Well, it happened again, With Hurricane season upon us the wife and I were watching the Spanish News channel trying to get word on the status of power where her family lives in Puerto Rico, and one of the interviewees said: ¿Cómo puede un Dios justo permitir tal destrucción sobre la gente buena? or in English How can a fair God allow such destruction upon good people?
First off is the simple Biblical answer: Why would a merciful God allow the innocent to suffer? It certainly seems incredibly cruel and unjust if we look at the situation purely from a human perspective. First, it must be acknowledged that there is no such condition as an innocent human being. “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. From https://christianquestions.com/bible-questions/why-does-god-allow-bad-things-to-happen-to-good-people/
Secondly and this applies to True Believers Only, The fact of the matter is that all people, Christians, and unbelievers alike, suffer. Either you have, you are, or you will — “through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). For those of you who have or are walking through seasons of suffering, I want to offer you four thoughts of encouragement. From: https://reconciledworld.org/flourish/pursuing-gods-ways-why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people/
We, that is True Believers must be ever a where of 1 Corinthians 2:14 are incapable of understanding the things of God and these are prime opportunities to comfort console, and inform them of the power of the Gospel.
So today I want to do an overview of the Book of Zephaniah. Although written somewhere between 640–609 B.C it can be very applicable to us today.
CALVIN’S PREFACE TO ZEPHANIAH.
Zephaniah is placed the last of the Minor Prophets who performed their office before the Babylonian Captivity; and the inscription shows that he exercised his office of teaching at the same time with Jeremiah, about thirty years before the city was destroyed, the Temple pulled down, and the people led into exile. Jeremiah, it is true, followed his vocation even after the death of Josiah, while Zephaniah prophesied only during his reign.
The substance of his Book is this: He first denounces utter destruction on a people who were so perverse, that there was no hope of their repentance;—he then moderates his threatening, by denouncing God’s judgments on their enemies, the Assyrians, as well as others, who had treated with cruelty the Church of God; for it was no small consolation, when the Jews heard that they were so regarded by God, that he would undertake their cause and avenge their wrongs. He afterwards repeats again his reproofs, and shortly mentions the sins which then prevailed among the elect people of God; and, at the same time, he turns his discourse to the faithful, and exhorts them to patience, setting before them the hope of favor, provided they ever looked to the Lord; and provided they relied on the gratuitous covenant which he made with Abraham, and doubted not but that he would be a Father to them, and also looked, with a tranquil mind, for that redemption which had been promised to them. This is the sum of the whole Book.
There are three (3) Major themes one can easily identify within the Book of Zephaniah.
- The Sovereignty of God over all peoples (1:2-8)
- The Judgment of all peoples (2:1-4)
- God’s blessing (hope) for the repentant and faithful (3:9-17)
TODAY’S APPLICATION:
It would not take much for a wise preacher to take this short book, (no I am not suggesting plagiarism) and quickly adapt it to a modern sermon.
- We can easily see America as Judah, with the current internal struggles against all our founding Judeo-Christian principles. God may appear to have lifted His hand of Divine Providence but He is still Sovereign over all things.
- We can see many of our inhabitants whether they are legal or not, spouting progressive anti-biblical nonsense. These folks will all be judged fairly by a righteous God. 2 Corinthians 5:10 may be the most famous verse used for this (note it applies to believers also) Here is a very good link for a better explanation: On What Basis Will We Be Judged on Judgment Day? by Tim Conway of Grace Community Church on January 3, 2019.
- We see a remnant dedicated to fighting the good (non-violent) fight and God will not forget them, but reward them. 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Philippians 3:12–14, 1 Corinthians 15:58, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
The lesson here today as it was 2000 + years ago with Judah is simply redemptive in nature. That is God has a right, for He is righteous, in administering Punitive Punishment or Godly Discipline upon His creation. See The Distinction Between God’s Punishment and God’s Discipline A.W. Pink. Does God punish the unrighteous, most certainly, but He is also a merciful God who disciplines His creation so that they turn back from their ways of error.
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