TAKE HEED (ZEPHANIAH 2:1-7)

REFLECTION The Lord is ever gracious and merciful. Through the Prophet Zephaniah God sent forth His warning concerning the coming judgment upon the sins of the nation of Judah, and this has been emphasized by the truth that God has fixed the day of His judgment and He calls Judah to take heed of the…

Rev. D.N.A. Affram

Nov 12, 2021

3–4 minutes

REFLECTION

The Lord is ever gracious and merciful. Through the Prophet Zephaniah God sent forth His warning concerning the coming judgment upon the sins of the nation of Judah, and this has been emphasized by the truth that God has fixed the day of His judgment and He calls Judah to take heed of the warning of judgment and seek the Lord.

To take heed is to pay attention to something and be careful about it. It was therefore God’s desire that the people of Judah pay attention to the warning and amend their ways. The warning of judgment was given well in advance, and this is God’s mercy in order to give time for repentance, so that in the midst of the judgment, through genuine repentance, individuals can be saved from the eternal punishment for their sins. In today’s text for meditation, you’d realize the following:

Firstly, there’s a gracious call from God to the people. God has declared that His judgment on Judah is final and fixed and can not be reversed (v. 1-2). However, in mercy and grace, God announced the coming of His judgement well in advance of it, which gives time for repentance and turning back to the Lord. Here is real mercy and grace. God’s love is set forth in this gracious call to Judah to come together and face the wrath of God’s judgment, take heed, and repent.

God is extending that gracious call to you today. He’s asking you to turn to Him, take heed and repent of your sins. You have procrastinated your repentance and acceptance of Christ for so long. “Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart, else, you’ll not escape the judgment of God” (Hebrews 3:15).

Secondly, the text calls us to take action. For those who heed the call of God, we must seek the Lord (v. 3). The way we seek the Lord is to be humbled and then do what God commands. The command is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the salvation promised through faith in Him. If we are humbled before God and confess our sin, then we must have in faith Jesus and seek Him more diligently in reading and meditating on the Bible, and being more diligent in prayer. Don’t ever let a day go by without reading the Word of the Lord, mediating on it and communing with Him.

Thirdly, there’s hope for the child of God (v. 3b). For those who sought the Lord in the time of Zephaniah, and were humble and did the Lord’s commands, there was the assurance that in the coming judgment, the Lord would not forsake them.

For us today, seeking the Lord, being humble before him, and living by His word in the Bible, means that the certainty of our eternal salvation is made more assured to us. It also follows that, in the midst of life and as we face the future, we know with deep assurance that God is working all things for our good, and even when all things may be painful and testing, God is still working for our good.

CONCLUSION

God’s judgement is a reality. The world will be finally judged. God’s judgements are being made manifest all through history. We who have faith in Him however, know that we are always safe in the arms of Jesus.

PRAYER

Thank You Father that even in the times You must bring discipline into my life, I can trust in You. Help me however, to always do that which is right before You. Amen.