Zechariah 1:12
“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.”
One of the common statements I heard people say about me when I was a young preacher was, “You will settle down.” Many people said this about my preaching because they didn’t like the forwardness and style of my preaching. They felt that marriage would have a way of causing me to settle down. My desire is never to settle down.
One of the complaints that God had with His people was that they “settled on their lees.” His people had become comfortable with what they attained, and settling eventually led to sin. Their problem was that they lost the drive within to continue conquering, and when they lost the drive to conquer they acquired the taste for the world. There are several reasons you should never settle down.
First, settling down is a direction problem. To settle down is to say that you are no longer climbing to new heights. This goes against God’s desire for the Christian. God’s desire for the Christian is to move forward constantly because He is a forward moving God. When Israel chose to settle on their lees in the wilderness, God punished them by making them wander for forty years without going into the Promised Land. You will never please God when you stop moving forward and settle down. Your direction needs to be a forward direction because a forward direction requires a life of faith. A life without faith is a displeasing life to God.
Second, settling down reveals a heart problem. It says in the verse above, “…the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.” Their action to settle only revealed the thoughts of their heart. If they never settled, they would have never said that the “LORD will not do good.” Something wrong is going on in your heart when you choose to settle down. The choice to no longer keep the drive to go forward is only a revelation that your heart has grown cold towards God.
Third, settling down is a God problem. The statement these men made in their heart about the LORD showed that they had placed their heart somewhere else. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If your heart is right, your treasure will be placed in the LORD. When your treasure is placed in the LORD, the drive to go forward will never cease.
My friend, have you settled in your Christian life? Have you stopped going forward for the LORD? Have you settled for less than your best? Is it acceptable for you to do things in a second-rate manner? Have you settled for the dregs or lees of life? Are you okay with what is going on in society? Have you accepted that it is just this way?
The only thing that will change this world is Christians who never settle. It is not an age thing; it’s a heart thing. It is not that you are hurt, it is that you have chosen to settle. Don’t be a Christian who settles. God punished Israel for settling, and you will also suffer severe consequences for settling. The only way to keep from settling is to crucify your flesh daily, yield to the Holy Spirit, and continue reaching the lost for Christ. These three things will keep your heart passionate for Christ.