Why Jesus Matters: The Justice of God (Zephaniah 2:1-3:8, John 5:19-29)

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Zephaniah 2–3:8 (Listen)

2:1   Gather together, yes, gather,
    O shameless nation,
2   before the decree takes effect
    —before the day passes away like chaff—
  before there comes upon you
    the burning anger of the LORD,
  before there comes upon you
    the day of the anger of the LORD.
3   Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land,
    who do his just commands;
  seek righteousness; seek humility;
    perhaps you may be hidden
    on the day of the anger of the LORD.
4   For Gaza shall be deserted,
    and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
  Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon,
    and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5   Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast,
    you nation of the Cherethites!
  The word of the LORD is against you,
    O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
    and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.
6   And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures,
    with meadows for shepherds
    and folds for flocks.
7   The seacoast shall become the possession
    of the remnant of the house of Judah,
    on which they shall graze,
  and in the houses of Ashkelon
    they shall lie down at evening.
  For the LORD their God will be mindful of them
    and restore their fortunes.
8   “I have heard the taunts of Moab
    and the revilings of the Ammonites,
  how they have taunted my people
    and made boasts against their territory.
9   Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts,
    the God of Israel,
  “Moab shall become like Sodom,
    and the Ammonites like Gomorrah,
  a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
    and a waste forever.
  The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
    and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10   This shall be their lot in return for their pride,
    because they taunted and boasted
    against the people of the LORD of hosts.
11   The LORD will be awesome against them;
    for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
  and to him shall bow down,
    each in its place,
    all the lands of the nations.
12   You also, O Cushites,
    shall be slain by my sword.
13   And he will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,
  and he will make Nineveh a desolation,
    a dry waste like the desert.
14   Herds shall lie down in her midst,
    all kinds of beasts;
  even the owl and the hedgehog
    shall lodge in her capitals;
  a voice shall hoot in the window;
    devastation will be on the threshold;
    for her cedar work will be laid bare.
15   This is the exultant city
    that lived securely,
  that said in her heart,
    “I am, and there is no one else.”
  What a desolation she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!
  Everyone who passes by her
    hisses and shakes his fist.

3:1   Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
    the oppressing city!
2   She listens to no voice;
    she accepts no correction.
  She does not trust in the LORD;
    she does not draw near to her God.
3   Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;
  her judges are evening wolves
    that leave nothing till the morning.
4   Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
  her priests profane what is holy;
    they do violence to the law.
5   The LORD within her is righteous;
    he does no injustice;
  every morning he shows forth his justice;
    each dawn he does not fail;
    but the unjust knows no shame.
6   “I have cut off nations;
    their battlements are in ruins;
  I have laid waste their streets
    so that no one walks in them;
  their cities have been made desolate,
    without a man, without an inhabitant.
7   I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
    you will accept correction.
  Then your dwelling would not be cut off
    according to all that I have appointed against you.’
  But all the more they were eager
    to make all their deeds corrupt.
8   “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD,
    “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
  For my decision is to gather nations,
    to assemble kingdoms,
  to pour out upon them my indignation,
    all my burning anger;
  for in the fire of my jealousy
    all the earth shall be consumed.

(ESV)

John 5:19–29 (Listen)

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

(ESV)