Bible Society of South Africa
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Verse-a-day 2020
A Beacon of Hope – 22 January 2020

A Beacon of Hope – 22 January 2020

Neville Turley

(Di)temana ya Bibele

SOFONIA 2

3Nyakišišang thato ya Morena, lena baikokobetši bohle ba mo nageng ba le phethago ditaelo tša gagwe. Dirang tše di lokilego gomme le ikokobetše pele ga Morena. Mohlomongwe le ka phephišwa kotlo ka letšatši la kgalefo ya gagwe.

SOFONIA 2:3NSO00Bula go Mmadi wa Bibele

SOFONIA 1

1Mehleng ya ge Josia, morwa wa Amone, e le kgoši ya Juda, Morena o ile a botša Sofonia tše di ngwadilwego mo. Sofonia e be e le morwa wa Kushe, Kushe morwa wa Gedalia, Gedalia morwa wa Amaria, Amaria morwa wa Hiskia.

Letšatši la Kahlolo ya Morena

2Morena a re: “Ke tlilo fediša tšohle tše di lego lefaseng.

SOFONIA 1:1-2NSO00Bula go Mmadi wa Bibele

SOFONIA 3

8Morena o re: “Bjale ge, le ntetele go fihlela mohla ke tlelago go sekiša ditšhaba. Ke feditše le pelo gore ke tla kgoboketša ditšhaba, ka phutha le batho ba mebušo, gore ke tle ke tšhollele kgalefo ya ka godimo ga bona. Lefase ka moka le tla tšhungwa ke kgalefo ya ka ye e laumago bjalo ka mollo.

SOFONIA 3:8NSO00Bula go Mmadi wa Bibele

SOFONIA 3

2Ga o theeletše Morena, ebile ga o dumele ge a o kgala. Ga o bote Morena, le gona ga o khunamele yena Modimo wa wona.

SOFONIA 3:2NSO00Bula go Mmadi wa Bibele

JOHANESE 5

24“Ruri, ruri, ke le botša gore yo a theeletšago tše ke di bolelago mme a dumela go yo a nthomilego, o šetše a na le bophelo bjo bo sa felego. A ka se tšwewe, ka gore o šetše a tlogetše tsela ya go ya lehung, o swere ya go ya bophelong bjo bo sa felego. 25Ruri, ruri, ke le botša gore nako e etla, ebile nka re e tlile, ya gore bahu ba kwe lentšu la Morwa wa Modimo, gomme ba ba le theeletšago ba tla phela. 26Bjalo ka ge Tate a na le maatla a go phediša, ka wona mokgwa wo mobjalo o file le Morwagwe ona maatla a go phediša. 27O mo file le a go ahlola, ka ge e le yena Morwamotho.

JOHANESE 5:24-27NSO00Bula go Mmadi wa Bibele

“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” Zephaniah 2:3 (NIV)

The Book of Zephaniah has just three chapters. Its central message is that on the Day of Judgement the fire of God’s wrath will burn up a creation gone wrong. (Zephaniah 1:1-2; 3:8)

Zephaniah condemns Israel’s injustice and religious unfaithfulness. He lists four sins of his people: idolatry (1:4-5), indifference and unbelief towards God (1:6), adoption of foreign customs (1:8) and unethical actions of violence and fraud (1:9).

Zephaniah is uncompromising in warning that on the Day of Judgment those who no longer believe that God matters in their world, together with foreign nations who share their beliefs, will be destroyed.

He warns them that it will be a ‘Day’ to be feared, a universal catastrophe in which the whole earth will be consumed (1:18).

Then Zephaniah offers a beacon of hope. “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” (2:3)

He calls on his people to seek the mercy of God by holding an assembly of fasting and repentance to show their humility, obedience and trust in the Lord. Zephaniah’s pleas are rejected (3:2).

The Day of Judgement is inevitable and inescapable.

How wonderful and reassuring then are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to all who follow him: “‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”  (John 5:24-27)

What a wonderful Saviour we have, our shining beacon of hope.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that we may rise to life immortal through him, who reigns with you in unity with the Holy Spirit. One God now and forever.  Amen

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