Reading
Zephaniah 2

1Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, you nation that has no shame, 2before the appointed time when the day passes as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Yahweh comes on you, before the day of Yahweh’s anger comes on you. 3Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the land, who have kept his ordinances. Seek righteousness. Seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s anger. 4For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up. 5Woe to the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! Yahweh’s word is against you, Canaan, the land of the Philistines. I will destroy you until there is no inhabitant. 6The sea coast will be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks. 7The coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will find pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon, they will lie down in the evening, for Yahweh, their God, will visit them and restore them. 8I have heard the reproach of Moab and the insults of the children of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people and magnified themselves against their border. 9Therefore, as I live, says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, surely Moab will be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them, and the survivors of my nation will inherit them. 10This they will have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Yahweh of Armies. 11Yahweh will be awesome to them, for he will famish all the gods of the land. Men will worship him, everyone from his place, even all the shores of the nations.

12You Cushites also, you will be killed by my sword.

13He will stretch out his hand against the north, destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as the wilderness. 14Herds will lie down in the middle of her, all kinds of animals. Both the pelican and the porcupine will lodge in its capitals. Their calls will echo through the windows. Desolation will be in the thresholds, for he has laid bare the cedar beams. 15This is the joyous city that lived carelessly, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” How she has become a desolation, a place for animals to lie down in! Everyone who passes by her will hiss and shake their fists.


Devotional

On the way home from holiday we decided to take a detour and call in at Alton Tours as we had several hours to kill before catching the midnight ferry home.  Exhausted, but buzzing from our time in the park we returned to the car and started our journey home.  We were aiming to be at the boat terminal by around 11pm and were making good time.  In fact, we were doing so well that we even had time to stop for tea as we travelled through Scotland.  We arrived at Stranraer about 11pm in plenty of time to board the boat.  As we pulled up at the dock we saw a ferry heading out to sea.  Wandering which ferry it was we checked the timetable and realised it was ours! Indeed, as we then read our ticket the reality hit that our boat left at 11pm and not at midnight.  We were too late; the boat had gone and it wasn’t going to reverse to pick us up.  If only we had checked the ticket and got there in time.  To make matters worse the next boat wasn’t until the next day, so there we were stranded overnight in the empty ferry terminal two tired adults and two grumpy teenagers in a car jam packed with luggage and no place to rest.  It was not one of the highlights of my life so far.

 

Zephaniah in chapter 2 pleads with the people to repent while there is still time.  Do it now before it’s too late he tells them.  Even now at this moment God will still show mercy.  

 

Zephaniah had checked the ticket, he knew what time the boat was leaving and he wanted to save the people from the discomfort that was about to come.