God's People

Zephaniah 3:12-13

(12) But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD,

(13) those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid."

This comes just after God declares His impending judgment on the world. It won't be pretty in the day that God gathers the nations to feel His wrath. Yet here is a wonderful promise about the remnant that He will preserve.

Are we a people "humble and lowly?" If we are in Christ then we absolutely must be. How else can we be? We were set free from our lives of sin. Though we still sin, we are forgiven and washed clean by the blood of Christ. God has given us new natures that we could not manufacture in ourselves because of our natural bents toward sin.

God did all of this in us and we deserved none of it. If we are not humble and lowly then I don't think we really understand the gospel at all.

A Calvinist Call

Zephaniah 2:1-3

(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.

Calvinists are often accused of having a theology that is anti-evangelism. Critics figure that if God has an elected people chosen before the beginning of time then there is no point in telling people the gospel. I think that the only thing it changes is our language. I don't think it is wise to speak about God's will with any kind of absolute certainty since we don't know who He chose for salvation. However, we can still evangelize with confidence because we know that it is God who saves and not our own cleverness.

Zephaniah seems to have that kind of perspective in this passage. He is calling folks to repent, but he also acknowledges that not all will be hidden. He also knows that the day of the Lord is coming on the Lord's time, not mankind's. Therefore, we had better repent sooner rather than later.

Are you ready for the day of the Lord's anger? If you wonder what's taking Him so long I would refer you to 2 Peter 3:9. God is gathering all of His elect and then He is coming back in glory. Are you going to be ready for that?

How to be Saved

Zephaniah 1:18-2:3
(18) Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
(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.

Reading the Twelve can be a pretty heavy business. It is not a happy story. Israel was wallowing in sin and the prophets had to tell of the coming judgment. However, through it all there is some hope intermingled with the decrees of woe.

When I read this passage I think of how we tend to live our lives here in America. We have certainly made an idol of money. We plan on money to save us. We may not think it will save us spiritually, but we do count on it to save us materially. At least I tend to. It is easy for me to get concerned about my 401(k) and the rollover IRA I have. They aren't doing so well these days, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Yet ultimately it will not matter. Ultimately the Lord is going to come in judgment. Am I ready for that? I hope to be more prepared for that than I am for any kind of financial hardship. Which is more important?

Of course, we need to be good stewards. I don't think God wants for us to be irresponsible. Yet we must remember that money is simply a tool for living and it is not life. Nor does it secure life. Only God can do that.