Amid the rebuke and the pronouncement of judgment declared in Zephaniah, there reigns a theme of God’s grace and perfect love toward the sinner.  We see throughout the impending judgment and wrath of God, a thread of hope for mankind.  When perfect love and judgment meet, where are you?

Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.  Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger. Zephaniah 2:1-3

Therein, we find our hope.  Gather together all you sinners, deserving of God’s wrath; and, seek the Lord.  Seek His righteousness and seek meekness; so that, you may be hid in Him during the day of the Lord’s anger.  A righteous and just God must cry out against the sin and the evil of this world; otherwise, His Perfect Love is thwarted.  There can be no semblance of perfect love, were that not judgment against the evil that destroys us from within.

Perfect Love Demands Justice

Continue reading When Perfect Love & Judgment Meet, Where Are You? →

Awaken Christians, the day of the Lord draws near.  As we turn from Nahum’s judgement upon Nineveh, that wicked city, to now look at Zephaniah’s prophecy; we cannot help but see how swift and complete will be the judgement upon this earth.  Zephaniah not only predicts the judgement upon Israel that would come; but also, the judgement that will ultimately come upon any nation who has turned their back on God.  This small book, written by one of the minor prophets; presents glimpses of Jesus Christ who came to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin and the judgement that will come upon this earth for having rejected the good news of the gospel message.

Zephaniah’s words of warning came during the reign of Josiah, King of Judah.  Although, Josiah lead the nation in revival; Zephaniah forewarns the people of the judgement that would come because of their once more turning their backs upon God.  His prophecy also foretold of God’s righteous, just judgement of all mankind one day.

Zephaniah 1:1-3

Continue reading Awaken Christians, The Day of the Lord is Near →

 In Christ, I am God’s own Beloved

Accused, Condemned in eyes of men

Rejected, hated for my sin

No one stopped to see my heart

Cast aside some broken part

That no one cared to see inside

The scars and sorrows that abide

A heart so filled with hopes and dreams

Of meadows green and crystal streams

Lay shattered, broken cast away

With nothing good or kind to say

Chorus

Then God’s Dear Grace that loved me so

Looked deep within and bid to know

Each crevice of my heart and soul

Each broken piece to then make whole

In Christ I am set free from sin

My guilt and shame all taken in

And bore upon that rugged cross

My strength to stand though all else loss

My sins all covered by His blood

In Christ, I am God’s own Beloved

 

How quickly men’s own selfish pride

Does cast away and cast aside

A fallen one—a broken heart

Who needs your hand to help them start?

Christ had come to heal the lame

To lift their guilt and take their shame

He called the sinners to His side

To know His love-in Him abide

So why do we not give our hand

To help a fallen one to stand

So, prideful man with heart so small

Be careful lest you too shall fall

Chorus

For it was God’s dear Grace that loved me so

Looked deep within and bid to know

Each crevice of my heart and soul

Each broken piece to then make whole

In Christ I am set free from sin

My guilt and shame all taken in

And bore upon that rugged cross

My strength to stand though all else loss

My sins all covered by His blood

In Christ, I am God’s own Beloved

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR?

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. Because there is nothing more important than this, I urge you to seek Him today.

OR ARE YOU IN OF NEED PRAYER?

If you have a prayer request email me by clicking here or if you wish to leave a comment:  comment here

OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Recently reduced in price, just in time for the holiday season. Check it out at Amazon.com  If you want to know more about this book or my other  books I have written:  You can read more about each one at: Book Resources.

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2017

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Although the inscription I added, Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

God is righteous and just in judging nations, as clearly presented in chapter 3 of Nahum.  He had shown such mercy and grace to Nineveh when he sent Jonah to preach many years before. However, now an evil nation stood to be destroyed by God. Having seen the love and light of God shine upon them with great sweeping salvation.  Still, the subsequent generations turned from light to darkness; seeking power and riches.  Instead of the succeeding generations following God, they grew in pride and selfishness.  They became a brutal city, filled with lies, bloodshed, tyranny and violence. John Steinbeck in The Winter of Our Discontent wrote, “It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”¹ Thus, God was Just and Righteous in His judgement of this evil nation; who after tasting of His Goodness, rejected it.

             For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned (Hebrews 6:4-8).

AN EVIL NATION POISED FOR JUDGEMENT

Continue reading An Evil Nation Destroyed by Just Righteousness Why? →

Nineveh that great city who experienced a revival during the days of Jonah, now faced the full wrath of God.  Nahum foretells of their destruction with detail in chapter 2 of his vision.  Chapter 1 gives us a clue of how this all began within; while chapter 2 details the fall of that city. Although, God had for a moment withheld his hand of grace toward Israel and Judah; He has now returned in wrath against Nineveh for all their evil deeds in their attempt to destroy God’s people.  Following their great revival, this gentile nation now would see their walls broken down because of allowing evil to overtake their hearts while forgetting the very God who presented to them grace 150 years prior.  Now evil reigns within and their terror is spread throughout the neighboring lands.

Evil begins with such subtlety.  From within arises ideologies that first sound good; but, lead to full destruction of any semblance of faith in the very God who presented His grace and light of hope.  God spoke of this through Nahum when he wrote:

 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. Nahum 1:11-13

The yoke against Israel would be broken and Assyria would be destroyed; because, God’s people would return to worship under King Josiah.

THE PARALLEL BETWEEN NINEVEH AND JUDAH

Continue reading When Evil Begins Within, The Walls Are Broken. How? →