What Should We Do?[1]

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December 13, 2009 – Zephaniah 3.14-20 (1.1-3.20)

Open It

1.       In what way do you tend to be a pessimist or an optimist?

2.       *What future event are you either dreading or anticipating?

3.       What in your life brings you the most joy?

Explore It

4.       Who was Zephaniah? (1:1)

5.       What was prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem? (1:2-18)

6.       Who were the objects of judgment? (1:4-13)

7.       What was the description of judgment? (1:14-18)

8.       What did the prophet summon the people to do? (2:1-3)

9.       What were the judgments on neighboring nations? (2:4-15)

10.   *What did Zephaniah say about Jerusalem’s doom? (3:1-7)

11.   What universal judgment did the prophet foretell? (3:8)

12.   *How would the nations be renewed? (3:9-10)

13.   What future blessings for God’s people did Zephaniah describe? (3:11-20)

14.   *How would God remove sorrow from His people? (3:18-20)

Get It

15.   How does God bring judgment on rebellious nations today?

16.   What sin patterns are prevalent among Christians in our culture?

17.   How do we practice Israel’s crimes of idolatry, violence, and fraud today?

18.   What significance does "the day of the Lord" have for us?

19.   *When have you experienced restoration and rejoicing after a period of rebellion?

20.   When has the Lord brought you out of sorrow and into joy?

21.   In what way are you blessed right now?

22.   In what way might you be a blessing to others?

23.   How can looking forward to future blessings in Christ provide hope and enthusiasm for our spiritual journey with Him?

24.   *In your life as a Christian, what do you look forward to most?

Apply It

25.   In what areas of your life do you want to be more sensitive to God’s desires for you and less resistant of what He wants?

26.   What sad memories do you want to let go of in order to experience the joy of the Lord?

27.   *How can you remind yourself (or others) this week of the future hope that God has planned for His people?

NOTES

Notes for 3:14-18 The Lord himself will remove his hand of judgment, disperse Israel's enemies, and come to live among his people. He will give them gladness. We sin when we pursue happiness by cutting ourselves off from fellowship with God — the only person who can make us truly happy. Zephaniah points out that gladness results when we allow God to be with us. We do that by faithfully following him and obeying his commands. Then God rejoices over us with singing. If you want to be happy, draw close to the source of happiness by obeying God.

Notes for 3:20: "Before your very eyes" does not necessarily mean that this promise would be fulfilled during Zephaniah's generation. Rather, it means that the restoration will be an obvious work of the Lord.

3:20 The message of doom in the beginning of the book becomes a message of hope by the end. There will be a new day when God will bless his people. If the leaders in the church today were to hear a message from a prophet of God, the message would probably resemble the book of Zephaniah. Under Josiah's religious reforms, the people did return to God outwardly, but their hearts were far from him. Zephaniah encouraged the nation to gather together and pray for salvation. We must also ask ourselves: Is our reform merely an outward show, or is it changing our hearts and lives? We need to gather together and pray, to walk humbly with God, to do what is right, and to hear the message of hope regarding the new world to come.