EVERYONE has an OPPORTUNITY to REPENT & TURN BACK to GOD!
September
30 Bible Reading: Zephaniah Chapters 1-3
EVERYONE has an OPPORTUNITY to REPENT & TURN BACK to GOD!
"Before the decree is issued,
or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you! Seek the Lord, all you meek
of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger."
(Zeph. 2:2-3)
Zephaniah,
whose name means “The Lord has hidden”,
was a prophet from the royal family in Judah. He warned the people that the
nation’s immorality and idolatry had made God’s judgment inevitable (1:4–13;
3:1–7). He also predicted that the people who repent would survive the coming
judgment and enjoy blessings (2:1–3; 3:8–20). His short prophetical book is
reflective of God’s total plan of redemption, which has led Martin Bucer in 1528
to make the following declaration: “If
anyone wishes all the secret oracles of the prophets to be given in a brief
compendium, let him read through this brief Zephaniah.”
The above verses
(Zeph. 2:2-3) come closest to summarizing briefly the theme of the book. The
only means by which anyone can hope to escape the judgment of God is to “seek” God on a daily basis (Psalms
105:4; Amos 5:6; Matt. 7:7, 8). The “meek
of the earth” are those who cling to God’s standard of justice, and they
are exhorted to continue seeking “righteousness”
and “humility” passionately. To seek God is to seek righteousness and
humility, and through this God’s judgment may be averted (v. 2).
A deeper
study of God’s Word reveal that God is merciful to those who acknowledge their
wrongdoings, make a clean confession to Him, and turn their lives back toward
Him. God’s judgment of sin is inevitable, but He always leaves everyone an
opportunity for repentance to escape the “great
day of the Lord”, which is a day that will display the terrifying wrath of
God (1:14–15). The Bible is replete with examples of people who escaped God’s
judgment through repentance:
- The Assyrians of Nineveh had fasted in sackcloth as they repented of their wickedness and idolatry in response to Jonah’s preaching (Jonah 3). As a result, the Lord had withheld His judgment of that city.
- King Hezekiah had responded with repentance in the days of Micah the prophet, and God had withheld His judgment of Judah (Jer. 26:17–19).
- History reveals that King Josiah and the people of Judah also repented through Zephaniah’s message that resulted in extensive spiritual reforms, including widespread destruction of idols and the restoration of true worship (2 Kings 23:1–25). Even when the Babylonians eventually destroyed Jerusalem, those people who continued to fear God came through the ordeal, including the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 40:1–6).
God’s wrath
against sin is still in effect today (Rom. 1:18). If we want to escape His
certain judgment, we have to follow the same terms from God: repentance from sin and obedience toward God.
Christ’s death on the cross ensures that the penalty for our sin is paid in
full (3:21–26). Our genuine faith in
God’s salvation plan always includes
repentance. We need to forsake evil and turn toward God today. Then we will
be “hidden in the day of the Lord’s
anger” (Zeph. 2:3; Acts 17:30–31; 1 Thess. 1:9–10).
