Read
1 I am Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, the great-grandson of Amariah, and the great-great-grandson of Hezekiah.
When Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah, the Lord gave me this message.
Judgment on Judah
2I, the Lord, now promise
to destroy everything
on this earth—
3people and animals,
birds and fish.
Everyone who is evil
will crash to the ground,
and I will wipe out
the entire human race.
4I will reach out to punish
Judah and Jerusalem—
nothing will remain
of the god Baal;
nothing will be remembered
of his pagan priests.
5Not a trace will be found
of those who worship stars
from their rooftops,
or bow down to the god Milcom,
while claiming loyalty
to me, the Lord.
6Nothing will remain of anyone
who has turned away
and rejected me.
7Be silent! I am the Lord God,
and the time is near.
I am preparing
to sacrifice my people
and to invite my guests.
8On that day I will punish
national leaders
and sons of the king,
along with all who follow
foreign customs.
9I will punish worshipers
of pagan gods
and cruel palace officials
who abuse their power.
10I, the Lord, promise
that on that day
noisy crying will be heard
from Fish Gate, New Town,
and Upper Hills.
11Everyone in Lower Hollow
will mourn loudly,
because merchants
and money changers
will be wiped out.
12I'll search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish those people
who sit there unworried
while thinking,
“The Lord won't do anything,
good or bad.”
13Their possessions will be taken,
their homes left in ruins.
They won't get to live
in the houses they build,
or drink wine from the grapes
in their own vineyards.
Reflect
Be silent as you enter the throne room of the Lord of Hosts today. Watch and wait in quiet awe and reverence so that you can see God in his righteousness.
As you sit in silence, turn your eyes away from everything happening around you and contemplate your own life. Are there things in your life that are keeping you from worshipping God? Are the voices that are speaking into your life calling you to bow down to other gods than the Lord your God? Is there somebody who you have spoken or dealt cruelly with? Is there a situation where you have abused power or dealt dishonestly? If so as you sit quietly before a holy and righteous God, accept his gracious forgiveness. Do not deceive yourself, our Lord sees who you are, and knows your deepest secrets. He will test each of your works by fire.
As you purify your life, as you sit quietly in the Holy of Holies, allow God’s grace to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Now look with fresh eyes at the world around you. You will observe that God has been actively involved in your world and still is actively involved in every aspect of your world today. Look with anticipation for God sees the sinfulness, the idolatry, the apathy and know that a day of judgment is near and rapidly getting nearer. It will be the Lord’s Day for God alone acts in holy power, in justice and in loving grace.
All God asks of you is to sit silently in his presence and to purify yourself even as he is pure.
Respond
Father of Lights in whom there is no shadow of changing, we purify ourselves as we sit humbly in your presence. Reveal to us your righteousness, so that we may continue to praise your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
James Bruyn
James Bruyn is a bi-vocational visionary leader, writer and speaker who enjoys helping individuals integrate their faith in God with their daily life. James is passionate about connecting the rich promises of our loving Heavenly Father that we find in the Bible, with the joys and challenges of living out our faith in the workplace. James leads a ministry to Christians in the marketplace in Calgary, provides leadership coaching, and consults for the rail industry. Publications: God With Us At Work; Gifted To Do Our Work (Word Alive Press)