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Zephaniah 2 (ESV)

Judgment on Judah’s Enemies

1 Gather together, yes, gather,
O shameless nation,
2 before the decree takes effect
—before the day passes away like chaff—
before there comes upon you
the burning anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;
seek righteousness; seek humility;
perhaps you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.

 

REFLECTION:

  • At the beginning of Chapter 2, the prophet Zephaniah called the nations to God (1-2) in order to prevent the onset of God’s anger. These countries are distributed around Judah, including Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria.
  • What crimes did the nations commit? In summary, the crime they committed is arrogance. Because of their pride, they slandered and insulted God’s chosen people, invaded their territory, and even slandered God, thinking that they were above all else.
  • What are the punishments for the nations? From Chapter 2, we can see that the punishments suffered by the nations are extremely severe. God is righteous and will punish people according to their evil. But in fact, the God we experience today is infinitely loving. He sacrifices His son for sinners, and tolerates people’s contradictions and unbelief. He gives people the chance to repent and return over and over again. We must not underestimate today’s opportunities, and we must repent as soon as possible and seek God’s forgiveness; if we still live in sin, we will certainly be unable to escape God’s majestic judgment.

 

PRAYER:

Dear God, please give me the strength not to bow to sin, but to be close to You alone. May Your love be the driving force for my life, so that I will always glorify You.

 

HYMN:

Here I Bow – youtu.be/hvHi7N8kc8s