Zephaniah 1 - 12.26.23
SCRIPTURE: Zephaniah 1:14-16 - “The great day of the Lord is near - near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts His battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath - a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness - a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.”
OBSERVATION: Zephaniah was chosen by God to warn the people of Judah about their sins; complacency, and idol worship. They had turned their backs against God! He warned them that if they refused to repent of their sins, the entire nation, including the city of Jerusalem would be lost! He urged them to turn back to God. “The wages of sin is death”, and because God is just, He MUST punish sin! He is also holy, and will judge and punish everyone who is content living in their sin, and who refuses to repent!
God commands that He alone be worshipped, and from the time of Moses, the Israelites had been warned about worshiping false gods. A day will come when God will punish all nations for their disobedience. “I will bring such distress on all people…because they have sinned against the Lord! Neither their silver or gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath! In the fire of His jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for He will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth!” What a horrible punishment that will come to those who defy the Lord!
APPLICATION: As God used Zephaniah to warn the people to turn from their sins and return back to Him, He is warning people today! The ONLY way to escape the day of wrath is to become a child of God, and a true follower of Jesus! When we believe Jesus is Lord and make Him our Savior, we are forgiven, and Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross allows us to be restored back to God, so… we don’t need to fear because the Lord promises us that we now have hope for our future!
When we speak of God’s coming judgement, our primary purpose should always be to encourage unrepentant people to come to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
PRAYER: Lord, Your Word is truth, and EVERY Word You have spoken will come true! Thank You that as Your children we don’t need to fear Your judgement because Jesus died so we could be saved. Help us to demonstrate a deep sense of humility in our walk with You as we reflect Your love and compassion to the ones who are still lost in their sins, and who need to find real hope and true security in Jesus.
- Robin Orefice
