Zephaniah & Haggai
Punishments
and Priorities

In fulfilling His promises, God supernaturally makes it possible for us to dwell in His presence and under His rule.

God, thanks that You desire to dwell with Your people, and that You provide all the power necessary to make it happen; may my heart be Your sanctuary. Amen.

Being steadfast in taking corrective and defensive measures ensures a life that is far better than it would be otherwise. Your choice.

Lord, please help me focus on developing the relational and spiritual skills that will enable me to live this life as You intended, and reap Your honor. Amen.

The two short books (total of five chapters) in this post provide an educational contrast. Zephaniah details the destruction of the near and distant Day of the Lord, before the exile, in which the people are not responsive. Haggai describes the difficulties of the post exile community in placing God as their number one priority, and their responsiveness to His prophetic reproof. Responsive people who are short on time could skim Zephaniah and focus on the priority lessons in Haggai.

The Day of the Lord, when God executes judgment, is the prominent theme in Zephaniah. Written in the days of boy-king Josiah (probably before the discovery of the law), Zephaniah describes the imminent judgment of Judah for their wickedness, against the backdrop of God's world-wide housecleaning when the Messiah returns. People who want to be righteous (and don't like pain) will want to pay special attention to the sins God singles out for specific judgment (and avoid them). With an updated understanding of sensual Baal worship, the sins are as prevalent today as they were before the Babylonian exile.

You've got a good list of things for which God has promised to judge His people; would your name be able to be placed next to any of them by an avenging angel?

Gracious and Great God, may none of the above things which displease You and will result in my discipline, have any place in my life. Show me the errors of my ways, and guide me into the goodness of Your paths. Thanks. Amen.

God, may I make every decision in a manner that demonstrates humility and my desire to please You; may I see Your way clearly and not be deceived into following the devil's desire. Amen.

Don't refuse correction if you don't want retribution.

Righteous and Mighty God, You are so gracious to warn of judgment, and not abandon Your people who ignored You. May I be receptive and repentant and experience the wealth of Your blessings rather than Your wrath. Thanks for Your grace. Amen.

Contrasted with Zephaniah's audience, the remnant that returned from the Babylonian exile to rebuild, was responsive to the word of God, but still needed to be reprimanded for their lack of zeal in obeying God's word. They were busy doing their own thing rather than God's thing (Hey, this could be modern times!). But all their efforts weren't yielding fruit nor satisfaction, in fact, God was thwarting their efforts to get their attention so they could deal with their sin. God promises the Desire of Nations will come to the rebuilt temple and establish peace between God and man, and then come to establish peace on earth (after He sweeps in clean). See rebuilding timeline under Digging Deeper.

Sowing much and reaping little is a sign of doing our thing rather than God's thing; considering our ways and repenting is the path to blessing.

God, may I be gung-ho about advancing Your work and glory, and not passionate about the paneling in my house at the expense of loyally obeying You. Amen.

If loyally obeying God is not our number one priority, everything else we do is pointless from the standpoint of fulfilling our purpose on earth and getting blessed, so that God is glorified.

God, I will seek first Your kingdom (my reward in it – Matthew 6:33) and Your righteousness, and trust that You will bless with all that I would otherwise seek. Thanks for being so gracious in providing peace and prosperity; may I not lose it by putting my interests above Yours. Amen.

God in a nutshell: God judges sin, both of His people and the nations. He particularly hates those who deny this truth about Him. He will withhold blessings and send cursings and disappointments to get our attention so we will repent and seek Him. He graciously restores the humble, but scars remain. He can use those scars for His glory, but Plan B is not usually better than Plan A. God will judge the entire earth, and set His glory above all else.

Us in a nutshell: We can refuse to fear and obey God, and suffer the consequences, or repent and return to Him, and experience His blessings. Our sins will be judged, and we can't hide from judgment. Fortunately we can be hidden by God if we are humble and seek righteousness. If we fail to have our relationship with God as our number one priority we will experience disappointment and dissatisfaction in all our other endeavors. The converse is also true. Seeking God and His will every day, as our most important task, will result in Him providing all we need.