Zephaniah
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Zephaniah 1:2:
"I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. |
The LORD Will Cleanse The Land By Consumption. God must and will destroy the wicked for the sake of the righteous. Righteousness will be universal.
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Zephaniah 1:3:
“I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD . |
Though God will use greed and other wicked impulses of the human heart as instruments in His hand of discipline, the Lord takes responsibility for the pain and suffering the nation of Israel is about to suffer. Not only man but also the beasts, the fowls of the air and the fish of the sea would know the effects of divine wrath for there is cursing by association. So when the church is judged, the world may not understand why or what happened to them, but, clearly, something WILL happen to them. The best case scenario is that some may discover the reality of God and His power and turn from their wicked ways.
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Zephaniah 1:12:
“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and I will punish the men who are complacent. Those who say in their hearts, the Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.” |
Wow, what a word, what an indictment on men who are complacent. People who say in their hearts, the Lord won’t do anything. He’s not going to do anything good, he’s not going to do anything Ill, they’re sitting back complacent. The word means self-satisfied, smug, unworried, even self-righteous. I just want to ask is there a tendency toward complacency in you or me? Is it possible for us to go throughout a day or many days just complacent, self-satisfied, smug, self-righteous, even not thinking about the grand realities of, one, the goodness of God in ways that overwhelm our hearts and ignite our affections for God? -David Platt
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Zephaniah 1:18:
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.” |
Your riches will not help you in the end.
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Zephaniah 2:7:
It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes. |
Restoration doesn't come til after destruction. The “destructions” are usually pretty obliterating.
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