2025 Daily Devotional
June 8-14

1. The Setting

This chapter is a lament in which Micah wept over the depth of sin into which Israel had fallen. It is similar to chapter 1 of Habakkuk, in which Habakkuk also wept over the sins of the people.

2. Israel’s Moral Decay (7:1-6)

Micah lamented the sins of the people. When describing their character, he said, “The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge.” Society had disintegrated to the point that neighbors and family members could not be trusted. 

“The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; Now shall be their perplexity”:  When people are immersed in sin, they often convince themselves that God will not punish them. They might even convince themselves they aren’t sinning. When the day of punishment arrives, the sinner is bewildered.

3. Micah’s Resolution (7:7-10)

Micah declared his continued hope in God and his steadfast confidence that God hears him. Micah showed great faith, not only for himself but also for the nation. He declared: 1) They must bear God’s wrath because they had sinned. 2) God would plead their case and then bring them from darkness into the light. 3) Their enemies would be defeated.

4. The Restored City (7:11-13)

Eventually, the walls of Jerusalem would be rebuilt. The people would return there from around the world (sea to sea). Then their enemies would be punished for their wickedness.

5. Micah’s Prayer and Praise (7:14-20)

Micah prayed that God would again settle Israel in their own fertile land and be their shepherd. He then declared that God would work great wonders for them as He did during their exodus from Egypt. When Israel’s enemies see the amazing power of God working for them, their enemies will be ashamed and powerless, once again in fear of Israel because of God’s protection.

Micah then praised and glorified God for his great mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. Micah concluded by remembering the great love God showed to Abraham and His pledge to Abraham’s ancestors.

Psalm 103 is a powerful reminder of God’s mercy, patience, and forgiveness. This psalm was written by King David, who had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged for her husband to be killed in battle after David learned Bathsheba was carrying his child. 

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

This psalm tells us that God is so merciful that we don’t receive the full punishment for our sins! In fact, when He removes our sin, they are removed as far as the east is from the west. They can’t be seen anymore! 

You can claim this promise today by seeking God and repenting of any sin in your life. As the psalm declares, the LORD is merciful and gracious.

1. Who is Nahum?

Little is known about Nahum. He was from the village of Elkosh in southwest Judah. The book of Nahum was probably written between 663 and 612 B.C. but possibly before 654 B.C. Nahum accurately foretold the destruction of Nineveh, which occurred when it was conquered by Babylon in 612 B.C.

2. The Setting

Nahum prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah and to the city of Nineveh, which was the capital of the Assyrian empire. At that time, Assyria was the world’s most powerful nation and had an absolutely brutal culture. They had already conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Assyria was dominating Judah and forcing them to pay tribute for protection.

Approximately 100 years prior to Nahum’s ministry, God sent Jonah to warn the Ninevites that He would destroy the city if they did not turn from their sin. At that time, the people repented, thus turning away God’s wrath. Unfortunately, the Ninevites later slipped back into sin. So unlike Jonah’s call for repentance, Nahum’s message was one of certain impending destruction for Assyria.

3. Theme and Author (1:1)

The message in this book was for Nineveh and was revealed to Nahum by God through a vision. Nahum’s name means consolation. His message would provide comfort or consolation to the oppressed kingdom of Judah.

4. Attributes of God (1:2-8)

Nahum began by describing the character of God. He is a jealous God. Our worship and adoration belong to Him and not a false God or idol. God takes vengeance on His enemies. Even when He uses a nation (such as Assyria) to judge His people, He may later destroy that nation. God is slow to anger but will eventually punish the wicked. God is also powerful, so we can trust that He can protect us. But He should also fear His judgment. When God’s judgment comes, “His fury is poured out like fire.” God is good and is our stronghold, or fortress, when we need protection. He knows those who place their trust in Him. 

This section ends with the words, “With an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place.”  History records that the walls of Nineveh collapsed from flooded rivers caused by unusually heavy rain. In addition, Boice records, “Not only were these people lost from history, even the city was lost until it was discovered by archaeologists, beginning in the 1840s.”

5. Destruction of Nineveh (1:9-11)

Again, it is stated that God will make an utter end to Nineveh. They will not be afflicted twice; their judgment will be so severe that they will be completely destroyed. Just like the dried leftover stalks in a field could be totally consumed by fire, so Nineveh would be totally consumed in judgment.  

6. Deliverance of Zion and Destruction of Assyria (1:12-14)

Although Assyria was large and powerful, God would destroy them, after which Judah would no longer be dominated by Assyria. Using strong imagery, Nahum prophesied that God would dig their grave.

7. Blessing for Judah (1:15)

This verse mentions the “feet of him who brings good tidings.” “Isaiah 52:7 uses a similar expression. In Isaiah, the good news is the coming of the Messiah. In Nahum, the good news is the defeat of the enemies of God’s people” (Enduring Word). 

Nahum tells us, “God knows those who trust Him.” Spurgeon provides this beautiful explanation: “God knows us; he knows our prayers and tears, he knows our wishes, he knows that we are not what we want to be, but he knows what we do desire to be. He knows our aspirations, our sighs, our groans, our secret longings, our own chastenings of spirit when we fail; he has entered into it all. He says, ‘Yes, dear child, I know all about you; I have been with you when you thought you were alone. I have read what you could not read, the secrets of your own heart that you could not decipher. I have known them all, and I still know them.” Have you placed all your trust in God?

1. The Setting

This chapter accurately predicted the destruction of Assyria by the Medes and Babylonians in 612 B.C. Nineveh’s destruction was so complete that the first archeological evidence of its ruins wasn’t found until 1845 (Life Application Study Bible).

2. Call to Battle (2:1-2)

Assyria was called to battle. The LORD—the one who scatters—would bring destruction to the nation that destroyed Israel and which was also oppressing Judah. The message to Judah, however, was one of hope and restoration.

3. Nineveh Attacked (2:3-7)

Nahum’s vision was of a brutal and bloody battle. The people of Nineveh would be carried away as captives just as Assyria carried Israel and other nations into captivity.

4. Nineveh Defeated (2:8-12)

Nineveh was described as a pool whose water was draining out. This was an accurate description of how the city would be emptied. The people would flee, be killed or taken captive; and all the city’s wealth and treasure would be carried away. Nineveh was also compared to a lion’s den. Just like a lion is called the king of the jungle, so Assyria was the most powerful empire. Before its destruction, the people of Nineveh felt safe and secure, like a lion cub in its den.

5. The LORD’s Declaration (2:13)

The statement, “I am against you” made it very clear that the LORD would be the cause of Nineveh’s destruction. Just as Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us,” the opposite is also true—If God is against us, who can be for us?

It is also declared that the voice of Nineveh’s messengers would no longer be heard.
Nineveh enjoyed its status as a power center of the world and gloried in the fact that the voice of her messengers commanded attention in palaces all over the world. That day would come to an end under the judgment of God” (Enduring Word).

Assyria was given an opportunity to repent when God sent Jonah to warn them about their sinfulness. At that time the king and all the people repented and turned back toward God. However, because they turned back to their idolatry, violence and godlessness, God decreed that they would be destroyed. There was no turning back.

People are often like Assyria. They fall away from God and become immersed in sin. God calls them to repentance and often sends messengers—other believers—to try and turn them back to God. However, if they ignore the cries to repentance, their hearts can become so hard and their rebellion so great that they pass the point of no return. 

For us today, if we see a brother or sister who has become entangled in sin, we must lovingly try to turn them back to God. James 5:19-20 tells us, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

1. This Sins of Nineveh (3:1-4)

This section provides a graphic description of the state of Nineveh. Statements such as “a great number of corpses” and “they stumble over corpses” read like a fiction novel. Yet, monuments recovered from Nineveh that are in museums today have epitaphs boasting of this culture’s cruelty. Two examples, which were recorded by Boice, are: 

2. Nineveh is Humbled (3:5-7)

The phrase “I am against you,” found in chapter 2, is repeated in chapter 3. Chapter 2 pertains to military defeat, but here it refers to the way the city and its people would be humbled. God decreed that he would make the city a spectacle and that everyone who witnessed its destruction would flee. This great city, the capital of the most powerful empire in the world, would be left with no one to mourn it.

Adam Clarke, writing before the discovery of the ruins in Nineveh in 1840, quotes an author commenting on the disappearance of the city: “What probability was there that the capital city of a great kingdom, a city which was sixty miles in compass, a city which contained so many thousand inhabitants, a city which had walls a hundred feet high.… And yet so totally was it destroyed that the place is hardly known where it was situated.… Great as it was formerly, so little of it remains that authors do not agree even about its situation” (Enduring Word).

3. Nineveh is Ripe for Judgment (3:8-15)

This section mentions the city of No Amon. The Hebrew name for this city is Thebes. The Assyrians completely destroyed this powerful city. Nahum again provided graphic details: Her young children also were dashed to pieces. All her great men were bound in chains. Nahum stated that Nineveh would suffer a similar fate. What Assyria did to No Amon would now be done to Nineveh.

Nahum stated that the bars of Nineveh’s gates would be devoured by fire. Archaeologists have found large amounts of ash, which confirms the burning of Nineveh. Nahum then compared the strongholds of Nineveh to ripened figs on a fig tree. Just as ripe figs easily fall off the tree, so would Nineveh’s walls easily fall before their enemies.

4. The Fate of Nineveh (3:16-19)

Nineveh’s many leaders—including merchants, commanders, generals, and nobles—will be powerless against God’s judgment.

The prophecy ends by stating there is no healing for Nineveh. God’s judgment and destruction are inevitable. The righteous will eventually triumph over the wicked. 

“No power on earth can protect us from God’s judgment or be a suitable substitute for His power in our lives. Thebes and Assyria put their trust in alliances and military power, but history would show that these were inadequate. Don’t wait to learn the hard way through personal experience; instead, learn the lessons history has already taught. Put your trust in God above all else” (Life Application Study Bible).

1. Who is Habakkuk?

We don’t know anything about the prophet Habakkuk other than what was written in this book. Habakkuk referred to himself as a prophet. His reference to the director of music might indicate that he was a Levite. Habakkuk prophesied about the future destruction of Judah by the Babylonian army. His ministry occurred sometime between the destruction of Nineveh in 612 B.C. and the Babylonian invasion of Judah in 598 B.C. 

Unlike the other Old Testament prophets, Habakkuk did not deliver his message directly to the people. Instead, the book of Habakkuk was written as a discussion between God and Habakkuk. “Many of Habakkuk’s words are actually poems of lament, similar to lamentations in the book of Psalms. In a lament, the poet lodges a complaint to draw God’s attention to the suffering and injustice in the world and then demands that God do something. Knowing this is actually the key to understanding the design and message of this short book” (Bible Project).

2. The Setting

Babylon was becoming the dominant power in the world. Habakkuk saw this powerful and brutal nation as a threat looming on Judah’s horizon. Judah had fallen into idolatry and sin and had ignored the warnings of several prophets. 

Some scholars pinpoint the date of Habakkuk’s ministry to 606-605 B.C. If this is correct, he may have prophesied just before the first Babylonian invasion of Judah in 605 B.C. when a number of people were taken captive to Babylon, including Daniel. They invaded again in 597 B.C.  and  then destroyed the city in 586 B.C., taking captive most of the survivors.

3. Habakkuk’s Complaint (3:1-4)

Habakkuk presented his first complaint to God. He wanted to know why God did not listen when he called for help. He wanted to know why he had to see injustice, destruction and violence among his people in Judah. He wanted to know why the wicked prevailed over the righteous. Habakkuk had been crying out to God, but it didn’t seem that God was going to answer. Habakkuk was especially perplexed because he had seen the reforms under King Josiah, only to witness his people falling back into apostasy.

4. The LORD’s Answer (3:5-11)

God’s answers to these questions were probably not what Habakkuk expected. God told him to watch and that he would not believe what was going to happen. “We understand the idea of something ‘too good to be true,’ but that isn’t what God meant here. This was something ‘too bad to be true,’ a work of judgment so astounding that Habakkuk would have a hard time believing it” (Enduring Word). He was going to raise up Babylon (the Chaldeans) as His instrument of justice against Judah.

5. Habakkuk’s Second Complaint (3:12-17)

Habakkuk presented his second complaint. Habakkuk admitted that God cannot tolerate sin. However, he wanted to know why God would use a nation even more wicked than Judah as His instrument of judgment. In fact, Babylon would capture the people of Judah as easily as fish are caught in a net. Finally, Habakkuk wanted to know if Babylon was going to be allowed to continue to mercilessly destroy nations.

Habakkuk boldly brought his difficult and profound questions directly to God. Many of them are like the questions some might ask God today: How long must I call on you before you help? Why do you tolerate all the evil in the world? 

We, too, can boldly approach God and ask our difficult questions. He wants us to come to Him with all our struggles and all our doubts. In Isaiah 1:18 God said, “Come now, and let us reason together.” Even the apostle Thomas doubted the resurrection of Jesus and insisted that he wouldn’t believe until he saw the nail marks and placed his fingers in the wounds. Jesus did not reject Thomas because of his doubts. Instead, He appeared again when Thomas was present; and then Thomas believed. 

Are you are in the middle of a struggle or are you having doubts? If you are, take them to God today. Often, God will reveal Himself to you during your most difficult times.

1. The Setting

In chapter 1, Habakkuk voiced his complaints to the LORD. The LORD’s answer to the first complaint was that he would use the Babylonians to execute His judgment against Judah. Habakkuk then asked God why He would use a nation more wicked than Judah to execute judgment, and he was awaiting God’s answer.

2. Habakkuk as Watchman (2:1)

Old Testament prophets were sometimes compared to a watchman on a tower: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). Watchmen were positioned on a tower or wall to look for approaching danger and to sound the alarm. Here, in verse 1, Habakkuk positioned himself as a spiritual watchman.

3. Revelation of a Future Event (2:2-3)

The LORD told Habakkuk he would be given a revelation through a vision. Habakkuk was to record this revelation so that it would provide a clear and understandable warning to the people. This revelation would be of a future event that was certain to occur at a time appointed by God.

4. Judgment for Babylon (and Sinful Man) (2:4-19)

After God used Babylon for His purpose of judgment on Judah, He would execute judgment on Babylon. This powerful nation, which had brutally plundered, pillaged, and destroyed weaker nations—as Habakkuk prophesied they were going to do to Judah—would one day be humbled and destroyed under God’s judgment.

Divine judgment, or woes, would befall Babylon, as well as any other sinful nation or man who committed any of these sins:

Verse 14, which is a quote of Isaiah 11:9, states, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD.” According to Clarke’s Commentary, this verse has three applications: 

5. Silence Before the LORD (2:20) 

God is our Creator, and He is sovereign. Yes, we can ask God questions or even tell Him we don’t understand why something is happening; but our approach must be in reverent awe.

In verse 4, the LORD told Habakkuk that the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. “This verse has inspired countless Christians. Paul quotes it in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. The writer of Hebrews quotes it in 10:38, just before the famous chapter on faith. And it is helpful to all Christians who must live through difficult times without seeing signs of relief. Christians must trust that God is allowing and directing all things according to His purposes” (Life Application Study Bible).

When Habakkuk was given the revelation from God, he was not told when the event would occur. Whether or not it happened during his lifetime, Habakkuk was expected to have faith that it would certainly come to pass at the time appointed by God. Many faithful saints we read about in God’s Word—some of whom are mentioned in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11—needed to have that kind of faith. This included Abraham, with whom God made a covenant to multiply his descendants as the stars in the heavens. Abraham never witnessed this in his lifetime, but had faith that God would keep His Word. Hebrews 11:13 says of these saints, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

For us today, we must always remember that God’s promises in His Word are true. Look for them, write them down, memorize them, confess them and cling tightly to them.

1. The Setting

The attitude of Habakkuk had changed. At first, he only saw the sin surrounding him and felt that God was doing nothing. God then gave Habakkuk a revelation that He was not only executing judgment on Judah but also on the sinful nations of the world. Now, Habakkuk would ask God to be merciful in His judgment.

2. Request for Mercy (3:1-2)

God had revealed to Habakkuk the severity of His judgment on Judah. Habakkuk accepted God’s will and understood that Judah’s continued, unrepentant sin required punishment. In this prayer by Habakkuk, he began with a plea for God to be merciful when He judged His people. 

3. Recollection of Deliverance from Egypt (3:3-15)

“’God came… His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.’ The theophany (appearance of God) in verse 3-7 seems like it could have come out of a summer blockbuster movie: a powerful figure with supernatural ability to take charge of the sky, dark waves of critters carrying disease leading his chariot which is followed by a black misty cloud of plagues that lingers over its trail. The powerful figure steps down out of the chariot, and his steps make the earth quake. The people gathered on their city walls see him look in their direction, and they try to hide from his eyesight.  Even the mountains crumble to dirt mounds in his presence.

If such a figure were to appear in a movie today, it would most assuredly be as the villain, not the hero; there is much to fear here. But all wrapped into one picture for us by Habakkuk is the story of the heroic Savior God at work for the Israelites since the exodus: God showed his power at Sinai by controlling the sky with thunderous clouds and flashes of lightning to show his presence (Exodus 19). The Lord sent plagues and pestilence into the land of Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let the slaves go (Exodus 7-11). The walls of Jericho crumbled, not because of anything that the Israelites did themselves, but because they obediently followed the Ark of the Covenant (the symbol of God’s presence) and stood there while God made the city tremble until it was destroyed it (Joshua 6).

The next section of Habakkuk’s prayer of awe is a recounting of the battle he sees God carrying out in the world. The wrath is mighty; and like before, it is rooted in the story of God and his people. At the Red Sea and at the Jordan River, Yahweh split the waters in battle for his people (Exodus 13, Joshua 3). When Joshua and the Israelites met a five-nation coalition near Jerusalem, the sun and moon stood still by God’s hand. At the same battle, the Lord threw down huge hailstones on the enemy (Joshua 10).

Though God is very angry, furious even, Habakkuk realizes that it is because of God’s love for his people: ‘You came forth to save your people,’ he prays in remembrance, ‘to save your anointed’ (v 13). To do so in the future, God will decimate the people he is using in Habakkuk’s present/near future. They may come like a whirlwind now, gloating as they wreak havoc on the innocent (and the wicked), but the Lord will come mightily and forcefully, defeating not just this nation, but all chaos everywhere. In the Ancient Near East, water represented chaos; so the heavy imagery in verses 8-15 of God showing his supremacy over the water, battling against the waters, controlling and changing them, shows God’s power over not just the little battles, but the large cosmic battle of good versus evil. God wins. Period” (Chelsey Harmon, Center for Excellence in Preaching).

4. Fear over Judah’s Coming Fate (3:16)

Habakkuk expressed his great fear about the coming events that God had revealed to him in a vision. His heart pounded. His lips quivered. His legs shook. Despite this, Habakkuk accepted God’s will and would patiently wait.

5. Trust and Confidence in God (3:17-19)

Even in times of great loss, starvation, and trouble, Habakkuk rejoiced in the LORD. He affirmed that the LORD was his strength.

“I often hear people say things like, ‘When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask God why _____.’ or ‘I just want to know why God would let this happen.’ The ‘why’ question is a tough one for us humans. The people I know who have done the best through tough circumstances have been able to get past the initial why questions about suffering and pain in this world and have instead focused on Jesus’ promise, the Holy Spirit’s constant companionship, and are able to sit silently in fear and awe before the Almighty.

Randy Alcorn writes: ‘Sometimes we make the foolish assumption that our heavenly Father has no right to insist that we trust him unless he makes his infinite wisdom completely understandable to us. What we call the problem of evil is often the problem of our finite and fallen understanding. It was the hardest lesson I’d ever had to learn…. In our times of suffering, God doesn’t give answers as much as he gives himself’” (Chelsey Harmon, Center for Excellence in Preaching).