“HE NEVER FAILS!”
Today’s Reading: Zephaniah 3
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
On the right of the photograph you can see the southwest corner of the Temple Mount area. The broken foundations of the walls were built thousands of years before modern Jerusalem’s walls. Seen in the middle of the photo are new buildings in modern Jerusalem built with the same kind of stone that was used by builders down through the ages. The people who live in these buildings want to be near the Temple area where they “call on the Name of the Lord” with “a pure language.” Hebrew has been restored as the language of modern Israel (Zephaniah 3:9a).
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Today’s reading begins with a description of the condition of Jerusalem’s leaders at that time. There are corrupt princes, judges, prophets and priests (Zephaniah 3:3) who are in place. But this will not last! Zephaniah is coming on strongly! Daniel and other godly young men are about to come on the scene to shepherd God’s people under the coming Babylonian rule. Zephaniah is optimistic about the future. God gives him prophecies that are full of promises of God’s favour. Our key verse is filled with hope! Someone has said, “The future is as bright as the promises of God!” As the above photograph shows, Jerusalem, as a city, has been restored. And the spiritual “City of God,” described by Zephaniah, is under construction by the Spirit of God. Jerusalem is the only city for which the Bible asks readers to pray. Let’s do this today! Let’s all read Psalm 122.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Yes Lord, I am praying for Jerusalem. I sing with You! I am glad and rejoice with You! (Zephaniah 3:14). I have seen the fulfillment of Your promise, O Lord, to bring the Jewish people back to Israel. Now, Lord, I pray for a mighty spiritual revival where Your Messiah, Jesus, will be Lord and Saviour for the majority! In His Name I pray. Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I understand that by about 65 A.D. close to a majority of the people of Jerusalem believed that Jesus of Nazareth was Messiah. But then, because of persecution by the Roman appointed High Priest, the actions of those who wanted to overthrow Roman rule, and the cruel response of the Roman authorities, thousands of Jewish Christians left Jerusalem and settled elsewhere. Jerusalem and the Temple suffered destruction in 70 A.D. Eventually, the Romans would not allow Jews or Christians (who were mostly Jews) to live in Jerusalem, and so it became a totally pagan city for at least 150 years. Jews and Christians trickled back there around the year 320 A.D., after Constantine became Emperor of Rome.
I must comment on God’s promise of Zephaniah 3:9, “I will restore to the people a pure language.” In 1979 Crossroads produced a movie called “Apples of Gold.” In that movie our film crew interviewed an elderly lady who was the daughter of Eleazer Ben Jehuda. She told how her father was awakened in the middle of the night and heard a voice saying to him, “You are called to revive the Hebrew language as the everyday language of the people who will come to live in a future state called Israel.” That is exactly what has happened! Today even the menus in the Jerusalem restaurants are in Hebrew. A language that had been dead since the Babylonian captivity has been revived. To my knowledge, this has never happened before to any people. I think we can assume that the other promises given by God through Zephaniah will also be fulfilled!!! There are now dozens of Jewish Christian congregations throughout Israel that conduct their services in Hebrew. Zephaniah wrote of God, “He never fails!” (3:5) and God said, “Therefore, wait for Me!” (3:8a).
Yours because “He never fails!”,
David
P.S. I couldn’t help but begin singing the song, “God can do anything but fail” (click here for the Charlotte Mass Choir with soloist Albertina Walker).
Amazing! (Hebrew language coming back). At a Bible school I attended in the late 70s – early 80s, we had a some teaching by a qualified teacher to learn some simple Hebrew terms. I found it to be quite difficult but it wasn’t an in-depth course. I hadn’t realized then that it was promised in Zephaniah to return.
Thank you so much for continuing to share David’s daily devotions. I receive a few daily devotions, and I love them all, but 100 Words is still at the top of my list. I love how David taught the scriptures. I hope 100 Words will continue for quite some time. God’s blessings to you on this beautiful Monday morning.
I am continually grateful for 100 Words,even if I seldom mention it.I feel/felt that I had gotten to know David’s heart.He helps us all,still,to understand God’s word and to know the mind of God.I love the idea of Israel’s rebirth in modern times and knowing it was part of God’s plan as was the rebirth (I was not aware of this prophecy until today.) of the Hebrew language.God bless all involved.
The Mountains Of The Lord
His mountains shall be above all mountains,
His house above Zion’s hills shall rest,
For this is the pool of the golden fountain,
His people,the chosen few and best.
The rivers will flow to the shores of Zion,
For the world will soon know this King,
The proven Master we could rely on,
The Shepherd worthy above everything.
His exalted name will be widely praised,
When He returns to vanquish the beast,
And everywhere voices will be raised
In cellebration with His banquet feast.
Let fair warning go throughout the land
He will return with shield and sword
And as Satan shall take his last stand,
My Friend shall show that He is Lord.
G W (Bill)Marshall /Nov 9,2012
I did not know that ‘the golden fountain’
is ‘His people’ nor that ‘rivers’ meant ‘people’
when I wrote this.
The King’s Task
Set fire to my soul,oh Lord,
Make me burn with truth and love,
So our honour can be restored,
With wisdom from Your throne above .
Oh Master,you lifted me up high
From the depths of hell’s pit,
To complete me and quell my cry,
But there’s no debt I can remit.
You have shared with me your strength
And buoyed my heart from grief,
So I can go with you to any length
To give your words of truth’s relief.
Sorrow has no power over your word,
But when Satan’s lies are believed,
Faith is robbed by what’s inferred,
So your light now must be retrieved.
Because of shadows over this land,
I ask you now to let me speak,
In words you place in my hand,
That shows your might beside the meek.
I seek humility to keep me strong,
So give me that is all I can ask,
Then I will seek within the throng,
With this beggar doing the King’s task.
G W (Bill) Marshall /January 08, 2013
Amen William!!!
Thank you William for sharing!
Thank you all for the blog, the photos, the links…may God bless all those involved in it, and send more workers into all His vineyard, this world. In Jesus’s matchless name, amen
Today’s key verse is one of my favorites: Imagine HOW AMAZING!! “OUR GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF US”!!! “OUR GOD, THE MIGHTY ONE, WILL SAVE!!
“HE WILL QUIET US WITH HIS HIS LOVE”!! OUR GOD, WILL REJOICE OVER US WITH SINGING”!!! HE “WILL REJOICES OVER US WITH GLADNESS’!!
OH LORD GOD, FAITHFUL ONE, SO UNCHANGING!!! I PRAISE YOU AND ADORE YOU!! HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
God is always
their for us.
Carol
God’s Word says that He will never leave us nor forsake us! He means never,never. He is always us, I sense Him walking beside me sometimes, I sense He is tall, I see his sandals, his clothing, He is talking, asking people to follow Him, give our burdens to Him,
I enjoy those times…..
Lord we come to you and ask for peace in Canada. from east to west, from north to south, bless the United States, Mexico, and South America. We thank you Lord for the First Responders who see such devastation among people and work very hard to care for all the hurting people. We thank you for the doctors, nurses, all the medical staff that care for hurting people, Lord we just ask that those who are troubled that the Holy Spirit would speak to those people, help them to heal, help them to call upon the Lord God Almighty for help to heal their broken lives.
Lord You know the hearts of the people, we surrender our lives to You for healing, to receive forgiveness; to love one another as You have loved us, thank You Lord in Jesus Name we Pray amen