“Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.” Zephaniah 1:7 (KJV)
This prophetic word from Zephaniah is written for the impendent destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. However, when I read this verse, I also found it applicable to the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of all man, and that is the way in which I will discuss this and the proceeding verses. He says, “Hold thy peace,” (or be silent, hush) “at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid[1] his guests[2].” When the Lord bid His guests, it means that he consecrated, sanctified, prepared, and dedicated those He has called out and proclaimed to be holy and set apart for Him. This bidding that the Lord is doing is very similar to that in the New Testament, “For many are called[3], but few are chosen[4],” Matthew 22:14. Both verses are referring to the standard by which we are to live our lives for God; consecrated, sanctified, and dedicated to His holiness and righteousness. All are called to this standard, yet few choose to accept the invitation and pay the price of living a righteous life.
The first part of the verse represents the beginning of our walk with God: to be silent. In order for man to even remotely begin to understand God and His mighty ways, we must be silent before Him and let Him lead and guide us in His truth. It is painful for man to be silent. Our minds wander, our opinions and thoughts get in the way. We seek out and hope for His voice to be heard in our lives, but that is not how God always reveals Himself to us. The angel of the Lord told Elijah, “…Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12 (KJV). Sometimes we are waiting for the fire and the earthquakes and the big, booming voice of the Lord. But in the quiet, in the peace and depth of our soul, that is where the Lord loves to teach us.
Zephaniah goes on to tell of the Lord’s wrath against not only the rulers who follow after false gods, but those who have walked away from God and taken on those false religion and customs.
“And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.” Zephaniah 1:8 (KJV)
Those that are “clothed with strange apparel” have taken on the false religion and customs of the society around them. They have turned away from God and have clothed themselves in unrighteousness both physically and spiritually. The world and false religion are all around us even now, but just as verse 7 says, God has called His guests. He has set apart a people who are to be separate from the ways and customs of false religion and worldly sin. We are not to look like the world, for when we begin to look like the world, we are in all actuality becoming the world.
“In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on[5] the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.” Zephaniah 1:9 (KJV)
Zephaniah’s prophesy continues to include those that “leap on the threshold.” Now these are a group of people separate from those who have taken on false worldly religion. These are those that have chosen to jump over the threshold, but I found most interesting is the definition of threshold and what it represents. The Encarta English Dictionary offers four different meanings for the word threshold: (1) starting point, the point at which something begins or changes; (2) level at which effect starts, the level that must be reached for a psychological or physiological effect to begin or be noticeable; (3) wood or stone below door that forms the bottom of a doorway; and (4) entrance, a doorway or entrance. The latter two definitions are the most literal ways by which to read this verse, but I am going to focus on the first two definitions.
The words of the Lord coming from Zephaniah are separating out a people who have jumped forcefully on or over the threshold. To me, this represents a people who have forsaken the starting point and beginning intimacies with God and have forged ahead in attempting to walk in a religion that they know nothing about. They have ignored the instruction in verse 7 to be silent before the Lord. They have begun to move in an idea of God without knowing who God is and understanding His truth to the fullest. These people are the same that will be destroyed among the heathens; those who have not truly walked in the righteousness of the Lord’s holy calling nor kept His commandments and blessings as the only truth.
“And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled[6] on their lees[7]: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.” Zephaniah 1:12 (KJV)
The Lord is saying that He will search all men by the light of a candle. The intimacy and nearness that God is showing us is beyond my complete understanding. The depth by which such an awesome and mighty God would choose to know the hearts of men demonstrates his immense love for us. At the same time, there is no escaping His wrath for those who have settled into complacency and weak religion. The same verse is written in this way in the New King James Bible:
“And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’”
Both translations of this verse illustrate the deception man falls into when he does not take the time to truly know God and His ways. These are those who at one time sought out the Lord, but did not sit through the pain of being silent before Him. They leaped over the beginning point of getting to know God and His ways and started walking in a calling that they did not truly understand. When one begins walking in something out of their fleshly desire to appear closer to God rather than obedience to what God has told them to do, God is not in it. When God is not in something then He will not bless it. In essence, someone who has not established fellowship with the Lord but is walking in a false knowing of God will be walking in something that is not blessed. Their faith in God is based on their works and not in God. Such faith will be forever weak and eventually the fleshly desire to appear closer to God will dwindle as the enemy tells lies of God’s lack of faithfulness in their lives. The world will become more appealing to fulfill the flesh and these will begin to doubt the promises of the Lord. Settling in complacent faith and weak living, these will become just as the world, and will be judged as such.
As the familiar verse in Psalms says:
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
[1]He hath bid: qadash (06942) to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate (The KJV OT Hebrew Lexicon)
[2]His guests: arq (07122) to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim (The KJV OT Hebrew Lexicon)
[3] Called: kletos (2822) called, invited (The KJV OT Hebrew Lexicon)
[4] Chosen: eklektos (1588) picked out, chosen (The KJV NT Greek Lexicon)
[5] The original Hebrew does not have a definition for the word “on” in the verse, so the translator had the option of using “on” or “over.” The New King James Version uses the word “over.”
[6] Settled: qapha’ (7087) to thicken, condense, congeal, settle, become dense (The KJV OT Hebrew Lexicon)
[7] Lees: wine sediment, sediment that settles in wine or other alcoholic beverages during fermentation (MSN Encarta)
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