You’re just one person. How can you make the world a better place? Should you get behind a political candidate? Start a Save the Bees foundation? Pass out “Bikes Don’t Pollute” bumper stickers? Zephaniah 3:12–13 has a better idea. If you want to make the world better, the place to start is with you personally. Be meek and humble. Trust in the Lord. Don’t do wrong. Don’t tell lies. Live like this every day, and that part of the world where you live will be better because of you.
In Zephaniah’s day most of the people of Judah supposed they had a “do nothing” God. They thought they could do anything they wanted, and God would just sit there, frustrated, doing nothing at all.
Were they wrong! God brought enemy armies against his people, crushing their defenses. The people of Judah went off to captivity in Babylon. Do nothing? Hah!
It’s good to remember that you don’t have a “do nothing” God. Read Zephaniah to learn some of the things God says he will do:
• God will punish those who abandon him (Zephaniah 1:4–6).
• God will shelter those who do what he commands (Zephaniah 2:3).
• God will bless those who trust in his name (Zephaniah 3:12–13).
• God will deal with those who oppress his own (Zephaniah 3:19).
Zephaniah
Do Something!
It bugs us when there’s a problem and no one does anything about it. Zephaniah reminded the wicked people that God was about to act and punish them.