Write From My
Heart
September 3,
2020
Near and Coming
Quickly
Zephaniah 1:14-16
(NIV)
The great day
of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD
will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. 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.
Caution should always be used when
isolating a set of verses from an entire text. In this case, we should note
that the Zephaniah is a book of both prophecy and judgement, but also hope.
Zephaniah begins by telling the people what they should already know and see
around them—the decay of the people and their failure to follow God’s ways. In
today’s terms, we might say Zephaniah is “telling it like it is,” and warning
the people of the future they are choosing should they continue on this
downward spiral. What I find so striking is that this text written some 2,600
years ago could be speaking so directly to us today!
You can almost hear the desperation in
Zephaniah’s voice as he exclaims, “Listen!” This is the same word that should
be on the lips of every Christian in America today. However, it isn’t enough to
acknowledge coming judgement; the message shouldn’t stop there. The purpose of
Zephaniah’s message—and the purpose of our message, too—should be to motivate
others toward repentance and announce hope for those who choose to follow.
Zephaniah 2:3
(NIV)
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 3:17
(NIV)
The LORD your
God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he
will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
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