A Bag With Holes

Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.  Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

Haggai 1:5-7

The Lord here tells His people twice to “Consider your ways.”  We would be wise to follow that advice ourselves.  He points out the futility with which they live their lives, and I think that we could easily see parallels in our society.  People have “sown much, but bring in little.”  People today are busier than they have ever been.  We are constantly and frantically running around trying to get ahead.  Yet contentment is low.  People are still not happy.  People “eat, but have not enough.”  We are never satisfied.  We are always wanting more or better instead of being thankful for what we have.  And how about this one for today’s society:

“…he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”

If there is one statement that would describe most people today, it is this one.  People work long and hard hours for a paycheck.  When that paycheck finally comes, it seems that it’s gone as soon as it hits the bank.  After looking back, we sometimes wonder where it all went.

There are people all around us who live life exactly as described in this verse.  They would be wise to do as the Lord told the Israelites: “Consider your ways.”  If we find ourselves being described by any of these things, we would be wise to “Consider our ways.”  If we aren’t getting the results we want, we need to do something differently.  In most cases, that would involve turning to the Lord and doing things His way instead of our way.

He Leadeth Me (Hymn)

He Leadeth Me
Joseph Gilmore (1862)

He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain:
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful foll’wer I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.

Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, o’er troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

It is a blessed thought to think that He leads us.  We aren’t just randomly wandering through life.  The Lord is with us and guide us.  Whether it’s by still waters or through troubled seas, He leads us.  That is a reason for us to be content – He leads us.

Learn From the Mistakes of Others

Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.  Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

Zechariah 1:3-4

The first phrase in verse four really caught my eye as I was reading this passage: “Be ye not as your fathers…”  God was giving a warning to the nation of Israel and He told them to not follow the example of their fathers.  That is a sad statement.  I’m sure that every father would want their children to look up to them and would want to be a good example for them.  Sadly, that is not always the case.  It was not definitely not the case in this situation.

God was sending these people a prophet in hopes of getting them to turn back to Him.  He had already sent prophets to their fathers with the same message:  “Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings…”  And their fathers rejected that message and rejected the Lord: “…but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.”  Even though they had rebelled against Him, God had extended them an offer of reconciliation, which they rejected.

Now God is imploring the people to learn from the mistakes of their fathers and turn back to Him.  Sometimes it is important to learn from the mistakes of others.  We fail and we need to learn from those failures.  Others around us fail, too.  We need to learn from those mistakes as well.  In every situation in our lives, the Lord wants to teach us something.  The question is: are we willing to learn?  These Israelites didn’t learn from the mistakes of their fathers and were destroyed because of it.

The Prophet’s Job

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.  Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 1:1-3

One of the many things that strikes me as I read through the books of the prophets is the fact that, even in the midst of judgment, and even after generations of rebellion and disobedience, God is still sending prophets to His people with messages of warning and messages of mercy and restoration.  These verses sum up those messages of the prophets perfectly.

Verse two tells us “The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.”  By this point, the nation of Israel had been in spiritual rebellion for several generations.  It had been years and years since the people loved, obeyed and followed the Lord.  They had long since rejected Him and starting serving other “gods.”  This obviously displeased God.  And He tells the people that He has been displeased with their fathers.  The prophets always warned the people and always told the people exactly what they had done to displease the Lord.  God was not vague with them.  He told them what the problem was and He told them how to fix it.

“…Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you…”  After expressing His displeasure with their fathers, the Lord tells the prophets to give the people a message of reconciliation.  Even though their fathers had rejected God and served other gods, if they would turn back to the Lord, He would turn to them.  We can see from history that the people did not accept this gracious offer, and they were judged.

When you think about it, those are things that the Bible does for us today.  It tells us where we have failed and it tells us of the Saviour’s love.  It tells us that we are not right, but it also tells us how to get right.  We need to be thankful for our “more sure word of prophecy.”  (II Peter 1:19)

Turning Back Captivity

Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.  At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.

Zephaniah 3:19-20

The books of the Old Testament prophets are generally books of judgment.  God’s people have rejected and disobeyed Him and He is having to chasten and judge them.  There are not too many positive things in most of these books, which is probably why many people don’t like to read them or study them.  But I am encouraged by the fact that, no matter how great the chastening is going to be, God always gives them hope.  He always has a remnant that will follow Him and He always promises to not chasten them forever.

At the time of the writing of this book, the nation of Israel was about to be taken captive.  They would remain in captivity of one sort or another for many years.  These would not be easy years.  When we find ourselves under the chastening hand of God, it is never easy and it is never pleasant.  But, no matter how much it may hurt, we can take comfort in these words:

“At that time will I bring you again… I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes…”  What a comforting thought.  Even though the nation of Israel was about to go through a terrible captivity, God tells them that He will not forget them and that He will eventually “turn back their captivity.”  He does the same with us.  The Bible tells us that He has “led captivity captive.”  He controls everything.  We may feel like we are “in captivity.”  But He has the ability to turn back that captivity.  Just keep trusting Him!

The Restoration

Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.

Zephaniah 3:19

Verses like this one give us a small glimpse into the tenderness and lovingkindness of our Lord.  This passage is a prophecy regarding the future restoration of the nation of Israel, but we can glean from it a little better understanding of the Lord and of His character.  And, many of the things that He will literally and physically do for the nation of Israel, He has already done spiritually for us and in us.

Just look at the tenderness of the Lord here: “I will undo all that afflict thee…”  He is going to confound and punish those who afflict His people.  “I will save her that halteth…”  He is going to pick up those who are falling.  How many times has He done just that for us?  How many times have we stumbled and fallen, only to have Him pick us back up again?  He will “gather her that was driven out…”  Sometimes being a Christian can make you feel like an outcast in the world.  He is going to help those who were “driven out.”  “I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.”  Many in the world would scoff at Christians and Christianity.  But the day is coming when that shame will be turned around.

The fact that the Lord will help the afflicted, save the halting, gather the outcasts, and turn back those who have been shamed is just another example of the extraordinary mercy, grace and tenderness of our Lord.  We can read verses like this one and be thankful to know such a wonderful Saviour!

Rejoicing Over Us?

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.

Zephaniah 3:17

This verse contains an amazing truth that is hard for me to comprehend.  It says that the Lord will “rejoice over thee with joy” and that He will “joy over thee with singing.”  I can understand how we would rejoice over the Lord with rejoicing and singing, but how and why would be have that kind of joy over any of us?

The beginning of the verse tells that a) He is mighty, and b) He will save.  Those alone are great truths in which we can rejoice.  Not only is He willing to save us, but He is mighty and has the ability to save us.  But it goes beyond that: not only is He willing to save us and able to save us, but He delights in saving us.  He rejoices over His people (in this passage, that would be the nation of Israel, but the principle remains) “with joy” and “with singing.”

Can you imagine that?  Can you imagine the God of Heaven and Earth, the creator of the world, the Eternal God, singing with joy over His people?  What an amazing thought!  That should show us just how much He loves His people.  I John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.”  I John 4:10 says “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  There could be no greater love that, my friend.  He gave His own Son for us.  He love us and rejoices over us with joy and singing.  That should serve to draw us closer to Him!  What a thought!

The Lord is in the Midst

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.  The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.  In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

Zephaniah 3:14-16

Doctrinally, I believe that this passage is referring to the future millennial Kingdom, when Jesus Christ sets up His earthly kingdom.  That will be a glorious day and it will give us (and Israel) reason to “Sing…, shout…, and ‘be glad and rejoice with all the heart’.”  But we can find some things in verse 15 that the Lord has already done for us and in us that should give us reason to “sing, shout and be glad and rejoice” even today.

“The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy.”  The Christian has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin.  His judgments have been taken away, being borne by Jesus Christ on the cross.  He is “not condemned.”  He has “passed from death unto life.”  What a truth!   The Lord has also “cast out thine enemy.”  While the Devil is still around and will still be a thorn in our flesh until the day we die, we are promised victory over him.  We are told to resist him and he will flee.  We are told that “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.”  The Devil has been defeated.  We do not have to serve him and we do not have to live under his power and longer.

Also, we can take comfort in the fact that “…the Lord, is in the midst of thee.”  As Christians, wherever we go, the Lord is in the midst.  That is both encouraging and convicting at the same time.

While these truths will not be literally fulfilled until after His Second coming, we can enjoy them in our hearts even today through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Have You Been To Jesus (Hymn)

Have Your Been To Jesus
Elisha Hoffman (18??)

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain

When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb!

Refrain

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?  Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?  Those are the most important questions that anyone will ever answer.  The answer to those questions will determine the fate of your eternal soul.  I am so very thankful for the precious blood of the Lamb!

The Unjust Knoweth No Shame

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 3:5

Yesterday, we looked at the encouraging aspects of this verse.  But as I was thinking about those wonderful things (the Lord always being with us, never doing wrong and never failing), I started thinking about the phrase at the end of the verse: “the unjust knoweth no shame.”  I think that phrase has an important lesson for us, as well.

When you think about shame, it seems that many people in our society have no shame whatsoever.  They will do anything and say anything without even blinking.  I don’t understand that.  I am ashamed of things that I have done, I am ashamed of things that I have said, I am ashamed of things that I have thought, I am ashamed of attitudes that I have had.  I have often been ashamed of myself.  My shame comes from the fact that I have transgressed God’s law.  I have disobeyed my Heavenly Father.  Thinking about those failures is humbling and is a cause for shame.  So why can so many other people do things seemingly without any shame at all?  I think the answer is in this verse:

“The unjust knoweth no shame…”  According to Romans 3:24, I have been “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  While I have surely done “unjustly,” positionally (due to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ), I am just.  It is the Holy Spirit within me that I have grieved when I have sinned, and thus the shame.  A person who does not know the Lord would be much less likely to feel shame as they have rejected the One they have sinned against.

Do we feel shame for our sin?  While it may seem strange, let us thank the Lord for that.  Realizing that we have done something wrong is the first step in getting it right.  There are those who feel no shame for their sin.  We should be praying for them.