Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the Lord’s anger.
Zephaniah 2:3
Observation: During the time of the last kings of Judah - during the reign of Josiah the 'last good' king - the Lord declares that he will utterly destroy Judah, and all the surrounding nations. He will lay waste to the temple, and kill all those in Jerusalem, their great lives full of gold and wine amounting to helplessness and nothingness. As a form of protection to the remnant that survives, he will also destroy all the surrounding enemies, including Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Cush, and Assyria.
And who will be that remnant? It will be a small handful who humble themselves and seek the Lord. However, it is important to note that 'remnant' doesn't mean 'protected from hardship.' They will be sheltered from the Lord's anger and survive. They will not retain their lives, their riches, their homes, or their temple. They will likely be allowed to flee to places like Ashkelon (called out in v7 as a place for them), but fleeing with nothing but your lives to the land of the Philistines doesn't sound like salvation.
Judah is going down. Jerusalem will be destroyed, and the temple will be completely torn down and burned, purging it of everything corrupt that the Jews have done within it, and purging it of the corrupted people who have lost sight of the Lord. For the righteous who remain faithful to the Lord, they will be sheltered - aka allowed to live - but the Lord's anger will be complete within the land. They must seek humility ... not only should be the humble in their faith, but their future lives will be the most humble of experiences.
Application: I remain convinced that this is the future of America ... there will come a time when the Lord will decide he has had enough of our nation. We aren't some "chosen" people, so this isn't like the interaction between the Lord and his nation of priests, but we are a nation that was founded with a measure of faith and blessed, and has now so turned against the Lord that we are the gateway for evil into the world.
And those of us who have faith in Jesus Christ and who seek righteousness ... what will become of us? We will be sheltered, but we better have a good understanding of what that "sheltered" may look like. It might look like ... living as refugees in small shacks in Mexico, or residing in small European apartments with just enough 'retirement savings' to provide for our small daily meals, or becoming migrant farm hands working for those who now operate the infrastructure of rural North America.
And here's the deal ... I want to be found as one of those "humble in the land". I act too prideful, and behave in a manner of my own choosing too often. In faith in Jesus, I wish to live a more humble life of service to him and to others. Yea, I'm not really looking forward to what "shelter" might look like when the Lord acts against America, and I'm very disturbed by how Christians are now being attacked already in America, but that's all part of the call. That's all part of faith. I live in a sinful land that is in full rebellion against the Lord, and when he chooses to bring it down I hope to be found faithful and humble.
Prayer: Lord, my acts every day are truly rooted in pride and arrogance. Please forgive me sins and my arrogance. May I keep my heart humble, and find ways to instead serve you, love others, and do good work that you have prepared for me. Amen.
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