God Has People In High Places - Zephaniah

Zephaniah 1:1 (ESV)

The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

Some books of the minor prophets gives us some indication about that prophet.   But it is very unusual for a prophet to give us so much detail about his life.   Zephaniah was the great-great-grandson of King Hezekiah.   That would make him a prophet of royalty.

Chuck Swindoll:  This all means that Zephaniah grew up under the reign of Josiah’s predecessors: Josiah’s grandfather, the evil king Manasseh, and Manasseh’s son, the young and evil Amon. As a young man, the prophet-to-be would have been surrounded by the trappings of idolatry, child sacrifice, and unjust killings—strong influences on a young mind (2 Kings 21:16; 2 Chronicles 33:1–10). But Zephaniah grew into a man of God, able to stand before the people and proclaim God’s message of judgment and hope to a people that had gone astray.

When King Josiah began his reforms, Zephaniah would have been part of that period and his prophecy may fit into what we read here:

2 Chronicles 34:33 (ESV)

And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

Zephaniah, as a royal son, would have seen first hand not just the outcomes of the leadership, but the inner workings behind the scenes.  He would know how decisions were made, not just the decisions.  He knew the thinking of leadership.   His prophecy is to condemn those for turning to idols.   God has some prophets who see the behavior.  He had this prophet see the system behind the behavior.   God has people in low places and high places.   

What Gain Has The Worker From His Toil? Ecclesiastes 3-4

Ecclesiastes 3:9-10 (ESV)

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.

This is one of the 22 questions Solomon asks in the book of Ecclesiastes.   It might just be the theme of all the other questions.   Solomon is probing the meaning of life.  He is attempting to live in a way that test all the elements on this earth to find meaning.   As always, it is important to read or consider anything written in this book through the lens of Solomon’s conclusion:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

His initial quest for the above question comes from his observation that God has given man much to be busy with. That was apparently true then and, obviously, very true now.   The book is written to answer that question. What gain is it to toil over all this business?    His conclusion is that we are to, by faith, keep His commandments.  That is the entire duty of mankind.   We are to read His word and obey it.  We are not to be in judgment of it.  We are not the ones who validate it.  No, we are the ones it was written for and we are to simply, by faith and the Spirit’s power, obey it.  That is our entire duty.    There number one command written was this one:

Acts 16:31 (ESV)

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

We are not saved by doing anything.  We are saved by believing everything about Jesus. He saves us. Our salvation is based upon faith in Him. That is a command to believe by faith.  There is MUCH in this life to see and engage in with our day-to-day energy.   We are not to waste our energy on things that don’t align to God’s word.  That is the answer to the above question as to what is to be gained by all the toil of man?   

Here is a link to see the other 21 questions in the book.  They all ask a similar thought and are all answered by the last two verses of the book:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/188V9BbtIiIIXe-oC74UNqZWvLVNjZ8rphvjv4jS8JMQ/edit?usp=drivesdk

Overcoming Loss - Restoration - Psalms 125-127

Psalms 126 (ESV)

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

“The LORD has done great things for them.”

The LORD has done great things for us;

we are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,

like streams in the Negeb!

Those who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.

The purpose of Psalm 126 is stated in the authors brief prologue:   A SONG OF ASCENTS.   This song was written from a time when Israel returned back from Babylonian captivity and returned to Jerusalem.   There are many historical references to this time in the life of the nation of Israel, Nehemiah and Ezra being chief among those accounts.  The writer begins with a time when the people were just dreaming of returning to the land and ends with a time of coming home rejoicing.   This is a story of fortunes returned.   Of course, when we read Nehemiah we find out that the city of Jerusalem was in ruins upon their return.  

Nehemiah 1:2-3 (ESV)

that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

Nehemiah 2:17 (ESV)

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.”

So, the ascent to return would be a time of great joy.  The actually return would amount to great work.  But this song praises God for not just the return but the fact that good things would be done.  Great things would be done.   Fortunes would be restored.   God does not do a half-way restoration project.  He completes the task.   Note:

Nehemiah 12:27 (ESV)

Dedication of the Wall

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.

God brought them back and gave them strength, wisdom, protection and power to do the work.  Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

God Does Not Tolerate Little Blasphemous Men - 2 Chronicles 29-32

2 Chronicles 32:9-15 (ESV)

After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”? Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’”

The non-believing world does not understand the power of our God.  They simply believe that all gods are the same. One fails and they all fail.   One is fake, so they are all fake.    The God of the universe does not fit into the small minds of the non-believing world.  They put Him into their little boxes and believe they control Him.  They will not allow Him to control them.   Man has created a god  in his mind that will do as man thinks.   In the above story we see how useless this is.  Sennacherib will be run out of Israel and return home.  Upon return he will be killed by his own sons.   His boasting of the successes that he and his fathers have had against the gods of the other nations, will do him no good.   The God of Abraham, Moses and Jacob is not those gods.   Yahweh does not tolerate blasphemous little men.   He didn’t then and He won’t now!

Don’t Follow Shinny Things - Deuteronomy 7-9

Deuteronomy 7:25-26 (ESV)

The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.

In this chapter of Moses’ final words, he is giving the nation God’s word on the success they are going to have as they conquer the current people in the promise land.  In the above passage we read the warning about what the people are to do as they conquer the land and come across their gods (idols).   The temptation to see a gold image and want to take it for oneself would be a very difficult temptation to avoid.  These are people who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  They were not used to anything like that.  Yes, Aaron made them a golden calf when Moses was too long in the mountain getting the Ten Commandments.   But the did not work out well for them either.   This command to burn the idols and destroy them was another reminder that the world’s goods are not for the people of God.    Yet, there is a prime example of this right as these people come into the promise land.  Note what we read about a man named Achan:

Joshua 7:1 (ESV)

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel.

Joshua 7:19-22 (ESV)

Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath.

This is the example of what Moses warned them about.  Achan sinned and his fellow countrymen died that day.   This is the same warning for us.  We are not to be engaged in the world and want their shinny things. We are to be conformed to the image of Christ and desire the things of God. 

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Don’t Be Deceived - James 1-3

James 1:16 (ESV)

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

This word for deceived is used almost 40 times in the New Testament.   It simply means to be lead astray by someone. It should be noted that Satan wants to lead us astray and James is tell us not to let that happen.  Notice some of the warnings we have in Scripture about this:

Matthew 7:15 (ESV)

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Acts 20:29 (ESV)

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

Romans 16:17 (ESV)

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.

2 Corinthians 11:4 (ESV)

For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

Jude 1:4 (ESV)

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 2:1 (ESV)

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

James gives us one simply statement to not be deceived.   Each of the New Testament writers stated the same thing.  Satan has a desire to lead us astray.   His entire purpose is to blind our eyes from seeing the glory of the Gospel:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV)

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The Cycle of the Christian Walk - Acts 9-10

Acts 10:23-29 (ESV)

So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

The above passage is taken from the story about a Gentile named Cornelius and the famous Apostle and Jew, Peter.  Cornelius is seeking for God.  Peter is an ambassador for God.  Cornelius is seen by the Jews as a devout man who feared God.  But he is also a Gentile and that is the struggle with Peter’s thinking.   God gives Peter a lesson that was concluded by God’s statement to Peter:

Acts 10:15 (ESV)

And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Peter’s takeaway from that lesson is what we read above.   This text shows that God is sending a firm message to Peter and all believers that should stop our tendency for racial and ethnic separations in our communities of worship.   However, Peter will eventually fall back into this trap and Paul will be sent to confront him about it.  Note:

Galatians 2:11-14 (ESV)

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Peter heard God tell him don’t say someone is unclean.  He gave him the Cornelius challenge to teach him.  But Peter fell back into the same trap.   We often hear God and then fall back into bad behaviors.   Peter was bold to tell Cornelius the following:

Acts 10:29 (ESV)

So when I was sent for, I came without objection, ...”. 

He will later object.   He will be corrected.  That is the cycle of good fellowship with our brothers. One fails and the other confronts and lifts up.  This is what happens in our lives.  Look to lift or be lifted up.  

Searching Life For Life - Ecclesiastes 1-2

Ecclesiastes 1:12-13 (ESV)

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.

Imagine the ability to explore whatever you wanted to explore, to be able to explore, with no restraint.   This is why Solomon is writing this book.   He wants to explore and investigate what the world is made about.  He is writing without taking anyone one’s opinion.  He is going to find out what the world holds at his own leisure and learning method.    Before we read more, or think more, we need to go to the end of the book to find out what he discovered.  This is a spoiler alert.   Note what his conclusion is after spending all the money in the world, all the time in the world and all the power in the world to explore this:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

It is important to start at the end of the book when looking for meaning about the content of the book.  Solomon had more money than anyone in the world.  He had more power than anyone.  He was able to do what he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted.   That ability brought him to the above conclusion.   He didn’t deny himself anything.  His conclusion is that God is the center of it all.   But he is about to write to us what he found in this pursuit.   We will be shocked at what he concludes.   But the lens to read his travels is these last two verses.    Very few people on the planet have the money, time, power and influence to do what Solomon did.  God is allowing this so that we can learn from him.  The thing to learn is that this world has nothing to give to us except realizing God is the sole satisfier of mankind’s pursuits.    

It Is God Who Makes Peace - Psalms 122-124

Psalms 124:8 (ESV Strong's)

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

Where Does Your Help Come From? 

In 2010 I wrote this about this verse:  Where does your help come from? How sure of your help?  If we turn to our families, jobs, savings or talent for help in time of trouble we can be let down.  Not because those can't help but they can't help to the extent that we may need help.  In Psalm 124 we see that our help is from God …. who made heaven and earth.  To trust in help that has the creative power of the universe is to be sure of the help we can and will get.  We need to remember that who we pray to created all this.  We are to make sure we have full faith in the one who can help.

In 2019 I would not change a thing.   When we “need” family and friends to make us “whole” we miss entirely what God desires from us.    Here is what Jesus told us when asked to sum up all of what the Bible says:

Matthew 22:37 (ESV Strong's)

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

When we look to our mothers, fathers, children and others to give us peace, pleasure, safety and security, we fail to realize the truth of these principles.   God wants out complete devotion.   He does not want us to turn to mankind for companionship, camaraderie, or  comfort.   When we do, we give him half our heart.  He does not want half our heart.  He wants all of our heart.  Mankind will always fail.  We can use them as a crutch to hold us up.   Psychologist have long said that until we can live alone, we can’t really live with in harmony with others.   I would change that.  I would say until we can live alone with God as our ONLY friend, companion and champion, we will always be leaning on the mistrusted and misguided notion that others can fill His spot in our lives. If we attempt to all them to fill the hole in our heart instead of God we will never really be completely whole.  

Now in 2022 I would not change anything, as well.   Since I last wrote on these two verses we have had a world-wide pandemic that killed millions.   God made the heavens.  God made the earth.  It is His to do with it has He pleases.   Our help comes from Him, no matter the situation in the world around us.

It is now 2025.   Days ago a terrorist group released Israeli hostages that had been in captivity for two years. The deal was bartered by the US President and his cabinet.  There were many seeking the praise and accolades.  The human effort to make this happen was extraordinary.   The willingness of previous foes to come together was precedent.   The giving of thanks by the Israeli people to these world leaders was also unprecedented.  Never has another nation sang the praises of men and women from another county with such profound enthusiasm and glee.   Everyone involved in this work deserves to take a bow.  In fact, they should bow.  All of us.   The above verse tells us who to bow to, however.   In Israel’s history they have had many leaders and conquers offer them help and praise.   They often gave that praise to these leaders.  However, what the song writer writes in the above refrain is the elemental principle that everyone (no matter their thoughts about Israel) needs to know:  God is the ultimate helper to save His people.   God puts leaders in the position He wants to make things happen for His plan.  He puts directs the hearts of mankind to accomplish His plans.  Praise God that He is the HELPER for His people.  Praise God that He puts people where He wants and directs all their hearts.  

Psalms 75:6-7 (ESV)

For not from the east or from the west

and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,

but it is God who executes judgment,

putting down one and lifting up another.

Proverbs 21:1 (ESV)

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;

he turns it wherever he will.