DAY 36
DATE: 2/5/2013
Good Morning! My name is Hal Boyd, and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of Zephaniah 1-3.
KEY VERSE:
Zephaniah 1:18 – Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
REFLECTIONS:
God brings Zephaniah the Jewish prophet to His people to warn them. In our key verse we see He is revealing to the Jews the approaching “Day of the Lord”. This phrase, “the Day of the Lord”, is a key phrase, and used often in the Bible, and many times dealing with prophecy.
The phrase, the “day of the Lord,” was first introduced by the ancient prophet Joel and is a phrase used by many of the prophets. Bible scholars define this phrase as “any time in history when God intercedes in the affairs of man personally on the earth”. That definition certainly describes the approaching judgment for the Jews in Zephaniah’s day.
Zephaniah uses this term many times in these chapters. Indeed the Lord did intercede in the affairs of the Jewish people, and even though there was a revival, God did chastise His people and it did happen in the “near future,” as it relates to Zephaniah’s day.
APPLICATION:
Many times God uses a prophet to tell the people the future, and these prophecies can have either a short-term fulfillment or a long-term fulfillment, and sometimes both. Zephaniah’s prophecies in our reading today are to warn the people of the coming of the Babylonian captivity, which was close at hand.
In this particular prophecy there is also a long-term fulfillment which, I believe, could come about very soon. Today Iraq is in the headlines every day and, remember, the Babylonians of Zephaniah’s day are the Iraqis of today. The Bible also tells us in Revelation 18 that the literal city of “Babylon” will be center stage as the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ nears. All this will happen after we who know the Lord as personal Savior will have been raptured to meet the Lord in the air, and this encourages me to tell others about Jesus Christ so they can go with me.
Thank you for being a part of the Route 66 Challenge. Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!
In Christ,
Hal Boyd
WHEN YOU GOT SAVED: Winter 1973
FAVORITE BOOK OF THE BIBLE: John
FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER: David
FAMILY: Wife – Pat; Children – Stephanie, Sarah, and Amanda (nine grandchildren)
OCCUPATION: District Sales Manager – Preload Inc.