Mercy Out of Darkness
As Christians, we have the great and sure promise that Jesus has taken the wrath we deserved, but we still have a Bible full of warnings and descriptions of wrath (like the ones found in Zephaniah). Why? If we no longer stand under this judgment, why did God not give us an abridged version with the judgment sections removed, leaving us with a “bible” focused on our promised paradise? God has many reasons, I’m sure, but I believe one of them was to show us the beauty of his mercy against the dark backdrop of wrath and judgment.
Paul summarizes this in Romans 5:
“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:9–11 ESV)
The rejoicing in this passage comes because his readers understood, at least in part, what God achieved for them when he saved them from his wrath. Being saved meant that they no longer had to fear God’s wrath on the final day but could look forward to full reconciliation. This was cause for great rejoicing!
Before we get to rejoicing in the mercy, though, we have to take a sobering trip down the road of understanding God’s just wrath against us. That means we need to let people like Zephaniah first make us uncomfortable. Do not run to comfort too quickly when you read, “Their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung,” to choose just one example. We need to have real, face-to-face encounters with the punishment we deserved for our sin. When we do, we let the reality of the punishment become clear. We get a graphic, concrete picture of what we deserved. God meant these passages to wake us up to the reality that he takes sin seriously. He will punish the wicked. We need to take the time to take this seriously. But we do not stop there.
For those in Christ, God transforms these dark descriptions into tunnels leading to a treasure that glows brightly in the depths. There, mercy shines against the dark backdrop of judgment. Mercy becomes rightly bright because we see what it saved us from.
Hear how the sour notes in the first verse, our former verdict...
“A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.” (Zephaniah 1:15–16 ESV)
...make the singing of the second verse, our Christ-bought promise, sound so much sweeter:
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV)
We have to go into the depths to see the beauty of the light. God has not given us a shortcut. Next time you read Zephaniah’s words, or any passage with judgment as a major theme, tune in extra close. Let the words sink in. Take the trip to the depths, but do not stay there. Let them be your guide to see the mercy of God in its full beauty. Let them push you to see and savor our savior all the more deeply for taking the wrath and judgment that we deserve.