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Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg
Minor Prophets – Zephaniah
What is God like?
Today we continue our series entitled ‘Minor Prophets’. We are taking a deep dive into 4 of the minor prophets from the Old Testament scriptures.
They are full of redemptive themes that should convict us, equip us, challenge us, and encourage us.
The purpose of this series is our desire to gain a new appreciation for the “minor” prophets but also see that God has important things to say to us in 2023 through them, affirming the relevance of every part of the Bible. We want to have a greater understanding of these four minor prophets and what God wants to teach us through them.
Today we are looking at Zephaniah
Zephaniah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah during the time of King Josiah.
We don’t know a lot about the Prophet himself. The 3 chapters we have of his work are poetic, prophetic and in many ways, apocalyptic.
In short- Zephaniah can be really challenging to work through. But we don’t want the challenge to discourage our pursuit of God through his word.
One of the things Zephaniah helps us to see is what God is like- both in how he deals with sin and how he relates to his people.
Zephaniah 1:4-6
“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— 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, those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.”
In a very real sense Zephaniah begins painting a familiar picture of a wayward people, with the message that God is about to bring judgement upon them for their actions.
The consequences of their sin and rebellion were close at hand. As the prophecies unfold, Chapter 3 completes the picture of just how rebellious God’s people had become.
Zephaniah 3:1-2
Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God.
The people of God, to be a signpost to the nations, had become a city of oppressing rebels, marked by sin.
They would not obey, they would not receive the Lord’s teaching, they would not trust him, they would not draw near to him.
Despite all God had done, hundreds of years trying to persuade his people to follow the way of righteousness- they refused.
Finally, God says “enough is enough”
Zephaniah 3:8
Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.
If the minor prophets teach us anything about who God is, it is that he takes sin VERY seriously.
God would not be good; he would not be Holy if he simply allowed sin to go on forever un-checked. A loving God would not ignore sin and its terrible effects.
What we often fail to recognize is that God’s anger is motivated by his love and compassion for his people.
God knows full well what sin does, how it destroys our lives, how it breaks relationships not least our relationship with Himself. He knows how sin ruins his good creation.
So, when God moves to deal with sin yes, we will see consequences to those actions. Those consequences can be really difficult, painful even.
But if that’s all we see, and angry old principal dishing out discipline, we don’t have the full picture.
The Lord’s anger, his judgement, his discipline in dealing with sin is motivated by his desire to see his people restored and brought near in relationship.
Zephaniah 3:14-17
Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! 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. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Rejoice people of God! God’s anger is not focused on your destruction, but on your restoration.
What we see in the prophet of Zephaniah is a Compassionate God, who is angered by sin, but relentless in pursuit of his people. That’s who He is.
Will you see God as he really is this Christmas season? He is THE GIFT- and your name is on the palm of his hands- will you receive him?
Will you see him as a God who is right there with you in the midst of your story?
Will you know him as the mighty warrior who can save you from sin and darkness?
Will you believe that no matter how bad you have messed up, God can restore you?
Will you imagine God singing over you in pure delight?
Updates on the new Waynesboro campus
God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!
Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.
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