I just realized it would have been neat to do something about the number of the day…”today is day 10, let’s talk about the 10 plagues…oh wait, let’s talk about the 10 commandments, instead!”
That’s not what is on my heart today. Today I awoke with the scripture “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.” That’s all I got. Over and over and over.
Zeph 3:17 KJV The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Sounds good, eh? But, to get the gist of what Zephaniah was prophesying, I thought I’d read the whole book, all 3 chapters! And, I did it in English Standard Version, so I didn’t get stuck on the KJV terms.
Zeph 1:2 & 6 ESV “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD…. those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.”
Zeph 1:7 & 14 ESV Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests….The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.
And the cry to the true followers:
Zeph 2:1-3 ESV Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, 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. 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.
A Warning to those that are supposed to be believers:
Zeph 3:1-2 & 4 ESV Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.
To those that are supposed to know Him, and don’t….
Zeph 3:5 ESV The LORD within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
God gave His believers a chance, with His word, with His touches in our lives, with His Son, Jesus Christ:
Zeph 3:7 ESV I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.
Zeph 3:8-20 Is for those that have not turned their hearts away from God – it is His promise for His coming Kingdom after the Tribulation. And then, there is joy.
Zeph 3:14-15 ESV Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
And then – here’s the verse:
- 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.
And, the Creator of the Universe, the one that made me, that set laws into motion, that decreed behavior that would honor Him, and gave the only pathway to eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ, after having fought all that were my enemies says he’ll do this:
Zeph 3:18 ESV I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
I really embrace this one!
Zeph 3:19 ESV Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
Change my shame? into praise? save the lame? gather the outcast? I represent this promise! I’ll take this one, too!
Zeph 3:20 ESV At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the LORD.
I don’t know about this one…I have no fortune to be restored…but I know where my treasures are laid up! The promise is that while life here is hard, there is a better day. The promise is that the Lord will return, just as surely as the ones hearing this prophecy knew that Jesus was coming. He came first as the servant King, to deliver us from our sins, so that we could choose to heed this exhortation:
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
ESV- He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
NLT No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
It is hard for me to imagine, the God of the universe doing this for me: Zeph 3:17 ESV –
- 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.
I can hardly speak at this thought…..I can only imagine….
If you like the song – please support the band Mercy Me – I have.
1 The 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I told the Lord, no one wants to read such a downer of a blog. He said “write it.”
I told the Lord, no one would read this blog, and He sent me to 1 Thes 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The Lord’s return is closer now than it was in Jesus’ day or Paul’s day – and the world is fulfilling all of the prophecies. But, we can be encouraged that the God of all creation has chosen each of us, and as long as we are on God’s side…His return will be like the arrival of the allied forces into the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. Rejoice!
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To the Only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)
Thank you for joining me on this journey,
…show me that God was right…and leave a comment here, saying you read this.
…and please, if you think this is relevant, share it with others…we need to gather the faithful, and to strengthen one another in Christ.
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing beneath the shadow of your wings.
- 100 days challenge – moving – check
- 100 days challenge- blog – check
- 90 days Bible Reading – check
- 50 days T-Tapp – check
- 21 days Fasting for Food – check.
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