Unit 17, Session 3: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah
Zephaniah 1–3
Christ Connection: Zephaniah prophesied about the Day of the Lord—a day when God will judge the world for its sin and Jesus Christ will return. Jesus will make everything new, and everyone who trusts in Him will be safe.
Adult Connection Point: Christian philosopher William Lane Craig notes, “If life ends at the grave, then it makes no difference whether one has lived as a Stalin or as a saint. Since oneʼs destiny is ultimately unrelated to oneʼs behavior, you may as well just live as you please.”
1 Solomon described that situation as “vanity of vanities”—all life becomes meaningless. If there is no judgment for humanity, then human life is of no consequence, and furthermore, human life has no meaning. But if God ultimately judges human beings, it means that humans are the sort of being that is worthy of being judged. Do you see? The idea of judgment assumes that people are responsible and important, that their actions have real consequences.
The worth of a human is shown beautifully through Jesusʼ teaching. He described the Creator of the universe—the kind of Being who can make powerful stars such as our sun—as knowing the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7). If God knows each and every sparrow (a bird of relative insignificance in Jesusʼ day), then how much more does He know about and care about you, the one made in His own image? (Gen. 1:27)
1 William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 74.
Family Devotion:
Hold a family court. Direct each of your kids to find a stuffed animal, action hero, or doll. Guide the kids to think of something each of the “guilty persons” could have done wrong, and then bring each one before the judge (dad or mom).
As judge, ask: “What did you do wrong? Are you sorry for what you have done? Will you do it again?” Allow each child to respond for his “accused person.” The judge can then decide if the “person” is guilty or not.
After “court” is out of session, recall what Zechariah prophesied about the Day of the Lord. Remind your kids that the Day of the Lord was coming to Judah because of the peopleʼs continual sin and refusal to return to the Lord. On the Day of the Lord, those who do not follow Jesus will be judged, but those who believe and follow Jesus will be safe.
Ask: “How does that make you feel that some will be punished but those who know Jesus will be rewarded?” (See Rev. 11:18.) Know that Jesus loves all people and wants them to follow Him. When we trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are now His and safe from His judgment. Jesus invites everyone to believe He loved us and died for us.
Pray, thanking God for sending Jesus that we can live forever with Him. Pray for those who do not know Jesus.
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