Repentance Is Necessary in Response to God’s Judgment

Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

Not only must they seek the Lord through humility, but they must also seek Him through active obedience. It is not enough simply to acknowledge (or confess) sin; they must also change their behavior.

They were a people accustomed to advancing self. In response to that, Zephaniah calls them to “carry out what He commands.” No matter the sincerity of their intent, if their intentions were not followed with actions, they were of no value.

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22)

We live in a culture that is confession happy. Whether it be reality TV or talk-radio, tell-all books or water cooler gossip, we live in a culture where confession is often experienced, but we so rarely see changed behavior accompanying it. Confession is good for the soul, but only if it is married to repentance and obedience.

Finally, we see one last expectation. God is just, which means that God is right. When God seeks justice, He is seeking what is right. It is necessary for His justice to be on display because holiness is not universal. It is because of the lack of holiness that we so often see God’s justice. In light of God’s holiness, Zephaniah calls God’s people to pursue righteousness. In other words, they are being compelled to become more and more like God. The word seek seems to indicate a hunger and a pursuit, two impulses that often are associated with our physical condition but far too rarely with our spiritual condition. In a church full of apathetic believers, hungry pursuit of God and His righteousness has become far too rare in our day.

In Jesus’ most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, He would emphasize again for us how central this is, not only to our faith, but to His character: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Matt 6:33). Our pursuit of God’s righteousness is part and parcel with our pursuit of God’s kingdom.

Verses 1-3 are a breath of fresh air after the devastatingly difficult judgment and condemnation of chapter 1. Yes, God is just and His judgment is coming, but thankfully God is also loving and gracious, and repentance is possible. “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” (Rom 5:8). Paul’s declaration of God’s deep and abiding love affirms that God’s justice matters, but because of His affection, He has made a way for us in spite of ourselves. This is ultimately the story of the gospel. Verses 1-3 of this passage are a foretaste of the beautiful celebration of God’s love that we will see at the conclusion of chapter 3. They are a reminder that God is good, even when it seems like the time is bad. Judgment is coming, but so is grace, so take hold of grace.