Please have your Bibles open to the Old Testament Spanish and stand with me as you have your Bibles open to chapter 2. Tonight we're going to be reading verses 4 all the way to verse 15 to the end of the chapter. Even though there are five nations that are mentioned here, it's really one message. and we'll see the common denominator in this message. So we begin with verse 4 of Tzvanya chapter 2. This is the reading of God's Word. For Gaza will be forsaken and Ashkelon a desolation. Ashdod will be driven out at noon and Ekron will be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Keratites. The word of Yahweh is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines, and I will make you perish so that there will be no inhabitant. So the sea coast will be pastors, with caves for shepherds and folds for flocks, and the coast will be for remnant of the house of Yehudah. They will feed upon it in the houses of Ashkelon. They will lie down at evening, for Yahweh their God will care for them and restore their fortune. I have heard the reproach of Moab and the revilings of the sons of Ammon, which you have reproached my people and magnified themselves against their territory. Therefore, as I live, declares Yavitz Vahot, Elohe Israel, surely Moab will be like Sodom and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah, a place possessed by nettles and salt pits and perpetual desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them, and the remainder of my nation will inherit them. This they will have in return for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Yahweh Tzva'ot. Yahweh will be fearsome to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth, and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place. You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by my sword, and he will stretch out his hand against the north and cause a shore to perish, and he will make Nineveh a desolation, parched like the wilderness. Flocks will lie down in her midst, all the beasts of the nation, both the pelican and the hedgehog. will lodge in the tops of the pillars. Their voice will sing in the window. Ruin will be on the threshold, for he has laid bare the cedar work. This is the exultant city, which inhabits securely, who says in her heart, I am, and there is no one besides me. How she has become an object of horror, a resting place for beasts. Everyone who passes by her will hiss and wave his hand in contempt. Amen. Please be seated. Now let's make a very brief preliminary observation. We read a very lengthy passage. This is atypical for our Bible study, which we usually take a smaller portion of scripture and dive in depth. Tonight it will be a change of pace. We will speed up the pace. We will look at God's prophetic judgment through the prophet Spaniel against these five named nations and peoples. in a holistic format because there's only really one message. The message is that God will judge every one of these nations. Now there are different reasons. but they're singularly one common denominator. That is that they oppose God and his people and they deserve his wrath and his judgment. That's the common denominator of all these five nations. Now you notice right away that some of these peoples are given much volume. Others like Ethiopia, it's just one tiny little verse, verse 12. You also, that's the kushim, right? This is the kush. The old Ethiopians will be slain by my sword. No reason is given. We don't know why, but that they will perish. And so we do need to do a little bit of background information when there is none. However, there are a lot of details here. There's a lot of material for the Philistines. There's a lot of material for the Assyrians. And in between there are some regarding the sins of Moab and Ammon. But we find that these nations, some are near Israel, Others, like Ethiopia, or here in this case, Assyria, is very far. Others are close neighbors, like the Philistines, the five city-states along the Mediterranean coast. Only four of the five are mentioned here. There's one city-state that's missing, and we'll talk about that. But others, Ammon and Moab, are close neighbors, as well as they are close relatives of Israel. So we'll tap into a little bit of the background about that. Only enough sufficiently so we'll get a sense. Why are these nations mentioned here? And is Spania the first one to mention judgments against these nations. And if you're familiar with the Old Testament, you'll immediately get a sense, no, this is not the first prophet. Other prophets have pronounced similar judgments against these nations. And so why are these nations mentioned, particularly these five? Ah, it fits in right in with the structure of the book of Tzfanya that begins with the general judgment against the whole inhabitants of the earth and it ends with a rich blessings for the earth and of course with Israel. In chapter three what we're going to see is that God's judgment against Israel especially the capital city of the southern kingdom Yehuda Yerushalayim, Jerusalem. And so what we have is a development. God's judgment against the nations, but God's judgment of discipline against Jerusalem. And so there's a crescendo, there's a development. And when we get to chapter three, we'll develop that. For now, it is sufficient for us to recognize that God has given Spania a specific mission to proclaim this message. There is no evidence that Spania ever visited these areas. God did not call him to go over there and proclaim the message as he told a prophet like Jonah. He said, go to Nineveh, that great city. And so Jonah went the opposite direction, but God redirected him through the great fish by sending a storm. We all know that story. Jonah finally landed in Nineveh and he proclaimed the message as he walked through the city. But here there's absolutely no evidence that Spaniel was ever told to do such a thing. So why is this message given to Israel in the inspired Word of God in the Hebrew language and yet it's talking about other nations. Well, obviously there's twofold reason. Number one, it is to assure the people of Israel that God's Word is true and certain and that this message is a testament to all these nations that God had already proclaimed it before he sent the judgment. And it will be a testament to all generations that God is a God of justice, that he will not leave unrighteous and wicked and evil nations intact. And so we're going to see what has become of each one of these nations in summary. And that we're going to find that central message throughout this entire section of scripture. Now Tzbanyah follows the footsteps of Amos of Tekoa, the prophetic footsteps. Amos was sent to the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Yerovam II, around 760 BC, prior to the fall of Shomron, that's Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel and the divided kingdom. Who sacked Shomron? The Assyrians did, Ashur, the greatest and the most powerful empire at this time in history. All the nations were paying tribute to Ashur for over a century. That was a powerful, powerful nation. America has enjoyed about a century of prominence, not quite. It's only after World War II we became a very prominent superpower. But even before then, America was on its ascendancy. Well, let me assure you that Assyria enjoyed the superpower status for much longer than that. And of course, Babylon came and sacked Assyria. The Medians and the Babylonians allied together and went against a stronger opponent, Assyria, and defeated Assyria. So Assyria is mentioned here. Amos of Tekoa was sent to the Northern Kingdom to call the Northern Kingdom to repentance because God says that he has raised up Assyria to punish Israel. God also raised up another prophet named Nahum and said, preach against Assyria. The entire book of Nahum is a judgment prophecy against Nineveh, Assyria. So Bible has a lot to say about the nations. Why? God is the God of the nations. He's not just the God of the Israelites. He's the God of the world. Just read Genesis and the table of nations in Genesis chapter 10. Now we're all part of the human family, Adam and Eve. We're all descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. And we are all descendants of the families of the earth. There's only one race, that's the human race, and God is the God of them all. Therefore, he is the judge of the whole earth. And this is what we find here, God judging. Back to Amos. Amos not only pronounced the judgment against Israel for Israel's sins, but also pronounced God's judgment against the surrounding nations also. So Tzvanya is following the prophetic footsteps of Amos, who came over a hundred years before Tzvanya. Like Amos, God gave his word of judgment against the surrounding nations of Israel. Now, these five nations mentioned here are grouped into three groups. First, there's Philistia, and then there's Moab and Ammon together, and then Ethiopia is just a tiny little sliver, and Ethiopia and Assyria go together. Now, what is the message God is sending to Israel and to her surrounding nations? Well, God is sovereign, that he has pronounced judgment. His word pronounces judgment, and in a retributive way, he will repay the nations for their evil against God and his people. These nations have committed blasphemy against the Lord and has committed heinous evil against his people. Since this message is embedded into an eschatological framework, we shall consider the ultimate message to all the hearers of the word of God who hear this message. As we will see in chapter 3, some of the most severest judgments actually come upon God's people, Israel. But one thing, God preserves Israel, but the nations will not escape His judgments. So let's take a look at God's judgment against first Philistia. What is Philistia's grave sin? Four cities are mentioned here, Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron. From the southernmost of the Mediterranean coast, Gaza, to the northernmost city of Ekron, along the Mediterranean coast. Now the reason why the fifth city, Gath, is not mentioned here is because it's already destroyed by the Assyrians in 711 BC by Sargon II. Now words of devastation are used to portray God's severe judgments here. Take a look at this phrase, driven out at noon. That's an idiom for sudden and easy defeat. Sudden and easy defeat. It's like our English idiom, I'm going to swallow that thing whole, right? Sudden and easy defeat, driven out at noon. Now look at verse 5. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Keratites. Let's do a quick review. Kerati is the Hebrew pronunciation. And what does that sound like in English? It sounds like Crete. That's exactly what it is. Crete is Keret. And this is Kereti, the Kerethites, the people from Crete. These are the seafaring people who came in their boats and migrated. up north along the Mediterranean coast and came up and settled in the land of Canaan in about 12th century BC. So this is after Israel came out of the exodus as they settled all of a sudden all these seafaring people started migrating and they brought with them tremendous technology and incredible military prowess. So the Philistines even though they were few in number They had tremendous technological advantage over Israel. And these were seafaring people, and so they used the boats for fishing. Their god, chief god, Dagon, in Hebrew, Dag is fish. So it's a head of a fish and a body of a man. So these were seafaring people who worshipped the sea deity. So the Kerati, or the Philistines, as the Philistim, as the Hebrews call them, but they're from the Keret. Now if you recall, David had an entourage of bodyguards and they were foreign mercenaries. Remember the Keretites and Peletites? Now, if you read your Old Testament, you go, yeah, those words seem familiar. Yeah, these were mercenaries, people from different regions. One was from Kedath, and so these were Philistines who sided with David and who were paid soldiers, soldiers of fortune, soldiers of war, who became the professional bodyguards for David. So they're not always bad, especially if they're siding with David. But as we recall in Israel's history, the Philistines were a huge thorn on the side of Israel, and they perverted Israel's worship as they dominated over Israel during the period of Judges. And one of them, Israel's Judge Samson, was seduced by the Philistines and one of the Philistine women. So as we remember that, that's part of the history. But verse 5 begins with a woe, that is a pronouncement of judgment to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of Crete. A woe to judgment pronounced against the Philistines who settled in the land of Canaan. The word of Yahweh is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. O Canaan, land of the Philistines. This title and reference indicates that the fate of the Philistines will be just like the fate of the Canaanites. That's why the woe is pronounced here. O Canaan, the land of the Philistines. Remember Canaan? He was the son of Ham. And Ham made an egregious sin against his father Noah after Noah became drunk and was uncovered in his tent. And Ham went and told his brothers about it. And Noah got up and pronounced a curse. Cursed is Kanaan. An abject of slaves, slave of slaves will he be. And so here are the Canaanites. Later on, Canaanites was a pejorative term that pointed to merciless, ruthless tradesmen, businessmen, those financiers who live by their trade. And so all these themes are wrapped around the judgment against this ungodly group of people. and they were neighbors to Israel. Yes, they came in as settlers, migrants, they became neighbors, and a part of Israel's history, they were the overlords. But what does God say? And I will make you perish so that there will be no inhabitant. For centuries, the Philistines became a thorn on the side of Israel. And only briefly, only briefly, were they subdued under David and Solomon? Under David and Solomon, they were subdued and subjugated and they became subjects. But as you see, the culture and the lifestyle and the means of production of the Philistines and the Israelites were very different. The Philistines, I said, were seafaring people. And so they went into the sea and there was a fishing industry. And then they farmed very near the coast. And they didn't go anywhere else. They liked the western coast because Crete was very much like that. The weather, the temperature, and the land, the topography, everything about the Mediterranean coast was suited for their desire and their likability. They came with tremendous technology of iron, they had iron implementation and farming tools. They didn't share those with the Israelites. They used that against the Israelites to subjugate them. And so apart from David and Solomon's power over the Philistines, the Philistines became a very negative influence and persecutors of the Israelites. And then for the most part, because they had their own life and they were basically regionally separated by five city states, they kind of did their own thing. And Israelites, well, they were kind of forced to go up in the lower foothills and to the hill area. and they farmed there and they were shepherds and so forth and so they kind of left each other alone so when the superpowers came it wasn't too difficult for them to cohabitate pay tribute and so as the politics changed they just left each other alone so there was that as well and yet notice what God says God is purposing a devastating judgment that will be complete. That's why he says, I will make you perish so that there will be no inhabitant, no more Philistines. That's exactly what the scripture says. The Philistine settlement that began in the 12th century BC is now proclaimed by God to disappear. After God finishes them off, there will be no more. Verse six, so the sea coast will be pastures with caves and shepherds and folds for flocks. Their once inhabited cities with grand architecture, temples, their technological advancements and warrior culture will be all gone, their navy all gone, their ships all gone. And what's gonna be left of the land? Open pastures for the shepherds. No more warfare from the Philistines. But peace will return upon the land when God deals with them once for all. Look at verse 7. And the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Yehudah. God will give back the Judahites their ancestral land by removing the Philistines. They will feed upon it, and the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening. Now in Zechariah, you can go there if you want, in chapter 9 verse 6 it says this, And those of illegitimate birth will inhabit Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And this is exactly what the Assyrians have done. They came and not only crushed that land, but they had a foreign policy of plucking people and transporting them elsewhere. The Babylonians carry that to the further extent. They took the people from this area and forced them to resettle here and they took the Philistines and scattered them all over. They took them out of their ancestral lands so that they will lose their heritage and identity and their language. So after a few generations, they were intermarried, intermixed, they were scattered over the vast empires of Assyria and later Babylonia, and there were no more. So what do we say about the Palestinians? Well, that's an unfortunate term that the British gave to the ancient peoples who lived there, the Philistine, they called that land Palestine, and the ragtag bunch of mongrel people that were not associated with the Ancestral Philistines or the people from Khaftur or here, Keratites or from Crete. These are not the Philistines. These are Mongol people that the superpowers of the ancient past has transplanted. And so unfortunately, they're Muslim and with a new religion that popped up in the 7th century, They now have rooted themselves and given themselves an identity as the Palestinian people and they're once again becoming a thorn on Israel's side. Well, Spaniel does not give any reason why God is punishing Philistia because God had already given the reason to Amos over a hundred years prior. So let's take a look at Amos chapter 1 verse 6 and look at the reason why God pronounces such judgment upon Philistia. Amos 1.6 Thus says Yahweh, for three transgressions of Gaza and for four, I will not turn back its punishment because they took away into exile whole community of exiles to deliver up to Edom. Notice what God says, because they took away into exile whole community of exiles, literally says whole of exiles, whole exiles. This indicates that Philistines use their military superiority to enslave an entire group of people, not just families, not just tribes, not just cities, but entire people groups and sold them into slavery to neighboring nations. Men, women, children sold for financial gain because they're not interested in capturing people and put them to servitude like the Egyptians did. but these were mercenary people, warlike people. They would go to war to enslave people and then sell them as slaves into other nations. They were an entire nation of slave traders. For this grave sin of brutality, God will wipe them off the face of the earth so that they will no longer be identified with their language, their religion, or their people group. God had done this in history through the Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar. So you see why, even though Nebuchadnezzar is considered an evil king, Babylon an evil empire, and its influence continues on to the very end of the age in Mystery Babylon and Commercial Babylon in the Book of Revelation, you see why the false religion that began in Babylon continues, why God still uses Babylon, why God raised up this great superpower. is to punish evildoers like this. So God raises up one nation to punish another nation, and God raises up another nation to punish that punishing nation. This is God's retributive justice throughout history. So he makes the nations rise and fall. And so history clearly shows that God is sovereign. And then it says, for Yahweh their God will care for them and restore their fortune. That's a wonderful, comforting message to Yehudah, the citizens of Israel in the southern kingdom of Judah. Philistines plundered Israel but Yahweh will restore Israel's fortune while making Philistia disappear from the map. So good application here. is to know that God is a God of retributive justice. He's a God of holy vengeance and also he is a God of benevolent restoration. He evens out the score and he punishes evildoers and he comforts those who are persecuted. No nation or individuals who gain by plunder shall stand before God. Their brutality is remembered and will be judged by God, and their plunder will be returned back to those who fear God. That's a very comforting message for Israel, and it should be a comforting message for us. So do not take vengeance into your own hands. Trust God. He knows, He sees, He is not asleep, and He will take action. It may not be according to our liking, it may not be according to our timing, but in this perfect way, He will do it. Secondly, let's take a look at God's judgment against Amon and Moav. Now we put these two nations together, but because they're actually brothers, Amon and Moav are brothers. Verse 8, I have heard the reproach of Moav and the revilings of the sons of Amon. Usually, Amon and Moab, they're mentioned together because they're similar in their pagan idolatry and depravity. In Isaiah 16, verse six, it says this, Yeshayahu chapter 16, verse six, we have heard of the pride of Moab, an excessive pride. Even of his lofty pride, pride and fury, his idol boasts are false. Here's another one in Yirmiyahu chapter 48 verse 29. We have heard of the pride of Moav. He is very proud of his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance, and the exaltedness of his heart. Now notice, what do we see in the character of this people, this people group? Well this individual, Moav, And his brother Amon, if you know, if you go back to Genesis and the sordid story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, it's interesting that God mentions Sodom and Gomorrah here as he talks about the judgment of Amon and Moab. It's that Lot lost everything including his wife and he fled to the mountains with his two daughters and he got drunk. not by himself, but his daughters got him drunk and committed incest and they became pregnant. And they produced a son each. One was Amon, the other is Moab. So Lot and Lot and Abraham were cousins. Lot was a nephew and Abraham was the uncle. So this makes Amon and Moab distant cousins of Israel. And Amon and Moab were brothers. They always lived next to each other. Amon lived in the hill country, Moab lived in the Transjordan. And so these distant cousins, the people of the offspring of immorality and incest, isn't that interesting that they're very proud? That's one characteristic of Moab. There's some people who just constantly boast about themselves. And those individuals can find their spiritual ancestor in Moab. Let's look at what else God says in verse 8. I've heard the reproach of Moab and the revilings of the sons of Ammon with which they have reproached my people. Ah, here it is. God is angry against these arrogant people who reproached Israel. It says reproach my people and magnify themselves against their territory. They have exalted themselves. And what does the scripture teach us about the character of God? He hates this. He opposes the proud and he gives grace to the humble. So this is God who will put down the pride. Why is this such a terrible sin? Because the bragger, the boastful individual in a nation just doesn't just talk about their greatness. They act upon it. their folly. So we remember in history Moab's king Balak hired an internationally known soothsayer named Balaam to curse Israel. Of course God would not allow him to curse Israel, blessed him, blessed Israel. Balaam tried to curse three times. God turned those three attempts of cursing into blessings. And the Ammonites in Amos chapter 1 verse 13 it says this, Ko Amar Yahweh, thus says Yahweh for three transgressions of the sons of Ammon and for four I will not turn back its punishment because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilad in order to enlarge their borders. Gilad is that rich farmland in the Transjordan in order to enlarge their borders. These are wicked people, ruthless, brutal people that would treat pregnant women like this. It means that there's no conscience. Some people are so brutal, arrogant, brutal, wicked people. When a prideful people practice cruelty against the helpless, God does not remain silent, nor does he remain still. The wicked are so arrogant and boastful, they don't fear the Lord. They don't know that they're marked for his judgment and condemnation. Verse 9 says, Therefore as I live, declares Yavitz Vahot. Look at the military term here. a military title for the Lord, Yahweh of the armies, Yahweh of hosts, Elohe Israel, the full title, the God of Israel. Surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Bnei Amon, the sons of Amon like Gomorrah, a place possessed by nettles and salt pits and perpetual desolation. the remainders of these two cities, Sloan and Gomorrah, which God destroyed because of their immorality and violence. These are the characteristics of wicked people, arrogant, self-exalting people who treat others with brutality. Here is God's retributive justice. Interesting, it's ironic statement of God's judgment against the Moabites and the Ammonites that's connected to their birth. Isn't that interesting? God destroyed these two cities for the violence and immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah, but they're mentioned as part of God's retributive justice in the very event. When did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? At the very time when Amon and Moab were conceived in the wombs of their incestuous mothers. Very ironic as well as picturesque way of bringing the readers back to their history and saying these are arrogant and cruel and immoral people. They have nothing to be boastful for and yet they exalt themselves. The remnant of my people will plunder them, God says, and the remainder of my nation will inherit them. God will ensure not only retributive justice for the destruction of these people, because they plunder God's people, God will ensure that they will be plundered by God's people. So in the future, Israel will take over these lands and the Ammonites and the Moabites will be no more. Verse 11, Yahweh will be fearsome to them for he will starve all the gods of the earth and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to him, everyone from his own place. Now verse 11 is a summarization of what would happen to when these people are gone, their religion is gone, their idolatry is gone. And so it mentions the coastlands, which just mentioned the Philistines, and it mentioned the gods of all the earth. And so this is God's retributive justice, not only against the people, but against the false religion. And who promotes the false religion of the peoples? The demons do. According to 1 Corinthians, Apostle Paul says, I don't want you to be partakers of demons. who are behind idolatry, idolatrous worship, temples, demons. So God is pronouncing his judgment against the spiritual realm as well. Now, we also need to take a step back and look at the positive side of it. That's God's mercy and his grace. There are two women, one Moabite named Ruth, married an Israelite, Boaz. who became the ancestor of King David and through whom the Messiah came. What a marvelous act of God's grace to a Moabite, right? There's another woman named Naama, the Ammonite, who married Solomon and gave birth to Rehovam. Of course, through Solomon, of course, this child was born. So God gives grace even to those people who don't deserve it. Most of Moabite and Ammonite history was one of hostility, pride, and cruelty. So what is God saying? Well, God is saying that he will repay them according to their evil and their cruelty and their pride. He will crush them. So we've seen God's judgments against the Philistines, against Amon Moab, and thirdly now we come to the final two groups of people, Ethiopia, that's Kush, Kushim here, and Assur, Assyria. Verses 12 to 15. Verse 12, you also, you also, oh Ethiopians, also points to the fact that the judgment of the previous group, Amal Moab, will also fall upon the Ethiopians. Will be slain by my sword. The prophecy against Kush here, Ethiopians, is very brief. And we don't know why. But thankfully Isaiah, Prophet Isaiah gives us some context. Take a look at Yeshayahu chapter 18. Chapter 18 verses 1 and 2 and let's take a look at some of the features and the reason why God will put the Ethiopians to the sword. You find that Cush was a Hamite. descendant of Ham as was Canaan and Cush settled in what we would call southern Egypt or neighboring Egypt so that would be Ethiopia, Sudan and part Egyptian so that area So Yesheo 18 verse 1, it says, Alas, O land of warring wings, which lies beyond the rivers of Cush, here's Ethiopia, which sends envoys by the sea, even in papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters, go swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth. Now look at the stature of these people, tall and smooth, to a people feared far and wide. They were feared. Why? Because they're great warriors. Strong, right? Tall and smooth. A powerful and oppressive nation. Look at the character. They know they're strong. They know they're good fighters. They know that they're tall and intimidating. And they're oppressive. Whose land the rivers divide. Right? Whose land the rivers divide. Of course, this river is the Nile, and they live in a really nice part. of northern Africa there. So history indicates that the Kushites once controlled even Egypt, the Egyptian dynasty, and they were feared because they were incredible warriors. In Yeshayahu chapter 20 it says this, in Yahweh said, verse 3, Yeshayahu 20 verse 3, Yahweh said, So the Melech Ashur, the king of Assyria, will lead away the captives of Mitzrayim, Egypt, and the exiles of Kush, Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Mitzrayim. See the power and the influence of the Ethiopians are far and wide. So ethnically speaking today there are Sudanese, some are Ethiopian, some Eritrean, some Egyptian. That's that region of the people. These are North African people who were historically known for their ferocity. And yet here The prophecy is they will be captured, chained, enslaved, stripped naked. And so what happened here to the Ethiopians, the Kushites, the final group of people that God pronounces his judgment are the Assyrians. Assyrians were the ones who defeated the Ethiopians and shamed them. And it's interesting that they're tied with the Assyrians. God says, oh, Ethiopia, you were once very powerful. You controlled the whole northern Africa. You were feared by all the people. You produced some of the great warriors. You were warlike people, but you will be crushed. And this is the final group, verse 13. And he will stretch out his hand against the north and cause Ashur to perish. And he will make Nineveh, or Nineveh, desolation, parched like the wilderness. I mean this is just like unfathomable, unfathomable, unimaginable. So could you imagine someone saying God will turn New York City like Sahara Desert. God will make the entire continent of North America like Antarctica. Only penguins and fish will be living there. I mean, who would believe that? That's just unimaginably difficult to believe for the modern man. Now, that's the way that the first readers of this text would have thought. What? How is that ever going to happen? A desolation? Are you kidding? Ninhui is the most populous city in the world at the time. So imagine, Somebody saying that the most populous nation, the most populous city in the world will be like a desolation? Parched like the wilderness? Unimaginable! It had double walls, outer wall and an inner wall. I mean, who's gonna conquer this impregnable city? It had 1,200 towers and 14 humongous gates surrounding the outer wall and the inner walls were just as impressive and impenetrable. Within the city, there were 46 acre armory filled with the king's chariots, weapons of war, horses, I mean, it was impregnable, undefeatable. To imagine such a mighty city would be barren and wasteland is just truly fantastic. The walls were 100 foot tall. No one has ever seen walls like that. It's the tallest walls known in the ancient world. And when you got up, that's 10 stories high, by the way. And when you got up on high, you can have three chariots running side by side. The walls are highways that were so wide. Verse 14 says, flocks will lie down in our midst, all the beasts of the nation, both pelican and the hedgehog will lodge in the tops of our pillars. These are wild animals that just come and just rest on a tree or some undisturbed terrain. but they will rest on the lodge of our pillars and the voice will sing in the window. Ruin will be on the threshold for he has laid bare their cedar work." Cedar work points to beautiful, expensive, sweet wood that's used to decorate the inner rooms. The whole thing will be destroyed. their luxurious life, their technologically advanced society, their militarily impossible, undefeatable power will all come to ruin. It's just a fantastic, fantastic prophecy. Might as well believe that Boy Scouts will conquer Soviet Union. It's just too difficult for most minds to conceive and yet God says He's going to do this. And he has done it. He's raised up the Medians and the Babylonians to ally together and go at it. And then God sent a storm, a flood, to destroy and bring nothing to the walls so that they can penetrate and capture the city. It's just an amazing, amazing feat of God's work. work of God in history. Verse 15, this is the exultant city which inhabits securely. Now take a look. Number one, exultant city. That's very luxurious, right? Prideful. And then, which inhabits securely. When people think that they're strong and secure, they become very prideful and arrogant. And notice what kind of blasphemous thoughts that they entertain. This is how the typical Ninevite thought, the Assyrians, who says in our heart, I am and there is no one besides me. That's just totally blasphemous. That is a saying that God says about himself in Deuteronomy 32, 39, also in Isaiah 45, 6. See now that I, I am he and there is no God besides me. It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal and there is no one who can deliver from my hand." You know what? These pagan kings and these pagan citizens and pagan warriors of Assyria in the capital city of Nineveh thought this and said this. We're the greatest nation in the world, most powerful, undefeated, most wealthy, most secure. Our parents have enjoyed a wonderful life. We will enjoy a wonderful life and we will leave a wonderful life for our children. This is the kind of thinking that goes wrong in the minds of the superpower nations. that is corrupt, that is prideful, arrogant, and yet they don't know that they're marked for judgment by God. There are only two empires which claim this exalted deified status of blasphemy. One was Assyria and the other was Babylon. The two greatest empires known in history in the ancient world. And where are they now? Incidentally, Nineveh, Ashur, Assyria is northern Iraq. If you go from Iraq, the southern Iraq would be Babylon, northern Iraq would be the Kurds, where the Kurds live. It's still Iraq politically, but that's where the Assyrian Empire, that's where Nineveh was. It's completely barren, right? Desert land. So let's take a look at Yeshayahu chapter 47. Yeshayahu chapter 47. Let's read a couple of verses here. Isaiah 47, verse 8. So now hear this, you sensual one who sits securely, who says in your heart, this is of course prophecy against Babel, Babylon, right? I am and there is no one besides me. Hey, that's the same thing that the Assyrians, Nineveh, that's what they said. Yeah, that's blasphemous. Only God says I am and there's no one beside me. But these people think that they're gods. They're mortal. They're powerful. And notice what Babylon says, I will not sit as a widow, nor know loss of children. I will never, ever experience widowhood or childlessness, which is impoverishment. Verse 10, you felt secure in your evil and said, no one sees me. Your wisdom and your knowledge have turned you astray, so you have said in your heart, I am and there is no one besides me." Verse 10. Twice in this chapter, Babylon is self-deceived with the mind of Satan. Who says this? Satan said that. He says, I will ascend to the Most High. In Yesheo chapter 14, I will make myself like the Most High. And of course God says in Yeshua 14-15, nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. And that's exactly what happened to these mighty empires. All mighty empires crumble, tumble, and are crushed. Why? Because they become proud, arrogant, and self-exalting. So God puts them down. God raises up another nation to defeat them. How she has become an object of horror, back to Tsvanya, a resting place for beasts. Everyone who passes by her will hiss and wave his hand in contempt. This is the old ancient Near Eastern way of showing contempt. God sent the prophet Nahum to prophesy against Asshur in mid-7th century BC. And this is what Nahum said in Nahum chapter 1 verse 8. This is one of the great supernatural wonders of destruction of a city that was considered impregnable. In a dry season, God sent a flood. and completely devastated one of its walls. And so the enemy just walked right in. Nahum 3.19, there is no relief for your breakdown. Your wound is incurable. All who hear the report about you will clap their hands over you, for on whom has not your evil passed continually. They were so glad that Nin-Wei was destroyed. Let me read to you what one commentator wrote. An attack on the outer wall begun in 614 BC by the Medes and the Babylonians was initially withstood by the Ninevites, but the combination of trickery by the attackers, carelessness by the attacked, and the natural disaster finally brought victory to the attackers. The great inner wall collapsed because of an unexpected deluge, that's a flood, that swelled the Tigris River in a normally dry season of the year and inundated the wall. Thus the city was unexpectedly defeated. Unexpectedly defeated. How long did it take Babylon to fall? One night. One night. When God sent a big hand to write on the wall of Belshazzar's drinking party. And then Daniel came to interpret that writing. Many, many tickled a parson. He then weighed and found one thing. and your kingdom has been given to the Persians. That night, Belshazzar's head rolled. Suddenly, sudden collapse. You know, the great empires, they don't intend on suddenly being defeated, but God's in control, not man. Listen to another commentator, Achtemeyer, as he phrases it, And he kind of rounds up the whole section together from Philistia all the way to Assyria. He says, and it is precisely the pride of the nations which primarily characterizes them in these oracles and which is the object of divine wrath on his day. Pride of wealth alluded to with the word kana'an in verse 5, a synonym for greedy traders. And with the mention of fine cedar work in verse 14, pride of power embodied in the boasts and scoffings of Moab and Ammon, and their grabs for territory, pride of independence and security and sovereignty set forth in taunt of verse 15 against Ashur. The nations exalted in their pride, but God's exaltation was to be the last word. Fantastic commentary and summarization. What is the common denominator of all these nations? I mean, some were small, historically really insignificant like Ammon and Moab. Others were distant, like the Ethiopians. Others were superpowers and lasted for two centuries, like the Assyrians. Others were nearby relatives and nearby neighbors, the Philistines. What's the common denominator? They're all prideful, self-authoring, powerful, boastful, people. And where are they now? They're no more. They're no more. God judges and punishes prideful arrogance and violent oppression. And it doesn't matter how powerful or how numerous, God judges them all. Doesn't matter if they're far away or nearby, God knows them all. Doesn't matter if they have a close relationship or a distant relationship, God sees. All faithful people of God, therefore, must never succumb to the pride that is mentioned here. The pride of power, of wealth, of violence. attainment, but they must walk in righteousness, faithfulness, and humility. This is a lesson that Israel forgot because they wanted so much to be like the nations, that they forgot they were unique people set apart for God. And this is a big temptation for us, right? As Christians, we should be like Christ, but we fail. Sometimes we take on the mentality and the style and the attitude of the world. We want to be so much like the world that we fail to live up to our calling. But what does the Word of God say? He will only preserve one people, that is his people. While all those who are haughty, those who are prideful, those are strong, boastful, violent, He puts them to an end. They will not even exist. They will be summarily judged and punished by the judge of the whole earth. And that's a message that I think our modern man, especially those of us living in a very powerful, affluent, very prideful nation, we need to humbly receive and recognize, you know what? I'm not going to boast in the fact that I'm an American citizen or that I have a fancy degree high-paying job, strong passport, a lot of freedoms, comfort and life of luxury. No, those things don't mean anything. We need to identify with the righteous, the humble, and the faithful. Do you identify with such qualities that God honors? Israel once became a very arrogant and powerful people against God, and they killed the prophets who brought them the message. And so when Jesus told the parable of the vine growers, he was talking about how they treated the prophets. Even though they killed the prophets, their ancestors killed the prophets, they said, oh, if we were alive, we would not have done such thing. They're doing that same thing to the Son of Man. And so this is the blindness of pride that we need to wake up from this, that religious people are sometimes more prone to self-righteous blindness, and that we don't even know how prideful we can easily be if we don't walk in humility, pursue righteousness, and continue to practice loving kindness and faithfulness that God commands us. More like Christ. and not like our politicians, right? And so let this message really resonate with you. Think deeply about them. Look at the outcome of these nations, both great and small, and look at what God says he will do. In the end time, he will take every one of us and judge us according to our faithfulness, our righteousness that we walk by faith and in the righteousness of Christ and by our humility and then he will reward those faithful and he will expose all who are false who do not love him but like the Israelites who crucified the Son and they didn't even know that they were children of the devil That's how sad it is. That's the history of Israel. Now you know why chapter 3 is dedicated to some of the harshest criticism and the people of God. Why? Now you see why God sent a prophet after prophet after prophet to his people. Because they were no different. They were just like these pagan nations that God is judging. Let's learn our lesson from that and make sure that we align with the few, the faithful, the righteous, the humble. Let's pray. Father, thank you for giving us Christ, the humblest of them all. Thank you for giving us his yoke to take upon ourselves, to deny ourselves and to follow after him. Thank you, Lord, for sending your son to deal with this heavy load of burden of sin that we cannot carry, but he has on the cross for us. And so we praise you and thank you for your mercies, your kindness, that you did not preserve us for wrath, but you brought salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, for your namesake, keep us from haughtiness and pride. Keep us from relying on others and things and achievements and abilities. Oh Lord, keep us low to the ground, near to the cross. Help us to behold the glories of our majestic Lord at the foot of the cross by his feet and see the great suffering and the wrath of God that he bore in our place so that we might be set free and to walk with him in eternity. Help us, Lord, to find joy in aligning with Jesus and those who love the Lord Jesus, and help us to stay far away from the proud and the haughty, the violent, and those who are unrighteous, whom you will judge. We confess to you that you are sovereign, you are mighty, and you have every right to judge the nations, and we know that you will. And so we rest knowing that you are the judge and that we not ourselves, that you are the perfect judge, and that we have been spared your judgment because of what Jesus has done. So we thank you, we worship you, we love you, Lord. And Lord, help us now to continually walk by faith and walk in humility, independence upon you. In Jesus' precious name, amen.