Nahum 2:2: “For the LORD will restore the excellence of Jacob / Like the excellence of Israel, / For the emptiers have emptied them out / And ruined their vine branches.”

December 2nd, 2021 by Pastor Ed in devotional

We remember that the son of Isaac, Jacob (Hebrew ‘Ya’akov’ = to follow, as in supplant or deceive), had an encounter with an angel; and after the encounter, God changed his name from deceiver to Israel (Isra = fought, El = God). Although Hebrew scholars disagree on the precise translation, based on the context of Genesis 32:28, most conservative experts translate it, “ruled by God” or “God prevails.” The verse here in Nahum comes after the 10 northern tribes of Israel had been overrun by Assyria approximately a century earlier in 722 BC. God reminded them of their disobedience by using Jacob’s original name. But we also find here, as in so many places in Scripture, that God desires to redeem and restore anything that was lost to His children. King David wrote of this characteristic of God, His desire to restore, in Psalm 23 when he said, “He restores my soul.”

Assyria had repeatedly “emptied” the land of Israel, completely destroying vineyards and fields. That is what sin does to us. Sin empties a person and robs us of becoming all that God desires us to be. Sin will ultimately rob us of who we are as a totally unique human being made in His image. It is accurate to say that you are distinct and irreplaceable, the only one of your kind genetically.

In ancient times there was a Greek foot race in the Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first, but the runner who finished with his torch still lit. That is the picture all believers must keep in mind every day. To become a real winner in life, we must finish the race well. I want to run all the way, with the flame of my torch still lit for Him. How about you?

“LORD, we desire to please You this day. Please give us the strengthen to resist sin and be useful to You in Your Kingdom.”