Study From the Book of                 Zephaniah,2

                                Study From the Book of Zephaniah,2

Today, we study chapter 1 of this rich book of the Bible. As usual, we pick up  a couple of biblical principles that can be applied in Biblical Counselling.

As mentioned, chapter one talks about God’s judgement over Judah and Israel and the surrounding nations. As in any prophecy of the Old Testament, it had a near by happening  and a future one. It happened for the Northern kingdom of Israel when was invaded by Assyrians and also for Judah when invaded by the Babylonians   when the Exile occurred.  Why was that? The reason is that they worshiped false gods and indulged in sin.  That was why the Lord hided His face from them (the meaning of the name of Zephaniah).

The far future, this grim picture will happen after the rupture of the Church in the great tribulation (The night of the Day of the Lord).

Although both prophases , (near and far) happened and will happen to the nations including the Israelites, they carry a warning message for us: if we continue to sin without repentance, the result is grim.

Principle 1 (verse 1:7): “ Be silent in the presence of the Lord God...”

Lesson 1: God calls us to silence before Him for many reasons. His awesome power and glory surpass all words. To hear His voice, we need to remain quiet and carefully listen. And anticipating His mighty work stills our mouth.

Principle 2(verse 1:12): “I will.... punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their hearts, ‘ the Lord will not do good, nor will do evil.’”

Lesson 2: Complacency ,a feeling of smug satisfaction , is always dangerous especially in the spiritual realm. God may look inactive to us, but He never is. He observe, He plans, He waits- and then He acts.