Daily Devotions
Zephaniah
"The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness"
Text: Zephaniah 3:13
THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL
The returnees would be called “the remnant of Israel”. Their numbers would be necessarily small for the wars had robbed the nation of many lives! Once again, we have an important description of the kind of people they should be!
“The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness
And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”
Zephaniah 3:13
1. Three sins that would no longer be tolerated
a) “Unrighteousness”
i) There was so much unrighteousness in the land before the Babylonian captivity.
ii) Unrighteousness prevailed.
iii) Like the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, hardly ten righteous men may be found!
iv) But unrighteousness would no longer be tolerated as if it was “the norm”.
b) “Lies”
i) Untruth was part and parcel of daily life in the past.
ii) Few would think it strange if lying was done.
iii) But lies would not be a part of the future remnant of Israel.
c) “Deceit”
i) Deceit was commonplace.
ii) It was practised business.
iii) It was part of the political scenario.
iv) Deceit has no place among the remnant of Israel.
2. A new scenario
a) New practices would be found.
i) People would practise righteousness.
ii) They would not resort to lying but would tell the truth instead.
iii) They would not resort to deception to obtain desired results.
b) The remnant would never need to fear their enemies.
God would watch over them as they bring their sheep to pasture.
No one would be able to cause them to feel fear! God’s presence would be felt!