August 12, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Zephaniah? Here’s today’s reading:
Zephaniah 3 (NIV)
Jerusalem
1 Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
2 She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
she does not draw near to her God.…..Continue Reading
Here in chapter 3 after more judgements and cutting off the nations by devouring them by fire, God will raise up those that trust in His name and give them a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent. God in the New Testament calls all believers to have one mind in Christ. The mind of Christ in agreement and unity, love , etc. Peace to all who love the Lord.
The Lord is full of mercy and grace to call people to repentance.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
The thought that God might sing to us struck me this morning. Especially in the end of a book that speaks so much of destruction and judgement it is easy to think we are always driving God crazy with our constant short comings and our sinful nature but He truly loves us and delights in us to the point of singing. He wants relationship with us and it is us that pulls away, never Him, and we should never be afraid or worried or distressed because we have a Father who loves us so incredibly, despite our shortcomings!
Z e p h 3:17, memory verse, heard it as a song decades ago. Reminds me of God with me, the certainty of His presence, and that He will save!
For Israel, they will be restored, I believe more than they are now, simply as a nation and people. God will bring them about to His righteousness. Israel is not there yet. -gy
Zephaniah 1-2
Zephaniah 3
Done
The chapter begins with God describing the abhorrent spiritual condition in Jerusalem, from the evil in their hearts to every echelon of leadership being corrupted in the way they conduct themselves. How far Judah had fallen and so God will judge them in much the same way as He will judge the nations….how else is He to address such defiance in the heart of man? The chapter than appears to fast forwards to the end of time when God will utterly destroy the nations, but He will call His people/believers to Himself. And He will gather a remnant in Jerusalem who will be faithful and humble and thereby they provide God something that He can bless. And so He will be their protector and defender. He will be loving and compassionate to them in a way that He would want to be for all people….but He cannot condone unrighteousness and disobedience. What endearing words are expressed here that shows the heart of God to people that are not perfect but have a heart for Him and are willing to recognize Him for who He is. What compassion God has for us in all our brokenness and weakness and He seeks to console and comfort, and protect and restore. There are good reasons here to embrace, trust and follow this God of the universe and the Father of His people.