Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’S anger. Zephaniah 2:3
Writing at one of the lowest points in the spiritual life of Judah, Zephaniah warns the people repeatedly that the Day of the Lord is coming—a day that signifies the judgment of God on earth and the ensuing time of blessing and peace. Zephaniah knows that when judgment is over, God will once again look with favor on His people, restore them, rejoice over them, and dwell among them (Zeph. 3:14-20).
So in Zephaniah 2:3, he told the people to
(1) seek the Lord;
(2) seek righteousness; and
(3) seek humility. Despite the impending Day of the Lord, Zephaniah told the people that if they were to do these three things, “maybe” God would have mercy on Judah and they could possibly escape His wrath. In the Bible, there are many instances a “may be” prompted and justified the actual doing of something. For instance:
A “may be” led Jonathan to attack the Philistines. “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few’” (1 Sam. 14:6). That event resulted in great victory for Israel.
A “may be” cheered David’s heart when Shimei cursed him after Absalom rebelled against David (2 Sam. 16:12). Eventually, God did protect David’s life from Absalom.
A “may be” inspired the lepers to visit the Syrian camp. The lepers said, “If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die” (2 Kin. 7:4). To their surprise, God moved on their behalf, bringing confusion and defeat to the enemies’ camp. The lepers had an abundance of food that day. We can have the same kind of attitude when we go through challenging moments in our lives. We can have a positive, faith-filled attitude. Instead of being helpless and feeling hopeless, seek the Lord. Instead of complaining and murmuring, pray! Prayer is more powerful than persecution. Seeking the Lord is more fruitful than sulking.
Are you in a situation like Judah? Is your back against the wall and you need a miracle from God? Do the same three things that Zephaniah told the people to do. How can we be assured that our “may be” can come through for us? Well, God is a gracious and merciful God. Lamentations 3:22 says, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”
Writing at one of the lowest points in the spiritual life of Judah, Zephaniah warns the people repeatedly that the Day of the Lord is coming—a day that signifies the judgment of God on earth and the ensuing time of blessing and peace. Zephaniah knows that when judgment is over, God will once again look with favor on His people, restore them, rejoice over them, and dwell among them (Zeph. 3:14-20).
So in Zephaniah 2:3, he told the people to
(1) seek the Lord;
(2) seek righteousness; and
(3) seek humility. Despite the impending Day of the Lord, Zephaniah told the people that if they were to do these three things, “maybe” God would have mercy on Judah and they could possibly escape His wrath. In the Bible, there are many instances a “may be” prompted and justified the actual doing of something. For instance:
A “may be” led Jonathan to attack the Philistines. “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few’” (1 Sam. 14:6). That event resulted in great victory for Israel.
A “may be” cheered David’s heart when Shimei cursed him after Absalom rebelled against David (2 Sam. 16:12). Eventually, God did protect David’s life from Absalom.
A “may be” inspired the lepers to visit the Syrian camp. The lepers said, “If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die” (2 Kin. 7:4). To their surprise, God moved on their behalf, bringing confusion and defeat to the enemies’ camp. The lepers had an abundance of food that day. We can have the same kind of attitude when we go through challenging moments in our lives. We can have a positive, faith-filled attitude. Instead of being helpless and feeling hopeless, seek the Lord. Instead of complaining and murmuring, pray! Prayer is more powerful than persecution. Seeking the Lord is more fruitful than sulking.
Are you in a situation like Judah? Is your back against the wall and you need a miracle from God? Do the same three things that Zephaniah told the people to do. How can we be assured that our “may be” can come through for us? Well, God is a gracious and merciful God. Lamentations 3:22 says, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”
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