Zephaniah 1:1 – 3:20 (Continued)

February 17, 2012

Gather together! Gather together!

"Do it before it's too late, before you are blown away like chaff, before the LORD's terrible anger reaches you, before the day of the LORD's anger comes to you. Come to the LORD, all you who are not proud, who obey his laws. DO what is right. Learn to be humble. Maybe you will escape on the day the LORD shows his anger." Zephaniah 2:1–3

The LORD pleads with the people. He begs them! Do it before it's too late! Please! Do it! Now! Don't wait!! There will be a day when it's too late! Do it now! Before! Before you are blown away like chaff. Come to me! Do you hear me? Come to me!! It will mean you have to put yourself aside, you will have to lay your pride down. Lay your pride down! Come to me! Put your own dreams, wishes, and demands aside. Obey my laws! Come to me! Don't try to help yourself! Don't go to others for help! Come to me! Do what is right! Get a new way of thinking! Learn to be humble! You are going to have to change their hearts and get a new way of thinking. You are going to have to learn to be humble and to put me above anything and everything! Come to me! Do it before it is too late!!

God so wants His people to repent and return to Him. He pursues them and gives them every opportunity. But there comes a time when the day of grace is over and punishment happens. 

"How terrible it will be..." There will be a distinguishable difference between those who have chosen to follow me (God) and those who have chosen to follow their own ways. Ruin and destruction will come to those who think they are in control of their own lives; who think they have safely protected themselves; who think their deeds (actions and actual) are hidden; who thinks there is no one else as strong or as smart as they are; who say to themselves, "I am, and there is none besides me. (Zephaniah 2:15)

What a revealing quote. They think they are the "I am." They think "there is none besides me." God is the only I AM. God is the one who said, "I AM, and there is none besides me."(Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:11; Isaiah 44:6–8; Isaiah 45:5,21; Hosea 13:4) Their thoughts reveal the root of the problem. It was pride and self—the problem of "I." The

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relationship was not acknowledged. There was no surrendering of the heart. They had elevated themselves to the position of god. They trusted in their own wisdom, own power, own strength, own business savvy, own devices, own schemes... it was all about them. The first two commandments were broken, and the breaking of all the rest soon followed.

We look at the quote of their thoughts and we think—what arrogance. Yet sadly, that is the way the vast majority of people "live" even if they don't have the brashness to "say" their thoughts out loud. Our actions reveal the truth. We may try to fool ourselves and we may be successful in fooling others, but we are not fooling God. He knows the truth. We may try to honor God with our lips but our actions belie the truth.

God says, "How terrible..." for the people who are wicked, stubborn, who hurt their own people, will not obey, refuse to be taught to do right, won't trust the LORD, won't worship the LORD, who attack people, who are proud, who can't be trusted, who break God's teachings, who are not ashamed of their actions. I (God) have already held them accountable in many ways. I said, "Surely now (they) will respect me and will accept my teaching." Then I would not have to punish them. "But they were still eager to do evil in everything they did." And the LORD, the LORD who is good, the LORD who can do no wrong, the LORD who judges fairly, the LORD who can be trusted (Zephaniah 3:5) says:

"Just wait, someday I will stand up as a witness."

The wicked will be punished and my people will be protected. A new day is coming. The proud will be removed, but I will leave my people who are humble and they will trust in me. They will not do wrong. They won't tell lies. They won't trick people with their words. They will eat and lie down. They will go about their day-to-day lives and no one will make them afraid.

Sing! Shout for joy! Be happy! Rejoice! The days of trial and punishments are over! Your enemies have been sent away! The LORD is with you! Never again will you fear any harm. Zephaniah 3:16–17 - "On that day (you) will be told,

Don't be afraid... don't give up. The LORD God is with you; the mighty one will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sign and be joyful about you."

Wow! Wow! A thousand times—Wow! Such emotion. God—the God all of creation, the God who is worthy of ALL praise, ALL honor, ALL glory both now and forevermore—not only is with us and will save us, but He will rejoice over us! He will sing and be joyful about us! We will rest in HIS love! Not because of who we are—NO! Because of WHOSE we are! We are children of THE King. We sing and lift our praises to HIM—the LORD of ALL. And when we "get it," when we understand the

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relationship, when we surrender ALL, when we finally say, "I'm all in GOD" no matter what, YOUR will be done—THEN! God rejoices over us and sings and is joyful about us! Oh, what a picture. Our God and Savior rejoices over us. What could ever be better than that? Fame? Wealth? Power? Esteem? No. Nothing. NOTHING can compare or even come close to the joy in knowing that your surrendered life brings joy to the God of ALL creation. Nothing.

"I will take away the sadness planned for you, which would have made you very ashamed. At that time I will punish all those who harmed you. I will save my people who cannot walk and gather my people who have been thrown out. I will give them praise and honor in every place where they were shamed. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you back home. I will give you honor and praise from people everywhere when I make things go well again for you, as you will see with your own eyes," says the LORD." Zephaniah 3:18-20

I'm speechless. There are no words.

To God be the Honor and Glory!  Praise the LORD!

Addendum: 10/3/15 ~ Oh the contrast between "I think" of the people who insist on being in charge of their own lives; the "I know" of the people whose faith and trust is in God alone; and the "I will" promises of God. I don't want to "think." I want to "know." God passionately pleaded for His people to return to Him. What a contrast between God pleading for His people to return to Him and His reaction to those who are surrendered to Him. Pleading—verses—Singing and joyful rejoicing over us. I want my life to be such that it brings joy to my Savior. 


Next Entry: Zephaniah 1:1 – 3:20 (Continued)