Di Humble Go Find Shelter

Evening for Jerusalem. For top di flat roofs, people dey light small fire of incense and dem dey bow, no be to Di Lord, but to di stars. And for down for street, one man wan talk: keep quiet.

Im name na Zephaniah. Di very first verse of im book tell us who e be: di son of Cushi, from one family line wey go back four generations reach one man wey dem dey call Hezekiah. E talk, di verse say, for di time of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. Josiah become king when e be small boy of eight years, after im papa and im grandpapa don fill di land with idols. Altars of Baal dey stand for Jerusalem. Priests dey serve foreign gods. People dey pray to Di Lord for morning and dem dey swear with one pagan god wey dem dey call Milcom for afternoon, like say e no make any difference. Inside dat city wey don mix up, Zephaniah bring one message wey no be im own invention. E start like dis: Di word of Di Lord wey come meet Zephaniah.

Di message hard to hear. God talk say e go stretch im hand against Judah and Jerusalem. E call wetin e see by name: di worship of Baal wey still remain, di priests wey dey serve idols, di people for top di houses wey dey worship di sun, di moon and di stars, and di people wey just turn back and stop to ask for Di Lord at all. Then Zephaniah call for silence. Keep quiet for di presence of Di Lord God: because di day of Di Lord don near. Di day of Di Lord. No be day for party. Day when God imself go step in to put tins right, and nobody fit hide behind plenty excuses.

But listen to wetin come after. Zephaniah no only warn. E invite. Look for Di Lord, all una wey dey humble for di earth, wey dey do wetin e command; look for righteousness, look for humility: maybe dem go hide una for di day of Di Lord anger. Meek mean gentle and humble, di kind person wey no dey push go front. Zephaniah dey talk say: time still dey. Turn back. Look for God. Choose wetin dey right. Choose humility. Di people wey do am go find place to shelter, like pikin wey hide under im papa or mama cloth for storm.

And then, near di end of di book, di clouds open. God promise new day after di storm. E go give di peoples clean lips, so dat all of dem go call di name of Di Lord, to serve am with one mind. Shoulder to shoulder, one voice. And for Jerusalem e go leave people wey dey humble and low, wey dey run go im name for refuge. Dem no go do wrong. Dem no go tell lie. No deceit go dey dem mouth. Because dem go eat and dem go lie down, and nobody go make dem fear. Like sheep for safe field, wey dey rest after hard night. Di proud people go comot. Di humble ones go remain.

Dose altars for top roof na real tins. Di book of Second Kings describe how King Josiah, when e clean di land well well, pull down di altars wey di kings before am build for di roof of one upper room for di palace. E also remove di priests wey dey burn incense to di sun, di moon and di stars. Di prophet Jeremiah, wey live for di same time, still talk about houses where dem dey offer incense for top roof to di host of heaven. Zephaniah no dey exaggerate. Na im own neighbours e dey describe.

Di humble go find shelter. You go find am for di book of Zephaniah, chapter one, verse one reach seven, chapter two, verse three, and chapter three, verse nine reach thirteen. Prophet wey warn about one hard day, and then e hold di door open for anybody wey ready to turn back. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How e go be for you to look for Di Lord with humility dis week?