Suppose God gave each human being a “budget” of exactly one hundred words to use each day. How would you invest them? Twenty to talk about politics, twenty to complain about aches and pains, forty to brag about grandchildren, maybe ten to gossip about people we don’t like, and so on.
Remember when Jesus said “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks?” (see Matthew 12:34). Our mouths reveal the true contents of our hearts. Going back to our “word budget” example, how many of our words would be invested in praising and giving thanks to God? In our minds we may say that God is first in our lives, but it is our lips that tell the truth.
The prophet Zephaniah wrote to a community in Jerusalem that had gone way off course. God was put in the far back burner, and they had even begun to worship idols in the sacred Temple. It was time for judgement. Zephaniah made it clear that the “day of the Lord” was near. And what a day it turned out to be. Jerusalem was demolished, people were slaughtered, and most of those who survived were taken into captivity.
Let’s listen to his words (Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13).
“Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted, to the tyrannical city! She hears no voice, accepts no correction; in the Lord she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near.”
Jerusalem was as corrupt as it could be. Deaf to the voice of the prophets, hardened in its ways, and so far away from God that he mattered little to them anymore, this city was ripe for judgement.
What effect would this day of the Lord bring about?
“For then I will change and purify the lipsof the peoples, that they all may call upon the name of the Lord, and serve him with one accord.”
God’s changing began with purifying “lips.” After he dealt with them, they would use their lips to “call upon the name of the Lord.”
“For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, and you shall no longer exalt yourself on my holy mountain.”
Braggarts boast of themselves, their accomplishments, their money. God would do away with them. Pride would no longer dominate the conversation in Jerusalem.
“But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly who take refuge in the name of the Lord: the remnant of Israel.”
Only a remnant would remain, and they would be characterized by their humility. Recognizing their dependence on God, their mouths would be filled with prayer and praise.
“They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue…”
Notice once again the focus on speech—the lips. No longer would they invest their supply of words in gods and values of their own making.
We wonder what Zephaniah speaks to our own cities. Are we, by and large, drawing near to God and honoring the call to repentance? Or are our “lips” invested in other matters—even sinful ones? Does God have a “day of the Lord” in store for our cities? We know that “judgement” is God’s last resort. He prefers to “purify our lips” in a gentle way when we turn to him in humble repentance.
This is our Advent grace—to turn to the Lord today and not wait for a day of judgment. Aspire to be part of the faithful remnant.
“…the lowly will hear me and be glad” (Ps 34:3).
