You Can't Go Wrong with Humility

Zephaniah has one of the most descriptive passages on the Day of the Lord in all the prophets. It begins as such in chapter 1. 

Zephaniah 1:14 (ESV) The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.

While Joel speaks the most about the Day of the Lord, Zephaniah details the utter destruction that day will involve, far more than other prophets. Like Joel, Zephaniah speaks of blood and trumpet sounds. This is military imagery that would not be missed by an ancient people. 

Zephaniah 1:15–16 (ESV) A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.

Instead of the blood of sacrifices, Zephaniah speaks of the blood of men. 

Zephaniah 1:17 (ESV) I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

Make no mistake: the Lord brings this up in the world because of sin. We often treat sin lightly compared to the prophets of old. They pulled no punches when it came to the serious nature of sin and the serious cost it incurs upon man. 

What else does Zephaniah make clear? There will be no shelter in one's wealth or prosperity. 

Zephaniah 1:18 (ESV) Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

It truly amazes me how much we serve the god of mammon on this earth when, at times of disasters, we should learn from the past and realize no one aboard the sinking Titanic was saved simply by their wealth. 

But we should take note of that second portion of verse 18: In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Zephaniah's lens is wide-angle on the day of the Lord. It is not simply Israel's day of Judgment; it is the day of judgment for the whole earth. But there is a way of escape. And Zephaniah offers that to all who hear him in chapter 2. 

Zephaniah 2:1–2 (ESV) Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, 2 before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.

First, the command to gather together. Why is that? Because sin separates God from man and man from man. The church is called by the Greek term "ekklesia" which means assembly. When we come together, we are the Church. When we are apart, it is because we have forsaken the blessing God commands in our unity (See Psalm 133:3). 

Second, they are commanded to seek the Lord. 

Zephaniah 2:3 (ESV) Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Notice the emphasis on humility. Only when we lose our self-confidence and find ourselves broken before the Lord in need of His grace do we find Him and receive mercy. The proud in heart are far from Him.

Yet so often we refuse humility and worship of the Lord because we neglect the benefits. Zephaniah does not let us do that. The rest of chapter 2 emphasizes the judgments to come on Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron - notable former cities of Philistia that lived by the Sea. God says their land will be occupied by His remnant who seek Him:

Zephaniah 2:7 (ESV) The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.

Moreover, those two ancient nemesis of Israel, Moab and Ammon, will be destroyed, and their place will become Judah's: 

Zephaniah 2:9 (ESV) Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”

Finally, Assyria, the nation that plundered the Northern Kingdom, will be judged:

Zephaniah 2:13, 15 (ESV) And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert.... 15 This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.

The big picture of Zephaniah's opening two chapters? Only those who humble themselves and seek God shall live, while pride will yield only eternal penalty. 

The believer comes to this passage warned and encouraged. You can't go wrong with humility. Maybe now you look at the proud and arrogant souls who shake their fist at God and wonder why He allows it. Maybe now you see the world's deterioration and struggle to make sense of it. The story is not over. God is a perfect judge, and no one escapes. Humility marks your life for not only survival, escaping God's judgment, but prosperity as the Lord hands you what once belonged to those who hate Him.