Maranatha Grace Church
Book of Zephaniah Challenge
Hello:
Book of Zephaniah Challenge – Day 6 Zephaniah 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
5 those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, 6 those who have turned back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.” (Zephaniah 1:4-6)
The people of Israel thought they could “bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom” (v.5). Their mixing of worshiping the Lord with worshiping other gods displeased the Lord greatly. I did not work then, it will never work. The Lord Jesus warned his disciples that one cannot serve God and another god at the same time. ““No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).
God was also angry at the people because of their pride. They had become self-sufficient, they turned back from following the Lord, and they did not seek the LORD or inquire of him (v.6). People can fall into that sin when they start saying in their heart, “The Lord shall do neither good to those who obey His will, nor harm to those who transgress His will.” But the Lord cares about the walk of the righteous and of the wicked, “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish (Psalm 1:6).
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Zephaniah Challenge – Day 9 Zephaniah 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O undesirable[a] nation,
2 Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you!
3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger. (Zephaniah 2:1-3)
Many verses in the Bible urge us to seek the Lord. Why should we seek the Lord since he is so near to each one of us? We read in Acts 17:21, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Can a fish in the ocean seeks for water? No, it is already in the water. Does it know that it is in the water? Most likely not. Our seeking of the Lord has a lot to do about raising our consciousness in regard to our place in God. We are always in the presence of God. We are always dependent on God. We must live as such.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of Zephaniah Challenge – Day 10 Zephaniah 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
9 “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain. (Zephaniah 3:9-11)
The Bible tells us that there was a time in history when all mankind spoke a common language, “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech” (Genesis 11:1). But, because of man’s pride and rebellion against God, this one language was divided into multiple languages. The Lord spoke: “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city” (Genesis 11:7-8).
The day of the Coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church marks a new beginning for humanity. The curse of the confusion of the languages was reversed. All the languages became one again, “And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language”(Acts 2:6).” To the people of the Lord was restored a pure language to call on the name of the Lord and to worship him with one accord.
May the Lord richly bless you!