God will not allow false gods in our life.
He hates anything that we value above our salvation.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14, Paul states that another way we witness is by being the "fragrance of the knowledge" of Christ to the world. The Greek word Paul chose for "knowledge," gnosis, would have been understood by the original audience to mean more than just factual knowledge. It would also encompass heart knowledge. This knowing is factual, relational and experiential. This affirms Paul's earlier statement that knowledge without love is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). A person must engage both head and heart to fully know and represent God. When we do, we give off a distinct aroma to the world. FIRST5
Zephaniah 1–3
1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2 “I will utterly consume everything From the face of the land,” Says the Lord; 3 “I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” Says the Lord. 4 “I will stretch out My hand against Judah, And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests— 5 Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, But who also swear by Milcom; 6 Those who have turned back from following the Lord, And have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.” The New King James Version
Zephaniah’s genealogy is the longest of the writing prophets. The writer includes this lengthy genealogy to show that Zephaniah was the great-great-grandson of King Hezekiah. Zephaniah’s royal lineage makes him a distant relative of King Josiah, during whose reign he prophesied. The prophet’s position in the royal family provided him with an ideal opportunity to witness the apostasy of Judah’s leaders firsthand.
The Day of the Lord was used by the prophets to denote the time when God will intervene in human affairs and judge the wicked. Faithlife Study Bible
The messages of the OT prophets did not arise from the prophets’ own will, but from God Himself.
Zephaniah means “Hidden in the Lord,” a name that relates to the principal message the prophet presented. The names of the prophets were often significantly associated with the message that God gave them to present to the people. Hezekiah most likely refers to the notable king of Judah. Thus Zephaniah the prophet was related to King Josiah.
The message of Zephaniah begins with a pronouncement of universal judgment. These words not only introduce the particular judgment that would be pronounced upon Judah but they also speak of the final judgment that will usher in the kingdom of God on earth.
Stumbling blocks here refers to idolatry, or substitutes for God in the life and affections of a person. Because there is nothing in the universe that really may be compared to the Creator, God abhors all forms of idolatry.
The message of God’s impending judgment on the nation of Judah and its capital city Jerusalem must have been startling to those who believed that God would never destroy the site of His holy temple.
Baal worship and its evils had led to the destruction of Israel and its capital Samaria in 722 b.c. Likewise, Baal worship and its associations would lead to the destruction of Judah and its capital Jerusalem in 586 b.c.
Milcom is a reference to an Ammonite deity whose worship included acts of infant sacrifice. The people had experienced God and then turned away from Him. The NKJV Study Bible
Amos 1:7
But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
Which shall devour its palaces.
Amos 1:8
I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod,
And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn My hand against Ekron,
And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”Says the Lord GOD.
The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah;
They shall feed their flocks there;In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.For the LORD their God will intervene for them,And return their captives.
Ashkelon shall see it and fear;Gaza also shall be very sorrowful;
And Ekron, for He dried up her expectation.
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
No comments:
Post a Comment