Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Pre-exilic Prophets 4 (1)
Pray Psalm 115.1-3.
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
Why should the Gentiles say,
“So where is their God?”
But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
Sing Psalm 115.1-3.
(Plainfield: Nothing But the Blood of Jesus)
Not to us, O God, not us, but unto Your Name give glory!
For Your love and faithfulness, ever to Your Name be glory!
Why should the nations cry, “Where is their God on high?”
You rule us, LORD, on high: Ever to Your Name be glory!
Read Zephaniah 1.1-2.3; meditate on verses 2.1-3.
Preparation
1. What has the LORD prepared for His great day?
2. What does the day of the LORD bring with it?
Meditation
It was the time of King Josiah (v. 1). It looked like the good old days were coming ’round again.
On the surface, change was taking place. Old ways were being rediscovered, old practices restored, and old hopes renewed. Things seemed to be looking up (cf. 2 Kgs. 22, 23, but note 23.26, 27). It was all merely superficial and temporary.
Things may have been looking up, but the men of Jerusalem were not. Though they participated in the outward practices of religion, their hearts were ruled by idols of convenience (vv. 2-6). They were not following the ways of the LORD, and they were not seeking Him (v. 6). In their hearts they did not believe that God mattered, or, at least, that He would do anything either to improve or undermine their settled ways. They had become like dregs in the wine, settled, useless, and waiting to be spewed from the mouth of the Lord (cf. Rev. 3.14-21). Their complacency in spiritual matters had allowed all manner of compromise to leach into the household of faith (vv. 7-11).
Consequently, God was coming to search them out and to call out the men of His people for discipline, the essence of which would be to see the complete destruction of everything they held dear, and to know, as they watched with broken hearts and shattered dreams, that they, the men of the Church, were responsible, they were to blame for this fearsome visitation of God.
The people were guilty of vain sacrifices, but in the Day of the LORD, He would bring His own sacrifice to satisfy His demand for justice (vv. 7, 8). The wrath God stored up for Judah would only be satisfied in the sacrifice of Jesus. In Him, all who seek the LORDwill know justice, righteousness, and humility (2.1-3).
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
It is horrifying to think about; but it seems the wrath of God was poured out against the religious, not against the world. The world has been lovingly grafted into the covenant and the Church and the promises of God, and the forgiveness available in Him; but the wrath of God, which needed Jesus, the Lamb of God to be sacrificed, was against His own.
It is to God’s people that these words were said:
“Be silent in the Presence of the Lord GOD; for the day of the LORD is at hand,
for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited/set apart/consecrated His guests” (Zeph. 1.7).
And again, to God’s people these words were penned:
“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. 2.3).
It was the religious that Jesus excoriated with His “woes”.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23.13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27)
“Woe to you, fools and blind guides” (Matt. 23.16, 17, 19, 24, 26).
“Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men,
but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23.28).
And it was His disciples that Jesus taught:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name,
cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name?’
And then I will declare to them,
‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7.21-23).
And it was also to the disciples that Jesus spoke these words of encouragement and woe:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matt. 6.24-27).
The Great Day of the LORD is coming; of that we can be sure.
And assuredly, Jesus, the Lamb of God has already come to take away the sins of the world (Jn. 1.29; 3.16).
But it is God’s people that God holds responsible to keep His Law (Ex. 20.1-17; Matt. 22.37-40).
It is God’s people that He expects to do what He has planned for us to do (Eph. 2.10).
It is God’s people that He demands work out their own salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2.12, 13).
It is God’s people who are called to be holy, righteous, just, and good (1 Pet. 1.16; Rom. 7.12).
And it is Jesus’ friends who are called to love Him and obey His commands (Jn. 14.15; 15.14).
We are both the perpetrators and the beneficiaries.
Founded upon the Rock we will be “hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger” (Zeph. 2.3).
Just give me Jesus and let me love Him as I ought; and as I want—a faithful follower in His Kingdom.
Reflection
1. How would you explain to a new believer what it means to work out your salvation in fear and trembling?
2. Why does God sometimes discipline His people (Heb. 12.3-11)?
3. How can believers help one another avoid the discipline of the Lord?
This day of the Lord is very near; it is a day of God’s wrath, wrath to the utmost. It will be a day of trouble and distress to sinners. Let them not be laid asleep by the patience of God. What is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Let us flee from the wrath to come, and choose the good part that shall never be taken from us; then we shall be prepared for every event; nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Zephaniah 1.14-18
Pray Psalm 115.9-18.
Give thanks to the Lord that, because of Jesus, you have escaped the day of His wrath. Praise Him Who is your Shield and Defender. Pray that you will fear and rejoice in Him more and more.
Sing Psalm 115.9-18.
(Prainfield: Nothing But the Blood of Jesus)
All who trust in Jesus yield—ever to His Name be glory—
find in Him their help and shield: Ever to Your Name be glory!
O Israel, trust the LORD! He helps us evermore!
Fear Him, obey His Word: Ever to Your Name be glory!
Blessings from our gracious LORD —ever to Your Name be glory—
will attend us evermore: Ever to Your Name be glory!
Bless all who fear You, LORD, all who obey Your Word,
all who Your Name adore: Ever to Your Name be glory!
Grant us, Savior, great increase—ever to Your Name be glory!
Bless us with eternal peace: Ever to Your Name be glory!
Heaven and earth are Yours; let every soul adore
and bless You evermore: Ever to Your Name be glory!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
