Daily Bible Study

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Day 2 Zephaniah 2 Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; 2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. 3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger. 4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. 8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. 9 Therefore as I live, says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. 10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts. 11 The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, everyone from his place, even all the isles of the heathen. 12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. 15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! Everyone that passes by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. Have things gone bad for you and you don’t know why? Does it seem like the same people always get the benefits and the best of everything? There was a time in my life when I wondered the same thing. It was then I started paying attention to the type of person they were. What was different between them and me. God told Zephaniah he would destroy those who worshiped idols, who put their faith in other gods and not him, and then he would give their land to his remnant. He would bless Judah out of her captivity and give her the land of her enemies. As Christians, you might have questions as I did early in my walk with the Lord. I wondered why all the good things happened to the same people all the time. Then I noticed it wasn’t who they were, but what they were and how they responded to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those people walked in step with Jesus Christ. They gave him the first part of their lives, not the leftovers. And God blessed them. Things didn’t turn around overnight for me. It took time. As I gave myself to God, turning over my life to him, I started seeing God’s blessings on my life. Judah received God’s blessings – the spoils of their enemies – because they turned back to God. By the end of their captivity, Judah and Israel would acknowledge God, and turn to him, worshiping him alone. God rewarded them with the land that belonged to their enemies. If there are areas of your life you haven’t surrendered to God, examine yourself and determine the reasons why you are withholding those areas from him. When you give yourself in total surrender to God, he will bless you beyond your imagination. Then people will look at you and wonder why you always seem to get the promotion, rewards, and even the best parking spot. They will wonder why you are always smiling and have blessings to share. Let’s pray: Father, I surrender myself to you. Help me examine my life, my motives, my purpose, and turn every area of my life over into your hands. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 3 April 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay