Our God Reigns
Opening Prayer
Lord, I look forward to the day when the entire earth worships You.
Read ZEPHANIAH 2:4–15
4 Gaza will be abandoned
and Ashkelon left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
and Ekron uprooted.
5 Woe to you who live by the sea,
you Kerethite people;
the word of the Lord is against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines.
He says, “I will destroy you,
and none will be left.”
6 The land by the sea will become pastures
having wells for shepherds
and pens for flocks.
7 That land will belong
to the remnant of the people of Judah;
there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will care for them;
he will restore their fortunes.
Moab and Ammon
8 “I have heard the insults of Moab
and the taunts of the Ammonites,
who insulted my people
and made threats against their land.
9 Therefore, as surely as I live,”
declares the Lord Almighty,
the God of Israel,
“surely Moab will become like Sodom,
the Ammonites like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder them;
the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”
10 This is what they will get in return for their pride,
for insulting and mocking
the people of the Lord Almighty.
11 The Lord will be awesome to them
when he destroys all the gods of the earth.
Distant nations will bow down to him,
all of them in their own lands.
Cush
12 “You Cushites, too,
will be slain by my sword.”
Assyria
13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria,
leaving Nineveh utterly desolate
and dry as the desert.
14 Flocks and herds will lie down there,
creatures of every kind.
The desert owl and the screech owl
will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
rubble will fill the doorways,
the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the city of revelry
that lived in safety.
She said to herself,
“I am the one! And there is none besides me.”
What a ruin she has become,
a lair for wild beasts!
All who pass by her scoff
and shake their fists.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How are you experiencing God’s grace just now? Does the way you are living reflect the way he has treated you?
God’s judgment will start with God’s people—something we should never forget—but it will not end there. His justice is not selective. Ultimately, all sin is against God himself (Psa. 51:4), and he will deal with it justly. God is not a western god, a tribal god, or a territorial god. He is Lord of all, recognized or not. So the surrounding nations will be judged too. Nations in all directions—Philistia to the west (4–7), Moab and Ammon to the east (8–11), Cush far to the south (Ethiopia 12) and the dreaded, all-conquering Assyria to the north (13–15)—all face God’s judgment.
Two things in particular seem to have provoked God’s judgment, and both are evident today. Moab and Ammon have threatened and insulted God’s people (8). Believers around the world experience the same from governments, institutions and individuals. God takes note and will act on his timetable. Remember Philippians 2:10: one day every knee will bow (11). On the other hand, mighty Assyria, the self-assured city (15), asserts itself against God himself. God will not appear indifferent forever.
However, Zephaniah’s message is not only about judgment. God is righteous, but he is also gracious. Most Bible versions link verses 3 and 4 with the word “for.” So the hope offered, “perhaps you will be sheltered” (3), is issued in light of what will happen to the surrounding nations. The demise of the Philistines will bring to Judah pasture and houses to live in (6,7). When God restores their fortunes (7), it won’t be for the first time (Psa. 126:1; “restore their fortunes” here can also be translated as “bring back their captives”). Amazingly, however, that hope is for the whole world. The destruction of their gods brings freedom (11). One day the whole earth will worship the God of Israel.
Apply
Pray for Christians suffering taunts, insults and threats (8) for the sake of Christ. A badge of honor (Acts 5:41) can still be painful.
Closing prayer
Lord, Your judgment is perfectly righteous, and vengeance truly belongs to You and only to You.
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