Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the tyrannical city!
2 She heeded no voice, she accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, she did not draw near to her God.
3 Her princes within her are roaring lions, her judges are wolves at evening; they leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
5 The Lord is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations; their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets desolate, with no one passing by; their cities are laid waste, without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 “I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me, accept instruction.’ So her dwelling will not be cut off according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
2 She heeded no voice, she accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, she did not draw near to her God.
3 Her princes within her are roaring lions, her judges are wolves at evening; they leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
5 The Lord is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations; their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets desolate, with no one passing by; their cities are laid waste, without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 “I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me, accept instruction.’ So her dwelling will not be cut off according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
8 “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord, “for the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal.
9 “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10 “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, will bring My offerings.
11 “In that day you will feel no shame because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against Me; for then I will remove from your midst your proud, exulting ones, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.
9 “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10 “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, will bring My offerings.
11 “In that day you will feel no shame because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against Me; for then I will remove from your midst your proud, exulting ones, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.
12 “But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.”
13 “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.”
14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you will fear disaster no more.
16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.
17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts—they came from you, O Zion; the reproach of exile is a burden on them.
19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
20 “At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you will fear disaster no more.
16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.
17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18 “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts—they came from you, O Zion; the reproach of exile is a burden on them.
19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
20 “At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Reminder: "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will. When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!
It is God's will: that we wait on the Lord God for His time of complete justice (3:8)
Today's prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, we know that this scripture is talking about the end of the Tribulation, when You will gather the nations together - to bring justice and to punish all unbelievers and rid the earth of all evil - and to bring all those who will become believers during the Tribulation with You into the Millennial kingdom.
Dear Lord Jesus, we know that this scripture is talking about the end of the Tribulation, when You will gather the nations together - to bring justice and to punish all unbelievers and rid the earth of all evil - and to bring all those who will become believers during the Tribulation with You into the Millennial kingdom.
For those people, particularly the nation of Israel, they will know their waiting time for Your second coming is less than seven years. Thank You that You do not forget Your chosen ones! Thank You for being faithful! Thank You for knowing all things and what it will take for Israel as a nation to turn to You. Convict the hearts and minds of unbelievers right now, so they may turn to You now and avoid going through those seven years of Your wrath.
For all believers right now, we wait for You to gather us up to heaven. We do not know when this will happen. And there will be no signs of when this will happen. All we know is that You will come like a thief in the night - with no warning. Until that time, or until we pass on, let us keep waiting on You with patience - remaining steadfast in our faith - trusting that Your love and sovereignty is fair and just.
Right now, help us experience peace, joy and contentment. Give us wisdom and understanding to know Your will and purpose for our lives. Equip us with Your strength, love and courage to be Your obedient hands and feet. Amen.
