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ZEPHANIAH 1:14-2:3
(Scripture: Luke 2:21-40; Zephaniah 1:1-2:3)
The Deepest Darkness Has A Glimmer!
Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ…
The pace is certainly picking up in Zephaniah’s prophecy.
If we thought it was very grim with what we’ve heard thus far now it’s getting much, much worse.
Already in the first line of verse 14 this is clear.
The day of the Lord which is obviously Zephaniah’s theme becomes here, “the great day of the LORD.”
The prophet Joel, who is active at a similar time, has two verses in his second chapter which show what this means.
In verse 11 there he declares, “the day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful.
“Who can endure it?”
And then in verse 31 there he graphically describes it: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and coming day of the LORD.”
But perhaps the most illuminating reference of all is from the very last prophetic book of the Old Testament.
For Malachi 4 verse 5 says these words from the Lord through His prophet, “See I send you the prophet Elijah before that great and coming day of the LORD comes.”
Malachi’s words are enlightening because they lift the verses 14 till 18 beyond simply applying to a local event in Judah.
It takes this beyond what a major power did then to Judah and it puts this in the big world picture.
Thus it is we come to the first aspect in considering the passage before us.
For here we note that the verses 14 till 18 tell us … LOOK AT HOW DARK IS THIS NIGHT!
Now, this big world picture doesn’t, for a moment, take it away from applying in an immediate way to Judah.
We only need to note the day of the Lord in verse 14 is “near and hastening fast.”
It would indeed be within a few short years of these words that Judah would be completely crushed under the might of Babylon.
This emphasis is so strong the word “near” appears twice in verse 14.
It’s a repetition which to the Hebrew mind is no mere coincidence.
This is especially so as it’s positioned near the beginning of the Hebrew verse.
The words “hastening fast” translate the urgency in the Hebrew well.
Because that’s what it is.
The reference to “the sound of the day” can only affirm this.
While there are different translations of this phrase its best understood as an exclamation like ‘Listen!’ or ‘Hark!’
And so it’s a similar expression as that in Isaiah 40 when twice there the prophet speaks of a voice calling out.
Congregation, this is no optional extra in life’s smorgasbord.
This is the end of life as you know it!
How bad is this?
Well, the hardened battle soldier – the “mighty man” - is in the most utter and complete despair!
The man who’s experienced the worst in life cannot bear this at all!
It is the most terrible day.
When those sufferings of the great tribulation are experienced by the earth it will almost be hell on earth.
As our Lord Jesus himself said in Matthew 24, verses 21 and 22, “For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equalled again.
“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
Having depicted the closeness of the day of the Lord, the prophet next proclaims the nature of that day.
In the verses 15 and 16 he spells out that day’s character – so, what will happen.
It will be a day so unlike every other day.
But especially it will be a day which is completely opposite to the first days – the days of creation.
Dear friend, you take a look at the verses 15 and 16.
Count up the number of times the word “day” appears.
It’s seven times.
Now, take away the first time ‘day’ is used, because that’s still speaking in general about the day of the Lord.
You are left with six days which each have the most terrible qualities.
Days which most definitely are bad days!
What a contrast, congregation, with the first six days in human history!
They were days which we read in Genesis 1 the Lord called “good”.
Indeed, after the sixth day had finished he called it “very good”.
To the Hebrew mind there was a clear parallel.
The judgment pictured here is a definite reversal of creation.
Man’s sin leads to God’s punishment, which results in bringing creation back to where it was before God formed the universe.
Think about it.
Verse 15 begins by declaring God’s wrath.
The light and glory of Divine favour isn’t seen.
He is a patient and merciful God, true.
But he is also a just God.
The Hebrew parallelism which follows drives home how lost this situation is.
Each of those six days is given two similar ascriptions.
So they mean the same – for example, “distress and anguish” is identical.
This could be a hymn with the way the prophet says it.
And some commentators believe it is put this way to make it stick.
It’s certainly a pattern of words taken up by other prophets, such as Joel and Amos.
“Distress and anguish,” “ruin and devastation,” “darkness and gloom,” “clouds and thick darkness,” are all pointing to the greatest alarm.
“Distress and anguish” do this by highlighting the emotional aspects of this.
“Ruin and devastation” point to physical destruction.
“Darkness and gloom” bring out the absolute terror in this, a terror which “clouds and thick darkness” only compound.
Just think of the significance of darkness covering the face of the earth in the midday when the Lord was on the cross.
The Saviour was there experiencing the pains of hell – the anguish of being separated from his Father’s loving presence.
And “trumpet blast and battle cry” says there’s no military solution here – there’s nothing any man can do for them.
In fact, the immediate judgment on Judah will be God working through the ruthless might of the enemy.
The message is quite clear.
It’s a chorus whose words you want to forget.
Yet you know exactly what they mean.
It’s clear now the unescapable punishment coming on that day.
This is what the verses 17 and 18 specifically bring out.
Here the Lord speaks personally.
“I” he begins!
Congregation, we have seen him clearly in the description above.
But now he takes it to another level.
For here he draws in all people.
The word for “mankind” is usually used for more than the one nation or grouping of people.
It is representative.
This fits in with the expression “all the inhabitants of the earth” at the end of verse 18.
That is seen first of all in the reference to bringing distress on the people which results in making them walk like blind men.
It’s because of their sin that mankind would be, for all intents and purposes, sightless.
This was exactly what was prophesied in the Law as part of the punishment of the disobedient.
In Deuteronomy 28, the verses 28 and 29, this curse is pronounced upon disobedience: “The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind.
“At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark.”
John Calvin comments that “the Jews were inflated with such pride that they heedlessly despised all the Prophets.
“Since then they were thus wise in themselves,” Calvin continues, “God denounces blindness on them.”
I mean, they weren’t seeing truly anyway, were they?
So what good is their eyesight?
They’re best off without it!
And don’t think you can go off and blame someone else!
By the prophet stating that this is “because they have sinned against the LORD” makes it clear who’s punishing them here.
There is no escape for them here.
I mean, how can there be, they’re blind!
Indeed, so worthless are they that “their blood shall be poured out like dust.”
This is very sharp.
Because man’s life is in the blood, as Leviticus 17:11 says, what worst curse could there be than not to have any blood?
The dust brings back the picture of man being created.
Genesis 2 pictures God’s making him out of the dust of the earth.
But it’s now to that dust he returns!
To bring in here the scene of man’s flesh being like dung can only confirm the curse.
‘Dung’ is excrement - and we know the common expression for that.
Congregation, those who so brazenly declared that God is of no importance in this life are being told that this is actually what they’re worth!
Those who lived showing that God hasn’t got a say in this life, let alone any influence on it, are being told his Word is all that counts and his power is awesome!
And doesn’t the Lord hit them where it hits in the next verse?
For verse 18 begins with saying that neither their silver nor gold can save them.
Oh, it did it for them once.
They could pay off threatening enemies.
And certainly amongst themselves they could make life very comfortable.
But this is the day of the Lord’s wrath.
There’s no way that any man can make his own way out of there!
In fact, what we see on this day is exactly how much everything has always been the Lord’s way.
When we hear the words, “in the fire of his jealousy,” the last thing we should think is that this is some kind of severe emotional melt-down of the Almighty.
Actually, it couldn’t be more different.
For this is what he had pointed out all along.
Constantly he had showed his loving compassion for his people and for all mankind.
Whether through special revelation – his Word – or through general revelation – his World – he had declared who he is to all.
It will be a perfect justice that sweeps over a guilty world and quickly destroys everyone and everything.
And how much doesn’t the mention of “fire” show us that this is as much looking forward to the eventual end of all as it is to the immediate end of Judah then.
Congregation, LOOK AT HOW DARK IS THIS NIGHT!
It seems all is totally shut off and without hope.
All is lost.
And then we come to the verses 1 till 3 of chapter 2.
Then we see … THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIGHT!
This is our second aspect to the sermon.
Right out of the blue there’s a call here for Judah to reconsider.
Against the whole flow of all that Zephaniah’s said thus far, here is an appeal for a final reflection.
It is a beseeching of Judah, though, that is couched in quite harsh terms.
Don’t think now of a softly, softly approach.
Here is none of the new sensitivity parents especially are told they must have.
Rather the verses 1 and 2 are quite blunt to Judah and about Judah.
Beginning with “gather together, yes, gather,” we have an expression which normally means gathering together stubble as fuel for burning.
So the nation is addressed in quite a derogatory way because of their sin.
They are summoned to assemble as scraps for the fire.
Because that’s all they were good for – burning up!
Then there comes the phrase, “shameless nation”.
This gives us the sense of how far they had gone from the Lord.
Sin has so hardened them they were dead to shame.
The people who were meant to be God’s people were no different than any other people!
They don’t acknowledge him, though that’s what they as a covenant people were supposed to do.
And how much doesn’t the Lord know it!
This is further confirmed by the word used here for nation.
It is the Hebrew word, goy, which is used for a gentile nation.
So it normally refers to a nation God doesn’t recognise as being related to him.
That’s how low they’d gone!
They were no better than their pagan neighbours.
Still, they are given the opportunity to repent.
They are exhorted to turn to the Lord before it’s too late.
And how much doesn’t the word “before” in verse 2 show this?
Three times it appears.
First it says, “before the decree takes effect.”
Then, secondly, it’s “before the day passes away like chaff.”
And, thirdly, the prophet declares it’s “before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.”
We see again how close the coming day of the Lord is.
But while there’s life there’s still hope.
There’s still time to repent in the time the Lord gives us now.
There’s still time to not be the stubble that is being gathered together to be burnt.
There’s still time to avert the Lord’s fierce anger and welcome his grace.
There’s still time to receive God’s love rather than his wrath.
It’s not much time, but it is time.
There will be no way anyone anywhere can say they weren’t warned.
Then, from clearly enunciating the call for repentance in the verses 1 and 2, the prophet goes on to address the righteous ones.
Yes, there are those who truly believe.
There are Simeon’s and Anna’s amongst them.
And here the plea comes for them – the faithful ones - to be faithful even more!
This is a positive note in what is otherwise the most negative scene.
It recognises the remnant that remains in the land.
And although that remnant are clearly not enough to redeem the city or the country, as there were not enough righteous to save Sodom and Gomorrah in Abraham’s time, yet they are there.
Congregation, these humble ones – those who look to the Lord and not to themselves – are called to ‘seek’ three things.
Again there is the use of a word three times.
So we must note its importance here.
The first of these is that they are to seek the LORD.
They must make the God of the covenant everything they strive for!
It’s his wrath and judgment their fellow countrymen and many others will face if they don’t seek him, so that should stir them to come to him.
And isn’t it in hard times that your faith comes to mean that much more?
Even if those hard times hurt believers worse!
The second thing they are urged to do is to live godly lives.
Here it is described as seeking righteousness.
It could also be described as ‘practising justice.’
We only need to think of what James writes about this in his letter.
There in chapter 2 we’re strongly reminded that faith without works is a dead faith.
You show your faith by what you do.
And doesn’t the rest of Judah then, and the world today, need to see that?
Congregation – let’s show them!
Let’s live God’s way.
The third thing the humble must do is to “seek humility”.
Well, how obvious isn’t that?
And yet how much hadn’t Judah turned from that?
Even in the face of such godly examples as Josiah it wasn’t going to change the paganism of those who came after him.
The godly were the exception rather than the rule.
But the godly yet must keep seeking humility.
Right throughout severe trials they have to keep under God’s Will.
This is what the apostle said in 1st Peter 5 verse 6.
For there he tells us, “Humble yourselves … under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
And thus it is verse 3 ends with the Lord’s comfort for the godly.
“Perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD,” it says.
There are no guarantees here.
There is only the possibility.
In this way it protects God’s sovereignty.
But knowing who God is will mean these saints won’t be anxious or uncertain.
All that has been described in verses 14 till 18 won’t be their concern.
They’re not going to lose anything – they are gaining eternity!
Congregation, the deepest darkness has a glimmer.
In the midst of the blackest night there is a light!
It might only be the single shaft of light.
It could be just a thin beam that breaks through.
But it is a light!
And in this way it cannot but point to him who is truly the Light of the World!
Wasn’t that how Simeon described the Christ-child?
He who waited his whole life holding to God’s promise that he would see the Messiah could say in Luke 2 verses 30 and 31, “my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
Dear friend, is that Christ now your Light?
Does he shine on you and in you?
Is he who those saints then so much looked forward to, as did Simeon and Anna too, the One you look up to?
Congregation, SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIGHT.
Because soon it will be night!
And then there’s no better place than being in the Lord’s shelter.
Amen.
PRAYER:
Let’s pray…
O God of the covenant, may we too be found amongst those looking to you.
May we also be those seeking you in all we do.
And, thus, no matter what may happen here below we have you up above.
You the One who has already come down below in the Son of your love.
And so it is in Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Sjirk Bajema, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2019, Rev. Sjirk Bajema
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