Reading 72 • November 25
Today's Scripture
Zephaniah 3:1–8
Ah, soiled, defiled, oppressing city! It has listened to no voice; it has accepted no correction. It has not trusted in the Lord; it has not drawn near to its God. The officials within it are roaring lions; its judges are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning. Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons; its priests have profaned what is sacred, they have done violence to the law. The Lord within it is righteous; he does no wrong. Every morning he renders his judgment, each dawn without fail; but the unjust knows no shame. I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without people, without inhabitants. I said, “Surely the city will fear me, it will accept correction; it will not lose sight of all that I have brought upon it.” But they were the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt.
Therefore wait for me, says the Lord, for the day when I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed. (NRSV)
Reflection
As G.K. Chesterton said, “Fairy tales do not exist merely to tell children that dragons are real. They are already well aware of the fact. [Fairy tales] exist to tell children that dragons can be slain.”
Hence, the beginning of the third chapter of Zephaniah, in which the prophet cries against the dragons of Israel, the sins that have overtaken God’s chosen people. Not just present sins, but past sins. God even compares their sins to those of Israel’s enemies. The basic message? There is something amongst us, perhaps even part of ourselves, that must be, will be, slain. Whether we like it or not. It is the point of our story, as it were.
And to see that point, we must first awaken to it. To carry the dragon metaphor further, let’s revisit J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Those who remember Bilbo’s venture into the dragon Smaug’s lair will readily recall that the beast was so secure on his pile of ill-gotten gain that he was sleeping peacefully, utterly blind as to how those past sins would set him up for judgment. When Bilbo disturbed his treasure, he was disturbing the very thing that Smaug used to justify his own existence. Bilbo, in his own way, is like the prophet, a bit timid perhaps, but wise and willing to do his part in holding the dragon accountable. Like biblical prophets, he is not taken very seriously.
“The dragon stopped short in his boasting. ‘Your information is antiquated,’ he snapped. ‘I am armored above and below with iron scales and hard gems. No blade can pierce me.’
“‘I might have guessed it,’ said Bilbo. ‘Truly there can nowhere be found the equal of Lord Smaug the Impenetrable. What magnificence to possess a waistcoat of fine diamonds!’
‘“Yes, it is rare and wonderful, indeed,’ said Smaug, absurdly pleased. He did not know that the hobbit had already caught a glimpse of his peculiar under-covering on his previous visit and was itching for a closer view for reasons of his own. The dragon rolled over. ‘Look!’ he said. ‘What do you say to that?'
‘“Dazzlingly marvelous! Perfect! Flawless! Staggering!’ exclaimed Bilbo aloud, but what he thought inside was: ‘Old fool! Why, there is a large patch in the hollow of his left breast as bare as a snail out of its shell!’
Also, just as the biblical prophet had his finger on Israel’s sins, Bilbo quickly identified what would be the undoing of Smaug. Smaug had grown so proud, his evil doing had become so normal to him, that he lost all sense of proportion about his place in the universe.
The question is always before us when God’s prophet speaks. It’s not a question of whether we have sin but what to do about sin. Are we like Smaug, proud and unrepentant? Asleep in our own sense of false security? Unable to see our future undoing?
Prayer
Lord, remind me that my dragons can be slain. Use your prophets to show me where I am weak and vulnerable to righteous judgment. Help me to part with any treasures that do not truly belong to me. Replace my false sense of security with one rooted in your invulnerability, your perfect love, and perfect provision. Amen.
Written by Dave Canfield, Director of Connecting Ministries
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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