Lenten Devotions - Day 29
“You disgraceful nation, gather around, before it's too late. Yahweh has set a time when his fierce anger will strike like a storm and sweep you away. If you humbly obey Yahweh, then come and worship him. If you do right and are humble, perhaps you will be safe on that day when Yahweh turns loose his anger.” Zephaniah 2:1-3
It was in the days of Jeremiah. Israel had already been led away under the Assyrian armies. Isaiah had warned Israel of impending doom. Two hundred years later, his message had been used to remind Judah of its own impending plight of exile into Babylon. Jeremiah, Old Doom and Gloom himself, had been preaching that there was no help to be had from Egypt against an exile Yahweh had decreed. There was nothing to do, he said, other than turn to Yahweh in expectation of a change of course or finding a way through the impending crisis.
Zephaniah's words were not so different. He expected exile. He expected judgment. He expected no help from foreign sources. He also expected the leaders of his people to turn to God instead of their devices to attempt to countermand the plans of Yahweh. Knowing they had not, he still felt his expectations were in line.
Zephaniah’s was not a pluralistic society. Zephaniah’s was not a secular society. His audience was no broad-spectrum population with varied systems of beliefs, values, and moralities. The government did not rise from the background of a Judeo-Christian heritage. Rather, governing officials publicly led the worship of Yahweh. It was not a secular society with a backdrop of religious tradition. The government was overtly religious. Officials were expected to represent God's values and will in all their decision, actions, and words. Zephaniah simply expected them to honor Yahweh in more than name. That's where his expectations went haywire. The problem was his expectations were still matched by the expectations of Yahweh.
There was still a chance to avert the impending destruction. There was still an opportunity to keep the otherwise intractable exile at bay. It had to do with correcting the people's relationship with Yahweh, however, not their political strategies, platforms, and devices. The power of political structures has never been of such great importance to God. We may place a lot of confidence or hope in political processes, but God is so enamored with human power structures. God's plans and purposes are not denied or advanced by political means, so much as through humble submission.
The halls of power were concerned with power. They were worried about maintaining the status quo or advancing the cause of power, wealth, and influence. God's requirement was for submission, humility, and worship. Real worship is not about making ourselves feel good. Rather, it is about recognizing our need for submission before Almighty God. In that context, our grasping for power and control fall aside in light of the supremacy and authority of the One we are called to serve.
Where are your dreams and ambitions pinned to concerns of power and security, rather than service to God? Humble yourself as the servant you were created to be, bowing your life to the means and direction of God, rather than the priorities of human structures.
“Lord, help me to let go of my fears and insecurities that I might serve you with a whole heart, and with humble submission.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
It was in the days of Jeremiah. Israel had already been led away under the Assyrian armies. Isaiah had warned Israel of impending doom. Two hundred years later, his message had been used to remind Judah of its own impending plight of exile into Babylon. Jeremiah, Old Doom and Gloom himself, had been preaching that there was no help to be had from Egypt against an exile Yahweh had decreed. There was nothing to do, he said, other than turn to Yahweh in expectation of a change of course or finding a way through the impending crisis.
Zephaniah's words were not so different. He expected exile. He expected judgment. He expected no help from foreign sources. He also expected the leaders of his people to turn to God instead of their devices to attempt to countermand the plans of Yahweh. Knowing they had not, he still felt his expectations were in line.
Zephaniah’s was not a pluralistic society. Zephaniah’s was not a secular society. His audience was no broad-spectrum population with varied systems of beliefs, values, and moralities. The government did not rise from the background of a Judeo-Christian heritage. Rather, governing officials publicly led the worship of Yahweh. It was not a secular society with a backdrop of religious tradition. The government was overtly religious. Officials were expected to represent God's values and will in all their decision, actions, and words. Zephaniah simply expected them to honor Yahweh in more than name. That's where his expectations went haywire. The problem was his expectations were still matched by the expectations of Yahweh.
There was still a chance to avert the impending destruction. There was still an opportunity to keep the otherwise intractable exile at bay. It had to do with correcting the people's relationship with Yahweh, however, not their political strategies, platforms, and devices. The power of political structures has never been of such great importance to God. We may place a lot of confidence or hope in political processes, but God is so enamored with human power structures. God's plans and purposes are not denied or advanced by political means, so much as through humble submission.
The halls of power were concerned with power. They were worried about maintaining the status quo or advancing the cause of power, wealth, and influence. God's requirement was for submission, humility, and worship. Real worship is not about making ourselves feel good. Rather, it is about recognizing our need for submission before Almighty God. In that context, our grasping for power and control fall aside in light of the supremacy and authority of the One we are called to serve.
Where are your dreams and ambitions pinned to concerns of power and security, rather than service to God? Humble yourself as the servant you were created to be, bowing your life to the means and direction of God, rather than the priorities of human structures.
“Lord, help me to let go of my fears and insecurities that I might serve you with a whole heart, and with humble submission.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
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