Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 (NRSV)
Read Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. Verse 12At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, "The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm." Verse 13Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.
Verse 14The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. Verse 15That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, Verse 16a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. Verse 17I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Verse 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Devotion
Yikes. There's nothing light and fluffy for your Monday morning here! Zephaniah warns that God has had enough of Israel's laziness and complacency. The image used in verse 12 is familiar to those who make wine and know you must stir it continuously while it ferments. If it sits idle for too long, the wine settles and becomes too thick. Wait a minute. Is he talking about me spending Sunday afternoons on the couch watching football games and eating guacamole?
Apathy seems to be the real culprit here. Yahweh is fed up with people ignorant of God's authority and presence in the world. Zephaniah ends his first chapter with this news of God's frustration and disappointment, but that is not his final word. It never is.
Prayer
Comfort and console those who wait for you, O God, serving with one heart and one body through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.