Zeph. 1-3
I did not realize that Zephaniah was Hezekiah’s great, great grandson. Not that I have any idea how or if that matters. I just thought it was interesting that Zephaniah was a distant cousin to the reigning king when he was prophesying for God. And speaking of Josiah (the reigning king), we just read yesterday that Josiah was a good king, who walked in the ways of the LORD and restored the Temple and the Book of the Law. So why was Zephaniah prophesying the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in Josiah’s day?
I don’t have the answers to such questions. I believe there are all kinds of hidden meanings in the Bible, but to me the vast majority of them remain just that – hidden. What I can see, however, is that Zephaniah prophesied both the destruction of God’s people and the restoration of His remnant. He was not just warning the people of the consequences of their Godless actions, but he was also revealing God’s overall plan for the world. And that is a timeless message.
I also consider that, though the kingdom as a whole was seemingly following God under Josiah’s reign, there were no doubt many who were still corrupt. So Zephaniah’s prophecy was both a word to those who were corrupt or double-hearted and a warning to the rest to remain committed to their God. God says through Zephaniah that He will ultimately weed out all the evil from His land and from among His people, leaving only those who truly belong to Him. “But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies”. (Zeph 3:12-13a).
Acts 24
Paul was accused of being “a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world”. (Acts 24:5). Stirs up riots?!? Paul worked very hard to not wrong others and to live peaceably, as far as it was up to him. In his words, all he did was “worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets”. (Acts 24:14b). So he was preaching Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. He was speaking the truth. It was the people who did not want to hear the truth who were stirring up riots. Some things never change.
I find it amusing, though, that Paul did confess to the one thing he actually did to intentionally create tension. When he was before the Jewish council in Jerusalem prior to being brought before Felix, he made his statement about resurrection knowing that it would pit the Sadducees and the Pharisees against one another. He didn’t try to hide this action or frame it as anything other than what it was, giving even further credence to his statement, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man”. (Acts 24:16). I think that’s a statement we should all strive to live by.