First, we should beware of becoming like the Jews in Zephaniah’s day who drew back from following Jehovah because they entertained doubts about the nearness of Jehovah’s day. Such Jews did not necessarily express their doubts openly, but their course of action revealed that they did not really believe that Jehovah’s great day was near. They concentrated on amassing wealth instead of keeping themselves in expectation of Jehovah.—Zephaniah 1:12, 13; 3:8.

¹⁴ Today is no time to allow doubts to take root in our hearts. It would be very unwise to put off in our minds or hearts the coming of Jehovah’s day. (2 Peter 3:1-4, 10) We should avoid drawing back from following Jehovah or ‘letting our hands drop down’ in his service. This includes not “working with a slack hand” in our preaching “the good news.”—Proverbs 10:4; Mark 13:10.

Fighting Indifference

15. What could cause us to slack our hand in Jehovah’s service, and how was this problem foretold in the prophecy of Zephaniah?

¹⁵ Second, we should be on guard against the debilitating effects of indifference. In many Western countries, unconcern about spiritual matters can become a cause for discouragement among some preachers of the good news. Such indifference existed in Zephaniah’s day. Jehovah stated through his prophet: “I will give attention to the men who are . . . saying in their heart, ‘Jehovah will not do good, and he will not do bad.’” (Zephaniah 1:12) Writing on this passage in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, A. B. Davidson stated that it refers to people who have “sunk down into unfeeling indifference or even into incredulity regarding any interference of a higher power in the affairs of mankind.”