Bible Reading

Zephaniah Chapter 3 - For He Does Not Afflict Willingly, nor Grieve the Children of Men

When you’ve done something for someone who takes it for granted, would you do it again and again?

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A grain of wheat

26 Mar 2025

2 min read

Think of the worst person you know in your life. Does the bad that we see in a person blind us to their good, or the possibility of them changing for the better? Or perhaps deep down, we actually hope for them not to change, so they get what they “deserve”? During Zephaniah’s time, the people of God were reveling in idolatry, oppressing the poor, and showed no regard for God (Zeph 1:4-6; 3:1-3). God saw much more clearly the evil of His people, yet He hoped that their dwelling would not be cut off, that “surely” they would change and receive instruction (Zeph 3:7).

When you’ve done something for someone who takes it for granted, would you do it again and again? If we find it impossible to care about people like that, we can only begin to wonder how great the love of God is when He raised yet another prophet—our God who’d once taken the form of a servant to give His life for the undeserving (Phil 2:7-8); our God who continues to give and reach out to His creation until this day (Mt 5:45-46).

When struggling with sin and suffering, we may wonder: Since God is just, what did I do wrong that God seems to be punishing me? After striving to keep my faith and countless prayers with tears, why do I still see these bad things in me? Does God listen? Does God really care? Will things ever change? Perhaps God has given up on me. What’s the point of trying then? Such negative doubts only discourage and lead us away from God.

While in the flesh, we may will to do what is good and delight in the law of God, and yet do the things that we do not want (Rom 7:17-24). This is different from the evil who were eager to corrupt all of their deeds (Zeph 3:7 ESV). For a remnant who are humble and lowly, and who trust in Him (Zeph 3:9,12), God promises to take away the shame of their transgressions and judgments, to dwell in their midst again (Zeph 3:11,15). If we continue to seek righteousness, humility, and the Lord (Zeph 2:3), God sees our hearts, and like the remnant of Israel, He will restore us and bring us back to walk in His ways once again (Zeph 3:9,20).

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Daniel Chapter 5

We see James 4:6 coming to pass in this chapter, through the end of Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans and Daniel being made the third ruler in the kingdom. "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”" James 4:6 V4 they did the wrong thing V7 they brought in ‘the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers’. They either did not know or did not care that they should not be turning to these men to find answers. As many secular beliefs become more prevalent through the media in this day and age, we must guard our heart against these beliefs as they may corrupt our faith. In our lives today, we also should not turn to such men to find answers in our lives. "Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23 V11 & 13 the fact that they still sought counsel from Daniel, someone guided by God, is interesting, because it seemed unexpected for them, given that they turned to ‘the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers’. Let us rely on God through prayer and reading the Bible to find God’s will for our lives. It can also be through people God has placed in our lives, to remind us and nudge us in a certain direction. V17 Daniel did not accept the gifts. He still interpreted the writing, and was not in it for the benefits, but did so with genuineness and a humble heart, for the glory of God, and not for his own praise or glory. V29 by relying on God to interpret the inscription, he was made third ruler in the kingdom. V19 Nebuchadnezzar also took advantage of the power he was given and ‘Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down’. V20-21 God resists the proud and Nebuchadnezzar faced a downfall ‘till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.’ "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”" James 4:6 We must humble our hearts, especially since we know God and His Word. V23 they praised the gods but did not glorify God Is it the same with us today? That we know God is the One ‘who holds our breath in His hand and owns all [our] ways’ yet we have not glorified Him? Do we give praise to other things (e.g. hard work) and people in the face of success? They used what belongs to God to praise the gods of silver and gold. Do we also use what God has given us to praise other things and people? We must remember to give glory to God because God has given and provided us with these. Even what may seem like ours (e.g. our hard work) only exists because God gives us the strength and the days to achieve these things. We merely live on borrowed time, and we are but dust. "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children," Psalms 103:14-17 Every day we are given to live is a blessing. We should also not misuse our roles to oppress others. V25 the meaning of the inscription came to pass V27 ‘weighed in the balances, and found wanting’ could mean that Belshazzar’s life was wanted and would be taken away soon. We see that his soul was required of him that night. "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”" Luke 12:20-21 God’s Word will come to pass. We see that V28 also came true in V31. V28 the kingdom was given to Medes and Persians V31 Darius the Mede received the kingdom. It indeed came true. God’s Word coming to pass can be something we are fearful or hopeful about. It depends how prepared we are. Since God’s Word will come to pass, let us prepare ourselves so that we will remain hopeful for what is to come with faith and not fear.

Daniel Chapter 4 - Let the Most High God Reign in Your Life

The story in Daniel Chapter 4 is perhaps not unfamiliar to many of us. King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the great Babylonian empire, the king of kings, being turned into a beast, how spectacular is that? It's not until we read through this chapter for ourselves that we realise something even more spectacular: this whole chapter is told by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel Chapter 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar's own personal testimony! Isn't King Nebuchadnezzar the infamous evil king? How is it that in this chapter he gives praise to the almighty God? Perhaps the first thing that should catch our attention from today's chapter is the repeated phrase in verses 17 and 32. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wills. This phrase can even be said to be the theme of the whole Book of Daniel. This book is mostly set in the time of exile, when there seemingly was no longer any king over the people of God. Yet, in the Book of Daniel we see that though there was no earthly king ruling over Israel, God made it clear to these foreign kings that He is the almighty God. He was still the one who was truly the King. The outcome of this is that the evil king Nebuchadnezzar, probably the greatest and most powerful man during his time, writes this testimony for all peoples, nations, and languages to hear (Daniel 4:1-3). Imagine being a subject in the Babylonian empire, and receiving this declaration from king Nebuchadnezzar praising and glorifying the God of Israel. Though God's people sin against Him and are punished by being taken into exile, the name of God is still magnified. God is not put to shame. Today through baptism we have entered into the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is key for us to consider whether God truly is the King of our lives. It's natural to make many plans for our future, out of a desire to lead our dream lives. But for us Christians, the sovereignty and authority of God is something that we must be well-aware of and fully willing to submit to. If God doesn't let me get that job, are we able to accept it? If God closes the path towards our dreams, are we will to say "Let Thy will be done"? If God takes away all that we have, are we able to be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? If all this is causing us to struggle, remember this: God loves us. He knows what's best for us, He knows what we need. He has already given His life for us, and given us His precious Spirit to dwell within us. Having faith in God's love towards us gives us strength to submit to our King with full assurance that this is the best path for us, this is the way to blessing and to eternal life. Since our God is the highest and rules over the kingdom of man, what then should our response ought to be? Nebuchadnezzar begins and ends his testimony by praising and glorifying God. Giving praises to God is something that we have been often taught but perhaps we have not given enough thought to or taken seriously enough. Yet, throughout the Bible, it's clear that praises are a key part of our worship to God (just read the Book of Psalms). What might we praise God for? Like Nebuchadnezzar, we can praise God for His greatness and His almightiness. Just consider the stars, or the intricacies of the human body. We can praise God for His love and wisdom as seen in His creation as well as in His word. The more we study into the holy scriptures, the more we are filled with awe at how complete, connected, and wonderful these life-giving words are. We can also glorify God for His salvation which He has so freely given to us. Imagine how different our lives might be today if not for His grace and mercy! It's when we decide to finally take the importance of praising God seriously and intentionally set aside some time in our daily prayers to praise God, that we truly experience the blessing that comes along with it. We go through life being filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we have such a great and powerful Heavenly Father who loves us. In fact, it was when Nebuchadnezzar took the glory for Himself rather than giving all glory to God, that the infamous transformation into a beast took place. This brings us nicely to the final point of reflection for this devotional. Pride - when we take glory for ourselves rather than giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony serves as a stark warning for us. Even just a sentence or thought of pride can greatly displease God. How often have we unknowingly taken credit for ourselves for any achievements we have, or for any divine work that we do? Being puffed up with pride and not keeping to one's proper domain is precisely the sin of satan (1 Tim 3:6, Jude 6-7). If we are filled with pride, what difference is there between us and satan? In fact, while satan exalted himself, God on the contrary lowered Himself, coming in the likeness of man and humbling Himself even to the point of death (Phil 2:5-8). Whose example do we want to follow, that of God or of satan? Let us take warning from the story of Nebuchadnezzar and carefully consider who's example we want to follow. Indeed, God opposes the proud while giving grace to the humble. He blesses the meek, that they might inherit the earth .

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