Zephaniah Points to Jesus

Today’s Through the Bible Reading: Zephaniah 1- 3; Jeremiah 1

“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Despite the fact that man is unfaithful towards God, the Lord is still in the midst of them. He is faithful despite our faithlessness. (2 Timothy 2:13). Even when we are backsliding, refusing to obey, He remains faithful – morning by morning reminding us of His goodness and convicting our hearts of His way and reminding us of His blessings.

The Lord is righteous...He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame. Zephaniah 3:5

Today we begin the book of Zephaniah. Have you ever read Zephaniah? It’s easy to pass by, but this little book holds some big treasures.

Here’s some background to help make sense of what we’re reading.  Israel was refusing to obey God and had turned away from following Him. Although God had sent His prophets to warn of the consequences, they refused to listen. God gave them numerous chances to turn back to Him and He would have saved them from their mess – but they didn’t choose that. So…here the Babylonians are about to take over Jerusalem.

Remember that all Scripture points to Jesus – He’s the beginning and the end. The Old Testament points to Him and the New Testament reveals Him.  The book of Zephaniah is no exception! 

Zephaniah warns Israel of the coming judgment (the Babylonians) but the message is twofold – it also foreshadows the end times. This gives us personal application for today. Zephaniah tells of the decree of the Lord (Zeph 1:1-6), the day of the Lord (Zeph 1:7-3:8), and the deliverance of the Lord (Zeph 3:9-20).

Just as prophesied by Zephaniah, Jesus is mighty to samve (Matt. 19:25-26). He rejoices over you with joy (Luke 15:5-6), and His love is everlasting (John 13:1).

Although the book is heavy hearted at times, that is the consequence of sin and is a good thing for us to keep in mind as we walk through our day.  We are living in the end times, Jesus is coming back and we will soon and very soon be going to see our King. So take heart, flee sin, grasp on to that which is good, and let's love Jesus with all our heart!

by Sharon Kaselonis / All rights reserved ©