4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests—5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molek,6 those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.”
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’
18 Neither their silver nor their 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.
3 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.
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
Our God is a jealous God! We see it everywhere in scripture. Nothing stirs God’s anger like His people worshiping other gods. He is very clear on this matter. His Word records example after example of people who violated this commandment. Worshiping of “no god” is not a safe alternative either. Zephaniah shows us that God doesn’t think very highly of those who “don’t think of God at all”. How about wealth? Wealth won’t protect you from God’s wrath either. It is clear that God intends for us to seek him. We are commanded to humble ourselves, seek righteousness, and do all that He commands.
Zephaniah points us to what we know: the King of Israel is the answer to our salvation. With Jesus on our side we have no need to fear any harm. He has taken our punishment. He has defeated our enemy; we have reason to rejoice and sing praise. It is for this reason that Paul could boldly stand trial before Felix in Caesarea. Paul was no longer afraid; he was able to boldly preach the Gospel to all who gathered at the court. No other god can save us. Only the one true God has the ability to save us from the wrath of the one true God! Praise God that He has provided us a way to avoid His wrath.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Son Jesus. I thank You that You have provided a way for my salvation. I thank You for allowing me to worship You as the One True God!
Ed Sorrell
Sixty-six books in a year 