"He won't do anything"

“The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.”

The people who said this weren't atheists. You can understand why someone who doesn't believe in God would think this way. If he says it, he's just being sarcastic.

They weren't Greek philosophers like the Epicureans Paul met in Athens. Epicurus believed in Greek gods, but he said they don’t intervene in the world. They have nothing to do with human beings. That’s why he said there is nothing to fear and you can just have pleasure and enjoy your life.

The people who said these words were Jews in Jerusalem. The prophet wrote, “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil” (Zeph. 1:12).

Zephaniah warned the Jews of a coming invasion by a foreign army. But they didn’t care. They were “settled on their lees.” The word “lees” means the sediment on the bottom of a container of grape juice. The particles settle on the bottom like orange juice. It has to be shaken or stirred. The Jews had become settled and lazy in their religion. They had money and felt independent and secure. The New King James Version has the less literal translation “settled in complacency.” That’s why they told themselves the Lord wouldn’t do anything good or bad.

Christians can make this mistake too.

Some think since God doesn’t work miracles today then the only thing He does is sustain the laws of nature. They may have been taught this. What a mistake! If that is true, then there would be no point in praying. But the Bible tells us that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16).

Others give up on praying because they prayed and prayed and nothing changed. They think, “If God was going to answer my prayer, He would have done so before now. It won’t do any good to pray. He’s not going to do anything.” That is also a mistake. Jesus tells us to be persistent in prayer (Luke 11:1-13). He taught that “men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). We must learn to be patient.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • October 19, 2025