READING: Zephaniah 1-3*
Today’s reading covers the entire book of Zephaniah, a book urging Judah to seek Yahweh before judgment comes. Follow this simple outline to the singing at the end:
1. God speaks to His people to warn them. The book begins with “The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah” (Zeph. 1:1) and ends with “Yahweh has spoken” (Zeph. 3:20). In between these verses are five expressions of “This is the Lord’s declaration” (Zeph. 1:2, 1:3, 1:10, 2:9, 3:8). Without question, this book is God’s speaking to His people. That He speaks to us at all is amazing. We cannot take that privilege for granted.
2. God judges people who do take Him for granted, especially those who are comfortable in their sin and think that God may not judge. Zephaniah put it this way: “And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who settle down comfortably, who say to themselves: The Lord will not do good or evil” (Zeph. 1:12). In that light, I must then ask, "How comfortable am I with my sin? Do I not think about God’s judgment?"
3. God judges people who ignore His discipline. The prophet wrote about the rebellious city, “She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in Yahweh; she has not drawn near to her God” (Zeph. 3:2). When we reject even God’s discipline, and we choose not to draw close to God, we say much about ourselves. Today, I wonder if I’ve always responded properly to God’s discipline in my life.
4. Still, God calls us back to Him, crying out for us to return to Him before judgment comes. He calls us to seek Him humbly and obediently: “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zeph. 2:3).
5. He promises a day of restoration for His people — a day when God’s people will rejoice, but God will also sing over us. This is to me one of the most amazing verses of the Old Testament: “He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy” [also translated as, “He will exult over you with loud singing”] (Zeph. 3:17).
Think about it. We will rejoice over God, but He will also rejoice over us. God will join in the singing as His glory is so evidenced in His incredible love for us.
That’s unbelievable. But that’s the Lord’s declaration.
PRAYER: “God, I cannot fathom your mercy and grace. I will never understand why You would sing over me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Kings 22-23, 2 Chronicles 34-35
*first published in 2015
