Day of the Lord

Zephaniah the son of Cushi prophesied during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 B.C.), the last pious king of Judah and who engaged in extensive religious reforms. Jeremiah, Nahum, and Habakkuk also prophesied during this time period.

Zephaniah delivers his material in poetic form, he uses vivid words to describe the coming "Day of the Lord," incorporates a variety of literary elements, including judgment speeches, calls for response, a hymn, and salvation speeches.

Read Zephaniah 1:2-2:3

Zephaniah's message is that anyone who combines worship of the Lord with other gods - as well as the deceitful, violent and complacent - will be destroyed on the coming Day of the Lord. Yet those who are righteous and humble will be gathered in peace. How can we keep our hearts safe when evil is around us so that we can live holy lives? Zephaniah’s message assures us that God will correct things in due time.

But what is the “Day of the Lord”?

Describes a dramatic earthly direct involvement by Yahweh at the end of history which will have a sweeping judgment that will include Judah and all of humanity, marked by the contrast between the coming darkness of God’s judgment and the brightness of future glory that awaits God's people. Also identifies with “the day of Yahweh’s anger” or “ the day of Yahweh’s vengeance” Isaiah 34:8

The focus of the prophet's message is the "Day of the Lord", mentioned at least 18 times, 13 of them in chapter 1 alone. It is an important theme in the major and minor prophets. It's also an important topic in the New Testament because Jesus and New Testament writers use the Old Testament Day of the Lord to talk about the return of Jesus.

The main idea…

The Day of the Lord is coming because of idolatry and repentance is needed in response to God's coming judgment. The judgment of God will be poured out on the whole earth because of the stubborn disobedience of people.

1. God's people will be destroyed because of their apostasy and idolatry. (1:4-6)

God says to Judah that He is ready to stretch out His hand against them. This is a specific reference to judgment. God will judge the people He loves mainly because they have lived like they don't belong to Him. The last part of verse 4 shows why He is so displeased: their worship of Baal has persisted for too long. Not only do they worship Baal, but some of them have divided their loyalty/faithfulness between Milhom (Molech) and Yahweh. Finally, we see a group that simply rejected the Lord. They turned their backs on Him and gave up their allegiance. In the face of this apathy and rejection, God is ready to act.

When we first read this passage, we can be challenged in our view of the world. Do you think he's a monster who is going to brutally punish us if we disobey him? Is He someone who is easily annoyed and judgmental?

From the rest of the biblical storyline, the obvious answer to these questions is no. God is a God of mercy and compassion. Considering that, how can we make sense of His anger, especially toward His own people?

Hebrews 12:5-6, while it is true that God disciplines His children, His discipline is corrective. God likes to correct their behaviour rather than punish bad behaviour. If God were to punish believers for their sins, He would essentially reject the cross of Christ. However, sometimes we need to adjust our vision and feelings so that we can focus on Christ. This is the corrective discipline we need.

V6, God's children had left Him, they cast themselves at the feet of false gods and reject God and His grace. Still, in His anger, he showed them grace by disciplining them properly so that they turned back to him from their idolatry. So, what seems scary is actually scary, because it is the God of the universe, He is angry, but it also represents great grace, even hope. Because God does not desire for them to die in their sin, he shows mercy by calling them back to himself. Likewise, we need to understand that sometimes God will correct us and bring us back to Him. Our response then must be to recognize His discipline, repent of our sin, and embrace Jesus.

2. The “Day of the Lord” is different from any other day in its terror. (1:14-17)

In a series of the most discouraging and condemning proclamations of all in the Bible, God's condemnation of God's people becomes more sinister. God has “had enough” and as he makes such strong accusations against his people, he increases the tension and begins to deliver stronger and stronger verbal blows.

In this attempt to call the nation to repentance, Zephaniah highlights several features of God's justice that are meant to raise awareness among the nation.

a. Imminence

a. The Day of the Lord is coming, and it is coming soon.

b. 2 Corinthians 6:2, the coming of God's judgment is supposed to provoke an immediate response; to turn away from their wicked ways and follow the Yahweh.

b. Intensity

a. God's judgment is not only inevitable, but extremely severe. The description in this passage is not unimportant-- the “warrior’s cry,” “trouble and distress,” “clouds of blackness,” “their blood will be poured out like dust” and so on.

c. Iniquity

a. Finally, we see the reason of their punishment: their sin. "Because they have sinned" Zephaniah declared that they would face this imminent and intensified judgment. Their coming destruction is their own doing, but the good news is that there are other options. While their sin has kept them from God, some if not all of this could be averted if they would simply repent and obey.

3. Judgment can be avoided if we seek Jesus. (2:1-3)

Zephaniah defines repentance to the people, telling them that they will seek the Lord in humility, obedience and righteousness. These elements of repentance and obedience are evidence of a life given to Jesus Christ.

a. Seek the Lord in humility

a. This is a big part of being a faithful follower of God. We cannot mix our trust in God with our trust in ourselves. He not only calls them humility, he also encourages them to seek humility. I think the mark of the transition is not only that they were proud and self-assured people, but that, like all other human beings, they are always self-ruling. Our natural inclination is from humility to pride, which is the mother of all sin. To walk with God, the people of Jerusalem must die trusting in God. Surprisingly, this sounds like a call from the gospel of Jesus. (Luke 9:23-24)

b. Seek the Lord in obedience.

a. Not only must we seek the Lord through humility, but we must also seek Him through active obedience. They were a people used to moving forward alone. In response, Zephaniah called them to "do as he commanded." Regardless of the sincerity of their intentions, they have no worth if their intentions are not followed by action. (1 Samuel 15:22)

c. Seek the Lord in righteousness.

a. Jesus stressed to us how important this is, not only to our faith, but also to his character (Matthew 6:33). Our pursuit of God's righteousness is an integral part of our pursuit of God's Kingdom.

b. Romans 5:8, Paul's declaration of God's deep and abiding love affirms that God's justice is important, but because of his love, God made a way for us despite ourselves. Ch 2:1-3 remind us that God is good, even when times seem bad. Judgment is coming, but so is grace.

Zephaniah's message is not entirely negative. “Day of the Lord” is both a warning and hope for everyone. Whilst judgment is coming, God remains faithful. He destroys evil but advances his work among his people and setting apart a group of people for his purposes. This is the same message of redemption at the heart of the gospel of Christ. God doubled down on His word of judgment and grace when He sent Jesus live among us to die for our sins and conquer sin and death.

In the midst of a world suffering from the consequences of sin, our hope is Jesus, in His faithfulness and continued work among His people.

The recent and current events (pandemic, devastating floods and landslides in Asia, society’s instability, Christian persecution, Russia vs Ukraine) reminds us of Jesus words in Matthew 24 (signs of the end of the age) and but only a fool would say ‘there is no God’ (Psalms 14:1) because evil is persistent on earth. Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked (Galatians 6:7)

God urges us to change our path from false worship to true faithfulness to Jesus Christ. God calls us to love others humbly and to live transparently as members of His family.

Romans 8:1 (no condemnation in Christ Jesus), even if we fail him, we can have confidence in God's love for us. This doesn't mean we are excused of the responsibilities for our decisions, but it can help us feel comforted and remind us why we should return to Christ. As this verse reminds us of the call to gather and repent, God is merciful and shows his love for us by calling us to repent despite our disobedience.