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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This. “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9). I am so grateful for God’s patience with me. He waited and wooed me. And then He forgave me.
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When I was little, I often thought that one of the easiest commandments to follow was “have no gods before Me.” I thought that was easy because I obviously wasn’t going to pray to or worship anything or anyone else besides God…but as I get older, I realize this is actually one of the harder commandments to follow. No, I don’t pray to anything or anyone else, but as I look at where I spend the majority of my time, or how I try to please people so much, or the motivation behind my actions, I realize that maybe I am serving a false god, called “this world”. It’s so easy to get caught up in things of this world, but if I truly ask myself to seek God’s goodness above all else, it’s much easier to remember What and Who really truly matters. God alone deserves our worship and devotion.
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Amen
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I ask for prayers for healing in my marriage. We have been through a lot in this season and seem to be getting through but please pray for us to stay connected, as a team and to find time for each other through the chaos of life. I also ask for prayers that God will Protect and guide our family and me as a wife and mother.
Thank you!
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I will be praying. I have this same season in my life. It is so hard. Ask for your prayers also.
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Praying for you, Rose.
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Lifting both Rose and Lana up in prayer, that God would give you strength and wisdom in your marriages and that as a couple you would find His presence drawing you back together.
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Yes, Lord be near these ladies. Give them strength, wisdom and discernment as they travel these hard waters. Give them grace – daily grace to keep
Going and a love that is deeply rooted in Christ for their husbands. Bless them and keep them and their families.
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Why is it that so often I have no sense of urgency regarding my faith walk, but my to-do list, or whatever life event that is happening at the time, takes center stage.
May the reminder today that the day of the Lord is rapidly approaching lead me to repentance, lead me to Christ, and motivate me to keep my priorities straight.
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I agree Sue. I often stress over the day to day, but don’t give any of my time to God. That is definitely something I need to work on as well!
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Come Lord Jesus.
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Such a good reminder that we serve a Holy God
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Would love your prayers as I find my self struggling with this far to often! I’m so fortunate to find myself in the season of life that I live in. I am just weeks away from getting married and am finally getting the hang of a new job that I love. I am told so often that God has great things planned for my fiancé and I, but when I read this I can’t help but feel a bit helpless. Why do I feel so guilty when I look forward to my future?!
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“And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it?”……… I can’t stop rereading this. As a Christ-follower, a church goer…I see it in myself and in my church. How do we keep from falling into this?
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