The Daily Word: Sunday, December 19th, 2021
Zephaniah 1:1-3:20
Revelation 10:1-11
Psalm 138:1-8
Proverbs 30:11-14
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“I will stretch out My hand against Judah,
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests—
Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord,
But who also swear by Milcom;
Those who have turned back from following the Lord,
And have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.” – Zeph. 1:4-6
As was typical in Old Testament prophecy, God was pronouncing judgment on His people. They had stopped following Him! But notice who is specifically targeted in these verses: the “idolatrous priests with the pagan priests.” There were priests – men who were supposed to facilitate worship of the Lord as their very profession – who were not following God. And look at God’s chief complaint against them in verse 5: they worshipped God “on the housetops;” but they also worshiped something else, in this case, a false God names “Milcom” (v 5). And God counted their dual worship as having “turned back from following the Lord” altogether.
If you’re going to worship God and something else, you might as well not worship Him at all. If you’re going to listen to God and someone else, you might as well not listen to Him at all! There is no room in your life for something else. Jesus Christ – and Him alone! – must sit on the throne of your heart.
So I ask you today: is there something else? Is there something else you are worshipping that is not God? Is there something else to which you are looking for safety and security that is not the Lord? Repent and return to God. He is all you need and so much more.
Prayer:
Father, I don’t need anything or anyone else! I will follow You and You alone, in Jesus’ name. Give me the strength and discernment to cast off every other idol so that You are the One and only object of my worship and my affection, in Jesus’ name.
© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.