The remnant of Israel will be restored. They will trust in God and worship Him. They will be purified.
Be glad that God has taken away your punishment.
God will be with His people and save them. He will delight in them and love them and no longer rebuke them. They will be gathered to Him.
BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 5: Zephaniah 3:9-20
14) I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. No one will be afraid. God will be with His people and save them. He will delight in them and love them and no longer rebuke them. They will be gathered to Him.
15a) God promises to care for those who believe in Him and trust Him. He does.
b) God calls all those to Him, but only the believers will have eternal life.
16) Verse 15: The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;never again will you fear any harm. I always love the idea that God is with me. This is something I need to be told over and over again.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 5: Zephaniah 3:9-20
Great lesson on God’s restoration of His faithful people.
End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 5: Zephaniah 3:9-20
All will worship the Lord once again. There will be peace and prosperity in the Second Coming.
God will be joyful along with His people. He will sing over them (what a great picture!).
God’s people will find rest in His presence.
We should not fear and should keep serving Him.
God promises to encourage us, defeat our enemies, heal us, and gather us to Him. What a beautiful picture!
Zephaniah warns of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the judgment of the surrounding nations.
God will judge the entire planet on the day of the Lord (Second Coming of Christ). God will destroy all idol worship, punish the officials and the king’s sons, and all who fill the temple with violence and deceit.
Judah is asked to repent. All of the surrounding nations will face judgment, including Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria.
Jerusalem has been given chances to repent, but still does not.
BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 4: Zephaniah 1:1-3:8
9) During the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah. Josiah entered into a new covenant with God and issued reforms after reading the Book of the Law, which was found. He wiped out pagan cults and removed idolatry from the temple.
10)
Zephaniah 1:2-3: “I will sweep away everythingfrom the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.“I will sweep away both man and beast;I will sweep away the birds in the skyand the fish in the sea—and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble. He will destroy all mankind on the face of the earth.
Zephaniah 1:4-5: “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests— 5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molek,[b]
Zephaniah 1:12-16: God will punish those who are complacent. Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. Though they build houses,they will not live in them. though they plant vineyards,they will not drink the wine.” That day will be a day of distress, anguish, trouble, ruin, darkness, gloom, clouds, blackness, trumpets, and battle cries.
11) Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria. God judges both believers and unbelievers. Everyone will be accountable to God for their actions.
12) They are disobedient, oppressors, rebellious, and defiled. They don’t trust God nor do they draw near to God. The officials and rulers are corrupt. The prophets are unprincipled. They are treacherous people. The priests do violence to the law. The people are unrepentant for their actions.
13) I think people today don’t think about God’s judgment and live their lives ignoring God. Or, they sin and believe that doesn’t matter because God will forgive them. This is because people don’t believe in God or they only believe the parts of God’s word they want to believe.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 4: Zephaniah 1:1-3:8
Love this lesson! Love the tender judgment of God and His constant call to have His people repent.
End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 4: Zephaniah 1:1-3:8
Zephaniah preaches what the other prophets did: he condemned the people of God for their sins and predicted their coming judgment. However, he also predicted the day of the Lord for a small remnant. Zephaniah was the last of the prophets, so by now, he is merely repeating the others warnings of judgment.
Zephaniah promised judgment to idolaters, royalty, merchants, and the complacent. The judgment will be intense, and it is certain.
Fun Fact: The Day of the Lord is used more than 25 times in the Bible.
Now, is the day of the man; the Day of the Lord is when God reigns again on earth.
God calls his people to repent while there is still time.
All the nations will be judged: the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Cush (Ethiopia), and Assyria.
Jerusalem is wicked, but God is righteous. God offers everyone a chance to humble themselves and repent. They offer a way of salvation for those who seek Him.
Nahum tells Nineveh they will be attacked. The Lord will restore Jacob and Israel. Nineveh will be exiled and carried away. It will be pillaged, plundered, and stripped. The Lord is against them.
Nahum 3
Woe to Nineveh. The Lord is against them. Many will die and be taken captive. Nothing will be able to save them.
BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 3: Nahum 2-3
6)
The enemy’s appearance: The shields of the soldiers are red;the warriors are clad in scarlet. They had flashing metal chariots. They look like flaming torches;they dart about like lightning.
The siege and looting of the city: Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!
The flooding of the city and its results: The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses.
The fall of Nineveh’s fortresses: All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken,the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.
The sins for which Nineveh is judged: all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.
7a) Psalm 119:89: Your word, Lord, is eternal;it stands firm in the heavens.
Matthew 5:18: For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
What God says, God does. Nineveh was destroyed and God’s people were saved according to God’s plan.
b) That I can trust in what God says and does. I know He is in control of all world events. He has it.
8 ) Nahum 1:7: The Lord is good,a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. I know I can turn to Him if I just trust in God, His ways, and His plan for my life.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 3: Nahum 2-3
Great study of Nahum! Loved reading this often-forgotten and overlooked book.
End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 3: Nahum 2-3
Nahum 2:
Nineveh is destroyed in a great battle, brought low by Babylon. They will be brought low and plundered. No one wants to hear that the Lord is against them. But Nineveh did.
God will avenge evil and deliver His people. He defends His people against those who come against Him.
Nahum 3:
Nineveh was a violent and immoral city. It will be humbled and judged. It would be flooded, burned, and plundered.
God can handle our judgments for us; we don’t need to seek vengeance.
The Lord is slow to answer, but He does not leave the guilty unpunished. He will punish Nineveh for their evils.
Yet, the Lord is good. He is a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.
He will destroy Nineveh.
BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 2: Nahum 1
3a) The Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
b) The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. He afflicts Judah but promises to do so no more. Yet, the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
c) We are saved by Christ’s blood. There will be justice but also salvation for believers. It’s comforting to know that God will be the judge of everything. We only have to believe and follow Him.
4) Jonah’s message about their doom was believed by the Ninevites and they worked to changed their ways. God relented his anger and punishment because of it. In Nahum’s time, his message was ignored, and Nineveh fell. God showed no mercy.
5a) It gave them hope that they would be freed and could return home one day. It also gave them faith that God keeps His word and enacts revenge; that God has their back. That God is in charge.
b) I know that God cares about what is right and wrong, so that no matter what evil is around me, they will pay one day when they stand before God.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 2: Nahum 1
Great lesson on how God is in control and He will enact revenge in His timing.
End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 24, Day 2: Nahum 1
Nahum preached against injustice and predicted the downfall of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. God addresses nations as much as He addresses individuals.
God shows mercy, but He also judges.
Nahum means “comfort.”
God will deliver His people and defeat their enemies.
Assyria returned to idolatry, cruelty, and arrogance after Jonah’s warnings. Judah emulated Assyria. Yet, God saved Judah.
