Zephaniah 1
COMMENTARY:
: 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!
: 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
: 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.
: 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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