” ‘I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will destroy those who used to worship me, but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or see my blessings.’ ” – Zephaniah 1:2,6
Zephaniah starts off as a pretty grim end times story. The first words of the message the Lord gave to Zephaniah sum it up: “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth.” There are most definitely plans for absolute destruction, because God has something bigger in mind that the world we live in right now. The destruction continues for the next few verses, jump down to verse six. “And I will destroy those who used to worship me, but no longer do…” If the infinite love of the God of the Universe can’t or doesn’t capture our worship, God is honors our choice to not worship him, but the consequence of abandoning him is destruction.
Christmas is less than a week away, and once again my daily reading are stressing nonmaterialism, go figure. Zephaniah 1:11 says to “wail in sorrow, all you who live in the market area, for all the merchants and traders will be destroyed.” So, in the last days, the wealth of nations and the merchants and traders will all be destroyed. And yet so much hope and value is put into these non-lasting things. The thought reoccurs in Zephaniah 1:18, “Your silver and gold will not save you on that day of the Lord’s anger. For the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a terrifying end of all the people on earth.” The treasures of this world do nothing to save us. They are not the accomplishments that are eternally valuable.
What is the response Zephaniah urges in light of the destruction he has told us about? “Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.” (Zephaniah 2:3) That sounds like a great call to action! Seek to the Lord and seek to do what is right and live humbly.
The title of today’s post comes from Zephaniah 3:5. Zephaniah is talking about how about how rebellious and polluted the holy city of Jerusalem is, but wraps up the five verse thought about Jerusalem’s evil by saying: “But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong. Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail.” Despite the evil in our cities, our places of worship, and in our own hearts, the Lord is there, and he does not fail.
Zephaniah 3:9-17 is all about how God will reconcile the church through the coming of the Messiah. The church gets totally purified and revamped, and is called to have joy instead of fear. Verse 17 is the catch all, the why behind this joy: “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” God among us, Immanuel, is a mighty savior, calming our fears, and delighting in us.
In Revelation 10:9, John is given a scroll containing the word of the Lord that he is commanded to eat. When he eats it, it tastes as sweet as honey in his mouth. Keep in mind that the word of the Lord is a delight to taste, and to get into your own Bible and read for yourself what the Lord is saying to you through it.
Psalm 138 reads as follows:
I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
I will bow before you holy Temple as I worship.
I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.
Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,
for all of them will hear your words.
Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,
for the glory of the Lord is very great.
Thought the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.
Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.
The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
Take a look at all the messages here. Singing praise before the gods (v.2) means offering offering God your time and talents and treasures (your worship) before you offer these things to idols. Also in verse 2, God’s love and faithfulness are unfailing, and the promises God makes to us are backed up by the honor of His name, the name the moves the mountains and changed the course of history. God answers us as soon as we pray (v.3) and gives us strength. He cares for the humble (v.6) and saves us by the power of his right hand (v.7). The Lord will work out his plans in our lives (v.8), and his love is forever.
Keep track of how much God loves you and what you can do because of that,
-Zachariah