCK NOTE -> But what is the second part of Nahum 1:9?  The very perfection and completion of the affliction means that affliction share not rise up the second time.

1:9 What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

MCK NOTE -> Now this is to say that affliction from the Lord against His people will not rise up the second time because the affliction of iniquity itself shall be brought to an utter end in the world and shall not rise up a second time.

If we narrow in on a couple of words, we can begin to clarify what it is that this verse is saying:

⁹ Whatever you (imagine) devise ^R23 against the LORD,

He will make a complete ^R24 end of it.

Distress (affliction) will not rise up twice.

R23: Psalms 2:1; Nahum 1:11 

R24: Isaiah 28:22 

Book of Isaiah - NASV

Chapter 28:22  - And now do not carry on as scoffers, Or your fetters will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts, Of decisive destruction on all the earth. In reference to this - Chapter 10:22 - For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

"Imagine" or "devise" is in Strongs:    02803: 2803 chashab khaw-shab' a primitive root; properly, to plait or interpenetrate, i.e. (literally) to weave or (gen.) to fabricate; figuratively, to plot or contrive (usually in a malicious sense); hence (from the mental effort) to think, regard, value, compute:--(make) account (of), conceive, consider, count, cunning (man, work, workman), devise, esteem, find out, forecast, hold, imagine, impute, invent, be like, mean, purpose, reckon(-ing be made), regard, think. We might translate it: "Design" or "plan"...  It is interesting that in one place this word, "chashab,", is translated, "compute".  So we would have:  : "Whatever you design against the Lord..."  Or, "Whatever you plan against the Lord..."  We might paraphrase it in this way: "Whatever strategy that you devise against the Lord..." In the context of Nahum's prophecy, "against the Lord" means against Jerusalem. The name translated here as "Lord" is The Name, HaShem, the unique name used of God only as the God of Israel. "Affliction" or "distress" is in Strongs: 06869:  tsarah tsaw-raw' feminine of 6862; tightness (i.e. figuratively, trouble); transitively, a female rival:--adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble. The masculine of, "tsarah," is in Strongs: 06862:  tsar tsar or tsar {tsawr}; from 6887; narrow; (as a noun) a tight place (usually figuratively, i.e. trouble); also a pebble (as in 6864); (transitive) an opponent (as crowding):--adversary, afflicted(-tion), anguish, close, distress, enemy, flint, foe, narrow, small, sorrow, strait, tribulation, trouble. We might paraphrase:  "Whatever you design or plan, whatever strategy you devise, against the God of Israel, He will make an utter end of it!  The adversary will not rise up the second time."

Commentary Section

From Rabbi Greenbaum's Notes:  While the classical commentators explain Nahum's prophecies about the coming doom of Nineveh as referring to its overthrow by Nebuchadnezzar, Targum Yonasan also interprets the same prophecies as alluding to the future destruction at the end of days of all the nations that harmed Israel. As a prophecy of vengeance against her enemies, Nahum's message, although fearsome and doom-laden, is a consolation to Israel. 

The Good News:

To render the Hebrew of Nahum 1:9 as literally as we can, we might translate:  "What do you scheme against HaShem?" The openness of the question, the openness of "What?" and the openness of "you", in the context of the thought of Nahum's prophecy allows us to conclude that it is the evil inclination that is ultimately addressed. 

The evil inclination is otherwise called, "the flesh", where that term indicates the fallen nature of rebellion against God, where it has not been tamed by the influence of the Holy Spirit.  In its extreme manifestation it is represented by the King of Assyria arrogantly coming to overflow Jerusalem and her witness to the God of Israel, the Creator and Redeemer of the heavens and earth.  If that anti-Messiah will not rise up the second time it is because the evil of sin in the heart and soul of Humanity, iniquity, will be completely brought to an end by the victory of the merciful righteousness of God.  

Nahum as Revealing The Crown of The Good News:

Luke 21:24: And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

To Be Continued


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