Reading Through The Bible - ZEPHANIAH

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

ZEPHANIAH  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

36th book of the OT 

36th book of the Bible

It starts with a declaration that this is the Word of the Lord which came through Zephaniah as we see in chapter 1 v 1

What is it?

The Book of Zephaniah is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.

It is the 9th out of the 12 minor prophets.

How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.

When was it Written?

It is was written between 635 & 625 BC

Because ch. 1 v 1 gives us a good deal of detail about Zephaniah the historians can be more sure of the timescale for this book.

"The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah."

Who Wrote it?

Zephaniah

The name Zephaniah means "Treasured by God"

The first verse of this book tells us who Zephaniah was

"....... Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah ........."

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah, the king of Judah from 640 to 609 BC"

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Zephaniah was probably a contemporary of Habakkuk, Nahum, and Jeremiah."

"The punishment that he foretells plays out in the books of Kings, Chronicles and Jeremiah."

  

Who was it Written to?

The people of Judah.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Like the book of Joel, Zephaniah takes a “bad news first” approach: he begins with the coming destruction of Jerusalem, discusses the downfall and restoration of the outside nations, and finishes with the promise that Judah and Israel will be restored.”

Why was it Written? 

It was written as a warning about the Day of the Lord 

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Zephaniah preached his message during the rule of King Josiah, who had initiated religious reform in all of Judah and some surrounding territories. At this time, the nation as a whole was obeying God’s laws and turning from idols (2 Chr 34:33). Since the land was obeying God, one might ask, “Whom was Zephaniah warning, then?”

His warnings seem to better resonate with the next generation of Judah. After Josiah dies in battle, his sons take the throne for 22 years. They disobey the Lord, they stir up trouble with Babylon, and they disregard the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 36:27–29; 37:1–2). Plus, the priests and citizens defile God’s temple (2 Chr 36:14). 

In light of this, Zephaniah’s message makes sense. "

What is notable about this book? 

Zephaniah mentions the "Day of the Lord" more than any other Old Testament Prophet. 

How does it end?

Although the main emphasis throughout is of warning of what will happen in the Day of the Lord in chapter 3 we do see some exhortation that God is not wrecking only vengeance but that He loves His people especially in verse 17

 

What format does this book take? 

The Overview Bible  tells us the following 

1. Desolation and discipline on Judah (Zep 1)
2. Desolation on the surrounding nations (Zep 2)
3. The Lord’s remnant from the nations (Zep 3:1–11)
4. The Lord’s remnant from Israel (Zep 3:12–20)

You can also see my Pastor's  Bible Study video on Zephaniah

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

Reading Through The Bible - TITUS

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

TITUS  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

17th book of the NT 

56th book of the Bible

It starts with a greeting of blessing in ch.1 v 4

I love the blessings pronounced in God's Word and they are still blessings to us as well.

What is it?

The Book of Titus is one of the Epistles in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.

When was it Written?

It is generally thought to have been written between 62 to 64 AD

Who Wrote it?

The Apostle PAUL

It is one of his several letters to people and churches included in the New Testament.

It laid out teaching about Jesus 

 

and advice for all Christians 

going on to explain that salvation is not obtained by us but is given through God's mercy

 

Who was it Written to?

It was written to Titus as we see in chapter 1 v 4 

 "To Titus, a true son in our common faith:"

Titus was a younger man known and respected by the Apostle Paul and given responsibility for leading the church at Crete.

Why was it Written? 

It was written as instruction to Titus as he lead the church at Crete

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Paul advises Titus on how to lead orderly, counter-cultural churches on the island of Crete."

and

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Titus was a young pastor being put in charge of the churches at Crete.  Paul wrote to encourage him and addressed some of the same problems with leading a church as he addressed with Timothy, his young disciple."

How does it end?

With a reminder of the Hope all Christians have

and

with greetings to Titus from others with Paul, and to others in Crete and a short blessing in

 chapter 3 v 15

   " All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with you all. Amen."

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

10 Songs about God's Love

This month I had been taking the Theme of Love for many of my posts on the blog so at the same time Fred and I were doing some Facebook Lives on                                Sandra's Ark Facebook Page and Apostolic Worship Facebook Page

We took a Hymn or Song based on Love on 5 different nights to encourage the listeners and to those each night we added either a kids song or a short chorus all of course still around the Love of God. 

So I thought I would also briefly mention something about each hymn or song here

 and

 share the recordings with you all.

1.  I Stand Amazed in the Presence 

Such an old well-known hymn to start us off talking about the Marvellous and Wonderful Love of God.

To this first evening we included 

2.  Jesus Loves Me This I Know

Another old well-known song for kids but let's face it we all still love to sing it.

So why join in with us for these 2 in this video. 

3.  When I think about God's Love

Not an old well-known hymn this time but a newer song written by my husband Fred over a year ago which have used in worship in church several times.

Based on John 3 v 16

To this evening we included a short chorus which was written by a pastor in our denomination many years ago Ps. Hugh Mitchell and you can enjoy them both in this video

 

4.  Thy Lovingkindness is Better than Life

This is the short chorus that was included in the second evening above but we also recorded it in another video to use for helping people to memorize scripture so you may find it helpful for learning Psalm 63 v 3 where we read that His Lovingkindness is better than life.

5.  Love Divine All Loves Excelling

On our third evening we took another well-known old hymn that we often hear at weddings, this was in fact a request from a friend of ours.

To this evening we included 

6.  Love One Another Like Sister and Brother

A kids song I have done at many Kids clubs and Sunday schools. 

You can hear both in this video.

7.  God So Loved

Our fourth evening took us back to another song relating to John 3 v 16 which is another newer song which we have learned recently and were just about to introduce it to our church. 

This time we then went on to cover an old well-known chorus based on 

Lamentations 3 v 22-23

 

8.  The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases

You can learn that new one and sing along with the old one here.

9.  And Can It Be

Our last evening took us back to another old hymn which will ever tell of the great Love of God.

To finish this evening and the week of 10 Songs about God's Love we included another short chorus which is taken straight from the scriptures in 1 John 3 v 1

 

 10.  Behold What Manner of Love

This was another song we had recorded previously to help people to memorise scripture and you can see that video here.

All of the videos included in this post are available on You Tube at

 Apostolic Worship (God's Love Playlist)  

or

 Apostolic Worship (Scripture Memorization in Song) 

Reading Through the Bible - NAHUM

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

NAHUM  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

34th book of the OT 

34th book of the Bible

It starts with the Greatness of God 

and continues with the Goodness of God.

It is always good to be reminded of the attributes of God. 

What is it?

The Book of Nahum is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.

How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.

When was it Written?

It is generally thought to have been written in 650 BC

Who Wrote it?

Nahum

The second part of the very first verse tells us who Nahum was

"The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite."

Presumably this word "Elkoshite" refers to his birthplace or homeplace. 

Bible Gateway tells us the following

"It prob. refers to a place, but if so, the place is unknown."

Who was it about?

It was written about the people of Ninevah as we see in

 chapter 2 verse 8:

 "Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away."

Why was it Written? 

It was written to tell of God's judgement on Ninevah the capital of Assyria.  

The same city that Jonah had been sent to and the people repented but later they had gone back to their old ways. 

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Nahum foretells of God’s judgment on Nineveh, the capital of Assyria."

which is stated in the first part of the first verse 

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"... almost exclusively focuses on God's pending judgement against Ninevah .....the nation that had invaded and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel nearly a hundred years earlier."

What structure does this book take?

The Overview Bible  gives us a quick outline

1. The Lord: Nineveh’s vengeful enemy (Nah 1)
2. The siege of Nineveh (Nah 2)
3. The inevitable judgment of God (Nah 3)

What is important to take away from this book?

 

The view of the nature of God in chapter 1 v 3

What other books of the Bible have something in common to Nahum?

• Jonah also prophesied about Nineveh
• Obadiah was also written to a foreign country

How does it end?

With a direct warning to the King of Assyria in chapter 3 v 18

 "Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE