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Zepha-who?


I am willing to bet that those who are reading this have never met a boy named Zephaniah, nor have you ever heard a sermon preached about Zephaniah. Although you may have read the book of Zephaniah in your lifetime, you don't find yourself going back to it for any reason. Zephaniah, however, was a prophet with a very important purpose. Preaching to Judah during the reforms of the good king Josiah, Zephaniah warned God's people that the "Day of the Lord" is fast approaching and that they must repent and seek Him while there is still time. Although you would think that seeing their sister nation of Israel be destroyed and exiled would lead Judah to repent of their sin, they apparently didn't get the memo. Judah refused to turn back from their idolatry, but with the spiritual reforms of Josiah, God sent Zephaniah to bring them fully back. Zephaniah also prophesied judgment on those nations that rejected and despised God's people. As much as the little book of Zephaniah is filled with judgment language, it also gives us a glimpse of that Day when all judgment will be gone and God's people will come from all nations to worship Him in glory.

What's up with all the judgment? Some people read through these prophets and immediately think, "Ok, Ok, I get it….God is gonna judge this nation and that nation…so what?" Zephaniah reminds us the purpose behind the judgment God pours out in two different places in his book. He writes, "In the fire of His jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed" and "for in the fire of My jealousy all the earth shall be consumed" (1:18, 3:8). Our God is jealous. Jealous of who? Jealous of what? The famous talk show host Oprah was turned off by the thought that God would be jealous of her. God isn't jealous of us, He is rather jealous for us. He is jealous for our worship. When God's people, Judah were turning to different gods in worship and not to the Lord, He was jealous for their praise. God is not jealous in the sense that He needs anything from us, but in the sense that He created for His praise and knows that He alone is the one true and living God. God is jealous for your heart; to own all of it and to reign alone as your only source of refuge and strength. He is so jealous for your heart that He sent His only Son to die in the place of sinners. If you surrender your heart to Him, He can make you a vessel for His praise. Is it arrogant and conceited for God to do all the things He does for His own glory and praise? It is if God were not the only true God. It is not conceited for a famous doctor who alone specializes in a particular disease to desire those with that disease to come to him. Since God alone is the one true and living God, it would be cruel of Him to demand anything less than our worship and praise, for He alone deserves it. 

When Zephaniah ends his letter, he anticipates the Day when nations will come in worship to the one true and living God. He writes, "For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord" (3:9). Also, speaking of His people, God says, "The Lord our God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing" (3:17). Since God is going to receive the worship of all nations on that Day by saving sinners from among all of them, are you ready for this Day? Will He quiet you by His love or are you currently under His condemnation? The Day is fast approaching. If you have never trusted in Christ, you may not have much time at all.

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