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Zephaniah 3 … Consider Him Who Brings His Justice to Light

The Planting Place
Originally posted: 11/19/2021

The Lord is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust knows no shame, (3:5).

There is not just a ray of hope at the end of Zephaniah’s prophecy, but hope that bursts forth to fill the whole earth with the resplendent glory of Him Who Brings His Justice to Light.

Justice: 4941. מִשְׁפָּט mišpāṭ: A masculine noun meaning a judgment, a legal decision, a legal case, a claim, proper, rectitude. The word connotes several variations in meanings depending on the context… The word means simple justice in some contexts, often in parallel with synonymous words, such as ḥōq (2706) or ṣeḏeq (6664), meaning ordinance or righteousness… Justice and righteousness characterize the Lord’s throne.. and these were  coupled with love and faithfulness… Executing or doing justice was the central goal that Yahweh had for His people… for that equaled righteousness, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

His Justice is not simply His correction and punishment for those who transgress His commands. Coupled with His love and faithfulness, His Justice equals His righteous dealings with all of mankind. And because He Is righteous, He Himself is the given standard that defines His Justice. The Lord is righteous and His every legal decision is always in perfect keeping with Who He is.

The Lord is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice… (3:5).

Righteous: 6662. צַדִּיק ṣaddiyq: An adjective meaning just, righteous. The term bears primarily a moral or ethical significance…conformity to a given standard… legal standards… in accordance with God’s standards… It is also often applied to God, who is the ultimate standard used to define justice and righteousness… Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

And for this reason, He will not, He cannot, simply pass over sin. Because there is no injustice in Him, sin must be judged. Because there is no injustice in Him, sin must be punished. And while He is slow to anger, because there is no injustice in Him, He must punish the guilty.

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In whirlwind and storm is His way,
And clouds are the dust beneath His feet, (Nahum 1:3).

The history of His people conveys the reality that for those who chose to persist in their rebellion, who refused to hear His instruction and rejected His Offer to Find Shelter from His Wrath Before It Is Too Late, He Brought His Justice to Light as He brought down His gavel and pronounced His verdict: “Guilty.”

Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
The tyrannical city!
2 She heeded no voice,
She accepted no instruction.
She did not trust in the Lord,
She did not draw near to her God, (3:1-2).

But let’s not miss this. His Justice included chance after chance after chance; before He brought down the gavel to pronounce the verdict, He brought correction and discipline to reveal His mercy and grace, that His people might draw near to revere and learn from Him.

“I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their cities are laid waste,
Without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 “I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me,
Accept instruction.’
So her dwelling will not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds, (3:6-7).

His judgments, although severe, were designed to turn the hearts of His people back to Him, that in their need they would lean in to listen to His Truth and Instruction. But sadly, many would continue to persist in turning away from Him in their unrighteous rebellion and corruption. And many would indeed experience His Wrath.

But there would be a remnant, those who lowered themselves in an attitude of humility and faith, who would find refuge in Him when He Brings His Justice to Light.

“But I will leave among you
A humble and lowly people,
And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong…” (3:12-13).

Zephaniah records the amazing promises to the humble that were partially fulfilled for the nation in their release from Babylonian captivity. But as we consider these breathtaking prophecies of what awaits those who call on His Name in faith, we will see Jesus increase above the rebellion and faithlessness of man, as we are ushered into that day when He Brings His Justice to Light in the life of everyone who has repented and turned to Him in faith to escape the Fire of His Jealousy and Find Shelter from His Wrath Before It Is Too Late.

God’s Word has repeatedly defined the condition of mankind.

as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one,” (Romans 3:10-12).

The above passage from Romans is actually repeated in Psalms 14 and 53. And when God repeats Himself, we know what that means! Pay attention; for this is His irrefutable Truth. There is no one, not even one, who can stand before Him and be declared innocent.

And that much we can understand, just by being alive in a fallen world. But what is completely inexplicable, what is truly beyond our ability to comprehend is that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, would come in the flesh to make His dwelling among sinful men; and though He was innocent and would do no injustice, He would be crucified to become the Propitiation for Our Sins, to bear our punishment by shedding His blood on the cross as the Only Way to Justly satisfy the Wrath of Holy God and Bring His Justice to Light.

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed, (1 Peter 2:24).

Consider Him Who Brings His Justice to Light

Zephaniah ends on the highest of high notes and could be studied for days on end. Today is a bit lengthy but so worth the time as we consider twelve passages from our reading that highlight the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecies of Zephaniah revealed in Jesus Christ Who Brings His Justice to Light.

How do we respond to Him Who Brings His Justice to Light?

Let’s begin with this fact. If we could do anything to save ourselves, then the excruciating death Jesus endured would have been absolutely unnecessary.

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly, (Galatians 2:21).

But the fact is, we cannot possibly conform to His perfect standard of righteousness. And if we have not trusted in Christ for salvation, then we earn His Justice based on our attempts to do so. And again, Scripture is clear. Our only compensation for our striving to achieve righteousness on our own is eternal death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 6:23).

It is only as we place our faith in His sacrificial death as payment for our sins that we receive His free gift of eternal life. Free to us, but oh so very costly to Him.

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ, (1 Peter 1:18-19).

The day is coming when He Will He Bring His Eternal Justice to Light. And apart from faith in Christ, we face an eternal death and separation from Him. Oh, if you have any doubt of the Justice you will face, stop trying to earn His favor and simply believe Him for your salvation.

And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:29-31).

And for all of us who have been saved by faith, may we never get over His Amazing Grace. Let us join Zephaniah’s call to praise as we see Him increase in the Truth and Hope that bursts forth to fill the whole earth with the resplendent glory of Him Who Brings His Justice to Light.

 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem! (3:14).

Let’s Grow Together!

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