Humility - Zephaniah Introduction

One of my best friends is a deacon that has served several years faithfully and has proven to have great concern for the welfare of the church. I vividly remember that he and his wife visited with me regarding his nomination to become a deacon. He had several reservations at that time and almost declined the request of the church—not because he thought he was too good to serve but because he was humbled by the opportunity the church was offering him to serve. He believed in the importance of the deaconship in the life and ministry of the church. He was hesitant to accept the offer because he was not sure he could serve well enough to be a credit to the church and to our Lord. I told him that he had nothing to worry about as long as he accepted and continued to serve with that kind of humble spirit. The reasons he gave for his hesitancy were actually his strong points as a qualified and deserving servant.
Last Sunday, Brother JR announced that the church would be entering another search for deacons to serve our church. I approached another member of our church that has a flawless record of service to our church and the community. He told me that he just did not feel qualified to accept the nomination of deacon. My response to him was that he had just given me one of the best reasons for me to believe he is qualified to serve—and that was his humility in his response.
I have served as a deacon in five different churches for over fifty years. I felt humbled when the first church ordained me and have never considered the call in any other way. Strong churches depend on members that serve with humility and our cornerstone, Jesus Christ, can accomplish great things through our lives when we seek his will in humility. We must remember that every circumstance has both a positive and a negative side. Humility is the positive post in the battery of life and the negative post is pride. Pride in the life of any church member is both destructive and obstructive; it not only prevents positive results but it tears down the good that has already been accomplished. I have offered these examples showing the need for humility in the development of strong leaders as an introduction to the study of Zephaniah which is a study of the destructiveness of pride in the life of any person…Christian or not.
From what I have read concerning this book, it appears that it was written for a specific purpose and that was to shake the people of Judah out of their complacency and urge them to return to God. It was written by Zephaniah and addressed to Judah and all other nations concerned. Misery, devastation and eventual total destruction was sure if they continued in their prideful ways and failed to show the HUMILITY that is required of all who will serve as successful leaders of God’s people. You have heard it said that “Pride goes before a fall”—there-fore, as a Christian leader, you can either serve humbly or fall…fail, stumble and usually this results in your taking others with you.
Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah of Judah who was attempting to solve problems that had arisen under the evil reign of both Kings Manasseh and Amon. It will help you remember the time and sequence of this study if you will remember that Zephaniah became a profit in the same year that Josiah became King of Judah—in 640 BC. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah and the two strong leaders may have furnished the motivation for King Josiah to seek the return of his people to the way of the Lord.
Under the two previous Kings there had been grief and distress because of the abuse that prevailed. The prediction was that the Day of Judgment and destruction was coming because Judah had forsaken the Lord. They were worshiping Baal, Molech and the heavenly host of stars. The prophet predicted that in the end there would be happiness among the people because God would bring justice to his mistreated people and there was hope for the future. Under the leadership of King Josiah a short revival broke out. If you will remember in the study of 2-Kings, in chapters 21 through 23…the book of the law was found in the temple, and the people repented for a time. This only lasted a short time because twelve years after Josiah died, Judah was invaded by Babylon and many were taken captive.
The key verse in this study is found in the 2nd chapter, 3rd verse and it sets the tone for the topic of our lesson today—HUMILITY. “Seek the Lord, all you HUMBLE of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek HUMILITY; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.”
Salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and security in our relationship with Jesus are all wonderful and are to be enjoyed and trusted as conditions that God has promised to all who believe, trust and obey. However, the Bible, especially the OT is loaded with examples that profoundly state that there is a condition that applies called OBEDIENCE—and the first requirement for one to be obedient is HUMILITY. Zephaniah was a prophet of God and was therefore bound to speak the truth even though his message was one of doom and destruction. He boldly spoke clearly, pronouncing certain judgment and horrible punishment for all who would defy the Lord. He said that God’s wrath would sweep away everything in the land and destroy it. He quoted God as saying—“I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth” declares the Lord [1-3]. This was his announcement or pronouncement against Judah.
Although there had been occasional attempts at renewal, Judah had no sorrow for her sins. The people were prosperous, and they no longer cared about God. God’s demands for righteous living seemed irrelevant to Judah because her accumulation of wealth had caused complacency among the people.
1: Zephaniah prophesied during the years of [640-609 BC]. Josiah was a good King, and tried to follow God. He found the book of the Law in the temple and began a religious revival in Judah 2 Kings 22: 1 to 23:25]. His warnings were his way of trying to help the revival to last. Even the revival did not fully eliminate idolatry and it only lasted a short time because only twelve years after Josiah’s death, Judah was invaded by Babylon and many were taken into exile. They were clearly warned, but either did not believe Zephaniah or maybe they doubted God. Today we have God’s word and if we refuse to listen to his word, then we are as shortsighted as Judah proved to be, and like them, we will be punished for our disobedience.
4: This charge against Judah and Jerusalem was the result of their disobedience. When the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, God told them that the first thing they should do was to completely rid the land of all pagan inhabitants—all who worshipped idols. The Jews failed to do what he had ordered. [I remember when we studied the lesson last year and this order was given—some seemed to think that it was rather harsh…even cruel to uproot citizens out of their homes.] But when the Jews failed to rid the land of the remaining Canaanites…inter marriage took place…and soon the Israelites were worshiping the Canaanite’s gods. Their chief god was Baal which they said symbolized strength and fertility. God was angry and told Zephaniah to warn them of their punishment…v. 4.
4: to 6: The channels of history are littered with idols and their worship. We should be aware that idols are more than statutes of stone and wood…American idols are wealth, power, games, fine homes and big cars…an idol is an idol no mater what shape it takes…if it replaces God in our lives it is our idol. Is your wife first in your life? Do you place your children first in your line of love? Are you deeply in love with one that you wish to marry? Is she first in your life? Or, can you truthfully say that God comes first in your life? You may think that I am being too explicit…but the fact is that God must come first in the life of any Christian, and when He has his rightful place there is always room for love of family, love of country and love of THINGS. Read Exodus 20: 1-5. Although sin is sin in the eyes of God—this just has to be one of the people’s most horrible mistakes—at least in our sight. Some of the Israelites joined the Ammonites in the worship of the god known as “Molech” and the form of worship included child sacrifice—one of the most abominable sins of worship.
8: The reference to the day of the Lord could be referring to the Babylonian capture and subsequent destruction that followed; however, some commentators feel that it also could be referencing other destruction that will come at the end of this age…when Christ returns. Any clothing worn as a symbol of worship; or markings on the body such as tattoos that represent or indicate a false worship is condemned.
3: 11-12 All through the book we find God’s wrath being poured out on those who are disobedient. Idol worshipers lead the list; however we find here that both humility and pride affect the response from God. The prideful fall…the humble endure and are usually awarded with a meaningful life. God promises the humble that the day will come when the prideful will be removed from the city…they will cease to be a thorn in the flesh of the humble. The meek and humble are the only ones that are promised to be left in the end.
Our study for next week will deal with what “Commitment” really means in the life of a Christian. Study the book of Haggai, both chapters. See you then.