Our rejoicing, God's rejoicing anf the reasons for it

Date 11 02 23 Text Zephaniah 3:14-20 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

As you're aware, we've been looking at this little book of Zephaniah for the last few weeks and this week we come to the very final section, the closing verses of Chapter 3, verses 14-20. Like so much in the Old Testament prophets, Zephaniah is full of words of judgment, judgment on the nations and on God's people. For example, in this book we read statements such as these found in Chapter 1

"I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. "I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea - and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble." ... Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near … The great day of the LORD is near - near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath – a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness - a day of trumpet and battle cry …. "I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, … Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung. 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 earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.

As we come towards the end of the book, however, there are words of encouragement and the book ends on a very positive and encouraging note indeed. This begins in 3:9-13, which we looked at last week. Yes, there is a day coming when God will stand up to testify. He will assemble the nations … gather the kingdoms and ... pour out his wrath on them - all his fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of his jealous anger but also in the last days God promises that he will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshippers, God says my scattered people, will bring me offerings. Further, on that day, God's people will not be put to shame for all the wrongs they have done to him, because God will remove from them their arrogant boasters. Never again will they be haughty on God's holy hill. But God says I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. So, despite everything, despite the fact that a day of wrath is coming, there are days of blessing ahead for God's people and the nations will also worship the true God and know his blessing. These are things that we have begun to see with the coming of Jesus Christ and that continue to unfold in our day.

In the closing verses of the book there is rejoicing at this prospect and a number of promises of blessing. We begin with a call to God's people to rejoice and sing because of salvation. Then come words that speak of God himself rejoicing and singing over his people. Verse 17 is at the centre of this final section - The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Then in the final two verses comes a sevenfold description of the wonderful things that God is going to do for his people in the future. So three main things tonight

1. Hear this call to rejoice and be glad for forgiveness, victory, fellowship and freedom

1. Hear this call to sing, shout, be glad and wholeheartedly rejoice

First there is this call to Daughter Zion, Daughter Jerusalem, Israel to the people of God then, to sing and to shout aloud, to Be glad and rejoice with all your heart! Above all else Christianity is a joyful religion, a singing religion. Joy should mark us as individuals and when we come together, the note of joy ought to be sounded loud and clear. It is one of the reasons we sing – to joyfully praise God. It is one of the reasons, I would suggest, fasting has a limited place in Christianity. Do not forget that our Saviour was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard and that his first miracle was at a wedding where he turned water into wine.

Joy is both a part of the fruit of the Spirit – only the Spirit can give you real joy – and something that we are commanded to do (Rejoice in the Lord!).

Jonathan Edwards says that “God created man for nothing else but happiness. He created him only that He might communicate happiness to him.” The trouble is that we look for it in all the wrong places. “The happiness of the creature” Edwards also says “consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted.” Jerry Bridges reminds us too that “True joy comes only from God and He shares this joy with those who walk in fellowship with Him.”

John MacArthur helpfully says

The more you know God, the better you know him, the more confident you become, the more secure your joy is…Joy is related to your knowledge of God: little knowledge, little joy; much knowledge, much joy. The more you know of God’s glorious truth, of God’s great covenants and promises, of God’s plans, of God’s faithfulness, of God’s power, the more joy you experience in life…Our joy is connected to the goodness of the Lord. And the more you understand his grace and mercy and goodness, the more stable your joy becomes, no matter what circumstances may come.

2. Hear these reasons for such rejoicing – forgiveness, victory, fellowship and freedom

Verse 15 is in the past tense but is again, no doubt, one of these prophetic past tenses. It will certainly happen. The verse speaks of four coming blessings. It says The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. Here are four intertwined reasons for God's people to rejoice, then.

• God has forgiven us. As it is here, he has taken away your punishment. Part of being a believer is knowing that God will not punish you as you deserve but forgives in Christ Jesus.
• God has given us victory over our enemies. In times past, Israel fought Moab and the Philistines. Our chief enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil The promise here is that God will turn back the enemy. They cannot survive in the face of Christ and all he has done by means of his life and death and intercession.
• Then there is the simple but profound promise The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you. The with-ness of God – there is nothing to compare with it. And I will be with you always, to the very end of the age. Nothing can compare with that. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit!
• Finally, we rejoice because we no longer have any need to fear harm. We are safe in Christ. Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God and so all will be well. What reasons we have to rejoice!

So I say to you rejoice and be glad, shout and sing. We have every reason to do so if we are believers – we have been forgiven, our enemies cannot win, God is with us and he has saved us so that we no longer need to fear anyone or anything.

Do you know the name Billy Bray? Billy Bray was a Cornish miner who was converted in 1823 at the age of 29. This happened when he reminded God you have said, “they that ask shall receive, they that seek shall find, and to them that knock the door shall be opened, and I have faith to believe it.” “In an instant”, he wrote, “the Lord made me so happy that I cannot express what I felt. I shouted for joy. I praised God with my whole heart for what he had done for a poor sinner like me, for I could say, the Lord has pardoned all my sins.” He had lived a life of drunkenness and debauchery before his salvation but he became such an outgoing witness and testimony for God that he became known as “God’s glad man.”

One time he was digging potatoes from his garden and felt the devil oppressing him. He was an eccentric and it seemed to him that the devil said, “Billy Bray, God doesn’t love you. If he did, he wouldn’t give you such puny potatoes and so few.”

But Billy Bray didn’t listen to the devil’s temptation, he talked back to him. He said, “I served you long and true, Devil, and no better servant could a master ever have than I was to you. But when I served you, you didn’t give me any potatoes. When I served you, you didn’t give me anything good for my efforts.”

Billy Bray reminded himself that the burden he had serving Christ was lighter than the one he had had serving the devil. The yoke that he wore in partnership with and submission to Jesus was easier than the yoke he wore as one of the devil’s disciples.

He once said, “I would rather be in Hell with Jesus than in Heaven without Jesus. For Hell with Jesus would seem just like Heaven to me and Heaven without Jesus would seem just like Hell to me.”

2. Know God will rejoice over his people as anxiety and alarm, loneliness and loss recede

As we have noted verse 17 stands at the heart of this passage. There God is referred to as the Mighty Warrior who saves. This phrase is also used for God back in Chapter 1:14 The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. The original mighty warrior in the Bible is Nimrod and the name is used also for Jephthah and Gideon, and in David's time for two leaders of the Thirty mighty men. Both Jeremiah and Zephaniah use it to refer to God. Jeremiah says (20:11) But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. The idea is also in Isaiah 59:17 where it says that God put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

More importantly, in verse 17, we read these words about God - He will take great delight in his people ... in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. So we say

1. Know that God delights, rejoices and sings over his people

In John 15:11 Jesus says to his disciples I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. That he wishes the joy of the disciples to be complete is no surprise but notice that Jesus also wants to have joy in them. That is also one of his concerns. Here, in verse 17, it clearly says that God will take great delight in his people and that in his love he will no longer rebuke them, but will rejoice over them with singing. So it is not only that we rejoice in this New Testament era but God himself also. This is a great mystery in some ways when we consider the impassibility of God, the fact that he is without passions and yet here we see him enjoying great delight and rejoicing with singing. Of course, the point is to contrast God's attitude with his previous one where he rebuked his people and was angry with them. Nevertheless, here is an amazing thought – God rejoicing. We see it in Jesus, as noted. There is also that remarkable verse, Luke 10:21, where we read that At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Also, in Hebrews 12:2 we learn that it was For the joy set before him that Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God and in more than one place we read of God's joy over sinners repenting. These verses flesh out what is here.

2. Know why God sings over his people – they are free of anxiety, alarm, loneliness and loss

Verses 16-18 point to some of the reasons that God rejoices over his people. It is all to do with what he has done for them and the blessing they know because he has done these things. In verse 16 Zephaniah foresees how On that day they will say to Jerusalem, to God's people,"Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. Don't be afraid or dismayed then. Why? (17) The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. God's people will no longer be alone or lost but God will draw near to them and he will save them from all that stands against them. This is why God will take great delight in his people and in his love … no longer rebuke them, but will rejoice over them with singing. At that time (18) God will remove ... all who mourn over the loss of their appointed festivals, those for whom it was a burden and reproach to be in exile, away from the temple. It is in delivering his people from fear and dismay then that God delights and rejoices. He loves to come near and save his people. How it pleases him to work in salvation like that.

John Piper has written

Can you imagine what it would be like if you could hear God singing? Remember that it was merely a spoken word that brought the universe into existence. What would happen if God lifted up his voice and not only spoke but sang! Perhaps a new heaven and a new earth would be created. … When God spoke at the beginning, the heavens and the earth were created; perhaps at the end, the new heavens and the new earth will be created when God exults over his people with loud singing. When I think of the voice of God singing, I hear the booming of Niagara Falls mingled with the trickle of a mossy mountain stream. I hear the blast of Mt. St. Helens mingled with a kitten's purr. I hear the power of an East Coast hurricane and the barely audible puff of a night snow in the woods. And I hear the unimaginable roar of the sun 865,000 miles thick, 1,300,000 times bigger than the earth, and nothing but fire, 1,000,000 degrees centigrade, on the cooler surface of the corona. But I hear this unimaginable roar mingled with the tender, warm crackling of the living room logs on a cozy winter's night. And when I hear this singing I stand dumbfounded, staggered, speechless that he is singing over me. He is rejoicing over my good with all his heart and with all his soul.

Perhaps we don't think enough of it – God's delight in saving sinners. We ought to think of it more. It would transform our approach to so many things.

3. Praise God for revenge, rescue, redemption, resurrection, regathering, return, restoration

The final two verses (19, 20) both begin At that time That is the prophetic future, the last days when Messiah would come, the days in which it is now our privilege to be living in. In the two verses are a series of promises for that time. Appropriately there are seven promises, although there is some repetition perhaps.

So here are seven things we can expect God to do in this New Testament era.

1. Revenge

I will deal with all who oppressed you. Personal vengeance is not to be pursued but when God, who says It is mine to avenge brings about vengeance then it is right that we should be glad and praise God. Make no mistake he will have vengeance on our enemies. Praise him it is so.

2. Rescue

I will rescue the lame. This is a picture. God's people got themselves into a place where they were lame, as it were, unable to move. But then God took hold of them and rescued them. He is a God who rescues the lame. As Charles Wesley once put it – leap ye lame for joy! Praise God for rescue.

3. Redemption

I will gather the exiles. Yes, Israel was going to be sent into exile but that exile was going to come to an end. God was going to redeem his people out f exile in Babylon. That is what he does - he gathers the exiles safely in.

4. Resurrection

At the end of verse 19 God promises I will give them praise and honour in every land where they have suffered shame. Their shame will be turned to honour. It would be like a resurrection. Tehy would be raised up and honoured again.

5. Regathering

Verse 20 begins At that time I will gather you. God was going to gather his scattered people again and bring them back to the Promised Land where they were going to begin again and where Messiah would be born.

6. Return

Verse 20 goes on at that time I will bring you home. That is a great way of describing salvation – coming home. Perhaps it was in part meditating on this phrase that led Jesus to formulate the parable of the Lost son who went to the far country but eventually came home to his father. It is the story of Israel but it is the story too, in Charles Wesley's words, of

Weary souls, that wander wide from the central point of bliss,

And who he calls on to

Turn to Jesus crucified (and) Fly to those dear wounds of His:

Sink into the purple flood; (he says) Rise into the life of God.

He goes on

Find in Christ the way of peace, Peace unspeakable, unknown;

By His pain He gives you ease, Life by His expiring groan:

Rise, exalted by His fall; Find in Christ your all in all.

7. Restoration

The final words of the book are a promise. I will give you honour and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes, says the LORD. After seventy years of exile God's people were restored to the Promised Land, the land where Messiah would be born. Once again the people of God were honoured and praised. This was especially so with the coming of Christ. We all now it was in Israel he was born and died and rose. All honour then to that land and to the Jews but also to God's people whatever their background because we are those whose fortunes are restored in Christ.

The coming judgement and the prior conversion of many

Date 04 02 23 Text Zephaniah 3:1-13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I want us to begin this evening to look at Zephaniah 3. So far we have looked at the first two chapters and so far judgment has very much been the theme.

First, we thought about the universal judgment that is going to come on this earth and then about the judgment of Judah, which anticipates it. Then we considered the fact that this judgment, the Day of the LORD, is near. It won't be long before God will punish the powerful and the idolatrous and the complacent and they will lose everything. A day of wrath, anguish, ruin, gloom and war is fast approaching. We need to be ready.

Then last week we looked at Chapter 2 and we considered the importance of being humble and obedient and humbly seeking God and his righteousness, as we prepare for God's judgment. We then considered the words of judgment pronounced on the proud nations to the west, east, south and north of Israel and the promise of a great reversal and of the restoration of God's people.

In Chapter 3 judgment is once again a main theme – judgment on the nations and on God's people. However, there is also, most interestingly, a wonderful promise that before God judges the nations he will convert them and save them and a remnant among the Jews too.

So we will go as far as verse 13 tonight and say three main things from those verses, 1-13.

1. Consider how deserved is God's judgment on his people and run from all such sins

In the first eight verses the theme is still very much that of judgment. In verses 1-5, it is made clear why God's people deserve judgment. We do well to consider what is said here and ask ourselves if we are guilty of any of the sins that are highlighted.

1. Consider the sins that characterised God's professed people and turn from them

1 Oppression, rebellion and defilement

The chapter begins Woe to the city of oppressors. Jerusalem was supposed to be the city of peace but it was full at this time of people who oppressed others. They crushed them, they took advantage of them. London today is full of the same sort of thing. It should not be. Jerusalem was also rebellious. There were many rebels there, people who threw off the shackles. This is the opposite problem to oppression, again common in London, where, far from being oppressed, many people reject any kind of authority. and defiled! The people were unclean, polluted, not just ceremonially but morally. They were soiled and sullied, impure, dirty. Again, a common state of affairs in our day. We must run from all such sins

2 Disobedience

Verse 2 begins She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. There was an unwillingness to do right as it is laid down in God's law and an unwillingness to change in order to do good. We see this everywhere today. “Why should I change?” they say and press on in their disobedience. They will not accept God's word.

3 Lack of faith

And this is the worst of it 2b She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God. For all the religion there was in Jerusalem, there was no trust in the LORD, in the true God, no drawing near to him. They would turn anywhere else rather than turn to the Lord. By nature, we all turn from God, we run from him. Now that is how it was in Jerusalem – anything to avoid drawing near to Almighty God.

Spurgeon illustrated faith well when he said in a sermon

Your condition is like that of a child in a burning house, who, having escaped to the edge of the window, hung on by the windowsill. The flames were pouring out of the window underneath, and the poor lad would soon be burned, or falling would be dashed to pieces. He therefore held on with the clutch of death. He did not dare to relax his grasp until a strong man stood underneath, and said, “Boy! Drop! Drop! I’ll catch you.” Now, it was no saving faith for the boy to believe that the man was strong - that was a good help toward faith - but he might have known that and yet have perished. It was faith when the boy let go and dropped down into his big friend’s arms.

There are you, sinner, clinging to your sins or to your good works. The Saviour cries, “Drop! Drop into my arms!” It is not doing, it is leaving off doing. It is not working, it is trusting in that work which Jesus has already done. Trust! That is the word—simple, solid, hearty, earnest trust. Trust and it will not take an hour to save you, the moment you trust you are saved.

So what about us? Are we oppressors, rebellious, impure, disobedient, lacking in faith? Where is the spirit of service to others, submission to God and obedience to him, the spirit of purity and faith? Without these, surely we deserve God's judgment.

2. Note the sins of the rulers, prophets and priests and turn from them

In verses 3 and 4 Zephaniah turns his attention to the leaders of society. He begins with the court, the king and his courtiers. He also speaks of the prophets and the priests of his day. What he has to say about them is not good. Those who should have been taking the lead in obedience and faith were in fact doing the very opposite.

3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. They were using their authority to abuse others. They threw their weight about and were driven by greed. We see it in our own day – not only in the state but in families and in churches too. It is often those with power who are in the wrong. It ought not to be the case.

Then in verse 4 he says Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. It was the calling of the prophets to speak up when the court was corrupt and point out its failings but the prophets (apart from Zephaniah) were unprincipled and treacherous and did nothing to speak up against the corruption that was all around. As for the priests in the temple, they served only to profane the sanctuary and far from teaching and upholding God's law, they did the very opposite.

And so today, we see not only wickedness in high places but a failure to speak out against it and those who should be upholding truth and purity doing nothing to protect it.

3. Consider the righteousness of God and how it contrasts with the failure of his people

In verse 5 we are reminded that nevertheless The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. That is not where the problem lies. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet and this is where the problem lies the unrighteous know no shame. They should be ashamed of their corrupt and sinful ways but they are not. They fail to blush.

How ashamed we should be of our sins. We must turn from them.

2. Hear this call to wait patiently for God's judgment on the nations

As we have seen before, God's judgment begins with his own people but will extend to all the earth. And so we say

1. Expect God to judge the nations

6 “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty.” The past tense is used – perhaps because attention is being drawn to what God has done to various nations in the past but I think it is more likely that this is what is called the prophetic past tense – future judgment is so certain that it is spoken of in terms of already having happened. Note those d words again – destroyed, demolished, deserted - I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. Be in no doubt this destruction is coming. How devastating it will be for all who do not repent.

2. Do not suppose that the professed people of God will escape God's judgment

It is tempting to comfort oneself by saying that judgment will fall only on unbelievers. But if we are tempted to think like that we need to recall that there will be judgment on God's people, also. Look at verse 7 Of Jerusalem I thought, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. Surely knowing God's attitude to the nations his own people would automatically fear God and be corrected. But no, not so. Yet there is no escape for anyone simply because they say they belong to God's people. There has to be a reality to that profession. Where is the fear of God? Where is the willingness to be corrected? Where is a forsaking of corruption? Without these judgment is bound to come and to find its mark.

3. Wait for the LORD and the day when he will judge the whole world

Verse 8 then is a call for patience. “Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. Sometimes we are tempted to wonder if the judgment will ever come. Be in no doubt, it will. God says plainly I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and what will he do when they are gathered? And to pour out my wrath on them - all my fierce anger. Yes, be in no doubt, at times God has dealt with the nations most powerfully and a day is coming when indeed The whole world will be consumed by the fire of God's jealous anger. As 2 Peter 3:10 has it But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

One writer speaks of waiting like this. He says

It isn’t easy to wait. It demands persistence when common sense says “give up.” It says “believe” when there is no present evidence to back it up. Faith is forged in delay. Character is forged in delay. The forge is the gap between the promise and the fulfilment. As gold is purified and shaped in the white-hot heat of a forge, so we and our faith are purified and shaped in waiting.

3. Realise that before the great judgment God will convert the nations and the Jews

Finally, in verses 9-13 there is a tremendous word of hope regarding the nations and the Jews. Not all of them, it is true, but many indeed. Two things

1. Realise that before that time God will cause many Gentiles to call on his name and serve him

9, 10 Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshippers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. It is put in Old Testament terms but the promise is that God will purify the lips of Gentiles and cause them to call on the name of the LORD and to serve God shoulder to shoulder with his people. They will become his worshippers and bring him offerings, these scattered people beyond Cush and wherever.

We have begun to see that with waves of Christians in the Middle East, in Europe and in Africa and now in China. People are calling on the LORD's name in their own tongue. They are worshipping God in place after place. Pray that there will be more and more who do that.

2. Realise that God's people will be humbled and revived

Now in the midst of reaching out to Gentiles, it is important that we do not forget the Jews. In a similar way, when we reach out to unbelievers, we must remember those who are growing up with these things too. 11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, God says because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. In many cases God will remove the proud from his people, the unbelieving. Let's expect that. Further,

12, 13 But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. There will be a humble and meer remnant who believe. What will they be like? The very opposite of the unbelieving and disobedient spoken of before. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. Further They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. This is the laying down in green pastures and being led beside quiet waters spoken of in Psalm 23. It is possible because God's people have a shepherd, Jesus Christ. He cares for them and because of him, they need never fear.

More on the judgement of God

Date 29 01 23 Text Zephaniah 2 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I don't know about you but if I'm reading a book, I like to be quite strict and not look at the end of the story. Others are not strict at all and are quite happy to sneak a look at the end and see how it is all going to work out. Now with this book of Zephaniah that we are looking at I have decided that you probably need some encouragement to press on to the end and so I am going to give you a hint of what is at the end.

We have looked at Chapter 1 and this week I want us to look at Chapter 2 but, as we will see, although there are one or two encouraging things here; there is no real let up in the theme of judgment. There are different emphases true but still it is mostly judgment all the way. The theme is still the LORD's fierce anger … the day of the LORD's wrath ... the day of the LORD's anger … Woe to you ... "I will destroy you, and none will be left." … The LORD will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. … What a ruin she has become ….

But let me assure you of where all this is heading. In Chapter 3:14-20 it is all very different. There at the end of the book we read - Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." etc, etc.

So that is where we are heading but first we have four prophecies, mostly full of woe – the first is spoken against God's own people, the rest against their neighbours. Four things then

1. Be ready for judgment, humble and obedient ones; seek God, righteousness and humility

Three things here

1. Realise what is coming

In verse 2 we read about a future time when the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, it is the day when the LORD's fierce anger comes upon you … the day of the LORD's wrath that is going to come upon you.

We have seen this in Chapter 1 but here it is again – a day of judgment is coming, a day of the LORD's fierce anger … the day of the LORD's wrath. Because of sin, there will be judgement and it is important that we know that this day is coming. Before it comes there will be times of judgment for individuals and one day there will be a universal judgment for all.

DEWS is the name of a European Union project designed to give an early warning of tsunamis and other geological problems such as erupting volcanoes and landslides. The name stands for Distant Early Warning System. The project is based on the idea that to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Clearly, the sooner we know that a disaster is ahead then the better; the greater the likelihood of being able to avoid it. Warnings like this are in the Bible to urge us to be prepared, to be ready.

2. What to do about it

The chapter begins Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation. Sinful Israel is addressed first. In verse 3 they are told Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility …. So by and large the nation acts shamefully but there is a remnant who are humble and who are obedient and the appeal goes out to them to come together and to seek three related things

• Seek God. Always in Scripture we are urged to seek the Lord.
• Seek righteousness. Anyone who is genuinely seeking God will be seeking righteousness – true goodness, the right way. Jesus says that blessing comes to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
• Seek humility. The people in mind here are humble people but part of true humility is that you see the need to be more humble. It is what the Bible calls growing in grace.

3. Why to act that way

The reason is perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger. It is not put very strongly but there is the hint of salvation for those who do as is recommended. Of course, we can say more boldly today that if a person genuinely seeks the Lord and relies on Jesus Christ then that person will indeed be protected from all harm on the day of the LORD's anger but then it was a little more tentative.

In November 1938, UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain put Sir John Anderson in charge of Air Raid Precautions. Anderson was a scientist turned politician who led the Ministry of Home Security, responsible for civil defence, air raid wardens, rescue squads, fire services, the Women’s Voluntary Service and what came to be known as Anderson shelters.

Anderson commissioned engineer William Patterson to design a small and cheap shelter that could be erected in people’s gardens. The first one was erected in a garden in Islington, 25 February 1939 and, between then and the outbreak of war in September, around 1.5 million were distributed to people in areas expected to be bombed and so in need of protection. During the war a further 2.1 million were erected. Anderson shelters were issued free to many households; others were charged £7.

Easily erected, the shelters were made from six curved sheets bolted together at the top, with steel plates at either end, and measuring 1.95m by 1.35m, the shelter could accommodate four adults and two children. Shelters were half buried in the ground with earth heaped on top. When the bombs dropped it was frightening but you were safe. God will keep safe all who trust in him on that day.

2. Hear this judgment on those in the west and the promise of restoration for God's people

From Israel, Zephaniah turns his attention to those living west and east and south and north of them, as the prophets often do. First, west:

For much of the Old Testament period the great enemy of God's people is the Philistines, who are spoken of in verses 4-7. The Philistines appear to have come from the west, perhaps Crete or another island and settled in Canaan around the same time as the Hebrews. They chiefly occupied the western part of the country. They had five main cities and four are mentioned here – Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron. Gath is the only one missing. Different words are used for the different cities but they are all negative words (4) - Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. There is some wordplay going on here. It is not possible to reproduce it properly in English but it is something like “Gaza will be Godforsaken and Ashkelon abolished. At midday Ashdod will be abandoned and Ekron extirpated.” Abandonment, ruin, emptying and uprooting – that is what lies in store for those who oppose the people of God.

Picture such people as being set adrift like a boat, being ruined like a building being demolished with a wrecking ball, thrown out like an upturned rubbish bin on the back of a refuse lorry and like weeds being pulled up by the roots.

Verses 5 and 6 sum up Woe to you who live by the sea, you Kerethite people; another way of referring to the Philistines the word of the LORD is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines. He says, "I will destroy you, and none will be left." The land by the sea will become pastures having wells for shepherds and pens for flocks. Each of the cities will go. These urban centres that were once so splendid and magnificent will be removed and become fit only for pasturing sheep.

The final comment in verse 7 contains a hint of hope for God's people. That land will belong to the remnant of the people 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. Where Philistines once roamed, God's people will rule. There they will pasture their sheep. Their sheep will lay down at night in the ruins of Ashkelon. There the LORD will take care of his people. The promise is that their fortunes will be restored.

How that should encourage us. Yes God is coming in judgment but those who survive, his remnant, will be blessed. Be thankful it is so,

3. Hear this judgment on those proud mockers in the east and the promise of reversal

Having looked west the prophet next looks east and to the adjacent nations of Moab and Ammon on the other side of the Dead Sea. God speaks and he says (8) “I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land.” God is always aware when his people are being persecuted. He remains alert. It affects him too.

Those who persecute believers can expect to be judged in due time. It goes on (9) “Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah - a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever.” You remember what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. The allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah and the judgment brought on them long ago is appropriate as not only is this all in the same area but Moab and Ammon were the fruit of the incestuous liaison between Lot and his daughters remember.

In the rest of verse 9 we read God's words “The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.” Once again this theme of a reversal, a turning of the tables, is here. Referring to Moab and Ammon verses 10 and 11 say This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty. The LORD will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands. In Moab and Ammon they worshipped idols but all that is coming to an end as we mentioned preaching from Chapter 1. The end has begun. We see it all around us but there will be a final destruction of all the gods of the earth at the last. Zephaniah saw a day that is now here in part when Distant nations will bow down to the true God, all of them in their own lands. And so again – judgment for all who refuse to repent but glory to God.

4. Hear this judgment on those in south and north once so proud and the promise of reversal

As for the south, verse 12 is very brief, "You Cushites, too, will be slain by my sword." This is a reference to those who lived south of Egypt with whom Israel had limited interaction. They were going to suffer God's judgment, however, when Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians rose to power. Nebuchadnezzar would overthrow the Egyptians and the Cushites who tried to help them. Interestingly, Zephaniah refer to the Cushites' defeat by the Babylonians as my sword. When a nation falls, it is God who allows it.

The final point of the compass was north and this time, the Assyrians. These, of course, were the people who carried off the Israelites into exile and made it so difficult for Judah. Their time will come, however, it is clear.

13 He will stretch out his hand a phrase we had n Chapter 1 against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Another run of ds then - destroyed, desolate and desiccated. Again we have this picture of an urban setting so destroyed that it is fit only for sheep to graze. 14 Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. You can almost hear them hooting. Their hooting will echo through the windows, rubble will fill the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed. The place is now a ruin, as indeed happened to Assyria. Verse 15 alludes to her pride This is the city of revelry that lived in safety. She said to herself, "I am the one! And there is none besides me." That is true of many cities in this world no doubt. New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, London. How proud each one. But listen to the final words of the chapter What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists. Again what a reversal, what a turning of the tables.

How important that we take this all in and do not make the mistake of living only for today. No, we need to be ready for the day of God's wrath whenever it may come.