(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 3:1-20)1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
The oppressive city!
2 She obeyed no voice,
She accepted no discipline.
She did not trust in the Lord,
She did not approach her God.
3 Her leaders within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are wolves at evening;
They have no bones to gnaw in the morning.
4 Her prophets are insolent, 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 criminal knows no shame.
6 “I have eliminated nations;
Their corner towers are deserted.
I have laid waste their streets,
With no one passing by;
Their cities have been laid waste,
Without a person, without an inhabitant.
7 I said, ‘You will certainly revere Me,
You will accept discipline.’
So her dwelling will not be eliminated
In accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her.
Instead, 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 restore to the peoples pure lips,
So 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 On 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, arrogant 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 frighten them.”
14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, Israel!
Rejoice and triumph with all your heart,
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 no longer fear disaster.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will rejoice 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 are worried about the appointed feasts—
They came from you, Zion;
The disgrace of exile is a burden on them.
19 Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your oppressors;
I will save those who limp
And gather the scattered,
And I will turn their shame into praise and fame
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 make you famous and praiseworthy
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
Says the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
The Lord is our perfect law and order and the only one who can save us; from His wrath, from evil, from eternal punishment and from ourselves:
verse 5 - the Lord is just
verse 5 - the Lord is righteousness and does not fail
verse 8 - the Lord is all-knowing and a witness, and therefore can see and judge our hearts and motives
verse 5-8 - the Lord is judge and will punish sinners, those who have not humbly turned to Him for His salvation
verse 7, 15 - the Lord will NOT judge or punish believers for their sins
verse 15 - the Lord chooses to NOT remember our sins when He has forgiven us
verse 11 - the Lord removes all sin and shame
verse 19 - the Lord saves and heals
verse 9 - the Lord restores us so that we can serve Him
verse 7 - the Lord guides and disciplines
verse 20 - the Lord will take care of us
verse 12-13 - the Lord protects us when we take refuge in Him
verse 11, 19 - the Lord will deal with all sinners, the proud and haughty and all oppressors
verse 17 - the Lord fights our battles for us and then rejoices over us
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