Bible Reading

Zephaniah Chapter 2 - Hidden By The Lord

To be hidden by the Lord, let us earnestly seek the Lord who hides Himself.

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Contents

Day of the LORD

Similar to the Book of Nahum, the message of the Book of Zephaniah primarily centres around the day of the Lord (see Zephaniah 1).

Zephaniah 2:4-15 describes the punishment of God against the foreign nations. God sees and hears all the wrongs that they have done (Zephaniah 2:8).

Even among the people of God, He will search them out with lamps, punishing those who have an evil heart (Zephaniah 1:12). Indeed, the Lord searches our hearts and tests our minds - not even an evil thought can be hidden from Him (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

No one can hide himself from our Almighty and omnipresent God (Jeremiah 23:23-24).

Yet, if we want to be hidden on the day of the Lord, there is only one solution.

Seek the Lord

"Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger."

Zephaniah 2:3 NKJV

The name "Zephaniah" means "Hidden by the LORD".

When we think of being hidden in the Lord, or hiding/taking refuge in the Lord, we often think of it in the context of hiding from the difficulties and trials of life.

However, from Zephaniah and Nahum we see that we also need to take refuge in the Lord from His wrath. (Nahum 1:3-7).

If we want to be hidden from the wrath of God, we need to truly seek after God. To seek after God's justice and righteousness, to seek after meekness and humility.

We can contrast this with the Moabites and Ammonites who made arrogant threats against the people of God (Zephaniah 2:8, 10), or with the Assyrians who saw themselves as God (Zephaniah 2:13-15).

Yet, we might still be wondering, why do we need to seek after the Lord?

The Bible tells us that God is a God who hides Himself (Isaiah 45:15). All the sins and wrongs that we do separate us from God, hiding His face from us (Isaiah 59:1-2).

He hides from us, hoping we realise that we have fallen short of His righteous standard. He hopes that we humble ourselves before Him, that He may revive and restore us (Isaiah 57:15-18).

What God desires our willingness to sacrifice and pursue after Him, just like the man who sells all he has to buy the field with hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44).

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, amidst our joys and disappointments, let us learn to seek God and take refuge in Him (Hos 5:15), that we may be hidden in the day of the Lord.

Related Topics

Zephaniah

Judgement

See Also

Zephaniah Chapter 1 - The Judgement of God

Zephaniah Chapter 1 - The Judgement of God

A central theme of Zephaniah 1 is God’s judgment. The prophet Zephaniah delivered these warnings during the reign of King Josiah, before the king led the people of Judah back to God. At that time, Judah was steeped in spiritual and moral corruption, prompting God to declare His impending judgment through Zephaniah. One of the primary sins highlighted in this chapter is idolatry. In Zeph 1:4-6, God expresses His anger against: Those who worship Baal, Pagan priests, Those who worship the host of heaven (the sun, moon, stars, and planets), and Those who swear by both the LORD and Milcom (a false god of the Ammonites). By engaging in these practices, the people of Judah had violated the first two commandments given by God in Exodus 20. God had already warned Israel in Deuteronomy 8:19: "If you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.” Now, through Zephaniah, God reaffirms this warning, pronouncing judgment upon Judah for their idolatry and unfaithfulness. Notably, Zeph 1:5 condemns those who try to serve both God and false gods, “those who swear oaths by the LORD, but also swear by Milcom. Though some had completely strayed from God, there were also those who strayed to a lesser extent, those who compromised in their loyalty to God, who had not outright abandoned God but attempted to worship both Him and idols. This however was still condemned by God. God demanded their undivided devotion and nothing less than that. God’s expectation of undivided devotion remains the same for us today. What is expected of us is nothing less than our full commitment to Him. While Zephaniah’s prophecy directly foretold Judah’s destruction by the Babylonians, it also foreshadows the final day of judgment, the day when we all face God’s judgement. Judah’s ultimate demise at the hands of the Babylonians serves as a warning for us, showing us the consequences of turning away from God. From their mistakes, we must learn how to avoid spiritual destruction in our own lives. In our busy lives today, we must be careful not to let other priorities take God’s place. While we may not worship any physical idols today, idolatry can still exist in different forms. Anything that consumes our attention more than God—whether success, wealth, relationships, or ambitions—can become our idol. Just as God was displeased with Judah for their divided loyalty, He will also be displeased with us if we allow anything to come before Him. Another key lesson comes from Verse 8, where God pronounces judgment upon "the princes and the king’s children." Throughout the history of Israel and Judah, it was often the leaders and rulers who brought the people into idolatry and sin. While we may not be kings or princes, many of us may be entrusted with positions of leadership—whether as parents, teachers, mentors, or other Church leaders. In these positions of influence and guidance, we must strive to lead others toward God, not away from Him. Finally, Zeph 1:18 reminds us that "neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them." This reminds us again about priorities. No amount of wealth, success, or worldly achievement can save us from God’s judgment. In the end, the only thing that truly matters is our relationship with Him. Nothing we gain in this life can redeem us, only our wholehearted devotion to God can. Therefore, we must carefully examine our priorities: is God truly first, or have idols taken His place?"

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