Today's Scripture
Clean up – Zephaniah 1:2-7
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Zephaniah 1-3
“I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,”
declares the Lord.
3 “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.”[a]
“When I destroy all mankind
on the face of the earth,”
declares the Lord,
4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,
the very names of the idolatrous priests—
5 those who bow down on the roofs
to worship the starry host,
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
and who also swear by Molek,[b]
6 those who turn back from following the Lord
and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.”
7 Be silent before the Sovereign Lord,
for the day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
he has consecrated those he has invited.
What does this passage mean to me/us
I want to make sure that you will read Zephaniah 3. That chapter is the promise of God’s hope and restoration.
The reason, however, I picked the passage from Zephaniah 1, regardless of its harsh language, is to show the need to clean up.
Let say that my son, who loves fruits, will eat a fruit and throw the fruit skin under his bed. You can imagine what will happen to his room. But let say that we only started spraying Febreeze and insect repellent to cover the smell and flies, would that solve the problem? There is a need to clean up the origin of the mess.
The first two verses of our passage sound like the judgment of the flood in Noah’s age. However, we know how God promised that no such judgment will occur again. We see how God is trying to get the attention of the people.
Then we see how God talks about the core of the problem, idol worship, and leaders who led the people to stray away from God.
After the core of the problem is solved, God can bring restoration.
What is the core problem in your life that God needs to clean up for restoration?
Prayer
Lord, if there is anything we hold on that is away from your will, we pray that you will allow us to see it and throw it out. Start your restoration in our lives. In Christ name, AMEN.
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