The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.

Zephaniah 2:4-15

The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.  For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes. Zephaniah 2:7

I continue my study of Zephaniah using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zephaniah 2:4-15, which is the text for the first division for the next chapter of the commentary, which includes two divisions.  The first division covers 2:4-15 and the commentary further breaks this down into nine subdivisions - and I tackle the first five today.

Across both the two main divisions and all subdivisions - covering Zephaniah 2:4-3:8 - the commentary shares the following main idea: "[i]n light of God’s judgment, God’s people must seek the Lord in humility or face destruction."  The commentary heading for the first division - covering Zephaniah 2:4-15 - is entitled: The Enemies of God’s People Will Be Judged because of Their Pride.

• The land of the Gentiles will become the feed for the animals of God’s people (2:6): "The specific judgment is that [the enemies of God's people's] land would become pastureland for the people of God....Verses 7 and following explain the future possession of God’s people. This would have been most offensive to the enemies of God’s people. Perceiving themselves to be superior physically, not to mention wealthier, they would have found it absurd that the nation of Judah would overtake them. This is, however, what God decreed because of their insolence and arrogance. In fact, verse 7 gives a foretaste of what was coming for the people of Judah. Yes, they had turned their backs on God, and yes, they were defiantly disobedient, but God was offering them redemption, and it appears, in verse 7, that God believed they would return to Him. He tells us that He would, in fact, return to them." 
  
• The land of the Gentiles will be given to God’s people (2:7): "Verse 7 tells us that God will be doing just such a work here among His people, and part of that restoration will be the settling of the enemies of Judah under the authority of Judah. Out of the ashes will rise this restored people, dedicated to God and enjoying life as He intended it. The resurrecting work of God is intended to help humanity flourish."
  
• The Gentiles’ taunting of God’s people has incurred His wrath (2:8): "It is most likely evidence of the enemies of God’s people taunting them about their God. Their taunting is most likely a blow at the character of God and therefore is much, much worse than simple name-calling. The mocking of the people of Judah may have been much like the psalmist described: “My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:10)....While God gives much grace, at the end of the day those who disparage and attempt to challenge God’s character will fail. Not only have they taunted God’s people, but they have also “threatened their territory.” They not only have disregarded God, but they have attempted to usurp God’s authority by encroaching on the territory that God has given to His people." 
  
• All the people who have opposed God and His people will bow before Him (2:11): "Ultimately, inherent in this issue is the fundamental question of the gospel: what will you do with God? In the end, everyone will ultimately respond with the same declaration, “Jesus is Lord,” as Scripture reminds us. However, Scripture also affirms that most of those who will ever live will make their declaration through forced submission. Only those who voluntarily declare that Jesus is Lord, in this life, will enjoy the benefits afforded to the children of God.  Those who reject Him will not escape the declaration that Jesus is Lord; instead they will find it to be a sobering and terrifying moment as they declare it to be so, but they do so too late, having missed their opportunity to submit before God. Scripture teaches that their just recompense, then, will be eternal judgment. Verse 11 reflects that truth." 
  
• God will use His own people to destroy the Gentiles (2:9): "Verse 9 points out that these enemies would eventually be reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah. They would be a “perpetual wasteland,” according to the prophet. Their property and land would become the possession of the people of God." 
  

Be one of God's remnant that is saved from eternal damnation - confess your sin and declare Jesus as Your Lord and Savior!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO full of grace and compassion - I am not unlike those in Judah who often stray from You.  I was an enemy of You and hostile to You, yet You loved me first and made me one of Your elect!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

 

For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.

Zephaniah 2:4-15

For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes. Zephaniah 2:7b

I continue my study of Zephaniah using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, my focus is an unassisted review of Zephaniah 2:4-15, which is the text for the first division for the next chapter of the commentary, which includes two divisions.  The first division covers 2:4-15.  The text describes how God will pour out his wrath upon Judah's neighbors, but at the same time He will be mindful of a repentant Judah itself and "restore their fortunes" (v7b). God specifically calls out Judah's neighbors, including Gaza, the Cherethites, Canaan, land of the Philistines, the seacoast, Moab and and the Ammonites, the Cushites, and Assyria/Nineveh.  Zephaniah calls out these neighbors for how they "taunted [God's] people and made boasts against their territory (v8, 10)", and how they claimed that they were secure and did not need God (v15). Yet Judah does not get away with anything because as I posted previously on chapter 2 (see posts on vv1-3), Judah is only spared if it accepts God gracious offer of repentance and a return to the Lord (v3). We should all recognize our sin and how we desperately need salvation, and how God freely offers it!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - You made me one of Your elect while I was still an enemy and hostile to You...thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;and I will cut off from this place...those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.”

Zephaniah 1:4-6

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;and I will cut off from this place...those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” Zephaniah 1:4,6

I continue my study of Zephaniah using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, I lean on my commentary for a review of vv4-6. The commentary emphasizes that while God is clearly angry at His people for their idol worship and for turning their back on God, we are not to view God as vengeful.  We are rhetorically challenged to view God rightly.  "God is a God of grace and compassion. In light of that, then, how are we to understand His anger, especially toward His own people?"  The commentary points to Jesus and how in Romans, Paul describes that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). We are then encouraged to see how we are all fair game for God's corrective discipline and referred to Hebrews 12:5-6. Finally, the commentary urges us to see the grace of God in Zephaniah where God's anger should be viewed as an opportunity to repent and return to God.  The Old Testament is an example of God's patience for His people - yes, He did rebuke and punish His people, but not because there were not deserving.  Also, throughout redemptive history, God was faithful in His promises, and He pointed to Jesus and gave people hope through the promise of a coming Messiah.  Jesus is the One.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a God of grace and compassion as You took on flesh and died for me so that I could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  Thank You Jesus for my salvation.  I am not deserving of such blessings!  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

...Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Romans 5

...Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:10

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today shares details of the eternal damnation of those who spurn God's love and reject Him as Lord and Savior.  Piper starts the devotion by sharing 1 Thessalonians 1:10 where Paul describes the hope he has in Jesus who delivers believers from "the wrath to come."  Piper then provides several verses that share the ominous details of what it will be like for those damned for eternity: Romans 2:8, Ephesians 5:6, Revelation 14:10-11, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 19:15, and Revelation 14:20.

Besides 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Piper provides Revelation 22:17 and 21:4 to encourage believers with what awaits them in Heaven.  

As Piper concludes the devotion for today, he urges believers with: encouragement and a message to save others from the fire: "I tremble with joy that I am saved! But oh, the holy wrath of God is a horrible destiny. Flee this, brothers and sisters. Flee this with all your might. And let us save as many as we can!" 

[H]ave mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire[.] Jude 22-23a

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus for saving me from the wrath to come.  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome  and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

1 Thessalonians 5

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter nine - My Friend with the Best News during Cancer.  Here, John Piper shares the intimate details of his battle with prostrate cancer and how he learned to lean on Paul's words from 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10.  Piper chains together the logic that gave him great hope though this trial.  He starts by describing how God is in control (Romans 11:36, Ephesians 1:11).  He then moves to the text specifically in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 where it says "God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation."  Salvation is then clarified - by looking at the remainder of the text - of course as being eternal and not saved necessarily from cancer itself.  Piper then answers a key question - how did he know that his cancer was not God's punishment for his sins?  He responds by saying "because Christ already died for my sins. Cancer or no cancer, death or life, Paul told me that I was going to “obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for [you].*"  We are referred to John 3:36, Romans 8:1, 3 for additional support. Salvation is then further clarified by describing it as living eternally with Jesus as "that I will live forever, since the One I live with cannot die*" (see also Romans 6:9). The encouragement afforded in this promise is emphasized by Piper as we "get to live forever with the One who loved me enough to die for me*".  As he wraps the chapter, Piper points us to 1 Thessalonians 5:8 where such salvation is described as a "helmet" protecting us from harm and offering hope. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has died for our sins taking the wrath that we deserve and giving us salvation instead - something we don't deserve.  Thank You for this hope and protection.  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.

Isaiah 3-4

In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. Isaiah 4:2-4

I continue my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series.  On day 6 of my study, where I start looking at Isaiah 3-4, the key takeaway comes from Isaiah 4:2-4, where God offers hope for those who remain close to Him, the remnant that will not be brought low, humbled and destroyed. I am reminded of John 14:6, where Jesus says "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Those, whom I will refer to as "the world," who rely on idols above the One, True God, Jesus Christ, will not be saved but instead be destroyed.  Yet, again, for those who fail to submit to God, they will perish for eternity. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who has sealed me for eternity and called me as one of Your elect - thank You Jesus!  What an incredible gift!  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin of worry and other sins, continue.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Leviticus 10

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing with chapter ten - Our Response to God's Holiness - covering Leviticus 10:1-20, looking specifically at the chapter's final theme - God's People Announce God is Gracious.  Here, the commentary encourages us to see how, in the death of Nadab and Abihu, God's grace exists.  It explains that if God allowed sacrifices to be offered in any manner the priests saw fit, such an attitude towards sin could have easily derailed God's plan to use the root or remnant of the Israelites as part of his grand design to send Jesus to die for all sin of all humanity for all times. Similar to how a parent punishes a child, the punishment served to discipline and sharpen the Israelites (or at least some of them we refer to as the root or remnant from which Jesus arose). The commentary also reminds us that God's grace abounds today as the world is full of sin - both intentional and unintentional; it states that "in God's holiness and righteous wrath He could put all sinners to death and rid the planet of evil once and for all.  But in His grace He is giving us time--time to turn to Him, time to put our faith in Him instead of our own way."  We are urged to refer to 2 Peter 3:9 where Peter writes about Gods patience. The commentary then reminds us that God's judgement (eternal damnation) awaits those who spurn God's grace, and refuse to repent and turn to Him. While God's wrath is rarely discussed in church, we must understand that all of us sin and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The commentary wraps by having us focus on how Jesus took the wrath of all sin upon Himself and in so doing, He gave us Himself as a place to rest where we can have forgiveness of sin and freedom in Christ.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is so full of grace for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your amazing grace.  My sin continues - harshness of others, worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and energy.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:1-11

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Romans 5:9-10

This afternoon, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued my study of chapter six The Blessings of Justification By Faith, which covers Romans 5:1-11.  My focus today is Romans 5:9-10 where my commentary uses the heading We Have Assurance of Final Salvation. As with this chapter, I've been looking at the blessings of justification - we have in v9-10 the blessing of salvation.  Of course, it's hard to describe salvation with a single word - we must take the time to unpack and ponder what it means. Paul helps us by ensuring we know that prior to salvation we were "enemies" of God and of course deserving of His wrath - death (Romans 6:23).  Keeping in mind our own sin and its ultimate consequences it becomes more clear how precious and valuable our salvation is. We are saved indeed!

My commentary points out our salvation has a "negative" and a "positive" aspect - negative in that we "have no fear of future wrath" (v9).  We are encouraged to be overwhelmed in gratitude and be full of praise, joy and holy awe.  My commentary then states that "[p]ositively, Paul also says believers are reconciled to God now and forever (v10)....[w]e share [Jesus'] life now; we will share his life through the resurrection later."  We know this for sure because of how Jesus accomplished the most difficult aspect of our salvation through His death on the cross. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who has assured me of salvation both in this life and in the life to come - Heaven!  Thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time - I am of course not deserving of this but deserving of Your wrath.  Thank You for saving me from Your wrath - knowing everything about me.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.