____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ June 29, 1997 ____________________________________________________ Zephaniah: The Royal Prophet Minor Prophets Series #7 by Jon Quinn Zephaniah prophesied about 625 B.C. which makes him a contemporary of Jeremiah. The unusual thing about Zephaniah is his ancestry. He is of the royal line of Judah, and more specifically of the house of David. His great-great grandfather was Hezekiah, one of Judah's most righteous kings. However, when Hezekiah died, it was Zephaniah's great uncle, Manasseh, and not his great grandfather, Amariah, who ascended the throne. Manasseh became the most corrupt king of Judah's history, reversing all the gains his father had made and is thought to be the king responsible for putting Isaiah to death. Zephaniah's prophecy takes place during the reign of Josiah, the last good king Judah had. However, like the reforms of Hezekiah, it appears that the hearts of the people are not really in Josiah's reforms. When hearts remain unchanged, outward improvements cannot last. Josiah, a devout man, does his best to get the nation back on the right track, so God promises not to bring judgment upon the land of Judah during his lifetime. It will be coming though, and the time is nearing. Zephaniah's prophecy deals with God's judgment upon His own people, followed by descriptions of divine judgment upon the surrounding nations, and finally a section dealing with the future hope of salvation under the Messiah which will be enjoyed by a remnant of the people. THE SITUATION IN JUDAH ``And I will bring distress on men, so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord.'' (ZEPHANIAH 1:17). Josiah began his reforms rather late in his reign, not because of a lack of will upon his part but rather because nobody in the land had a copy of the Law of God given through Moses to go by. It was during this time that an ancient scroll was found in the ruins of the temple and discovered to be a copy of the Law. It was read to the people and then implemented. If the reforms had sunk in deeper perhaps Judah could have been saved. Or if Josiah's son who became king after him had continued in his father's steps maybe the heart of the people could have gradually been turned around. But it was not to be. In fact, Zephaniah pretty much ignores the reforms and warns the people that unless they truly seek the Lord the decree of Judgment will be carried out. ``Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, before the decree takes effect - the day passes like chaff - before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.'' (ZEPHANIAH 2:1-3). JUDGMENT UPON JUDAH ``So I will stretch My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place...'' (ZEPHANIAH 1:4). There are several reasons given in the context of the first chapter as to why God will bring such devastation upon the land; ``I will cut off...the names of the idolatrous priests....'' (Vs. 4). Idolatry was still rampant in the nation. Josiah's campaign to remove the altars of Baal from the land was only partially successful. The altars removed from the high places could be built back up again by the priests and their willing followers. ``And those who bow down on the housetops to the hosts of heavens.'' (vs. 5). Also, astrology, the occult and the worship of the stars was practiced in the land. Such was (and is) contrary to God's law. ``And those who bow down and swear by the Lord and yet swear by Milcom.'' (vs. 5). The god Milcom was the chief of the pagan deities. It wasn't that the people had completely forgotten Jehovah; they still worshiped Him as well. Their loyalties were divided. They compromised their faith and principles. Many in our nation are doing the same kind of thing today. While I need to be tolerant of people of other religions, and never mistreat anyone who is of a different faith than that of Christ, that does not mean I have to agree with or approve of their faith. If Jesus is Lord, then other faiths are false faiths. If He is not, then Christianity is a false faith built on a false hope and a false Messiah who made false claims of being the only way to God (JOHN 14:6). ``And those who have turned back from following the Lord.'' (vs. 6). This would describe people who at one time followed the Lord but fell away into transgression. ``And those who have not sought the Lord nor inquired of Him.'' (vs. 6). This would describe those who have never been interested in the Lord at all. They breathe His air, drink His water, eat the food which grows by the laws He has ordained, but choose not to acknowledge Him or express any kind of gratitude at all. For these reasons, the rebelliousness of the people and their halfhearted attempts in allowing Josiah's needed reforms to take root and cause lasting change, the nation will be destroyed. And the time is growing short. ``Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly...'' (ZEPHANIAH 1:14). THE OTHER NATIONS ``For Gaza will be abandoned... Ashkelon... Ashdod... Ekron... Surely Moab will be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah... You also, O Ethiopians... and destroy Assyria... And He will make Nineveh a desolation...'' (ZEPHANIAH 2:4,8-9; 12-13). Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ekron were principle Philistine cities to the east along the coast of the Mediterranean. Moab and Ammon were to the west, Assyria to the north and Ethiopia to the south. In every direction the Lord promises to bring judgment upon the idolatrous and wicked nations. Jehovah is not just the God of Israel, nor is His power limited only to Israel and Judah proper. He is the Creator and sustainer of all. In these prophecies, especially the one concerning Assyria, the prophet predicts what no man could have guessed. At this time, thriving Assyria was powerful and seemed invincible. But Zephaniah contends that shortly Assyria was to fall and Nineveh be destroyed. This was accomplished when Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Assyria within a generation. MESSIANIC HOPE ``Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!...The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; and you will fear disaster no more... At that time I will bring you in, even at that time when I gather you together...'' (ZEPHANIAH 3:14,15,20). The last section of the prophecy stands in stark contrast to the rest of the message. Out of the dark forebodings of judgment and destruction comes a promise familiar to those who read the prophets. There will be a restoration of a remnant (vs 13) that will be faithful to God and will benefit from God's blessings. The context describes several things which will take place: Judgments for sin will be taken away (vs 14). This occurs for us when our sins are forgiven in Christ and we are given the hope of heaven instead of prospect for eternal judgment (I JOHN 4:17,18). He has cleared away your enemies (vs 14). Christ Himself has conquered death, proving Himself able to defeat even this last and greatest enemy of man (I CORINTHIANS 15:24-26). Rejoice and exult with all your heart (vs 14). Because of the blessings and privileges in Christ, we are urged today to rejoice in the Lord always (PHILIPPIANS 4:4). The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst (vs 15). The Lord Himself came to redeem and bless us. Our King lives in us today. He assures us of victory (GALATIANS 2:20). Even at that time I will gather you together (vs 20). It is the Lord who adds us to His body, or sets us as spiritual stones into His house ((I PETER 2:5-10). When I restore your fortunes before your eyes (vs 20). Again, we find in Jesus eternal treasure which does not corrode nor can it be stolen, an inheritance that fades not away, an imperishable crown, or perhaps we could just sum it up by calling our spiritual fortune the unfathomable riches of Christ (EPHESIANS 3:8). ___________________________________________ The Providence of God by Jason Moor There are some words that are full of comfort just in the saying of them. Providence is such a word. Subtract the suffix and you have provide. The confidence of those who believe in the provide-nce of God is that God will provide. That was the assurance that the Almighty intended the Israelites to gain from Moses' declaration that the I AM had sent a deliverer. He that AM, WILL BE for them was the point. The I AM will provide. The Bible is chock-full of stories -- better yet, histories because they're true -- of God's providence. One of the great histories of providence is told in Genesis 50 when the patriarch Jacob died. His ten eldest sons feared that with the death of their father, Joseph who had brought the family to Egypt might seek retribution for their crime against him in their youth. When Joseph received word of their distress he wept and spoke to his brothers, ``Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive'' (vv. 19-20). In the tangled web of their evil schemes Joseph recognized the hand of God weaving their intentions into the tapestry of His own purpose. Note that Joseph saw that God provided not just for him but for all of Jacob's seed. There was another man of God, a Benjamite, who had a keen eye for seeing God's deliverance at work. His name was Mordecai, the elder cousin of the Jewish Queen Esther, wife of Xerxes the King of the Persians. It was Mordecai who had raised his orphaned cousin in captivity as his own daughter until the time that she was chosen to be the wife of Xerxes. When the lives of the Jewish peoples inhabiting the provinces of Persia were threatened by the edict authored by the wicked Haman, Mordecai approached his cousin in power. He urged Esther to intercede before the king with these words: ``If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?'' (Esther 4:14). God will provide was his confidence with or without Esther. Our New Testament contains a beautiful story of God's providence in the context of Paul's epistle to Philemon. Onesimus, a former servant in the household of Philemon, had apparently wronged his master and fled as fugitive from their home in Colossae. Somehow, Onesimus' flight took him to Rome where he became acquainted with the Apostle Paul who was there imprisoned. The acquaintance with Paul resulted in Onesimus' conversion. For his repentance to be complete, his crime against his master needed correction. So he returned uncertain of the fate that awaited him. But he returned with this missive in hand from Paul, ``For perhaps he was for this reason parted from you for a while, that you should have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord'' (vv. 15-16). Paul saw God's hand again at work charting the courses and affairs of men, even for this penitent fugitive. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me to tell of all the various occasions in which God's providence is seen at work in the annals of His people. But an observation or two is in order. Note that when we speak of providence, even in the inspired record, we often use words like ``who knows'' (in the case of Mordecai) or ``perhaps'' (in the case of Paul). Providence is seen then with the eye of faith. It is not miraculous. In the case of a miracle, the evidence that God has intervened is indisputable. It is supernatural because the natural order is suspended. In providence God sort of slips in without rippling the natural order of things. We call it providence. An unbeliever will likely call it coincidence. Consider the majesty of God's sovereign power in providence. God's providence never over-rides the free will of men. Men are free to make their own choices and to direct their lives but the Lord weaves the choices of men whether they be good or evil into His plan. God used the evil designs of Joseph's kindred, the faithful choices of Esther, the wicked deeds of Onesimus, the treachery of Judas Iscariot, the jealousy of the Sanhedrin Council to bring about His purpose. He is King of kings, Lord of lords. The great danger is that men interpret God's providence as approval for their conduct. God's preservation of Joseph's brethren in no wise meant that He advocated their sin. It was intended that they see His patience and consequently feel the guilt for their crime. And they did. Let us not suppose that because we are a blessed nation or individual that God necessarily approves of our condition. It may be an opportunity for change. Is God's providence limited to Bible times. If it is then why do you pray? Do you not believe that He will answer? And how so if He is not at work? ``And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose'' (Romans 8:28). -- Via Online Southside Reminder, August 23, 1995 ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES I have recently switched to a new internet provider and will be terminating my old account after June 30. My new e-mail address and web site for The Gospel Observer are shown below. Greetings to each of you who are here today. If visiting, please come again. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________