All Publications by No Deceit

A central theme of Zephaniah 1 is God’s judgment. The prophet Zephaniah delivered these warnings during the reign of King Josiah, before the king led the people of Judah back to God. At that time, Judah was steeped in spiritual and moral corruption, prompting God to declare His impending judgment through Zephaniah. One of the primary sins highlighted in this chapter is idolatry. In Zeph 1:4-6, God expresses His anger against: Those who worship Baal, Pagan priests, Those who worship the host of heaven (the sun, moon, stars, and planets), and Those who swear by both the LORD and Milcom (a false god of the Ammonites). By engaging in these practices, the people of Judah had violated the first two commandments given by God in Exodus 20. God had already warned Israel in Deuteronomy 8:19: "If you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.” Now, through Zephaniah, God reaffirms this warning, pronouncing judgment upon Judah for their idolatry and unfaithfulness. Notably, Zeph 1:5 condemns those who try to serve both God and false gods, “those who swear oaths by the LORD, but also swear by Milcom. Though some had completely strayed from God, there were also those who strayed to a lesser extent, those who compromised in their loyalty to God, who had not outright abandoned God but attempted to worship both Him and idols. This however was still condemned by God. God demanded their undivided devotion and nothing less than that. God’s expectation of undivided devotion remains the same for us today. What is expected of us is nothing less than our full commitment to Him. While Zephaniah’s prophecy directly foretold Judah’s destruction by the Babylonians, it also foreshadows the final day of judgment, the day when we all face God’s judgement. Judah’s ultimate demise at the hands of the Babylonians serves as a warning for us, showing us the consequences of turning away from God. From their mistakes, we must learn how to avoid spiritual destruction in our own lives. In our busy lives today, we must be careful not to let other priorities take God’s place. While we may not worship any physical idols today, idolatry can still exist in different forms. Anything that consumes our attention more than God—whether success, wealth, relationships, or ambitions—can become our idol. Just as God was displeased with Judah for their divided loyalty, He will also be displeased with us if we allow anything to come before Him. Another key lesson comes from Verse 8, where God pronounces judgment upon "the princes and the king’s children." Throughout the history of Israel and Judah, it was often the leaders and rulers who brought the people into idolatry and sin. While we may not be kings or princes, many of us may be entrusted with positions of leadership—whether as parents, teachers, mentors, or other Church leaders. In these positions of influence and guidance, we must strive to lead others toward God, not away from Him. Finally, Zeph 1:18 reminds us that "neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them." This reminds us again about priorities. No amount of wealth, success, or worldly achievement can save us from God’s judgment. In the end, the only thing that truly matters is our relationship with Him. Nothing we gain in this life can redeem us, only our wholehearted devotion to God can. Therefore, we must carefully examine our priorities: is God truly first, or have idols taken His place?"

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:3-4). Jonah Chapter 3 records a classic example of this exact sentiment. It records the story of prophet Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh, and the repentance of Nineveh. When looking at the story of Nineveh’s repentance, there is a sense of comfort that we can find for ourselves. Just as God forgave the people of Nineveh when they were sincerely repentant, we also have confidence that God has the mercy to forgive us for our sins today if we repent with a sincere heart. We however should not grow complacent just because we think God will be merciful with us. Within this chapter, we see the lengths that the people went to in order to seek forgiveness from God. First, verse 6 records that the king himself mourned in sackcloth and sat in ashes. Verse 7 to 9 then record the decree made by the king, mandating fasting and mourning for all his people, driving them all to repentance before God. Take a moment to reflect on this, is this the state we want to reach before we finally turn to God? Although the people of Nineveh were ultimately spared, let us not be deceived, it was a sorry state that they were in. Furthermore, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:26 that “if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins”. God’s love abounds and His mercy is plentiful, but let us be careful never to take advantage of this love and mercy. Jonah’s story also teaches us about how we should treat others who we ourselves may deem as sinful. The narrative of the Book of Jonah centers around Jonah refusing to preach to Nineveh due to his hatred for the city and his skepticism that its people would change. When we read the story of Jonah, we are quick to say that Jonah’s attitude was not right. However, when we look at our peers around us, do we also unknowingly adopt Jonah’s mindset? Are we quick to judge people? To fit them into certain labels and refrain from helping them in their faith? Something we must remember is that God desires all men to be saved. Every soul is precious in the sight of God. If this is the case, as servants of God, we must fulfill his will and try to save every soul regardless of our perception of them. All in all, we have received this gift of love and mercy from God. We ought to share this wonderful gift with others.

It is often said that things done and said right before death hold immense weight and importance. John chapter 13 records this exact instance for the man who had the most important job to do: Jesus. The key event recorded in the first part of John 13 is Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. This event teaches us the humility that one ought to have as a servant of God. Jesus, the master, played the role of a servant for His disciples, teaching us that when we are put in leadership positions in the Church, our purpose is to serve others and not lord over them. However, this occasion holds more significance than just a lesson on humility. The chapter begins saying Jesus “knew that his hour had come”. Jesus needed to complete a few important things before He died for all of mankind’s sins and amongst these few things was this sacrament of Footwashing. When Peter did not understand what Jesus was doing, Jesus explained that if He did not wash him, Peter would have no part with Him (verse 8). The footwashing conducted here had the purpose of providing a part with Jesus and Peter’s reaction to Jesus’ words show us just how important footwashing really is. The initial reaction that Peter had to Jesus washing his feet actually draws out more reflection points for us. Initially, Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet because in his view, his master should never wash his feet. Peter was so confident in his own judgement, so much so that he forgot that he was disregarding what Jesus wanted. Today, in our lives, are we like this as well? Do we unknowingly trust more in our judgement of situations and things instead of trusting in God’s will and process? The last thing Jesus leaves His disciples with in this chapter is His new commandment to love one another as He had loved them (verse 34). It seems strange that Jesus called this a new commandment since the commandment of love has always been there, since old testament times. However, this new commandment gives this love a new reference point: Jesus. It sets a new standard to not just love others as ourselves, but to love others unconditionally and sacrificially just like Jesus. This new commandment of love is also further explained to be the mark of the disciples of Jesus for all to see. In our lives today, this is still the case. Our love for others should be apparent and should show others the true meaning of being a Christian.