(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Zephaniah 2:1-15)1 Gather yourselves together, yes, join together,
You nation without shame,
2 Before the decree takes effect—
The day passes like chaff—
Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord,
All you humble of the earth
Who have practiced His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will remain hidden
On the day of the Lord’s anger.
4 For Gaza will be abandoned,
And Ashkelon will become a desolation;
The inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon,
And Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will eliminate you
So that there will be no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will become grazing places,
With pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will drive sheep to pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the Lord their God will care for them
And restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the abusive speech of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And boasted against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel,
“Moab will assuredly be like Sodom,
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines,
And a permanent desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them,
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
10 This they will have in return for their arrogance, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of armies. 11 The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.
12 “You also, Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And eliminate Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All animals that range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will spend their nights in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Devastation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the presumptuous city
That dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for animals!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
You nation without shame,
2 Before the decree takes effect—
The day passes like chaff—
Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord,
All you humble of the earth
Who have practiced His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will remain hidden
On the day of the Lord’s anger.
4 For Gaza will be abandoned,
And Ashkelon will become a desolation;
The inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon,
And Ekron will be uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will eliminate you
So that there will be no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will become grazing places,
With pastures for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will drive sheep to pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the Lord their God will care for them
And restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the abusive speech of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And boasted against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel,
“Moab will assuredly be like Sodom,
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
Ground overgrown with weeds and full of salt mines,
And a permanent desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them,
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
10 This they will have in return for their arrogance, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of armies. 11 The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.
12 “You also, Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And eliminate Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All animals that range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will spend their nights in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Devastation will be on the threshold;
For He has uncovered the cedar work.
15 This is the presumptuous city
That dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for animals!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Verse 3 might seem like a contradiction to the pre-Trib. stance, but it is not. God is telling people to actually become a believer, instead of just acting like one, so they can avoid going through the Tribulation, as well as eternal punishment. While going through the motions might have a few benefits, this will do nothing to save a person. All efforts made by unbelievers, no matter what they are, are worthless and will be destroyed.
Verse 2 talks about a day passing like chaff. Chaff is the useless, worthless parts of a crop that blows away as the wheat is being threshed in order to gather the grain. For an unbeliever, this would be a day spent rebelling against God, or running away from God, or just pretending to believe in God... A sadly pointless day is spent by very religious people who strive to save themselves.
For believers, a wasted day would be one that didn't involve God. Involving God in every aspect of our lives is the opposite of "work". A few hours a week at church, worshiping and serving the Lord. A few minutes daily spent in God's word. Thanking the Lord when we eat. Praying to Him throughout the day to have Him help us and guide us toward healthy decisions and attitudes, and then ask Him to do these things FOR us... The benefits to both God's kingdom and our lives are huge!
God can use us anywhere and anytime! I heard a quote the other day that said, "Bring the Glorious into the mundane." God can and will use the smallest things in great and mighty ways! As we trust in the Lord to work in and through us, in His strength and righteousness we will produce fruit, which is valuable and to God's glory!
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