Zephaniah 1
Heritage of Zephaniah verse 1
The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah – son of Cushi
son of Gedaliah – son of Amariah – son of Hizkiah
in the days of Josiah – son of Amon – king of Judah
LORD promises total destruction verse 2- 4
I will utterly consume all things from off the land
says the LORD
I will consume the man and beast
I will consume the fowls of the heaven
and the fishes of the sea
and the stumbling blocks with the wicked
I will cut off man from off the land – says the LORD
I will also stretch out MINE hand upon Judah
and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem
I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place
and the name of the Chemarim with the priests
LORD gives the reason for the destruction verse 5- 6
And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops
and them that worship and that swear by the LORD
AND that swear by Malcham
and them that are turned back from the LORD
and those that have not sought the LORD
nor inquired for HIM
LORD is going to judge leaders verse 7- 9
HOLD your peace at the presence of the Lord GOD
FOR the day of the LORD is at hand
FOR the LORD has prepared a sacrifice
HE has bid HIS guests
And IT shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’S sacrifice
THAT I will punish the princes – king’s children
all such as are clothed with strange apparel
IN the same day also I will punish all those that leap on the threshold
which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit
LORD is going to judge merchants verse 10- 11
And IT shall come to pass IN THAT DAY – says the LORD
THAT there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate
and an howling from the second
and a great crashing from the hills
HOWL – you inhabitants of Mak-tesh
FOR all the merchant people are cut down
all they that bear silver are cut off
LORD is going to judge common people verse 12- 13
And it shall come to pass at that time
THAT I will search Jerusalem with candles
and punish the men that are settled on their lees
that say in their heart
The LORD will not do good
neither will HE do evil
THEREFORE their goods shall become a booty
and their houses a desolation they shall also build houses
but not inhabit them and they shall plant vineyards
but not drink the wine thereof
Day of the LORD coming verse 14- 16
The great day of the LORD is near – it is near
and haste greatly even the voice of the day of the LORD
the mighty men shall cry there bitterly
THAT day is a day of wrath – a day trouble and distress
a day wasteness and desolation
a day darkness and gloominess
a day of clouds and think darkness
A day of trumpet and alarm
against the fenced cities, and high towers
Restatement of reason for judgment verse 17
AND I will bring distress upon men
THAT they shall walk like blind men
BECAUSE they have sinned against the LORD
and their blood shall be poured out as dust
and their flesh as the dung
Wealth will not protect verse 18
NEITHER their silver NOR their gold shall be able to deliver them
in the day of the LORD’S wrath;
BUT the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of HIS jealousy
for HE shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell
in the land
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham or Molech (which was a Canaanite god). (7812 “worship” [shachah] means bow down, obeisance, reverence, fall down, prostate oneself, or to submit oneself.
DEVOTION: Habakkuk in one verse shows the problem the children of Israel were facing. They were allowing their reverence to fall on a multitude of gods instead of the one TRUE God of the Bible.
They were bowing down before the stars on their housetops. This probably included the sun and the moon. There are people today who look to the stars for guidance. They consult their horoscope each morning to see what type of day they will have. This is a way of looking for direction from another source other than God.
Now we find that they also make their statements of facts by swearing by not only God but also by a false god. Malcham is the same as Molech a false god of the Ammonites. The Israelites sacrificed their children to this god.
So in this verse we find the children of Israel swearing by the name of Molech and the LORD at the same time. This is religious syncretism. That is the submitting to two gods at the same time. In this case we have a false god and TRUE God combined in their minds. They were trying to cover all bases but truly missed the point of the differences between the two gods.
Sometimes we think that we can have the best of two worlds as well. We think that we can submit to the LORD on Sunday and to the other gods of the world the rest of the week. That is unacceptable to the God of the Bible.
HE wants to be exclusive. HE wants our undivided attention. HE is not willing to share us with anything or anyone. No false gods are accepted in HIS world.
Sometimes we want to protect ourselves by not being fully committed to the LORD. It is the wrong type of thinking. If we are right that there is only one true God then we have to prostate ourselves before HIM exclusively. If we are wrong and the Israelites were right than why did they face judgment?
CHALLENGE: There is only one TRUE God in the Bible and HE is expressed in three persons yet one Godhead. HE will not share our love. Don’t disappoint HIM. LOVE HIM exclusively!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 And them that are turned back from the LORD: and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him. (5472 “turned back” [cuwg] means go back, backslider, to diverge, be disloyal, withdraw, flee, be repulsed, or recoil.)
DEVOTION: The LORD always has reasons for judgment. HE gives instructions throughout the Old Testament on how HE wants the children of Israel to live. HE doesn’t leave out any aspect of life. HE informs them of what they can eat and drink. HE tells them what clothes they should wear. HE instructs them in proper worship. HE gives them the disciplines of the faith so that they can raise their families to honor HIM.
HE does the same in the New Testament. Nothing is left to chance. There can be no questioning if something is right or wrong. In fact HE states that if a man thinks it is wrong than it is sin if he does it. Our conscience helps us understand what the LORD is trying to teach us.
Here we find that people have stopped going to the LORD for guidance. They didn’t even care if HE blessed their life. They were walking down the wrong path and even with warning didn’t care to turn around.
There are many who have fallen into this type of lifestyle. If you find yourself not caring about what the Bible says regarding how you should live – turn around. Seek the LORD while HE can be found.
CHALLENGE: Failure to turn back to the LORD means judgment. For the Christian who doesn’t examine himself or herself it can mean death
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: 11 Howl, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. (3213 “howl” [yalal] means wail, lament, to emit long loud cries, or shouting noises of sorrow.)
DEVOTION: In my second church I had a couple of people come to my door and ask if I knew what “shambles” meant in the Bible. I didn’t know. I thought it meant a house that was broken down. I was wrong. It means market place.
Jerusalem had a part of town that had many markets. This was an area that had merchants selling all types of things. They were there six days a week when the nation was honoring the LORD. When the nation was not honoring the LORD they were there seven days a week.
The LORD was judging the merchants because they were not honoring HIM. HE was judging the priest for not worshiping properly. HE was judging the nobility for not honoring HIM. HE was now judging the merchants for not honoring HIM. Finally HE was judging the common people for sitting on their complacency. HE didn’t leave anyone out.
When a nation falls everyone is to blame. If one group honored the LORD the rest might follow their lead. The ones who received them most judgment were the priests and nobility. They were to set the example for the rest of the people to follow.
We all fall into one of these groups. If we are going to see our nation turn around we have to start setting a proper example for others to follow. It will not be easy but judgment is hard.
CHALLENGE: We need to get off our complacency and become active for the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. (8105 “lees” [shemer] means dregs, sediment or particles settling at the bottom, or referring to people who are indifferent and inactive.)
DEVOTION: This chapter is a chapter of judgment and announcing of the day of the LORD. The day of the LORD will be a day full of wrath. There are verses that describe how bad it will be in that day.
This verse is dealing with one of the reasons the LORD is coming in judgment. HE is searching the land of Judah and Jerusalem for individuals who think that HE is inactive and doesn’t care what is happening on earth. HE is searching with a flashlight. HE is searching like the police for an escaped criminal. In Zephaniah’s time they searched with a candle. There was no corner left uncovered.
Instead of knowing that the LORD is active and caring, they settle for being inactive and uncaring. They were stagnant in spirit. They were in the state of spiritual complacency.
What caused such a condition? The nation had grown wealthy because of the LORD’S blessing. They had all the pleasures of the world at their disposal. They thought this condition would last for the rest of their life. They didn’t need the LORD anymore. Their wealth had put them in the state of undisturbed ease. The LORD liked it to wine that is left untended for a long time. Usually, wine is moved from one container to another to get rid of the sediments and yeast. If the wine is left in the same container for a long period of time it develops a hard crust and the wine becomes syrupy, bitter and unpalatable. That was happening to the people.
There are many people even today who think that nothing has happened for two thousand years, so it might never happen. They seem to think that the LORD’S longsuffering means that HE is inactive and will never act. They are worshiping false gods even though they go to church each Sunday. They are so wrong in worshiping their wealth or sports or possessions. HE is coming again to judge the world. HE knows all those who have settled on being inactive in HIS church. There are many who are inactive in the church because they have never really chosen to follow the LORD. There are some in the church that have the same attitude that these Israelites had concerning the LORD. Those who are genuine believers in the church will have the chastening of the LORD to deal with now. If there is no chastening because of their inactivity, then they might not have really chosen to follow the LORD. Inactivity and spiritual complacency is judged of the LORD now in true believers.
The LORD has given everyone a gift at the point of salvation to be used in the local church. We need to use our gift for the LORD NOW!!!! Prayerfully, no one receiving these Daily Meat devotionals is sitting in spiritual complacency.
CHALLENGE: Daily ask yourself during your prayer time if you are serving the LORD to the best of your ability today. If not, change. If so, praise.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Inquired verse 6
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
LORD has prepared a sacrifice verse 7, 8
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 3, 5- 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18
Word of the LORD verse 1
Judgment of the LORD verse 2- 18
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 7
GOD – Jehovah verse 7
Lord GOD verse 7
Day of the LORD verse 7, 14
Day of the LORD’S sacrifice verse 8
Search Jerusalem with candles verse 12
Great day of the LORD verse 14
Voice of the day of the LORD verse 14
Day of the LORD’S wrath verse 18
Jealous verse 18
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Inhabitants of Maktesh verse 11
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wicked verse 3
Remnant of Baal verse 4
Chemarim (false god) verse 4
Priests of false god verse 4
Worship hosts of heaven verse 5
Swear by Malcham (false god) verse 5
Turn back from the LORD verse 6
Not sought the LORD verse 6
Nor inquired of the LORD verse 6
Clothed in strange apparel verse 8
Violence verse 9
Deceit verse 9
Settled on their lees verse 12
Wrongful speech verse 12
Evil verse 12
Walk like blind men verse 17
Sinned verse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Swear by the LORD alone verse 5
Turn toward the LORD verse 6
Sought the LORD verse 6
Inquired of the LORD verse 6
Guests verse 7
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zephaniah verse 1
Cushi verse 1
Gedaliah verse 1
Amariah verse 1
Hizkiah verse 1
Days of Josiah – king of Judah verse 1
Amon verse 1
Judah verse 4
Jerusalem verse 4
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Day of the LORD verse 7- 9, 14
In that day verse 10
Great day of the LORD verse 14
Day of wrath verse 15, 18
Day of trouble verse 15
Day of darkness and gloominess verse 15
Day of clouds and thick darkness verse 15
Day of the trumpet and alarm verse 16
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QUOTES regarding passage
The three chapters may be considered as three divisions. Chapter 1 presents the general truth as to the day of the Lord which is coming upon Judah. Chapter 2 gives the judgment of the nations. Chapter 3 is the indictment of Jerusalem, with the customary promise of restoration, to be made good after the purging of the period of tribulation. (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (pp. 302–303). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Second, Zephaniah mentioned those who attempted to combine the worship of Yahweh with the worship of Molech, a form of religious syncretism. Molech was the chief god of the Ammonites (1 Kings 11:33), a people east of the Dead Sea (cf. Zeph. 2:8-9). Jeremiah, a contemporary of Zephaniah, said the Jews were sacrificing children to Molech (Jer. 32:35; cf. 2 Kings 16:3; 21:6). The Hebrew Malkām (Zeph. 1:5, niv marg.) is a variant spelling of “Molech.” To swear by a deity meant to pronounce an oath under the threat of punishment by that deity if one failed to carry out his oath. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Zep 1:5–6). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The holy God could not tolerate syncretism—the worship of the Lord and the worship of other gods at the same time. Worship in Zephaniah’s day parallels much of the practice of modern society. Many people are not irreligious; they simply refuse to give allegiance to the Lord God alone. They too lose the guidance and strength of the living Lord, exchanging his blessings for the impotence of pagan worship and daily horoscopes. (Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, pp. 420–421). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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Blue blood flows through Zephaniah’s veins. He is the great-great-grandson of Hezekiah, the thirteenth king of Judah and one of the most righteous of all kings. The flame for revival and religious reform burns as hot in Zephaniah’s heart as it did in his forefathers’. Zephaniah’s book has been called one of the “hottest” books in the Old Testament. He portrays “the final crash of the universe.” The impending Day of the Lord is his all-encompassing message. Twenty-three times in this short book he refers specifically to the day that signifies the final judgment of God on the earth. Following the time of terrible judgment is the time of restoration and peace. Beyond judgment there is joy.
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1:12 Here is the central indictment of the book. Zephaniah promised that the Lord would search out the “complacent,” that is, all those who are self-secure and undisturbed. The NIV uses this interpretation to explain the meaning of the Hebrew metaphor associated with wine making. The Hebrew reads literally, “I will visit upon the men who are thickening150 on their dregs [i.e., like wine].”
In the wine-making process, fermented wine has to be poured from one vessel to another to separate the wine from the sediment (lees or “dregs”). If the wine is allowed to settle too long, it thickens and is ruined (cp. Jer 48:11–12, where the image is used of wine that is poured off too soon). The metaphor in the Book of Zephaniah refers to those who have lived with uninterrupted prosperity and have become complacent. These are people who have deified themselves, thinking that their might and the power of their hands have gotten them wealth (Deut 8:10–18). “Many of Jerusalem’s citizens had remained in their apostate lifestyle so long that they had become satisfied with it and then grown indifferent to genuine piety.” Moses warned the people of the danger of becoming proud and forgetting the Lord who brought them out of the land of Egypt (Deut 8:14).
“General apathy about God exists in the land, which the writer conveys with sight and sound imagery.” God promised to make a thorough search154 of the city for those living in complacency. Invaders searched captured cities with small clay lamps, looking for any item of value. God would make the same kind of search for those who lived in practical atheism, believing that God did neither good nor evil. In so doing Zephaniah may appear to deny God’s basic characteristic as omniscient, all-knowing. In truth, he does just the opposite. He shows God can and will find everything about you. Nothing escapes God’s attention (cp. Ps 139:1). “No absentee God, He will send an invading force that will search out and plunder Jerusalem. The implementation of the Lord’s proclamation will come so quickly that all who have lived in pursuit of ill-gotten gain will not survive to enjoy their wealth.… In their preoccupation with self and riches they will lose them both (cf. Luke 12:16–21).” As Achtemeier summarizes the teaching here: “In such societies, human beings have committed the ultimate idolatry—the final sin of trying to make themselves their own gods (cf. Gen 3:5).”
While giving acknowledgment to the existence of God, many people ignore his lordship. In the modern mind “God” is a nebulous concept, lacking the ability to effect good or evil. People who think in this way might not question the existence of God but seriously question whether or not God works.
The faithful among the people of Israel knew the work of God. He worked to bring the world into existence, and he continues to work in his world. The prophets of the Old Testament, like the Christian authors of holy Scripture, affirmed the power of God to effect change as well as the will of God to work in his world. The Lord God works in history to accomplish his sovereign purpose. (Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, pp. 434–436). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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12 The older versions that rendered “lamps” as “candles” have inserted an anachronism into our text. The “lamps” were clay oil-lamps commonly used at that time. (Their use for close searching is also found in Luke 15:8.)
The vivid imagery of “wine left on its dregs,” also used by Jeremiah (48:11), was proverbial for indifference and callousness as shown by the parallel: “who are complacent.” In making the best wine, the liquid is poured from vessel to vessel, separating the wine from its dregs. If allowed to remain too long on its lees, the wine becomes harsh. So evil men rested complacently on harsh and evil influences and were securely settled in their wicked society. They concluded that the Lord would do “nothing either good or bad,” i.e., they denied God’s providence, as though he brought about neither blessing nor judgment. The prophetic indictment of complacency is also found in Isaiah 32:9; Ezekiel 30:9; and Amos 6:1. (Walker, L. (1986). Zephaniah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, p. 548). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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1:12. The Lord declared that He would make a diligent, comprehensive search throughout Jerusalem so that none would go unpunished. Josephus wrote about a later invasion in which the city’s aristocracy were literally dragged from the sewer system where they hid for fear of death. Probably something like this also occurred when the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem. The analogy of wine left on its dregs suggests that the nation had become spiritually polluted. Wine allowed to ferment for a long time forms a hard crust and the liquid becomes syrupy, bitter, and unpalatable. Instead of removing the dregs of daily pollution, Judah had become hardened and indifferent to God. So great was her degeneration that the people did not even believe that Yahweh did as much as their self-made images. Pagan idolaters accorded their numerous deities the power of judging wrong and vindicating right. But the Jews at that time had such a low view of Yahweh that they believed He could not keep either His promises or His threats: He will do nothing, either good or bad. Their own spiritual complacency led them to think the Lord was complacent. (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Zephaniah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1527). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The second picture is that of a great sacrifice (vv. 7–13). Since the Jewish people were accustomed to attending communal sacrifices (1 Sam. 9:11ff), this image was familiar to them. But this sacrifice would be different, for it was God who was hosting the sacrifice. His guests were the Babylonians; and the sacrifices to be offered were the people of Judah! No wonder the prophet called for silence as he contemplated such an awesome event! (See Amos 6:10; 8:3; Hab. 2:20.)
You would expect the royal family and the religious leaders of the land to be the honored guests at God’s feast, but they are the ones to be sacrificed! (Zeph. 1:8–9). God punishes them because they have abandoned His Word and adopted foreign practices, including wearing foreign clothes and worshiping foreign gods (see Num. 15:38; Deut. 22:11–12). After the death of King Josiah in 609, the last four kings of Judah were weak men, who yielded to the policies of the pro-Egyptian bloc in the government. Instead of trusting the Lord, they trusted their allies, and this led to disaster.
Zephaniah must have been a resident in Jerusalem, for he know the layout of the city (Zeph. 1:10–13). When the Babylonians, God’s guests, would come to the sacrificial feast, they would enter the city, plunder it, and then destroy it. The Fish Gate was where the fisherman had their markets; the “second quarter” was where the rich people lived in their fashionable houses, built from the wages owed to poor laborers. “Maktesh” was the market and business district of the city where the merchants and bankers were located.
But the city would be destroyed, and the merchants’ wealth confiscated. So thoroughly would the Babylonians do their work that they would search the city carefully and find even the people who were hiding.
The tragedy is that the invasion could have been avoided if the people had not been so complacent and indifferent toward what God was saying through His prophets. Judah was certain that the Lord was on their side because they were God’s covenant people. They were like wine that sits undisturbed for a long time (Jer. 48:11; Amos 6:1) and congeals because it isn’t poured from vessel to vessel to get rid of the bitter dregs. The worship of false gods had polluted the nation and the pure wine had become bitter. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (pp. 124–125). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor.)
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1:12 I will search. None would escape the punishment of the Lord (Am 9:1–4). stagnant in spirit. See marginal note. With this term referring to a thickened crust which forms on wine when left undisturbed for a long period of time, the prophet described the people’s indifference and slothfulness toward God. Their indifference led them to regard God as morally indifferent. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Zep 1:12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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In fact, the prophecy of Zephaniah has much in common with the New Testament letter to the Philadelphian assembly, contemplating a condition of things answering in large measure to what we see at the present time—a day when many vaunt themselves in Laodicean pride while walking in utter indifference to the written Word of God and despising a feeble remnant who cling to that Word and seek to honor Him who gave it. Such may be like Zephaniah himself, whose very name means, “Hidden of Jehovah;” but though unknown to men, they are well known to Him who speaks of an hour coming when the haughty opposers of the truth shall “come and worship before thy feet, and know that I have loved thee” (Rev. 3:7–13). (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (pp. 301–302). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 12. And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, &c.] To find out the sins of the inhabitants of it, and the authors of them, and punish them for them, however hid and concealed from the eyes of others, or thought to be: this must be understood consistent with the omniscience of God, who knows all persons and things; nothing is hid from him; men may fancy their sins are hid, being privately and secretly committed; but all will be manifest, sooner or later; if not now, yet at the day of judgment; and sometimes they are made manifest by God in this life, as here; for what the Lord here says he would do, he did it by instruments, by the Chaldeans, whom he sent to Jerusalem; and to whom the gates of the city, the doors of houses, and the innermost recesses of them, were opened and plundered by them; and all for the sins of the people, which were hereby exposed. So the Targum, “and it shall be at that time that I will appoint searchers, and they shall search Jerusalem, as they that search with candles;” and no doubt but this was literally true of the Chaldeans, who with candles might search vaults and cellars, and such-like dark places, where they supposed goods and riches were concealed. The allusion may be to the searching with lamps for leaven on the fourteenth of Nisan, when the passover began, in every corner of a house, and, when they found it, burnt it; or in general to searching for any thing which lies concealed in dark places, where the light of the sun comes not, and can only be discovered by the light of candles; and denotes that nothing should escape the sight and knowledge of God, by whom a full discovery would be made of their persons and sins, and cognizance taken of them in a vindictive way, as follows: and punish the men that are settled on their lees; like wine on the lees, quiet and undisturbed; in a good outward estate and condition, abounding in wealth and riches, and trusting therein; and which, as the Targum paraphrases it, they enjoy in great tranquillity; Moab-like, having never been emptied from vessel to vessel, Jer. 48:11 and so concluded they should ever remain in the same state, and became hardened in sin, or curded, and thickened, as the word signifies; and were unconcerned about the state of religion, or the state of their own souls; and fearless and thoughtless of the judgments of God; but should now be visited, disturbed in their tranquil state, and be troubled and punished: that say in their heart; not daring to express with their lips the following atheism and blasphemy; but God, who searched and tried their hearts, knew it: the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil; which is a flat denial of his providence; saying that he takes no notice of what is done by men on earth, whether good or bad; and neither rewards the one, nor punishes the other. So the Targum, as Kimchi quotes it, “it is not the good pleasure of God to do good to the righteous, or to do evil to the wicked;” than which nothing is more false! the Lord does good to all in a providential way, and to many in a way of special grace; and rewards with a reward of grace all good men, both here and hereafter; and though he does not do any moral evil, yet he executes the evil of punishment in this world, and in that to come, on evil-doers. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 645–646). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe
Many people find morning the most difficult time of the day, but David began the day exalting the Lord ( Psalm 57: 5, 11), praying about three awakenings that believers out to experience daily.
“Lord, awaken my soul!” The word glory means “the inner person,” so David was asking the Lord for a revival in his own soul.
“Lord, awaken my son!” David played beautifully on the lute and the harp and wrote many songs of praise and thanksgiving. A new day means not only new blessings in our soul but also new praise on our lips that comes from our heart.
“Lord, awaken the sun!” David hoped that his singing would wake up the sun, for he was among the many “early risers” in the Bible (I Sam. 17:20).
Before we check the morning paper, before the phone starts ringing, before we get involved in our daily chores, we need to meet the Lord, meditate on the Word, pray, and wait on him to receive our directions for the day. (p. 74-75)
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TOZERSPEAKS (Volume Two) by A. W. Tozer
I cannot understand the activities of many churches – their futile exercise of trying to whip up love and concern for Jesus Christ when there is no teaching of the new birth, no teaching of redemption through His blood, no dependence upon the spiritual illumination by the Spirit of God! (p. 331)
Similarly, the Bible contains two parts of one organic revelation and it is divided so that the Old Testament is the Bible from the waist down and the New Testament is the Bible from the waist up. This may give an understanding to my expression that if we have one organic Bible and we cut it in two, we actually bleed it to death and we can, in effect, kill it by cutting it. (p. 33)
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Taking GOD Seriously by D. Stuart Briscoe
Zephaniah: Even when he [Manasseh] was warned by God’s Word and the prophets, he would not listen. The remarkable thing is that the people would not listen either. They gladly turned to ways more evil than what had characterized them before when others were destroyed for their rebelliousness before their very eyes. This is a sad commentary on the remarkable fickleness of human beings. (p. 134)
They are continuing to maintain a godly attitude externally – but as far as their hearts are concerned, they are disobedient. They won’t accept correction or trust the Lord. (p. 138)
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Daniel 5
Handwriting appears on the wall, prophesying the king’s death.
INSIGHT
It is a terrible thing to go into the presence of God in our own merit. All have sinned and fall short of His glory. Belshazzar discovers this truth. While he revels—desecrating the holy implements from the temple—the hand of God writes on the wall: “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting” (v. 27). In the providence and grace of God, we can come before Him in the merit of Christ Jesus—holy and undefiled. (Quiet Walk)
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GOD’S ETERNAL DECREES
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Ephesians 1:4
God’s manner or method of working is what is commonly called the doctrine of the eternal decrees of God. These are the things that God determined and ordained before He had done anything at all. We must approach this subject with an open mind, seeking and searching for the teaching of Scripture.
There are certain things that our finite minds will not be able to reconcile with one another. Here I must introduce the word antinomy. What is an antinomy? It is a position in which you are given two truths that you yourself cannot reconcile. There are certain final antimonies in the Bible, and as people of faith we must be ready to accept that. When somebody says, “Oh, but you cannot reconcile those two,” you must be ready to say, “I cannot. I do not pretend to be able to. But I believe what I am told in the Scriptures.” For example, I know the Bible tells me that man, in a sense, is a free agent, and on the other hand that God’s eternal decrees govern everything.
In the light of the nature and character of God, the doctrine of the eternal decrees must follow as an utter, absolute necessity. Because God is who and what He is, He must work in the way in which He does work. From eternity God has had an unchangeable plan with reference to His creatures. The Bible is constantly using phrases such as “before the foundation of the world”(see Ephesians 1:4).
God’s plan comprehends and determines all things and events of every kind that come to pass. If you believe that God has determined certain ends, then you must believe that He determines everything that leads to those ends. The doctrine of the eternal decrees of God says that all things are ultimately determined and decreed by Him.
A Thought to Ponder: From eternity God has had an unchangeable plan with reference to His creatures.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 93, 95-96, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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So Great Salvation
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” (Hebrews 2:3)
One of the greatest words of the Bible is “salvation,” and one could expound its glories at length. Our salvation is so costly that its price was nothing less than the shed blood of the Son of God. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, . . . But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Nevertheless, there are only three verses in the New Testament in which the word is preceded by an adjective. These three descriptive terms are, therefore, very significant. The first of these is the one in our text—“so great” salvation. The adjective here is used only one other time in the New Testament, where it is translated “so mighty” (Revelation 16:18), describing a cataclysm so great that every island and mountain will disappear from the earth!
Not only is our salvation infinitely costly, but unlike everything else in our lives, it is unending: “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). Salvation is not merely the impartation of a better life in this life; it is everlasting life in the future life, in the presence of its divine “author” (or “cause”).
The third adjective is quite different. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation” (Jude 1:3). Our salvation is also common! This same word is applied by Paul to “the common faith” (Titus 1:4). Basically, it means “ordinary.” Thus, despite the infinite and eternal values associated with our great salvation, it is also very common and ordinary! Salvation is for anyone, and whosoever will may come! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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First, he seeks always to be himself. Nothing robs us of maturity like trying to be what we aren’t or imitating somebody we’d rather be. Immature ministers often have what A. W. Tozer calls “ the fan-club mentality” and try to be like whatever famous preacher captures their imagination. On all occasions, be yourself – your best self – and trust God to use you. Don’t waste time and energy being an imitation. Let God make you into an original. (p. 96, 10 Power Principles for Christian Service by Warren W. & David W. Wiersbe)
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