DAILY REMINDER – Today, September 27’s Bible reading is Habakkuk -
Zephaniah.
NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, September 28’s Bible reading is Haggai 1-2.
May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.
Habakkuk’s Introduction
The book of Habakkuk
is so named after the prophet of which it was written. There is very little
known about the author of this book other than he was like Jeremiah. His name
means to cling which is part of the message he taught to Israel in that
they should cling to the Lord. Habakkuk’s prophecy to Israel took on a
different approach than the prophets before him. Israel gets a chance to have
insight into the actual conversation between Habakkuk and God concerning His
methods and intentions for dealing with them and their sins. The prophet witnessed
how the leaders oppressed the poor and were wicked in all their dealings but
seemed to be prospering on every level. He questioned God concerning these
matters. The Lord replied to him and Habakkuk’s response became a popular
psalm. Habakkuk’s prophecy is dated slightly before or after 605 B.C.
HABAKKUK MOMENT – (27SEP19) “How
long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save? Why
do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict
abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and
justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so
that justice is perverted” (Habakkuk 1:2-4). The Prophet
Habakkuk finds himself asking the Lord questions about the injustices that he
witnessed throughout the land of Judah. Judah was in a state of constant
rebellion against the Lord and the people did not adhere to His laws and
ordinances. They were worse than their heathen neighbors who could at least use
the excuse that they did not know God. Judah had a history with the Lord, but
they rejected Him for their strange gods and evil ways. Therefore, Habakkuk was
perplexed at why the Lord allowed them to seemingly get by with what they were
doing and how they were living. He knew that the Lord required obedience and He
tried to live accordingly, but what he couldn’t understand was why the Lord was
tolerating such behavior. The Lord responded by letting the prophet know that
Judah’s day of judgment was coming, and even though it seemed slow to him, it
would happen at its appointed time.
Many believers
may be asking themselves the same questions that Habakkuk did. It sometimes seems
as if the wicked is prospering as their wickedness is increasing by the day.
Yet, Jesus had something to say about the prosperity of the wicked. “What
good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark
8:36). Those who are lost may seem to have it all, but in the end, what
will it matter to their souls? Yes, we are living in a world full of injustices
and countless sins all around us, but we are to pray even the more when we see
such things take place. The state of countless souls are in danger of hell fire
and if they do not repent, they will indeed be lost. There are some Christians
who believe in praying for the Lord’s wrath to come down to destroy the wicked.
I, however, am of a different opinion and believe that we should pray for the
salvation of these souls to come to Jesus as long as we have breath. How about
you? Something to ponder….
QUESTION OF THE DAY -
(27SEP19) “I will be joyful in God my Savior. The
Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my
feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19). The Prophet Habakkuk was taking joy in the Lord being His
Savior in whom he could leap heights. The Lord was there even during the midst
of His complaints to give him encouragement and let him know that he was not
alone. Although there was evil at every front around this prophet, the Lord was
his salvation in whom He could place his complete trust. The people who obeyed
the Lord were also able to take comfort in the prophet’s dialogue with the Lord
that He would never leave them nor forsake them, and one day, the Messiah would
come to rid them of all the sin that perplexed them, and His kingdom would have
no end.
The psalmist in the book of Psalms proclaimed the same
message that Habakkuk did. “The LORD is my
strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps
for joy, and with my song I praise him” (Psalm 28:7). There are times
when we have to remind ourselves when challenges arise on this Christian
journey that the Lord is our strength and joy. This walk is not going to get
easier as the days grow darker. Nevertheless, our hope, faith, and trust must
be in the Lord, for He is the only One who can help us to endure to the end.
Will you trust in His mighty power now? Something to ponder….
Zephaniah’s Introduction
The book of
Zephaniah is so named after its author which means the Lord protects. After the
reign of Hezekiah, Judah’s spiritual state declined drastically, but Josiah made
remarkable changes, which were supported by Jeremiah and Nahum’s message. The
prophets were ignored, unfortunately, and Judah became ripe for judgment which Zephaniah
prophesied about. Judah had become no different than their heathen neighbors
who were also going to be judged.
Zephaniah was a
descendant of King Hezekiah and was of great social standing in Judah. He prophesied
during King Josiah’s reign, so his book was written around 630 B.C. Zephaniah’s
central theme was the coming day of the Lord who would judge the nations of the
world. He does not refrain from telling the seriousness of that day, but also
gives insight into the mercy that the Lord will have for those who are His.
ZEPHANIAH MOMENT – (27SEP19) “’I will sweep away everything from the face of the
earth,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will sweep away both
man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and
the fish in the sea—and the idols that cause the wicked to
stumble’” (Zephaniah 1:2-3). The Prophet Zephaniah had been given a
Word from the Lord regarding the day of judgment that would be over the entire
earth. The Day of the Lord is not going to be a celebratory moment for the lost
at which time, it will be too late to repent and turn their lives around. The
Lord is going to destroy all of the idols that caused man to sin as well as
both man and beasts who are left to face the judgment on the Day of the Lord.
It will be a day of darkness and gloom for the lost. The people will be
distressed and be like blind men. Their money will be of no use for the Lord is
going to destroy the old and make everything new. The Prophet Zephaniah received
this message as a dire warning, but this is only such for those who will be
lost. The prophet said: “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you
who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be
sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zephaniah 2:3-4). Those who
have the mark of God on their foreheads will be saved, but all others will be
eternally separated from the Lord.
The Day of the Lord is coming quickly. It will be a day like none other
when the Lord comes to take us back with Him. The wicked, however, will have a very
different fate. They will not be able to enjoy the goodness of the Lord at the
time of His destruction upon the earth. The time to choose the Lord is now, for
no one knows the hour of His return. Those who are saved are to look forward to
the Lord’s return, but those who are wicked, will only receive the reward
befitting all who rejected Him as their Lord and Savior. “I the Lord
search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according
to the fruit of his deeds” (Jeremiah
17:10). Something to ponder….
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