The Great Day of the Lord
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Zephaniah 1:1-18, Romans 9:19-24, 2 Peter 3:8-10
BY Rebecca Faires
Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 1:1-18, Romans 9:19-24, 2 Peter 3:8-10
“The day of the Lord…”
There are lots of passages throughout Scripture pointing to “the day of the Lord” as judgment, like Isaiah 13:6, which instructs the reader to “Wail! For the day of the LORD is near.” The instruction to “wail” suggests some sort of reckoning. But there are other passages that speak of a joyous day: “Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and righteous” (Revelation 19:1–2).
The day of the Lord seems to be a culmination of things, when God will set all things aright. It is a day of judgment against wickedness—those who will not humble themselves will be humbled—and a day of salvation for those who love God. So our understanding of this event really depends on which camp we’re in; it all comes back to the saving grace of Jesus.
The prophecy we read in Zephaniah 1 is deeply troubling, thick with wrath, destruction, and a distressing commentary on our inability to save ourselves. The prophet’s words remind us of the great and awesome nature of God; He is not to be trifled with, and He will not be mocked. He will not leave sin unpunished, nor will He be placated with cheap offerings or empty lip service. He is a holy God, and He will purify all creation from the stain of wickedness. When the day of the Lord comes, those who have given their hearts over to the things of this world will be brought low.
That’s an uncomfortable idea. It requires us to examine our own hearts and ask ourselves, Am I like those who pledge loyalty to the Lord, while at the same time pledging loyalty to the world? Do I really long to see the goodness of the Lord above all else? We simply cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). When we consider the day of the Lord, we ought to be driven to repentance.
I am struck by these words in Zephaniah 1:7: “The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated his guests.” This would have been a familiar image to the Jews, because they understood what regular sacrifices in the temple entailed. Each sacrifice was a twofold sign: an image of God’s holy burning wrath against sin, and a reminder that God would provide a substitute payment for His people. Here, even in the midst of Zephaniah’s terrible warning, is a reminder of God’s just wrath poured out on Christ.
That was a day of judgment, of wrath and distress, of darkness and gloom, when Christ’s blood was poured out on our behalf. Even now, “the great day of the LORD is near, near and rapidly approaching” (Zephaniah 1:14). May knowing this truth lead us to repentance. May it lead us to Christ.
Rebecca Faires loves the gospel story and needs it every morning when she wakes up to her five little people. Rebecca holds a bachelor’s degree in German from Hillsdale College, and most recently worked as the managing editor and writer at She Reads Truth. She now works from her log cabin in the hills of Tennessee, writing and illustrating books with her favorite mountain man. There she enjoys porch-sitting as it rains, reading the Oxford English Dictionary, and getting in way over her head. She is expecting her sixth baby and her first book in February of 2019.
42 thoughts on "The Great Day of the Lord"
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We, as believers, may think that God is waiting too long to return, especially when we inundated with election commercials. Not too far from where I live, three children were hit by a car and killed while trying to board their school bus. My heart breaks for the family, the driver of the vehicle that struck the children, their family, the bus driver that watched it happen and all the children that saw this devastating accident. Many held court via social media. My gut was twisted in knots with the base behavior of human beings. Now, I fall on the II Peter passages that remind us that God wants all of His creation, His children with Him eternally and because of this love-driven desire . . . He is patient. I need His patience as well!
What an awesome God we serve!
Prayer requests: 1) Our grandson (6 weeks old) is struggling with sleep and breathing (might be sick, but that doesn’t make sense to me. Breastfed and hasn’t been in contact with sick people.) 2) Three job interviews are complete (for me). 3) Dennis fell three times this past weekend, and he hadn’t fallen in almost two months. He didn’t injure himself (he reports) but did hit his head once. 4) Dennis has been experiencing a lot of back pain, and I am taking him to a chiropractor this afternoon. 5) Dennis and I had a difficult weekend which included us yelling at each other.-
Praying for you and your family. It is difficult to be a caretaker, to see someone who at one time was so capable and now not. May God grant you peace, patience and a light heart when caring for your husband who is also struggling with this change. As far as your grandson, could it be allergies to the breastmilk or something moma is eating?? Prayers for God’s Blessings to all of you, because YES! we do have an awesome God!!
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Praying for you Kelly
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Lifting your specific needs up to our Heavenly Father, who know,sees, and cares. Blessings!
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Thank you for being so open and vulnerable with your requests, Kelly! Praying for you and your loved ones as well as the grieving family.
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Sweet sister, you are being strong for so many people. The news just adds another layer of burden. I pray you’ll find rest in the arms of the Lord today and that He will move in miraculous ways with Dennis’ health.
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Oh Kelly, stress over sickness, jobs, etc, often leads us to take it out on those we love most. Please know that I pray for you each day. You are loved ❤️
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Adding your prayers to my list today. Thank you for sharing your burdens with a community who can help you carry them. Far too often we keep thingsto ourselves and they weigh our hearts down.
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Praying for you and your family.
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Praying for a season of refreshment for your soul, continued healing for your husband and time for you to feel like a wife, not just a caregiver.
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Praying for all. For baby, maybe try a humidifier – that helped ours although later had to be on med for acid reflux.
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The timing of this passage is nothing short of a God Thing. The message that went forth last night in our church was exactly this. People need to realize that His coming is near and now is not the time to be playing church. Walking on the shifting sand of this world is just going to cause you to slip and fall into the way of sin. Set your feet to the firm foundation of Truth, because there is a true Heaven to gain and a real hell to shun.
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Amen!! We live in a world where believers, not unbelievers, are in denial that the Word of God is 100% true. We are broken inside the walls of the church and that must be fixed and healed before we ever think change can be made in the outside!
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Hi Susan. I believe a change of focus in the churches would be so good! If we could just reach out to each other. Believe that Gods word is a 100% true. Focus on other people than ourselves. Then the healing will come both “inside” and “outside“ the church. Let us not forget our neighbour.
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Amen. I need to stop being complacent. Lord help me to stop the complacency and share You with others.
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Amen
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It is a constant realignment for me to be eternally minded. I get caught up in the things of this world. I am mostly preoccupied with the here and now. Change my perspective, Lord. Help me to be Kingdom minded.
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I think Zephaniah calls us to self reflect on our faith walk. Are we truly Christ followers or just doing “Godly activities”? Forgive us God for anyway where we have allowed “King-Gods” in our lives- relied on others instead of who You are.
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Great question!!
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There is so much grief, evil, pain, and injustice in the world. It can cause us, causes me, to sometimes wonder if God is really good or is He twisted and apathetic. Why isn’t He doing something? This is a reminder that one day He will execute perfect justice. I have a quote written in my Bible that says, “However, understanding the degree to which God will destroy depravity shifts our perspective toward this wait. God’s postponed judgment is not an oversight. It is a diving demonstration of His mercy.”
“The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9.
So, Holy Father, in the meantime, while I wait, help me to flavor the world with goodness. Strip away all the things that obscure the truth of my relationship with Christ. May the world be blessed because of my faithfulness to your presence in my life. Amen-
Amen!
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“Help me to flavor the world with goodness”– wow! I love that so much! Thank you for that lovely, simple prayer.
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I can be so near sighted. So often I’m focused on getting by in this life. Thoughts about eternity are relegated to the back of my mind. I’m busy with my people and my things. Eternity is far off and far away. Thank you, Zephaniah, for reminding me of my foolishness. Eternity lasts a lot longer than my life here on earth. My focus and preparation would serve me (and my people) better if I concentrated on the wide angle view, on God’s perspective and plan. Acknowledge sin. Repent of it. Accept His forgiveness. Live holy. Press on here in this life, joyfully telling others what they can expect in the next if they follow Jesus. And lovingly warning them what they can expect if they don’t.
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Great words!
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“…the great day of the LORD is near, near and rapidly approaching” (Zephaniah 1:14).
So so very thankful for this truth…
This truth that says ‘one day soon’. Be expectant… Be prepared..
This truth that fills those of us waiting with Hope.
This truth that is an open invitation to reach out… it’s not too late..
Hope is near.. always near..May I knowing this truth lead me to repentance. May it lead me to Christ, my Lord, Christ my Savior, Christ my Hope… ALWAYS…
Amen..
HAPPY Monday!
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Amen
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