HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1205
Zephaniah
T H E T V A U D I E N C E L A U G H S , and you are supposed to laugh too.
But the cause of the laughter wasn’t funny at all—an off-color joke,
a scene depicting marital unfaithfulness, some remark ridiculing religion or even Jesus himself.
Sin really isn’t funny. It’s serious business. Sin
What you will be
reading about
ultimately brings horrible judgment and punishment rather than a chuckle or uproarious
1:1– 2:3
Zephaniah predicts the
laughter. God does not laugh at sin. God’s people
fall of Jerusalem
should not laugh at sin either. With many of the
2:4 – 3:8
prophets, we should weep because of the conseJudgment on surrounding
quences that we see coming from sin.
nations and Jerusalem
During Josiah’s reign, Jeremiah, Habakkuk,
3:9 - 20
and Zephaniah joined in speaking out against
The future day of hope
the evil so common in their land. Zephaniah did
not laugh at evil, for he knew that God did not
laugh at it. Instead, Zephaniah thundered his warnings against evil, pronouncing judgment and punishment upon all who were against the Lord.
The punishment would be truly horrible. The entire nation, even the beautiful city of Jerusalem, would be destroyed. The survivors would be carried
away into captivity. No one would laugh at that. But it was the only way to
purge the nation of its sinful way of life, which had penetrated into every
fiber of society.
But there was hope in the midst of the grim prophecies. There is a shelter from
the Lord’s anger for those who humbly seek righteousness. A few of the scattered
Judeans would be permitted to return to the land someday. God would gather the
faithful and bring them back to start over as a nation under God. And someday,
God will gather all his faithful—Jews and non-Jews alike—into his heavenly Kingdom, where all sin and sorrow and defeat will be forever removed.
As the book draws to a close, hope bursts into full bloom. “Sing . . . shout
aloud . . . ! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart! . . . I will give you a good
name . . . as I restore your fortunes.”
If Zephaniah could come to your house for dinner tonight, he would share
two profound yet simple truths with you. Evil is no laughing matter, for it will
bring God’s terrible judgment. But God’s forgiveness is like a song, a shout,
a time of rejoicing, a time for honor and praise. Commit yourself to rooting
out the repeated sins that have become a way of life. Choose to be one of
God’s faithful by asking his forgiveness and obeying his Word. Then rejoice
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