Monday, October 14, 2024

          Zephaniah is a small book in the Bible.  It is located near the end of the Old Testament.  Because of the book’s size, only three chapters and fifty-three verses long, it is called one of the Bible’s minor prophets.  The prophet’s audience was Judah and the surrounding nations.  It is a short book with a stern message—judgment.  The searching judgments of God make up the prophet’s focus and message.  Remember, Old Testament prophets never freelanced or came up with their own message.  They said only what the Lord had revealed to them to say.  Nothing more and nothing less. They spoke the Lord’s Word and added no ideas or opinions of their own.  They did not shirk from that role even when the message was stark and unpopular.  They wanted the Lord’s approval rather than the applause of others.  Staying true to God’s Word mattered more than scratching ears that were itching or soothing egos.

            Almost immediately, Zephaniah captures our attention with a sweeping indictment in two of his first three verses.  It is a stunning, sweeping message of judgment that God directed him to deliver.  He declared, “’I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,’ declares the Lord.  ‘I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea—and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.’ ‘When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,’ declares the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:2-3).
 
            Now we have to be careful not to project this specific and particular judgment onto our time and place.  This message, the prophecy of Zephaniah, was written to the people of Judah and the immediately surrounding people and nations at that time in history.  There is not a direct line of correlation or connection to our community, context or nation in 2024.  But there are some lessons we can learn and some applications that we can make from these verses that speak to us here and now.

            First, the earth is not the end of all things.  This life is not all there is.  Eternity awaits us.  The Lord has a different reality and existence for His people.  We are living now in view of eternity.  And we should always live in view of eternity.  When we face trials, battles and frustrations, we have to remind ourselves that there is more and better to come.  The momentary troubles we face in this world are temporary and earthly.  They are neither eternal nor heavenly.  Better times will come.

            Second, we learn that the Lord is the final judge of all things.  He will bring history to the right ending and express judgment on everything.  As Christians who have trusted in Jesus alone and His death and cross as the full and final payment for our sins, we are grateful that we do not have to face the judgment of God.  But for those who have rejected Christ and the gospel, there is a judgment that awaits.  That judgment will be perfectly executed by the only righteous one—the Lord Jesus Himself.

            Third, there is a new creation coming.  This new creation is beyond anything that we could even conceive or imagine.  While the present creation is groaning and stained by the fall and sin, there is a perfect creation coming.  God will make right all that is wrong.  Knowing this means we can trust God to set right any faults, afflictions, attacks or injuries we may face at the hands of others.  God will make everything right and His purposes will prevail at the end.

            Fourth, we place our final hopes and trust in the Lord.  It can be easy to lose sight of God’s providence and sovereignty.  But He really is in charge and in control.  He knows the story that He is writing for history and where we are in that story.  If life gets to be dizzy or in disarray, come back to the reality of who is writing history.  Place your hopes in the One who knows where the finish line is.  Repeatedly, God tried to get the people of Judah and Israel to trust Him and to look to Him more than the surrounding nations and pagan ways.  Yet, judgment often came because God’s own people would not trust Him enough to get them to the finish line.  May we confidently trust God to guide us and to direct our daily steps.  Have a great Monday!