Day 214 - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Read | Day 214 | Sunday | August 2 |
Habakkuk 1: 1, 2-4, 5-11, 12– 2: 1 
Habakkuk 2: 2-20 
Habakkuk 3: 1-19 
Zephaniah 1: 1, 2-18 
Zephaniah 2: 1-3, 4-7 


Date: Habakkuk and Zephaniah's  ministry occurred some time before the fall of Judah - 612 BC.

Background | Habakkuk - We know nothing about Habakkuk other than he lived at a time of Babylonian aggression against Judah. Babylon’s capture of Jerusalem is not mentioned in this book, which suggests that Habakkuk’s prophecies deal with a time in the late sixth century BC, before the fall of Jerusalem was in the picture.

The book is three chapters long. The first two chapters consist of an oracle that Habakkuk saw (1:1). Habakkuk laments the injustice of Judah’s leaders in perverting justice and calls on God to do something about it. God informs Habakkuk that God will send the Babylonians in to attack Judah as a punishment for its wickedness. More from Center of Biblical Studies - Click here

Zephaniah - prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BC), and was himself of royal blood, a descendant of King Hezekiah. Zephaniah’s ministry included pronouncements of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, but with no mention of the Babylonians, which suggests that he ministered early in Josiah’s reign, before his religious reforms and the rise of Babylonian dominance.
Zephaniah’s prophesy has a rhythm familiar to us from other prophetic books: judgment is pronounced upon God’s people (chapter 1) and upon the nations (chapter 2), but in the end Judah’s enemies will be put to shame and Jerusalem will be restored. More from Center of Biblical Studies - Click here

Reading | 
Habakkuk complaint - How do you let injustice happen?
God's response - I am letting Babylon go to sweep away everything.
Habakkuk complaint #2 - How can you let destruction like this happen?
God's response #2 - What is blunder worth really? God rules
Habakkuk's prayer - Despite all things bad happening, I will rejoice in the Lord!

Zephaniah - during Josiah's reign - I will sweep away everything, says the Lord, because of idolatry; repent; judgement.

Source | Tyndale | The One Year Chronological Bible NIV | ISBN 978-1-4143-5993-9

Next | Day 215 | Monday | August 3 | 
Zephaniah 2: 8-11, 12-15 
Zephaniah 3: 1-20 
2   Chronicles 35: 20– 36: 1 
2   Kings 23: 29-30 
Jeremiah 47: 1-7 
Jeremiah 48: 1-47 

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