The book of Nahum is about God’s judgment on wicked Nineveh. When God had sent warning through the prophet Jonah 150 years earlier, Nineveh had repented and God had spared them. But eventually, Nineveh returned to her old rebellion against God. Though Nineveh had been given mercy by God, Nineveh refused to show mercy to the people it had subjugated, including God’s own people.
Nahum 1:7 says, “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.”
I am thankful that God is a God of second chances. In Jonah 3 the Bible says about the wayward prophet Jonah, “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time.” Later in that chapter, the Bible tells us about the second chance God gave Nineveh. There is a lesson to be learned from this empire that received a second chance from God but squandered it. Never squander a second chance.
I was thinking just recently that I am old enough to be thankful for my youth. I am also old enough to know what I need to change and, to some extent, young enough to change it. The bottom line is that you have more youth and options right now than you will have tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. Never squander a second chance.
If it is never wise to squander a second chance, what chance should we squander? Is it wise to squander a first chance or a golden opportunity? The answer is “no.” Never take for granted the mercy God has given you. Never squander any opportunity or second chance. If you have youth, options, health, or relationships, don’t take them for granted. God is a merciful God. His mercy is not to be squandered, nor His goodness ignored.