This is the last week of This Is the Old Testament! Next week, we’ll continue our thematic overview of the entire Bible with This Is The New Testament. Each day we’ll read a thematic selection from a different book or two of the Bible, along with supplemental passages that show how the theme of that day’s main reading is found throughout Scripture. We’ll also read a brief summary of each book and a reflection on how the book fits into the larger story of Scripture.
What Is Zephaniah? The book of Zephaniah warns the people of Judah about the consequences of idolatry and urges them to seek the Lord alone before the day of judgment comes. While Zephaniah’s immediate purpose was to warn idolatrous Judah of the Lord’s imminent judgment, the ultimate purpose was to call out a “remnant” from all nations to trust in the Lord
How Zephaniah Fits Into the Story: While Israel continued to turn away from God, the promise of a remnant, or a group of people left after a catastrophe, illustrates God’s amazing grace alongside His just wrath. God judges the proud and preserves the humble, and Zephaniah invited everyone who humbly obeyed the Lord to seek Him for deliverance. The New Testament highlights the beautiful truth that all people are invited to be part of such a remnant—those who receive eternal salvation through faith in Christ.
Reflection Questions:
1. How can you extend the kind of grace God showed His people to someone from your community who may be difficult to love?
2. How does today’s reading shape your understanding of the story of redemption?
Take time to reflect on your responses and share what you are learning with others in the community in the comments.
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55 thoughts on "Zephaniah"
I love the word picture of this verse.
IRI AM and SARAH ADAMS – I love your positive attitude and that you pray for your future husband. I would recommend the book, Relationship Goals, by Michael Todd. I’m going through it with my girl’s study group. One of the things I appreciate is that it values highly the single time you have in your life while preparing you for intentional dating. It is a good read and might give you even more encouragement than I see in your spirit already.
KATHY – Thank you for the honesty of sharing how hard the last 3 years have been but also your witness that you would not trade them and how they draw you closer to God. Interestingly it has been the last 3 for me as well that have been hardest. Even in the struggle though, God is good, all the time. Step by step we walk this journey thankful that He is near and promises to use it for good. We are so blessed.
MARTHA HIX – I’m sorry for your son and his dog. Not everyone has the blessing of a close pet relationship. I am glad for him and pray help and healing. I pray for your daughters pneumonia as well. May she get the rest she needs and heal completely without it turning into anything else.
MELANIE – I continue to pray against the pain in your body and ask for God’s guidance, healing, and peaceful covering over you. May you be guided to just the right doctor, nutrient, or exercise/stretching program to not only help heal your pain but put you on the life track that it doesn’t return.
E.K. – May you have guidance from the Holy Spirit as to where to live. Lord, open and close doors we pray.
TOR H. – I prayed for your 7 hour trip with your little one, was it Sunday? My days get all confused in the summer. Anyway, I did pray and hope you are home safely and that good memories were made.
TRACI GENDRON – I am sorry for the pain you experienced both from your divorce and abuse. This is the amazing thing, I am sorry from a human experience and someone doesn’t know you except by your words…BUT GOD, loves you immensely, gave His Son for relationship with you, and He cares and hurts for your hurt even more. Praise God you are His child and that you will have ways to reach out to those hurting that many others do not have. May He continue to heal your broken heart. May you remember the scars, so that they can be of good but, may they be healed in such a way that they do not bring pain but peace. Peace for you and peace you could share with others as God leads you.
Thank you, Angie. This community is full of such beautiful women lifting others up. What a gift to be a part of.
I should express God’s mercy on others by never giving up on them and always be compassionate towards them.
Zephaniah 3:17- The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. – Such an encouraging verse today that God just made stand out in the reading for me. I am leaving for a mission trip to Atlanta, Georgia in the fourth ward where my church helped fund and plant another church there. Please pray for my team’s safety and for God to do some amazing things in us and the people in Atlanta and that we would serve whole heartedly for the Lord!! I am a little nervous and I just love how he is so intentional to “quiet” my heart by reminding me that I serve a God who is in my midst and mighty to save!!!
Praying for you GramsieSue and for the pain to subside and a full recovery.
Gramiesue, I am praying for you!
I just wanted to say how thankful I am to have such an encouraging group of ladies who love Jesus so much. I’ve been struggling with my faith and I’ve only been going to God when He was convenient. I’m getting back into it though and thanks to every one of your encouraging words I’ve been in the Word and found happieness that I’ve never felt before! I never want to go back to my old ways! Thank you, sisters.
Linda Gilbow, I too lost my son, the day after his 18th birthday. He wasn’t murdered, he drowned. He was trying to swim across a creek that was flooded and way out of it’s banks. He, his younger brother and his friend decided to do it. The friend made it across, he was lucky, the water was going about 80 mph. My older son got tangled in brush and drug under. I was told later by my younger son that he almost went in after him but something changed his mind. I told him God changed his mind because I couldn’t have handled losing both sons that day. My faith and love of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit have gotten me through the last almost 19 years. Also just last year I lost my niece, she was like a daughter to me, and she was going to be 35 years old in two days after her death. She died in a car accident. Her fiancé was driving drunk and she wasn’t wearing her seat belt properly and she was thrown from the truck. I believe God has a reason for everything He does. My sister is having a very difficult time handling the death of my niece. I’m able to help her through it. I have an aunt who was able to help me through mine. The loss of a child is hard. If you need help let me know. I’ll be praying for you.
Laurie Eckes this is the last week of this study and then we move on the New Testament Study. I believe it’s a five week study but I’m not sure.
Anyone know when we will be done with this current study?
Good morning ladies. I don’t post much on here but truly enjoy all of the wisdom and insights that you post! Today I am here asking for prayers. Four weeks ago today I suffered a sub arachnoid hemorrhage which is a brain bleed basically. There was no apparent reason for it, All of the tests have come out with me being pretty healthy. But I am still recovering and I’m told it could be a long process. It is quite painful… Like the worst headache you’ve ever had. And my brain is still kind of scrambled so I can’t always think or speak the words I need to. I am finally able to read and so I have started back on this study and I’m so thankful that I can! If you could all just pray for my brain to heal completely and for the pain to be more tolerable and eventually be gone I would truly appreciate it. Hugs ❤️
GramsieSue I am sorry to hear about your SAH but grateful you are recovering. I am adding this to my prayer list. God bless you.
Praying for your recovery GramsieSue
@ Hope Trent, here is a verse for you today during your TWW:
I just want to say how grateful I am for ALL of you! My husband is away for 6 weeks and we are going through IVF after an infertility diagnosis and a miscarriage earlier this year. I miss him terribly and giving myself shots and waiting for the results on Thursday has been difficult. BUT this community is a HUGE blessing to me- every day I love reading your insight and testimony to the grace and power of God. I thank you for your prayers. Each day of this waiting period after the transfer and before the test I am learning more about God’s peace and provision. I ask for continued prayers. I also ask that I might not waste this time of waiting and all the suffering it’s taken to get to here, I want to have a testimony that shows God’s glory and not to just “white knuckle” it through until His blessing arrives! Thank you and bless you all!
Today’s verse is delight to read. I will be rewriting it several times and posting it though out my apartment. I also will be sending it to my sister.
I find sometimes just saying Hello with a smile or just smiling makes a different in people’s day. I know it does in mine. It especially helps on dreary days. The other thing I find that helps is a nod of acknowledgement and being told to have a good day. I like to say have good day because some people take offense to being told to have a blessed day.
Have a blessed day my sisters in Christ and keep smiling. :)
HEIDI I too have the hardest time with my family. My husbands side and I are complete opposites. They are not believers and I struggle greatly when I’m around them. I need to remember that I’m expecting godly behavior from a group that don’t follow God. ALLISON BENTLEY thank you for your comment. I need to forgive how they have treated me. It is old and I’ve hung onto it. Shame on me for not extending the same forgiveness that God has given me. Have a great day ladies!
@SuzieBates. I’m praying for you.
@Mari V My daughter struggles with so many things too. One day she was supposed to drop off something to her coach and pick up the end of the year gifts. She was in her car crying. She was just sitting there. She didn’t want to go in. I went up and took care of this for her. She also has an eating disorder.I will pray for your daughter and for you. She is blessed to have a praying, believing mom and one that asks others to pray too.
Good Morning! I looked up a couple of different translations for the verses in Romans. This one was so clear and amazing to me. I smiled after reading this! How awesome is our God that provides forgiveness and grace. I have definitely struggled with beating myself up. Here are the verses. Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses* and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
Also, on of the ladies explained more about the mercy seat that is written about in the CSB translation. I can’t remember who, but thank you for sharing. That part confused me when. I appreciate when you all share what you have learned or looked up. Sending prayers.
I don’t know where my second post went… maybe it will show up here twice…
You are spot on, SarahJoy! We need to extend Grace to ourselves and remember your post… that He takes great delight in ME and that He rejoices over ME (and you, SRT sisters!)
@SARAHJOY…Thanks for speaking directly to me…loved it…I also loved “Look What You’ve Done” song from Tasha Layton for this reason
@MARI V… praying about your Alyssa’s anxiety from every angle.
@ANGIE, I LOVE the story you shared as we pray for CLAIRE on surgery
@HEIDI…SOOOO, so true!
Thank you Foster Mama
Oh, SarahJoy… you are spot on. We need to offer more Grace to ourselves. May we daily remember those words in your post.
He is sooo patient and merciful. I am sometimes like His remnant, being humble and a source of strength for others. Yet, sometimes I am outside that group, much like an Israelite that turns away from Him and needs direction from the remnant.
I love verses -7-18 from Zephaniah chapter 3 and reading it in context makes it even more profound. Thanks be to God.
Grace – it’s a beautiful thing that god has given us. I struggle with giving others grace. I pray that for may soften my heart and help me give grace to those who don’t know god. I ask for words of encouragement and kindness to share to others as I walk in this journey of proving grace. God is so good and he is all forgiving!!
I’m going to keep posting this a few days apart but would appreciate prayer for my daughter Alyssa. On Sunday she leaves for an entire week to Christian camp. Her anxiety is kicking in. Please pray that she would keep seeking Jesus. Also we’re trying to get her an appointment with a doctor so she can address her anxiety. I’m praying that it would be a doctor that can fit with her personality and of course preferably a Christian.
Mari V I will pray for yo6 daughter’s anxiety
@MAURA, thanks for the song yesterday. Tasha Layton was not on my radar and it lead me to a song called “Look What You’ve Done”…I loved both songs!
@HOPE T @KASSIDY @CHELSEA K @VICTORIA E and @any of our sisters hoping to conceive, I am praying! (This may be theologically unsound but) I picture God also needing to be patient in His delight to give you the child to call you “Mommy/Mama” at JUST the right moment!! Since your desire is that this baby (whether your 1st or 2nd) comes from your own body, I will be praying that TOO!!! Sending love ❤️
Thank you Nads!
@CLAIRE – saying a prayer as they prep you for surgery.
@ANGIE – thank you for highlighting the requests from yesterday. I had not read through the comments, so I had missed the inspired words you shared. Thank you for letting the Spirit guide you. Your voice is a blessing to me.
SRT sisters – thank you so much for your vulnerability. It’s such a gift in a world that seems to live without hope. Thank you for sharing your testimonies of God’s faithfulness. I need a dose of reminder as I pray for clarity for my siblings and their significant others. God is faithful. God has them. Love to you all!
Honestly the person I offer the least grace is myself. Often I struggle to see how God covers my lack with His “enough-ness,” His righteousness, His perfection. I catch myself beating myself up for a mistake, especially those ones I fall into regularly. The irony is than I can feel terrible for not trusting His grace! (It’s a rough cycle.) Zephaniah 3:17 has always felt like the most refreshing water in the desert of self-doubt.
The Lord your God IS WITH YOU, (He’s paid to be near you and paid for your mistakes.)
HE IS MIGHTY to save. (Not you saving yourself, Sarah.)
He will take GREAT DELIGHT in you, (not because you’ve got it all together but because you are His)
He will QUIET YOU with His love, (stop the striving; He’s got this)
He will REJOICE OVER YOU with singing. (He’s so proud of you because you are His girl. Believe it!)
Singing is a delight of mine. And oftentimes where God breaks through for me the most. I’m going to commit to finding a few songs I can soak in today and join in His song over me.
Praying this little confession and reminder speaks to someone else today as we remember that our redemption is 100% provided by our sweet Father who wants us to offer grace first to ourselves and then let it overflow on to those around us. ❤️
SarahJoy thank you for sharing that insight. I appreciate it.
CLAIRE – you are in surgery as I type. I have prayed and am praying for you and the health care professionals who are working on you this very minute. I pray also for your time of PT. May you be a light for Jesus. I had to have shoulder surgery (both shoulders a year apart) when I was 30 because they froze up. I was young and healthy and thought, what’s the deal with this? But God. :) During PT, the physical therapist allowed me to listen to music to comfort me. This was before everyone kept the music in their ears so, she heard it too. What I didn’t know was that she was listening to the words and watching my witness during that time. She was not a believer during my first surgery. When I went back to her after my second, she was so excited to see me. She said that she and her husband had become believers and she had been praying she would get the opportunity to tell me because the hunger for Jesus started during my first PT. I laughed and told her she could have just called. God used it for good to bring lost souls home and I didn’t even know it was happening. Pretty amazing but, that is who our God is. You are in my prayers now and as you heal. The Creator is also your Healer, may it go well for you.
KASSIDY BUTLER, HOPE TRENT, CHELSEA KEETON, AND VICTORIA E. – praying for those babies God has planned for you, and for you in the waiting. (I gave my closest friend shots because her body would not hold pregnancies when we were both in the child bearing years. She had two successful pregnancies with lots of extra doctor help and a third “opps” blessing baby-that was just God showing off and making us all smile. May His peace be upon you.
AG – Your first year teaching was last year…bless you girl. You’ve got this!
LINDA GILLOW – I am sorry for the tragedy you experienced 15 years ago. I cannot imagine. How you honor the life of your son as you help others who deal with this kind of hurt. No one else understands like you do, and you don’t just understand, you have Jesus and His comfort and peace to offer others who go through this as well. I am sure you are a tremendous balm to other families.
HANNAH – I can imagine your heart and personality. People who have babies with special needs are softer, gentler. Their hearts remind me so much of our amazing God’s heart. Praying for you and your daughter this morning.
MARI V – You have a tender, compassionate heart that shines through in your posts. I’m sorry for the abuse you and your children experienced. My parents were alcoholics for parts of my growing up years, I know verbal abuse. I think it must have been worse from a spouse. Praying for you and your kiddos healing. God can use it for good. I know you know that but, even in your children’s lives. I believe I am a better teacher, more compassionate, maybe/hopefully patient because I understand some of my children’s homes different than some people.
(Breaking this into separate posts ladies because of time and so it doesn’t get too long and not be postable. Still praying.)
Angie…..Thank you so much! This made my morning. You are so sweet with your kind words. I needed to hear this.
Angie, this is amazing testimony! Thank you so much!
Like ARINA, I would also encourage you to read all of Zephaniah…even if it is just the entire 3rd chapter!! It gives MUCH greater insight, perspective and understanding!! Here are the verses I highlighted:
Zephaniah 3:5
Zephaniah 3:12-17
I also LOVED Isaiah 30:21
and learned that the Mercy seat (Romans 3:25) is the gold lid on the ark of the covenant. Under the two wings that this lid forms is where the Holy Spirit was said to dwell. Pretty interesting when you put it all together!! Makes quite the impact!!!
MAURA, Wow!! I got a lot of Isaiah 57!! There’s so much in there!!! I liked verse 13 like you did!! But the first thing that stood out to me was about the door posts… verse 8 “Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols. Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, you climbed into it and opened it wide; you made a pact with those whose beds you love, and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.”
Doors and door posts are significant, (especially in the culture of that day) because they symbolize the faithfulness and watchfulness of God! Think of the blood on the door posts that saved the Israelites from Egypt, think of permanent homes instead of wandering tents, think blessings and honor, think Joshua “as for me and my house we serve the Lord”, think of how Christ symbolizes a doorway to God… ALL very significant!!! But what STOOD OUT to me was that doors/doorposts symbolize what we ALLOW into ourselves, our lives, our “homes” …does what’s on the outside match what’s on the inside? Or are there hidden things? Like idols or strongholds? Are we lusting and opening up our most intimate lives to fleshly things or are we opening them up to God? Who are craving? And who are we serving?! Definitely a LOT to take in there!!!
I also liked verses 14-15 “And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” 15 For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Such an awesome promise and an exhortation to us as the body of Christ!!!
The last verse too!! Verse 21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
..such a powerful statement!! There is NO peace for those that choose an unrighteous and stiff-necked (stubborn unteachable) lifestyle. Definitely makes you think….
I hope all you ladies are staying encouraged and standing firm in what God is giving you!! Be Blessed today and always!! Xoxo
This is a wonderful write up, may the Lord continue to increase you. Have a blessed day
Honestly- I fee like I can extend His mercy and grace to “outsiders” more easily than the community of my own family…! With outside community, I don’t typically know their story and it keeps my mind open to various ways they may need love. But the people closest to me? My husband, kids… I feel like I lose patience with them much more quickly. That is the community I need to be focusing more consistently and patiently on. Making sure I am demonstrating the merciful, gracious, patient love that, honestly, they deserve from me, needs to be more of a priority in my day. It’s my privilege to be able to be filled with that kind of love and then pour it out into their lives as well.
when it’s difficult to love someone it is usually rooted in anger or pride. in order to love them as god would, i can be forgiving & humble. this shapes our story of redemption as god is also forgiving & humble towards us despite our sin.
Man, I love these verses! “The Lord your God is among you,
a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will be quiet in his love.
He will delight in you with singing.”
This reminds me of the Berthe Morisot painting, “The Cradle.” I had this framed in my first baby’s nursery, so long ago. In the painting, the mother peers adoringly at her sleeping baby. She is rejoicing and clearly delighting in that baby. It’s a quiet picture of love, care, nurturing, delight, protection. You know that mama will fight like a warrior for her child. I love the thought that my Father is watching over me in such a way, rejoicing over, delighting in, and protecting me. And the sweetest, sweetest lullaby!
Thank you Ariana!
If someone in your community is difficult to love then they’ve probably hurt you a time or two. The best way to truly extend Gods grace is to forgive!!! I think the simple fact that Gods forgives us daily should encourage us to put down our pride “humble ourselves” and forgive those around us who are also human and need daily forgiveness. Forgiveness is key to my redemptive story!! Praying for you sisters as we cleanse our hearts and forgive ourselves and others!!
Amen!
I loved Isaiah 30:21 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying ‘This is the way; walk in it.” I love how the Holy Spirit guides us if we are willing to listen. May we all cling to God and trust in Him with whatever we have before us today!
Yes!!!!
Amen Taylor!!
1. Only by the power of the Spirit within am I able to extend God’s grace to anyone, especially those who I have difficulties with. Here is where I need to be obedient to God and crucify the flesh, remembering that I am dealing with an image-bearer.
2. Zephaniah reminds us that God is above all holy. His holiness requires judgment on unholiness. Jesus took that wrath for me so that I may be able to be called His holy child.
Amen
If you haven’t done so yet, I want to encourage you to go read all of Zephaniah. It only takes about 10 minutes and it makes God’s grace shine all the more brightly. In 3:2 it says, “She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God.” And in verse 5, “The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.” But God, in His amazing grace, He promises, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” It is so, so undeserved, but so, so good.
I love the idea of God singing over me! It’s such a comforting thought. Whatever state I am in, he is there with songs of comfort, joy, gladness, celebration
If I think on God’s grace for me, how can I not extend His grace to others? Love Zephaniah chapter 3 and the rejoicing, Especially love the grace in Zephaniah 3:18-20. And the Isaiah passage spelling out God’s grace. Listening to the Holy Spirit helping us to walk in the Way. So good! God help me to love all those you place in my path with the mercy and grace You give and to truly see others as you see them. ERB, Isaiah 57 in the beginning speaks of the mercy of the righteous perishing and being spared from evil, entering peace and finding rest in death. It is not so hard when we look at the world, only hard in losing our loved ones to consider that God gives mercy in death for in it we will have His healing and are given eternity with God. This chapter speaks much of idols and yet again the futility of them. I love 13 as it contrasts idols and God. “When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” And much more. Hugs ERB, May we all Sisters, praise the One true God with all we have.