Daily Reading: Zephaniah 3
Zephaniah 3:5 “The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.”
Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
These verses are prophetic and are directed toward Jerusalem mainly. They are talking of times I am not familiar with and happenings I do not understand. However, knowing that my God is the same yesterday, today and forever, I can trust that these words are true for the world as I know it. What struck me in verse 5 was the last line…the unjust knoweth no shame. God faithfully brings truth, he shows what is right and what is wrong and does not quit in his attempts to correct and give light to better things. Yet, the unjust refuse to change. It is not true that they are blind…they can see the unfailing hand of God but they are not ashamed. This makes me think of Adam and Eve before the fall. They were naked and they were not ashamed. At that point man was unashamed because of his innocence. In this case man is unashamed because of his humanism. He took the lie that Satan gave to Adam and Eve a step further and believed that not only would he be like God if he sinned…but that he could be god himself. An unjust man can only be unjust if he believes himself to be above the truth that God faithfully reveals. He sees himself as greater than the law of God and unable to be affected by the judgment of God. His salvation is in himself and his own abilities. His freedom is limited to his own power to satisfy himself. There is also a scripture that comes to mind from Habakkuk that says the just shall live by his faith. Would it be wrong to say that if the unjust know no shame, that the just do know shame? I don’t think so. To know shame is to know your own faults and fallibility. To know what sin is and to know the punishment deserved for it. Shame comes with the acknowledgement of your own weakness…this is why living by faith is so important. To live by faith is to live a step beyond your shame. Understanding your weakness and then acknowledging the greatness of God. Yes, I have been wrong but I am made right in the presence of God. I am corrected, changed and even honored by my place in Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father. The just have to live by faith…or they would die in shame. I love it when the Old Testament preaches Grace. I am thinking that a study on being just would be interesting after looking at these scriptures.
Verse 17 is just beautiful in its description of the love of God our Father toward His children. I love verses that talk about God singing over us. What must that sound like? I think it happens all the time. He sings over us…we often hear about the angels singing and the choirs of heaven but does He constantly join in? Is there a hush before He begins and then the rest of heaven joins in? When we sing in church, does he sing our songs? Wouldn’t it be awesome to get to heaven and hear God singing a song that you wrote? Can anyone hear anything else while He is singing and does He sing over us individually just at times that we need or deserve it? Are His songs specific to circumstances or emotions or are they love songs from the heart of God? I cannot wait to hear God sing.