The lesson tomorrow is from the minor prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah. He was a great grandson of Hezekiah, thus of Royal blood. This was preceded by a long wicked reign of Manasseh. There was a great reformation under Josiah and Zephaniah was a prime mover in that positive change of righteousness under Josiah. The prophecy contained in the book was given a few years before Judah’s Day of Doom struck.
Chapter 1 in Zephaniah speaks of an impending day of wrath for the nation of Judah. Judah has turned its back on the Lord. A day of terror was about to break on Judah. The Babylonian invasion and Judah’s captivity would follow about 20 years later. God promises in verse 2, to utterly consume all things from the land. The people of Judah were mixing their religion, verse 5. Malcham was an Ammonite god. God is a jealous God and you can’t worship Him and false deities at the same time and think it will be acceptable. We see this today as Christians bring in elements of new age beliefs and mingle with Christianity. Don’t believe for an instant that such practices will go unnoticed or unpunished. God will bring judgment on those that mingle false religions with the true faith. God will have all of our heart’s affection, or He will have none of our heart’s affection. Jesus said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24
In verses 7-12, the Day of the Lord is the topic. God will not postpone judgment forever on those that dishonor Him by also worshipping false deities. Today those deities could be materialism, compromise, tolerance of sin, or anything that separates you from God. The lesson mentions how we dress. I have been asked, does God care about how I dress? The answer is yes, specifically if that dress promotes a worldly attitude or spirit. It’s not that there is a dress code like certain religions, but you can sometimes tell much about people from their dress. Men and women should both dress modestly promoting holiness. Sanctified people want to do nothing that might cause another to fall into sin. The section ends with a very sobering thought: “No one would escape in the destruction of the city. Nothing and no person can hide from the Omniscient God. He will search with candles so that every hiding place would be exposed.
My final thoughts:
1. As I read this, I’m so thankful that because of the blood of Jesus Christ, I don’t have to fear God’s judgment.
2. I want my life, which includes how I dress, spend money, and use my leisure time to promote holiness.
3. There is an experience of salvation and then sanctification that empowers the person to live for Christ without fear of judgment.
Don’t forget to read the Sunday School Beacon.
Next week: The King in the Midst of Thee.
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