Zephaniah begins with a sweeping declaration of judgment. He will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth. It’s a shocking statement. And the universal scope is intriguing. Nobody escapes this judgment. But we also have to be aware of where God is taking us in this book. There is a reason for this judgment. 

God’s “slowness” is meant to lead us to repentance. Rather than Him being slack in fulfilling His promise, the very wait itself is part of this promise. When Jesus said that He wasn’t going to lose any of the sheep that had been entrusted to Him, he meant far more than the first-century disciples. He means you and I too.

Interestingly enough, there appears to be some discrepancy in the Scriptures when it comes to naming that first disciple. Most believe it is Andrew, but there are other options.

Suffering is awful. But it doesn’t get the last word, and neither do we. God does. And in Christ, it’s a beautiful one.

The story of Habakkuk is really the story of the Bible, at least post Genesis 3. Human wickedness runs rampant and is in need of judgment. God’s love and patience make it look as if justice will not happen. But eventually all wicked empires will fall.

I don’t mean to be overly simplistic here, but my answer to this question is pretty simple. How do you help your child understand gender identity in a confused world? The same way you do with all the other questions — you tether it to the gospel story.

Romans 13:1-2 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” Do you ever read a verse like that and think, “Yeah, but Paul didn’t understand the nincompoops we have in leadership”? That argument doesn’t fly very far when we realize it was the wicked and pretty much insane Nero who was in charge when Paul wrote those words.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Daniel lived in similarly difficult and unstable times. Daniel lived in a time when the Israelites were taken off into Babylonian captivity. The Babylonians were dedicated to chiseling away any distinction they had, which kept them from being fully Babylonian. They’d allow you to practice your own religion—so long as it ultimately bowed to the national one. Daniel’s time was somewhat similar to our own. His interaction with Babylon can teach us how to live under imperfect leadership in our day.

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Because of our rebellion, our being is pitted against God. We’re not prone to trust Him, though He is trustworthy. Sin has distorted us in such a way that we are susceptible to placing our faith in shaky things and reject that which is stable.

The book is all about the destruction of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire. Yes, that Nineveh. The same one which Jonah had preached against a century prior. The same empire that had repented and turned from wickedness seems to have fallen headlong into evil once again. And God is now responding with wrath.

There are many social gatherings where we do not gather and sing. And yet every Sunday morning across the globe people gather and sing songs — some modern and some ancient. And it’s not weird at all. Have you ever thought about how unusual this practice is? Are there any other social gatherings where you meet together and sing for about 15-20 minutes?

God commands praise because it, He, is the pinnacle of our delight. His command to praise is a call to turn from mud-pies and enjoy the holiday. In the same way that we might earnestly command our child to put down the stick and come open his Christmas present, God calls us to put down our lesser loves and enjoy Him.

This focus upon Hebrew roots is the core intention of the Cepher. The text attempts to “restore” what the authors consider more accurate renderings of Scripture in its original linguistic and cultural context.

Micah predicted a time when a new shepherd would lead the people. And he would do it in a New Jerusalem filled with God’s presence. And this shepherd would be a king who would rule righteously. This shepherd-king is none other than Christ.