Zephaniah (Sections 117-118)
Section 117
"Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought
his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye
shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."—Zephaniah 2:3.
There is a "may be" about all temporal things and in pleading for them we ask with much diffidence.
Yet we may plead confidently when our appeal is made to God in the day of his anger. Then our need is pressing: it is for our life that we are pleading, and the Lord is very gracious in our extremities. In spiritual things we may draw encouragement from the faintest sign of hope when it proceeds from God: "it may be ye shall be hid." The seeking for refuge, here commanded, is directed only to the meek and righteous; but it is our joy to proclaim a hiding-place for the guilty, and to bid them seek the Lord even on the least encouragement. The three seekings commanded are:—
"Seek the Lord"; or, repent, and trust in Jehovah.
"Seek righteousness." Directed as it is in the text to those who are already righteous, it bids them persevere in righteousness.
"Seek meekness." Spoken to the meek, it bids them bow even more humbly before the chastening hand of God. But our point is this: that we may seek the Lord upon the faintest encouragement. There are strong inducements and large promises; but if we cannot grasp these we may come even with a "may be."
I. In many a recorded instance "may be" has prompted and justified a right action. From the cases which we will mention lessons may be learned.
1. A "may be" led Jonathan to attack the garrison of the Philistines. 1 Samuel 14:6. "It may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few." This should nerve saints for holy enterprises.
2. A "may be" cheered David when Absalom rebelled, and Shimei cursed. 2 Samuel 16:12. "It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction." Let us hope in God in our darkest hours.
3. A "may be" induced the lepers to visit the Syrian camp. 2 Kings 7:4. Their desperate venture should be laid to heart by those who are in like condition. They can but perish in any case; let them seek the Lord, and try whether he does not save.
4. A "may be," diluted with an "if so be," moved the afflicted to humble himself. See Jeremiah's Lamentations 3:29. Let no tried soul refuse the like hope.
5. A "may be," in the form of "Who can tell?" brought all Nineveh to repentance. Jonah 3:9.
If others have acted so vigorously upon such slender encouragement, may not we, when dreading the ruin of our souls, act with like decision and hopefulness? If we fly to Jesus by childlike faith, there is more than a "may be" that the result will be happy.
II. In the instance of a sincere seeker the "may be" is of unusual strength.
There is every probability of the penitent obtaining salvation if we—
1. Consider the gracious nature of our God. Micah 7:18.
2. Consider the glorious work of Christ for sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15.
3. Consider the mercy they have already received. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed": Lamentations 3:22.
4. Consider the number and character of those who have been saved. Revelation 5:9; Revelation 7:9. 1 Corinthians 6:11.
5. Consider the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit. John 3:8.
6. Consider the glory which is to be the Lord's at the last: surely it will come by saving souls and saving many of them.
III. But in the seeker's case he has far more to go upon than a mere "may be."
There are innumerable sure promises in the Word of God, and these are made to—
Repentance. Proverbs 28:13. Isaiah 55:7.
Faith. Mark 16:16. John 3:18. Acts 16:31.
Prayer. Matthew 7:7. Acts 2:21.
Let these promises be studied, and their encouragement accepted by immediate compliance with their requirements.
Consider that God foresaw all events when he made these promises, and accordingly he has not made them in error.
Consider that he cannot withdraw his promise.
Consider that he is the same as when he made the promise, and so in effect makes it again every day.
Consider that it will be a crime to doubt the Lord our God, and an act of reverence to believe him. Venture now upon the bare promise of God, who cannot lie. Titus 1:2.
O sinner, seek the Lord!
He comes to you in Christ Jesus. Look to him at once, and live.
Cheering Words
Possibly ye may be hid from punishment, probably ye shall escape sorrow: but pardon of sin ye shall be sure of; mitigation also of sorrow, if not prevention of it. Saved ye shall be, or more gently handled, or so inwardly calmed, that ye shall be able to call your souls to rest when others are at their wits' ends. You shall be safe under the cover of God's wings, and in the hollow of his hand; when others, that are without God in the world, shall be as a naked man in a storm, as an unarmed man in the field of battle, or as a ship at sea without an anchor, subject to dash and split against rocks and quicksands.—Trapp.
Dr. John Duncan was once heard thus addressing a beggarwoman in Edinburgh:—"Now, you'll promise me that you'll seek; but mind, seeking will not save you, yet it is your duty; and if you seek you'll find, and finding will save you." Our hope is not hung upon such untwisted thread as "I imagine so"; or, "it is likely"; but the cable, the strong rope of our fastened anchor, is the oath and promise of him who is eternal verity; our salvation is fastened with God's own hand, and Christ's own strength, to the strong stake of God's unchanging nature.—Rutherford.
How long a beggar will wait, and how eagerly he will plead, although he has no promise of an alms, but only the bare chance of winning a penny from a passer-by! How laboriously will fishers cast their nets again and again, though nothing has been taken as yet, and their only encouragement is the possibility that fish may come that way! How desperately will men dive into the sea with the expectation of finding pearls in oyster-shells, encountering fierce monsters of the deep with the uncertain hope of being enriched! And will not men draw near to God when their outlook is so much more bright, their expectations so much more justifiable? As for me, I will lay down my sick soul at Christ's feet, in sure and certain belief that he will heal me, and then I will follow him whithersoever he goeth, in calm assurance that he will lead me to his eternal kingdom and glory.—C. H. S.
Section 118
"She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she
trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God."—Zephaniah 3:2. When the Lord is judging men he does not spare those who are called his people: Moab and Ammon and Nineveh are visited, and Jerusalem is not spared.
There are sins which outsiders cannot commit, such as those of the text. When peculiar privileges only create peculiar sins, they will be followed by peculiar punishments. The offenses mentioned in this verse are to be found in nations, churches, and individuals unto this day: and in a measure among God's own people.
I. In the text we perceive four manifest sins.
1. We will make upon them, as a whole, four observations.
Sins of omission are sure to exist where there are sins of commission. Jerusalem is said to be "filthy and polluted," and then these omissions are recited.
Sins of omission rank with the blackest of offenses. Consider the context, and see with what fearful crimes omissions are catalogued, as if to mark their vileness.
Sins of omission go in clusters. "She obeyed not." "She received not instruction." "She trusted not." "She drew not near to her God." How many foul birds may dwell in one nest! One sin never goes alone.
Sins of omission are none the less when they are mainly spiritual. Such are those mentioned in the text, and they are cited among crimes of deepest dye.
2. We will note each one of the four separately.
They heard God speak, but they took no heed. This included rebellion, hardness of heart, presumption, and defiance of the Lord; and all this after solemn warnings, great instruction, and tender invitation.
They felt correction, but were not instructed. This involved greater persistence in rebellion, and still more obduracy of heart.
They were unbelieving and distrustful, and relied upon idols, and not upon the Lord. Unbelief is a master-sin.
They had no communion with their God. "Her God" implies existence of covenant-relationship, in name at least; but there was no worship, love, or service.
These four sins abound around us, and among us.
Inattention, Obstinacy, Unbelief, and Aversion to God are all common.
They involve men in misery in this life, and in eternal ruin in the world to come. Are they not destroying some of you?
II. In the text we spy out four hidden encouragements to seek better things.
Let those who confess their sin look at the text with hope, for it is clear that—
1. God does speak to men. He may speak to us again.
2. God corrects for our good. It is meant for instruction, not for destruction. (See the margin.) 3. God would have us trust him. He would not blame us for not trusting if we were not permitted to trust him.
4. God would have us draw near to him. Else it were not mentioned as our sin that we do not draw near to him.
All this applies to us at this day.
Still the Lord is in the midst of us, reading our inmost souls.
Let us lay our sins to heart, and seek his face through Christ Jesus. A few small Fishes Remember, O my soul, the fig-tree was charged, not with bearing noxious fruit, but no fruit.—Thomas Fuller. The last words that Archbishop Usher was heard to say were these—"Lord forgive my sins, especially my sins of omission."
Sins of commission are usual punishments for sins of omission. He that leaves a duty may soon be left to commit a crime. —Gurnall. No sin is ever alone. Dr. Macdonald says, "There is no fault that does not bring its brothers and sisters and cousins to live with it."
Oh, how rare it is to find a soul still enough to hear God speak!—Fenelon.
Grace turns the serpent into a rod; but sin turns the rod into a serpent. The former turns poison into a remedy; but the latter turns the remedy into poison.—Benjamin Beddome.
Sorrow is sent for our instruction, just as we darken the cages of birds when we would teach them to sing.—Jean Paul Richter.