Five years ago I was invited to preach on this Bible passage at a service of ‘Evensong’ in Winchester Cathedral. When I was given the Bible passage (Zephaniah chapter 3) my first reaction was Zeph and what? I quickly realised there was a pun crying out to be used and so for a few days I tried it out on my family and it went something like this: Zeph an’ I are off to Winchester Cathedral this Sunday. Would you like to come too? But back to my first reaction: Zeph and what? In December 2004 I emailed 40 friends who were also Christian believers and asked them a simple question: Without looking at a Bible, please can you tell me what is your reaction to the word ‘Zephaniah’? I received some interesting replies: “Ha, ha” Said one. Others said:
• A minor prophet
• Is it a made up name?
• Never heard of it
• A little book full of wisdom
• The name of the BBC poet (Benjamin Zephaniah).
• Couldn’t tell you a thing about it
• Not a clue …neither does my son who does bible study
• Never heard of it, don’t think it’s in the Bible
• Contains Christmas scripture ‘unto us a child is born’ (Just in case you’re wondering that scripture is actually Isaiah 9:6)
• A book where God gets cross
• Short book, minor prophet
• Is that in the Old Testament or the Apocrypha?
Three of the 40 replies included words to the effect that Zephaniah 3:17 is fabulous, “[The Lord] will rejoice over you with singing”.
My purpose was not to make people feel guilty or proud about either a lack or a glut of knowledge about Zephaniah, but the responses confirmed my belief that Zephaniah is a key message for the Church.
We’re not going to study the whole book this morning. We don’t have time, but can I challenge you to read it? It is six pages in my large print Bible and when I sat down to read it all of the way through on Friday it took me less than 10 minutes, reading it quietly in my head to myself. Read out loud it takes a little longer but the strength of the prophecy is reinforced out loud.
Now you may well read it and think, “I don’t like these Old Testament books about God’s anger, about the destruction of nations, and people” (Zeph 1: 2-3), and yet at the same time there is a deep longing in the hearts of most men and women for the effects and the perpetrators of evil to be brought to an end.
Zephaniah speaks of the future Day of the Lord when God’s “jealous anger” (Zeph 3:8) will be unleashed; a day when God does away with apathy & complacency (1:12), idolatry (1:4), corruption (3:7), arrogance & treachery (3:4), pride (2:10), and oppression (3:1).
On that future Day the insults and the mocking aimed at the people of the Lord Almighty will be brought to an end (2:10). Instead, “The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land” (2:11).
Who amongst us does not wish to see an end to the apathy and complacency of Governments, organisations and individuals, ourselves included? Who does not wish to see an end to false religion, including the false religion found within Christianity? Who does not wish to see an end to corruption, including MP’s expenses, the fledgling Governments in Iraq and Afghanistan, African government officials siphoning off aid money into their bank accounts, and ordinary men and women like you and me fiddling tax returns and turning a blind eye to the corruption of our own individual existence? Who does not wish to see an end to the contentions of those who claim to know the answer to everything but live life rebelling against God and against common human decency?
Who does not wish to see an end to pride that separates & divides nations, peoples & families? Who does not wish to see an end to adultery and pornography that degrades and splits apart the God-given gift of faithful loving marriage between one man and one woman? Who does not wish to see an end to murder, greed, and the ‘little white lies’ that begin as minor deceptions but so easily become a way of life? Who does not wish to see God bring an end to the suffering of His Church and His people Israel? Who doesn’t wish to see all sorts of oppression abolished!
The future Day of the Lord promises to stop evil in its tracks, and it will be a day of God’s wrath. God’s holy, righteous, jealous anger will be poured out!
I wonder what you would do, or I wonder what you may have done in the case of a wayward child. Now magnify that many times over into the relationship between God and me, and between God and you.
Referring back to one of my friend’s responses to the concept of ‘Zephaniah’, yes it is a book of prophecy where God is cross – God is very angry – but it is also a book in which the mercy, the love, and the delightful tenderness of God is unfurled. God’s holy anger always gives way to His mercy.
So what would you do, or I wonder what you may have done in the case of a wayward child. For some of you this could be a very upsetting process to go through especially if he or she is currently right in the midst of rebellion or some kind of trouble; but what would you do, or what have you done; and what does God do towards His wayward children?
From a very young age Moira and I have done the obvious things – after we were married, that is! We’ve taught our children not to put their fingers near sockets. We’ve made sure their bath water wasn’t too hot. We’ve taught them not to touch fire. It burns!
We’ve taught and encouraged them to tell the truth, just as my parents taught me too; and some of the time I told the truth, and some of the time I lied, especially if I thought telling the truth would put me in a bad light or would result in pain or loss for me! When our children fall out with each other we try to get them to apologise and be reconciled. When I was a lad I think I was terrible in the way I treated my sister. Too often I imposed my will with a fist or a leg! When caught, I was dealt with, because my parents loved me and wanted me to behave in a certain way.
As God looks upon His creation, and us his creatures, we should magnify our feelings and our love for our own children to gain a sense of God’s love for us. Alternatively, if we have had a good experience of being loved and cared for by our own parents, then magnify that love, and we will get a sense of God’s love for us. Or if you are in a loving marriage, then amplify that love, and sense God’s love for you.
Sense God’s holy, jealous love for you! Think of those people closest to you and imagine for a moment how you desire the very best for them. That’s a reflection of the way in which God wants the very best for us. Remember a time when someone close to you did something really irresponsible. Perhaps they let you down badly, perhaps they put themselves or others in danger, or perhaps they were dishonest …Remember a time when someone close to you did something really irresponsible. Remember or imagine your desire that such a situation never be repeated, because you love them, amplify your anger and amplify your love, and sense God’s holy, jealous love for you.
In Psalm 103:8 we read that ‘The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, and in Psalm 103:13: ‘As a Father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.’
God is slow to anger, but he does get angry! God is no pushover who turns a blind eye. He doesn’t say, “Never mind dear, it’ll be OK because I’ll forgive them all in the end.”! No, God will deal with evil. The LORD will deal with international evil, corporate evil, national evil, local evil and personal evil. The Prophecy of Zephaniah makes that abundantly clear, and so our world, our nation, our Church, and we as individuals need to be sure that The LORD will deal with evil; it began with the cross of Jesus, as he took upon his own shoulders the very worst that we could produce.
And when evil has been dealt with the prophecy of Zephaniah will enter its most glorious stage: Every person who has put their faith and trust in the LORD will hear these words: “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem” (Zeph 3: 14)! The promises that apply to Israel will also apply to Christian believers. Jerusalem will experience peace.
This is for each one of us who trusts in Jesus: ‘The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing’ (Zeph 3:17).
Did you know that God will quiet you with his love and will rejoice over you with singing? I can remember times when my children were babies and I would stand over them in their cots, quietly singing to them with a beaming smile on my face, full of love. Magnify that and we get a sense of God’s passionate love for us His children. He will rejoice over you with singing!
Zeph 3:19-20 concludes the Prophecy by foretelling of a day when God will gather together and bring home His scattered people. Addressed first and foremost to the Jewish people the LORD promises not just an end to anti-Semitism, but an end to all oppression, and a time when they and all believers will be honoured in every land where they were put to shame - when the LORD will rejoice over us with singing. Amen!
