SERIES: Major Profit from Minor Prophets
A Shelter in the Fury
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Note: This series, done in the summer of 1999, involved one sermon each on the Twelve Minor Prophets. Obviously, since these books are of varying lengths, from one chapter to fourteen chapters, these sermons are focused on the key message of each prophet, rather than a detailed examination of their words.
Introduction: This morning I want us to turn to the book of Zephaniah, fourth from the end of the Old Testament. For those who may be with us for the first time, we are taking a quick journey, one Sunday each, through the twelve prophets known historically as Minor Prophets. I have not looked forward to Zephaniah because his is a difficult message. It is as full of judgment as Nahum, only Nahum was easier to handle because the judgment there was against a pagan city and empire–i.e. Nineveh the capital of Assyria. Zephaniah speaks largely of judgment against the people of God. No book addresses more directly and thoroughly the anger and wrath and fury of God.
Zephaniah opens his prophecy with a…
Warning of a clean sweep (1:2-3)
When the Chicago Bulls were in their prime and Michael Jordan was leading them through the playoffs year after year with one victory after another, fans would come to The United Center with brooms, which they would wave in anticipation of a clean sweep–four victories in a row. Well, I can see the angels of heaven with brooms in their hands as Zephaniah quotes the Lord Himself in verse 2:
“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. {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.
Now Zephaniah is one of those preachers who gives us the worst news first–namely there is a coming judgment, called “the day of the Lord,” when God is going to make a clean sweep of this old earth. It’s going to be unprecedented and extraordinary. I’m just glad he doesn’t stop there, but clearly his introduction is designed to catch the attention of his readers.
Of course, the very thought of God as a God of judgment does not sit well with modern thinking. Frankly, I’m not sure it ever sat well, but certainly today there is a particular bias against any notion of God’s wrath and anger. If people are inclined to believe in God at all, they only want to acknowledge His infinite love and patience and mercy.
But anyone who thinks carefully about love will understand that love and anger (or judgment) are not mutually exclusive characteristics. If we really love someone, we hate everything that injures that person. We are against whatever threatens or destroys what we love. Likewise, the very love that moves the heart of God to pour himself out over the centuries in an unceasing effort to awaken man to his need and to respond to the call of grace, is the same love that prompts him to discipline His children and finally to judge His creation.[i]
Yet even Zephaniah does not speak of unmitigated judgment. He makes it clear there is the possibility of shelter in the day of the Lord’s anger. In fact, I have borrowed the title of a book by a good friend, Dr. Ron Allen, as the title of my sermon: A Shelter in the Fury. It comes from verse 3 of chapter 2: “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.”
But let’s begin at the beginning. Zephaniah identifies himself in verse 1 as a member of the royal family, the great-great-grandson of good king Hezekiah. While he undoubtedly could have lived a life of privilege and power, he chose instead to serve God as a prophet, faithfully warning the people that unless they repent, judgment lies ahead.
His ministry, he tells us, was during the reign of Josiah, making him an earlier contemporary of Habakkuk. We noted last week that Josiah was a boy-king, taking the throne at the age of 8, leading a revival in the nation at the age of 18, and reigning for 30 years. It’s not possible to pinpoint exactly when Zephaniah preached, but I would assume it was either early, before the revival took place, or late, after the revival had run its course and the people had returned to their sinful ways.
Following his initial prediction of a clean sweep of the whole earth by God, Zephaniah narrows his message to Judah, as he tells us that …
Judgment begins with the Lord’s people. (1:4-13)
Verse 4: “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem.” We have a biblical principal here that is perhaps most clearly stated in 1 Peter 4:17: “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” We are usually more concerned about the sin we see in the world; God is more concerned about the sin He sees among His people. And there is plenty for Him to be concerned about. In verses 4-13 the prophet enumerates six sins that are common among the people of God. Some of these have been highlighted by previous prophets; others are unique to Zephaniah. He begins with …
Syncretism. This is the view that there is a little truth in all religions. Therefore, the wisest thing to do is to find what is best in each one and build your own worldview. But God says in verse 4: “I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests–those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, whose who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molech.” There were clergy in Zephaniah’s day who were combining elements of paganism, astrology, and idolatry with their worship of God. Notice, they weren’t atheists; they still bowed down to and swore by the Lord. But they also incorporated all kinds of religious elements that were antithetical to biblical faith, and God says He will judge them severely.
I can’t help but think of the goddess worship that today has become so acceptable in certain some circles of mainline denominations. There was an article in the paper last week about an organization of women, led by three nuns, who are trying to get in touch with their inner selves by beating drums. Essentially they seemed to be incorporating native American religion into their worship of God.
Then he mentions in verse 6 “those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.” I see this as describing plain old …
Unbelief. I read an interview this week with a Professor of New Testament at Eden Seminary in Webster Groves. It was taped on September 4, 1996, and the questions were asked by a young pastoral intern who was considering whether to remain in the United Church of Christ. Please keep in mind as I read some excerpts of this interview that this professor is preparing young men to fill pulpits in a key Protestant denomination, the United Church of Christ.
Pastor: “Was Jesus God incarnate?”
Professor: “I believe Jesus was the fullest revelation of the love of God…. It’s not necessary to believe that Jesus was actually God; that was an ancient way of understanding the world.”
Pastor: “So do you believe Christ physically rose from the dead?”
Professor: “Again it depends what you mean…. Jesus was resurrected in the sense that his life was proven in the faith of his followers. It doesn’t really matter if we believe it; they did! If you mean though that if I had been there would I see his dead body get up, I’m not so sure about that.”
Pastor “Then what did his death mean?”
Professor: “It was the ultimate example of un-love on the part of that society. It showed what would happen to someone who dared to do what he did while he was alive.”
Pastor: “So there was no atonement in His death?”
Professor: “It depends on what you mean by atonement. If you mean the ancient idea of turning away wrath, absolutely not. That flies in the face of the love of God…. However, his death did ‘atone’ in the sense that it brought all peoples together…. because he was the embodiment of love.”
Pastor: “Your definitions of resurrection and atonement are very different from the traditional definitions, not to mention different from what Paul wrote in Romans and 1 Corinthians, for example. How can the average church-goer reconcile this.”
Patterson: “It’s not difficult as long as you understand that Paul was an ancient man. He understood things in terms of ‘sin’ and ‘reconciliation with God’; and physical resurrection was a common way of saying ‘our guy won.’ But to the modern mind they make no sense in that way.”
Pastor: “So, we know better now?”
Professor: “Essentially, yes.”
Pastor: “Do you believe that Jesus was actually conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, without sexual union?”
Professor: “Of course not.”
Pastor: “Do you believe in hell?”
Professor: “I believe there are consequences for our actions, but the whole idea of judgment and everlasting punishment sounds a little too medieval.”
Would you agree there is a problem with unbelief in the Church today? Thankfully, this young pastor did not cast his lot with the UCC.
Third, Zephaniah mentions …
Worldliness. In verse 8 we read, “On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes.” Now that seems like a somewhat insignificant sin compared to syncretism and unbelief, but it is serious enough for God to list as one of the causes of judgment on His people. You know, there is very little legislation about clothes in the Bible. Modesty and simplicity are mentioned several times, and we are told to wear clothes appropriate to our gender, but beyond that it appears we are given lots of freedom. What, then, is it about these foreign clothes that earns the judgment of God. I would suggest that worldliness must be at the heart of the matter. God wanted His people to be distinguishable from the world, but they constantly wanted to be just like the pagan nations around them.
I don’t think this is a call to dress like the Amish. Sometimes being different draws attention to the wrong things and prevents us from impacting the world around us. But when our priority is to be accepted by the world, and we go out of our way to adopt the latest in fashion, whether modest or not, along with the jewelry, body piercings, tattoos, etc. that the world has previously adopted, that is not pleasing to God. A fourth thing mentioned in verse 9 is …
Superstition. “On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold.” What in the world is this all about? This practice reflects a superstition of the Philistines which developed when the Ark of the Covenant was held captive in the pagan temple of the god Dagon. The story is found in 1 Samuel 5:1-5:
“After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. {2} Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. {3} When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. {4} But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. {5} That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.”
Because of this incident, the Philistines considered it bad luck to step on a threshold. But God says he will punish those who practice such pagan superstitions.
Have you ever noticed how many baseball players avoid stepping on the foul line as they go on or off the field? How many people even avoid stepping on cracks in the sidewalk? I am told that people in the theater never rehearse the last line in a play or say, “good luck.” Instead, they say “break a leg.” Many tall buildings don’t have a 13th floor (well, they have one, they just skip the number). Friends, there is no place for superstition in the Christian’s life. It is plainly antithetical to faith in the power and providence of a sovereign God.
Violence and deceit are mentioned next in verse 9. And these were taking place in houses of worship. I don’t know what exactly Zephaniah had in mind, but one can’t help but think of what Jesus encountered in the temple when he threw the merchandizers and moneychangers out. Today I can’t help but think of churches that hold pro-abortion rallies or pastors who extort money from parishioners to finance a decadent lifestyle.
Finally, and perhaps worst is …
Complacency. The Lord says in verse 12, “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’” Ron Allen writes,
“It’s a scene . . . right out of Cheers. Lingering over the dregs. What a picture of the barroom philosopher. These people have given up on the judgment of God; but they themselves are about to be judged by him.
They believe that God is dead. Or if God is alive, it hardly matters. They have built their own sources of strength in their possessions and wealth, their houses and vineyards.
But Yahweh is not like an old dog with no good teeth left. He is coming in terrible rage and will turn their sources of power into instruments of their own destruction.” [ii]
I would ask you today, “Do you ever get so complacent in your spiritual life that you begin to think like the people of Jerusalem, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad’?” Frankly, I think there are a lot of professing Christians who live their lives without any expectation of God’s intervention, either in judgment or blessing. They might as well be deists–people who believe God started the whole process but has pretty much abandoned mankind to his own devices. I like what Ray Stedman says in answer to such a worldview: “God’s hand is hidden in the glove of history, but all the writers of Scripture agree that a day is coming when He will intervene directly (and unquestionably) in the affairs of men again.” [iii]
Having made clear God’s complaints against His people, Zephaniah now details …
God’s actions against His people (1:14-18)
“The great day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. {15} 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, {16} a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. {17} I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. {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.”
Now I want to suggest that Zephaniah is here giving us a prophecy that has both a near and a far fulfillment, something not uncommon among the OT prophets. The day of the Lord can refer to any time when God intervenes in judgment. If Zephaniah is speaking only of the coming judgment of the Babylonian conquest, then we must conclude that he is using extreme hyperbole, for clearly the whole world was not consumed at that time, nor did all mankind perish.
But there is a “great and terrible day of the Lord” that is yet future, which will culminate in the Battle of Armageddon. Whether the prophet knows it or not, I believe God is using him to predict the Babylonian conquest in the near future and the ultimate Day of the Lord in the far future. The first is a mere preview of a judgment that will make Babylon’s conquest look like a tea party.
So far Zephaniah has been all bad news. A clean sweep is coming, beginning with discipline of the Lord’s people. But now briefly, at the beginning of chapter 2, the prophet tells us there is hope for those who seek the Lord, as he speaks of
A shelter from the Lord’s fury (2:1-3)
“Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, {2} before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. {3} Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.”
The fact is, the Lord did shelter a faithful remnant when Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem, destroyed every building, and took everyone but the sick and dying captive. The Lord did not keep them from the trial, but He preserved them during it. When Babylon’s brief period of world supremacy ended, the remnant was ready to return to the land, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and rebuild the temple. Haggai will tell us about it.
The Lord will also shelter the faithful remnant during the final great and terrible day of the Lord when the Great Tribulation results in unprecedented death and destruction. But I would go further and say there is a message here to all people of all times and all places. The secret to surviving the wrath of God whenever it is poured out–either in personal discipline or in national judgment–is found right here in verse 3: seek the Lord, do what He commands, seek righteousness, seek humility.
Now beginning in verse 4 Zephaniah turns his attention from Judah to the surrounding nations and tells us that the judgment that begins with the Lord’s people, continues against the nations.
Judgment continues against the nations. (2:4-15)
Philistia lay in the west, Moab and Ammon in the east, Cush or Ethiopia in the south, and Assyria in the north. This causes me to think the prophet is merely using these nations as symbols of the judgment of God against unbelieving nations everywhere. Zephaniah does not spend a lot of time telling us why God is judging these nations. He mentions how they treated God’s chosen people, i.e., despicably (verse 8), and he speaks of their pride and self-sufficiency (verses 10, 15), but he seems to assume that his readers know the wickedness and paganism that was rampant in these nations.
It doesn’t take the prophet long, however, to return to the destiny of Jerusalem and the people of God. So, we consider finally the fact that …
God demonstrates tough but tender love for His people. (3:1-20)
He begins with toughness, pointing out that…
The “Holy City” has become “the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!” (1-4) For centuries, perhaps millennia, Jerusalem has been known as “the Holy City.” And it is easy to understand that when you visit. There is an aura about the place that is impossible to explain–you can only experience it. But God sees it differently. He looks beyond the ancient walls and buildings, beyond the great historical events that have occurred there, and He looks into the hearts of its inhabitants. He says, “Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God.” He goes on to denounce Jerusalem’s greedy public officials, her arrogant prophets, and her profane priests.
Then the prophet implies that …
In defense of His own name, God must discipline those He loves. (5-8) Notice how Zephaniah turns to the character of God right in the middle of his denunciation of Jerusalem’s sin: “The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.” (Zephaniah 3:5) And he proceeds to explain how God will judge them–reluctantly but certainly.
He pleads with them but to no avail, for it says at the end of verse 7, “But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.” Is it any surprise, then, that God will pour out His wrath? He says at the end of verse 8, “The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.”
But fortunately, that’s not the final scene. In His wrath, God remembers mercy.
But ultimately His people find shelter in His love. (9-20)
Look with me at verses 9-15:
“Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. {10} From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. {11} On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. {12} But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. {13} The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.”
{14} Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! {15} 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.
There will be songs instead of sorrow, service instead of selfishness, and security instead of slavery. Bible scholars are divided on the ultimate application of this section. Premillennialists believe it is primarily a promise to Israel related to the millennial kingdom which Jesus will set up at the time of the Second Coming. Amillennialists say, “No, these promises have nothing to do with Israel. The Church has inherited these promises and they speak of Christ’s ultimate victory over sin and the joy of heaven.” I personally cannot get away from the strong evidence in Scripture that there is a future for Israel; at the same time, the Abrahamic Covenant included blessings for those in every nation.
But I’d rather not get into the technicalities of eschatology this morning. Instead, I would like for us to read the last section of Zephaniah as a timeless promise of the living God to offer shelter to all those who turn to Him in times of trial and tribulation. Look at verse 17:
“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.” Isn’t that amazing? It is not we who are singing to God; He is singing to us. Verse19: At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. {20} At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the LORD.”
I don’t know what you’re facing today, but I can’t imagine any more comforting words spoken by the living God than these. I want to close by reading a story written by my friend Ron Allen:
“Nearly two years ago Beverly and I were introduced to a family that was hurting deeply. Nancy and Dennis Burg’s little boy Timmy had just had his first birthday. Timmy was their first child. They had waited seven years for him. Now he was one. He was also very ill. He had just been diagnosed with leukemia.
Leukemia is a word of horror. It is particularly awful when it is used of a little child. It is a word that strikes unrelieved terror into parents when the word is used of their own child. We know. Five years earlier that obscene word had been used to describe the illness of our little girl Rachel. Because of our experience, Beverly and I were invited to draw near to the Burgs during Timmy’s illness.
The next two years were quite difficult for the Burg family. Care for Timmy was their constant preoccupation. His disease took him down some dreadful paths–chemotherapy, blood therapy, and a bone marrow transplant. Remissions were interrupted by relapses. Such a little boy for such a hard time. During the last few weeks Timmy was very weak and was in constant pain.
Timmy died this week. His burial and memorial services were yesterday. The parents asked me to speak at the service. With breaking heart, I thought back over the last two years and prepared my message.
I began by asserting that the death of a child is an absurdity. Any time a parent is predeceased by a child, there is a sense of disorder. This is true even when the child is an adult. It’s especially hard when the child is young. In Timmy’s case, he was three weeks short of his third birthday. All the hopes and expectations one has for a child died that day. He never got to go to Sunday school. He never had his first day at school. He never played Little League, never read through the Bible, never had his first date, never got his driver’s license.
But there is another perspective. Instead of thinking of the life Timmy had not lived, we ought to focus on the life he had lived. For no matter how short it was–that life was his life! Brief as it was, it was the gift of God. So we thought back over that life. We recounted the times when Timmy was well and how much joy he had brought into the lives of his parents and all who knew him. We also remembered the times he was ill and the grace in his face that could respond with a smile even when he felt really cruddy.
Timmy’s death was gentle while being held in his mother’s arms. His passing was imminent that Tuesday morning, but no one quite saw it come. He was breathing slightly, and then he was not. He was being held by Nancy, and then he was in the arms of Jesus. Timmy has found his new hiding place, his eternal shelter at last.
You see, the central promise of Zephaniah–that there is a hiding place in the Lord for those who draw near–is not just a promise for those who may be around when the final judgment comes. Zephaniah’s promise of the Shelter of Shaddai can come to pass even in a hospital room where a much loved little boy is dying.”
Friend, if you draw near to Him, you too can find a shelter from His fury. Because God poured out His wrath on His own Son, Jesus, at the Cross, it need not be poured out on you. He bore your sin; He paid your penalty. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” As we prepare for the Lord’s Table this morning, I want you to picture the Cross as the ultimate shelter from the fury.
DATE: August 1, 1999
Tags:
Judgment
Syncretism
Unbelief
Eden Seminary professor
Worldliness
Complacency
Tough love
[i] Ray Stedman, “The Day of the Lord’s Wrath,” sermon preached on September 4, 1966 at Peninsula Bible Church.
[ii] Ronald B. Allen, A Shelter in the Fury, 57-58.
[iii] Stedman, “The Day of the Lord’s Wrath.”