I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, the names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests— those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom; those who have turned back from following the Lord, and have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him. (Zephaniah 1:4-6)

Serving God And Satan

God is a jealous God, and He demands allegiance to be total, complete, and without reservation. When He gave the law to the Hebrews, the first thing He reminded them of was that He was the One who brought them out of the land of Egypt. His declaration that He was the Lord their God affirmed complete and dominant authority over their lives. The warnings contained in the law focused upon the failure of man to remain wholly faithful to the Lord, allowing the influences of the world to corrupt worship. God will not allow His worshippers to have any other gods before him. This is an absolute law. Bowing down and serving carved images was forbidden. As a jealous God whose name is Jealous, worship of the Lord God was unmixed.

Zephaniah was a prophet during the days of revival under King Josiah. As the young king sought to restore a proper respect for worship to Jehovah, Zephaniah preached a message of fearless allegiance to the one true God. He warned the people of the scope of God’s judgment upon their hypocrisy to worship the Lord, but also swear allegiance to pagan gods. The land festered with the stench of godless worship of Baal, Milcom, Ashtoreth, and Chemosh. Idolatrous priests fed the hearts of the people the dung of wickedness to worship the host of heaven on the housetops, swearing oaths by the Lord, but who also swore by their carved images. The pretensions of swearing allegiance to the Lord assuaged the consciousness of the people. Their hypocrisy was evident when they turned back from following the Lord to swear by their idols. They tried to live in both the world of righteousness and the world of unrighteousness. Their hypocrisy led to their destruction.

Worshipping God with one foot in the world and one foot in what is perceived as religion is the common thread for many in the world. With a pretense of spirituality, people will extol the virtues of religion as a part of their lives while basking in the carnality of the world. They fill churches on Sunday and bars and nightclubs on the weekend. For many, life is about living to the extreme, mixing in a little ‘God’ occasionally to soothe the conscience. Serving the Lord is never required because commandment-keeping is viewed with disdain. Like those in the days of Zephaniah, worship is given to the Lord at the same time as pledging oaths to the gods of the world. There are no idols to fall down to because the lives of the ungodly dwell in the temples of pleasure, wealth, and immorality.

Jesus died to open a way of salvation for sinful man to be redeemed. The path to eternal life is a singular, narrow road. Most, according to Jesus, prefer the broad way, where they can worship God while still maintaining allegiance to the gods of the world. God remains a jealous God. He demands complete allegiance and loyalty. It is impossible to serve God and the mammon of the world. When men try to serve God and the gods of the world, they serve Satan. The story of Israel’s downfall declares that God will not accept a divided heart. There are no divided loyalties. Either a person worships God wholly, or they do not worship Him at all.

To follow after “Milcom” is to follow the appeals of the carnal nature and will end in destruction. No man can give his heart to God and allow the trappings of the world to guide his heart. There must be a declaration of either serving God fully or accepting the rule of Satan. Righteousness has no fellowship with unrighteousness. The only hope of eternal life is found in being separate from the world. Serve God and serve Him alone.