Friday, September 01, 2006
just came back from cellgroup meeting...
here to post what happened yesterday.. hehe
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here it goes, yesterday i went to Far East Square with Per to have dinner with Mrs Tan, one of my lecturers (whom introduced me this present job) and with her other student...
initial plan was to go to Merchant Court, but in the end
changed plan and went to Far East Square (near Raffles Place).. to have vegetarian dinner in a restaurant, Ling Zhi,.. the food there not bad~ the environment also..
when I was walking there.. I felt.. wow.. Singapore got this kinda of place.. so nice environment,
haha..yea..then got new place to go to have dinner or fellowship le.. haha.. lol
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something interesting happened for the past few days.. recently, during my sleep, i dreamt of the Book of Nahum and i found myself reading it (where i think i have never ever or rarely flipped to that book in the bible) and in the midst i saw myself couldnt figure out was all abt on the book, and there i woke up and went to work.. then recently, out of curiosity, i checked out this book
Book of Nahum
Author:
The author of the Book of Nahum identifies himself as Nahum (in the Hebrew "Consoler" or "Comforter") the Elkoshite (1:1). There are many theories as to where that city was though there is no conclusive evidence. One such theory is that it refers to the city later called Capernaum (which literally means "the village of Nahum") at the Sea of Galilee.
Purpose of Writing:
Nahum did not write this book as a warning or "call to repentance" for the people of Nineveh. God had already sent them the prophet Jonah 150 years earlier with His promise of what would happen if they continued in their evil ways. The people at that time had repented but now lived just as bad if not worse than they did before. The Assyrians had become absolutely brutal in their conquests (hanging the bodies of their victims on poles and putting their skin on the walls of their tents among other atrocities). Now Nahum was telling the people of Judah to not despair because God had pronounced judgment and the Assyrians would soon be getting just what they deserved.
Key Verses:
Nahum 1:1a, "The burden against Nineveh..."
Nahum 1:7, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him."
Nahum 1:14a. "The Lord has given a command concerning you: 'Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.'"
Nahum 1:15a, "Behold on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace". See also Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15.
Nahum 2:13a, "Behold I am against you,' says the Lord of hosts."
Nahum 3:19, "Your injury has no healing, your wound is severe. All who hear news of you will clap their hands over you, for upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?"
Brief Summary:
Though now often called one of the Minor Prophets Nahum carried a major message of hope for the people of Judah. The Ninevites (Assyrians) were well known for their cruelty when they invaded an area. But God (who had reserved His punishment 150 years earlier due to their repentance) had now pronounced judgment. The annihilators would now become the annihilated.
In 612 B.C. the Babylonians and the Medes joined together and attacked the fortress city of Nineveh. The Ninevites lived inside walls 100ft high and wide enough for four chariots to ride abreast. They felt so secure in their stronghold that the king even gave wine to his soldiers to drink even though he knew the enemy was close. Still, God's promise came true when He sent a flood and washed away part of the wall. The attackers rushed in and the drunken Assyrians ran away. The soldiers stopped chasing the Ninevites and plundered the city.
Practical Application:
Nineveh once had repented and served the Lord God Jehovah. That had changed over the course of 150 years. They had turned away from God and so God was judging them. The same holds true for us today. God is patient. He gives every country time to proclaim Him as their Lord. But He is not mocked. Any time a country turns away from Him to serve it's own motives He steps in with judgment. Almost 220 years ago the United States was formed as a Nation guided by principles found in the Bible. In the last 50 years that has changed and we are turning faster daily in the opposite direction. If we as a nation do not stand up and stop this liberal, God-denying, self-serving, live-for-the-moment attitude then we should not be surprised when God drops the hammer on us. As Christians it is our duty to stand up for Biblical principles and Scriptural truth. We are our country's only hope.
then made me thought of previously in my dream that i dreamt about Habbakkuk and researched on it too...
Habakkuk's name means to 'embrace' or 'wrestle'. As is usually the case, his name has something to do with the message of the book. I think it relates to the fact that he was wrestling with a difficult issue. If God is good, then why is there evil in the world? And if there has to be evil, then why do the evil prosper? What is God doing in the world? We discussed a similar thought coming from the Israelites in Zephaniah 1:12. They said God did not do good or evil. They thought God was not involved and so continued in their sin. Habakkuk is one of the good guys. He fears God and does what is right, but it is getting him no where.
Warren Wiersbe entitles his book on Habakkuk as From Worry to Worship. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls his, 'From Fear to Faith'. While Habakkuk begins by wondering or worrying about the world around him and God's seeming indifference, he ends by worshipping God.
When he heard who was coming 3:16 says he trembled, but he certainly ends up expressing faith by the end of the book. What they are trying to capture in the titles of their books is the progression Habakkuk makes from questioning God to trusting God. So let's look at how he made that progression
and when i read the bible, i noticed that the book of Nahum is before the book of Habbakkuk. and would like to say which is.. i felt that God is prompting me in this kinda of area... applies upon my calling.. and these 2 books are books i rarely flipped in the bible.. and i also dont know why i dreamt of this kind of dream. =)
but i believe that God really want to use me mightily in the entertainment world, where to many people it seems very 'fame' world.. but i dont care, as long as its God's direction for me, i shall obey..
and when i thought abt it.. i felt that. if it's God vision for us... the path will not be too difficult for us to do it, but will be easier than we ever thought....
also, got one sentence kept on prompting in my heart for many times.. it happened when one of my colleague mentioned that she's a christian...
and i was like..
"if u dare to say u are a christian, then be like one!"
wow.. i believe there's no need to explain much, but just.. know it!
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11:58 PM
