BEING PRESERVED
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Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord's anger.
Zephaniah 2:3 is a very important verse in the days we are living in. It speaks of the forthcoming judgment of the Lord and that there is hope of being preserved. Further, it tells us how we can be preserved.
Fear of the Lord
As darkness is rising, there are many things that are bringing fear in the hearts of men. The conflicts in the world today, rise of extremists who are persecuting Jews and Christians, pandemics, shaky worldwide economy, and many more are gripping the hearts of people. But are these truly what man must fear? At worst these will hurt the body but they do not determine our eternity. One thing will affect a man's eternity and that is the wrath of God. If there is truly any fear we must possess it is the fear of the Almighty.
Zephaniah 2:3 makes it very clear that a time shall come when the Lord shall show forth His wrath. Even in the midst of rising evil around us, it is the fierce anger of God that must truly strike our hearts. The Apostle Paul even tells us Gentiles to consider this truth carefully.
The Apostle Paul tells us that the Lord will show His goodness toward those who abide in the Lord. However, those who will not will experience His severity. His wrath is real. We must remember that our God is just. He will reward everyone according to his deeds.
The fear of the Lord is very different from other fears. While the fear of men, danger, calamity, financial lack, trouble and death among others torment the soul, the true fear of the Lord leads to peace. Other fears lead to sleepless nights, panic, and discouragement. But the fear of the Lord brings forth wisdom, courage and a rest to our souls because it causes us to walk in righteousness or to make things right with God which then produces peace in our hearts. And when we gain the fear of the Lord more and more it quells other fears thus we experience greater peace of mind.
Zephaniah 2:3 makes it very clear that a time shall come when the Lord shall show forth His wrath. Even in the midst of rising evil around us, it is the fierce anger of God that must truly strike our hearts. The Apostle Paul even tells us Gentiles to consider this truth carefully.
Romans 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Rom 2:5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
The Apostle Paul tells us that the Lord will show His goodness toward those who abide in the Lord. However, those who will not will experience His severity. His wrath is real. We must remember that our God is just. He will reward everyone according to his deeds.
The fear of the Lord is very different from other fears. While the fear of men, danger, calamity, financial lack, trouble and death among others torment the soul, the true fear of the Lord leads to peace. Other fears lead to sleepless nights, panic, and discouragement. But the fear of the Lord brings forth wisdom, courage and a rest to our souls because it causes us to walk in righteousness or to make things right with God which then produces peace in our hearts. And when we gain the fear of the Lord more and more it quells other fears thus we experience greater peace of mind.
Being Hidden
Another thing that Zephaniah 2:3 speaks of is the possibility of being hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger. Yes, the days ahead will be the most difficult history has ever seen as we approach the end of times. But it is an encouragement for us to know that it is possible to be hidden. Man can be preserved.
Dr. Brian Bailey, in his book God’s Hidden Ones, speaks of the Lord’s ministry to hide or spare His people. There are several instances in the Bible that we see this truth. In the time of the rule of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, when she sought to kill all the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah the secretary of the king, hid 100 prophets to spare them. King David in Psalm 27 also speaks of being hidden in the pavilion of the Lord. In the time of Jeremiah, the wicked King Jehoiakim sought to slay the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe. However, the Lord hid and kept them from harm. (Bailey, 2011, p. 54-56)
Luke 21 describes for us the signs of the end of the age. In the last days, great trials will come to the earth such that men’s hearts will fail them in fear. However, the Lord Jesus says in Luke 21:36:
In the midst of the great trials, the Lord Jesus says that we can be counted worthy to escape. Certainly even in the rise of great wickedness God can preserve His people. He offers this possibility to His people and may we seriously desire it. (Bailey, 2011, p. 61)
Zephaniah 2:3 however also tells us how we might be preserved from God's anger.
First key is meekness. The Lord in Zephaniah 2:3 calls upon the meek of the earth. What does it mean to be meek? Meekness is not merely outward. It is a matter of the heart. There are two aspects to meekness. One concerns our response when we are provoked to anger. Provocations may come from unfair, rude, cruel, hurtful or insensitive treatment from another person. Under such circumstances, meekness keeps a man from defending himself or fighting back. Meekness enables a man to still be gracious.
The other aspect of meekness is the quiet acceptance of our circumstances even when it is an inconvenient or difficult circumstance. Meekness will keep a man from grumbling or complaining about the ordeal and make him thankful that God allowed it.
The Lord Jesus has given us an excellent example. In his final hours, he endured much undeserved suffering in the hands of men. Despite His capacity to defend Himself, He did not. He endured the mocking, wrong accusations, beating, scourging, and crucifixion and at no point did He seek to fight back. Great was the abuse that He suffered - the Scripture tells us His beard was even ripped off.
How is meekness developed in us?
Song of Solomon 3:6
Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
Myrrh and frankincense speak of meekness and faith. These two were upon Him who came out of the wilderness. Thus, meekness and faith are developed in wilderness trials. These two develop together because a person is able to be meek because of his faith that everything is under the control of God and that He does everything for his good. It is in difficult and dry seasons that meekness is worked out in us as we make one right decision after another in how we respond to our circumstances. Meekness will progressively grow in us as we consistently choose to surrender our situations to the Lord. When we make a decision to be meek, not to fight back or to complain, God brings favor upon our lives. And when we see the fruits of being meek, it builds our faith in the Lord that it becomes easier to be meek in succeeding situations. If we keep on practicing meekness it will become our nature. (Bailey, 2011, p. 33-34)
Why can God preserve the meek? The Lord looks upon the meek with much favor because meekness enables a man to commit his life in the care of the Lord. And those who do so shall see the faithfulness of God in caring for them.
Second, to seek the Lord.
To seek the Lord is to seek after His presence and revelations.
Psalm 27:4-5
One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
David said in Psalm 27 that he desired to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in His temple. David tells us where the Lord is to be found. It is in His dwelling place.
David, a man of war, also knew another thing, that in the presence of God is safety. David sought to be in the dwelling of the Lord to be hidden. This Psalm starts of with David declaring that he will not fear his enemies even if they are many and strong. What gave him such courage? It was the confidence of being preserved in the presence of God. If there is any man who knows how to survive against enemies it would be David, a man who has lived most of his life fighting wars and winning them. And he tells us that his secret to being preserved is not in his army or expertise. It is in learning how to enter and abide in the presence of God. Therefore, let us take heed his wise words.
How do we develop an earnest desire for more of God in our lives? To whom does God put a deeper hunger for Him in their hearts?
Psalm 63:1
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You...
Psalm 63:6
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
He draws men who meditate on Him. David sought the Lord day and night. If we will also set our hearts and minds on the Lord, filling our thoughts with thoughts of Him rather than the things of this world, He will give us a greater longing for Him. If we will fill our days with the reading of His Word and books that teach us more about Him, singing songs to the Lord, praying, listening to music or preachings that build the spirit, waiting upon Him and reflecting on Him, the Lord will give us a greater fervor for Him.
Third, to seek righteousness. Dr. Bailey in God’s Hidden Ones expounds on this matter. Righteousness is “doing the right things in the eyes of God.” He explains that there is a progression in righteousness that a Christian must experience that he might be preserved. The first level is imputed righteousness whereby God imputes the righteousness of Jesus upon us when we receive Him as our Savior and Lord. However, at this point, we are not yet actually righteous ourselves. (Bailey, 2011, p. 37; 39)
The next level of righteousness is what we call acts of righteousness. This is to do what God tells us to do by faith. If God prompts us to make a certain decision or take a certain action, we obey believing that we have heard from God and this is what is right in His sight. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. It is important that we do not only believe what God says but we actually do it. When our eyes are opened to fresh truths of the Lord and we step into that truth by appropriating and applying that truth, righteousness is worked out in us. (Bailey, 2011, p. 40-41)
The next level of righteousness is walking in the faith of Christ.
This means moving from simply doing specific acts of faith to seeking to hear and obey God daily. There is a greater dependence on the Lord at this stage and a greater submission to His lordship as one commits his daily life to the Lord. (Bailey, 2011, p. 42)
The next level is being filled with His righteousness and hungering for righteousness.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
This takes place when we pray to God for righteousness and meditate on His Words regarding righteousness. (Bailey, 2011, p. 43)
Lastly, as we walk the path of righteousness, it must lead us to holiness. While righteousness is about loving righteousness and doing what is right, holiness calls for a separation from iniquity. We must be separated from the things and the relationships that lead to sin. Who we walk with will influence our path. (Bailey, 2011, p. 47-48)
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Fourth, to seek humility. Humility is to take the lowly place whether this means deeming others as better than ourselves, serving others, submitting to and honoring authorities or acknowledging our faults and apologizing for them.
In summary, Zephaniah 2:3 speaks to us of the reality of God’s wrath but also the hope of being spared from it. It also shows how we might avail of the possibility of being hidden - by being meek and seeking the Lord, righteousness, and humility. As we approach the end of days, may the Lord bring a transformation in our hearts. While the flesh says to fear the things of this world, may we choose to fear God. While the flesh says to desire the things of this world, may we choose to desire the things that can lead us to being preserved.
Dr. Brian Bailey, in his book God’s Hidden Ones, speaks of the Lord’s ministry to hide or spare His people. There are several instances in the Bible that we see this truth. In the time of the rule of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, when she sought to kill all the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah the secretary of the king, hid 100 prophets to spare them. King David in Psalm 27 also speaks of being hidden in the pavilion of the Lord. In the time of Jeremiah, the wicked King Jehoiakim sought to slay the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe. However, the Lord hid and kept them from harm. (Bailey, 2011, p. 54-56)
Jeremiah 36:26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.
Luke 21 describes for us the signs of the end of the age. In the last days, great trials will come to the earth such that men’s hearts will fail them in fear. However, the Lord Jesus says in Luke 21:36:
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
In the midst of the great trials, the Lord Jesus says that we can be counted worthy to escape. Certainly even in the rise of great wickedness God can preserve His people. He offers this possibility to His people and may we seriously desire it. (Bailey, 2011, p. 61)
How We May Be Preserved
Zephaniah 2:3 however also tells us how we might be preserved from God's anger.
First key is meekness. The Lord in Zephaniah 2:3 calls upon the meek of the earth. What does it mean to be meek? Meekness is not merely outward. It is a matter of the heart. There are two aspects to meekness. One concerns our response when we are provoked to anger. Provocations may come from unfair, rude, cruel, hurtful or insensitive treatment from another person. Under such circumstances, meekness keeps a man from defending himself or fighting back. Meekness enables a man to still be gracious.
The other aspect of meekness is the quiet acceptance of our circumstances even when it is an inconvenient or difficult circumstance. Meekness will keep a man from grumbling or complaining about the ordeal and make him thankful that God allowed it.
The Lord Jesus has given us an excellent example. In his final hours, he endured much undeserved suffering in the hands of men. Despite His capacity to defend Himself, He did not. He endured the mocking, wrong accusations, beating, scourging, and crucifixion and at no point did He seek to fight back. Great was the abuse that He suffered - the Scripture tells us His beard was even ripped off.
How is meekness developed in us?
Song of Solomon 3:6
Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
Myrrh and frankincense speak of meekness and faith. These two were upon Him who came out of the wilderness. Thus, meekness and faith are developed in wilderness trials. These two develop together because a person is able to be meek because of his faith that everything is under the control of God and that He does everything for his good. It is in difficult and dry seasons that meekness is worked out in us as we make one right decision after another in how we respond to our circumstances. Meekness will progressively grow in us as we consistently choose to surrender our situations to the Lord. When we make a decision to be meek, not to fight back or to complain, God brings favor upon our lives. And when we see the fruits of being meek, it builds our faith in the Lord that it becomes easier to be meek in succeeding situations. If we keep on practicing meekness it will become our nature. (Bailey, 2011, p. 33-34)
Why can God preserve the meek? The Lord looks upon the meek with much favor because meekness enables a man to commit his life in the care of the Lord. And those who do so shall see the faithfulness of God in caring for them.
Second, to seek the Lord.
To seek the Lord is to seek after His presence and revelations.
Psalm 27:4-5
One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
David said in Psalm 27 that he desired to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in His temple. David tells us where the Lord is to be found. It is in His dwelling place.
David, a man of war, also knew another thing, that in the presence of God is safety. David sought to be in the dwelling of the Lord to be hidden. This Psalm starts of with David declaring that he will not fear his enemies even if they are many and strong. What gave him such courage? It was the confidence of being preserved in the presence of God. If there is any man who knows how to survive against enemies it would be David, a man who has lived most of his life fighting wars and winning them. And he tells us that his secret to being preserved is not in his army or expertise. It is in learning how to enter and abide in the presence of God. Therefore, let us take heed his wise words.
How do we develop an earnest desire for more of God in our lives? To whom does God put a deeper hunger for Him in their hearts?
Psalm 63:1
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You...
Psalm 63:6
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
He draws men who meditate on Him. David sought the Lord day and night. If we will also set our hearts and minds on the Lord, filling our thoughts with thoughts of Him rather than the things of this world, He will give us a greater longing for Him. If we will fill our days with the reading of His Word and books that teach us more about Him, singing songs to the Lord, praying, listening to music or preachings that build the spirit, waiting upon Him and reflecting on Him, the Lord will give us a greater fervor for Him.
Third, to seek righteousness. Dr. Bailey in God’s Hidden Ones expounds on this matter. Righteousness is “doing the right things in the eyes of God.” He explains that there is a progression in righteousness that a Christian must experience that he might be preserved. The first level is imputed righteousness whereby God imputes the righteousness of Jesus upon us when we receive Him as our Savior and Lord. However, at this point, we are not yet actually righteous ourselves. (Bailey, 2011, p. 37; 39)
The next level of righteousness is what we call acts of righteousness. This is to do what God tells us to do by faith. If God prompts us to make a certain decision or take a certain action, we obey believing that we have heard from God and this is what is right in His sight. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. It is important that we do not only believe what God says but we actually do it. When our eyes are opened to fresh truths of the Lord and we step into that truth by appropriating and applying that truth, righteousness is worked out in us. (Bailey, 2011, p. 40-41)
The next level of righteousness is walking in the faith of Christ.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
This means moving from simply doing specific acts of faith to seeking to hear and obey God daily. There is a greater dependence on the Lord at this stage and a greater submission to His lordship as one commits his daily life to the Lord. (Bailey, 2011, p. 42)
The next level is being filled with His righteousness and hungering for righteousness.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
This takes place when we pray to God for righteousness and meditate on His Words regarding righteousness. (Bailey, 2011, p. 43)
Lastly, as we walk the path of righteousness, it must lead us to holiness. While righteousness is about loving righteousness and doing what is right, holiness calls for a separation from iniquity. We must be separated from the things and the relationships that lead to sin. Who we walk with will influence our path. (Bailey, 2011, p. 47-48)
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Fourth, to seek humility. Humility is to take the lowly place whether this means deeming others as better than ourselves, serving others, submitting to and honoring authorities or acknowledging our faults and apologizing for them.
In summary, Zephaniah 2:3 speaks to us of the reality of God’s wrath but also the hope of being spared from it. It also shows how we might avail of the possibility of being hidden - by being meek and seeking the Lord, righteousness, and humility. As we approach the end of days, may the Lord bring a transformation in our hearts. While the flesh says to fear the things of this world, may we choose to fear God. While the flesh says to desire the things of this world, may we choose to desire the things that can lead us to being preserved.
Reference:
Bailey, B. J. (2011). God's Hidden Ones. Waverly, NY: Zion Christian Publishers.
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