Zephaniah 1: Complacent to the End
SOMEONE ONCE SAID: "Complacency is a blight that saps energy, dulls attitudes, and causes a drain on the brain. The first symptom is satisfaction with things as they are. The second is rejection of things as they might be. `Good enough' becomes today's watchword and tomorrow's standard." And as Zephaniah wrote, it gets in the way of spiritual progress.
Warming Up to God
What image comes to mind when someone mentions complacency? Ask God to show you from this chapter how dangerous it can be.
Read Zephaniah 1. »
Discovering the Word
- What did Zephaniah declare about God's coming judgment (vv. 1-3)?
- For what sins would God judge his people (vv. 4-13)?
- God's people responded to him with complacency. How did that attitude affect them (vv. 12-13)?
- How did Zephaniah describe the coming day of the Lord (vv. 14-18)?
- If you had been one of the people who received this message, how would you have reacted to it? Why?
Applying the Word
- In what areas do you tend to be complacent?
- What would help you to overcome complacency in one area?
Responding in Prayer
Ask God to help you trust him and to stretch you spiritually instead of being satisfied with your present comfort zone.
For Further Study
The Twelve Prophets Edited by Alberto Ferreiro