Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations

 

Zephaniah 3:1-8

 

Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations

Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,  the oppressing city!   She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction.  She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God.

Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning.  Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy;  they do violence to the law.  The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not 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 a man, without an inhabitant.  I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction.  Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’  But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.  “Therefore, wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.  For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

 

This was written for another people at another time in what we refer to as history, and we read it like a story, as the history of a time in the past, but we do not take it to heart, we do not ponder on the where and why anyone would be like this, and we assume we as a civilization have for exceeded that lifestyle.  Dad was correct when he stated that man learns nothing from history, for if he did he would not repeat it.

 

We would be wise to recall 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”  

We all need a Ken Ryan, who asks me every time we read the Scripture, Bob, do you believe what we just read, and my answer was always, yes and his reply was, that‘s not true, for if you did you would do as it is instructing you.  The church of the United States is often good with the answers, on Sunday, but when Monday comes it is a very different story.

As I read the above eight verses of Zephaniah 3, it was as if I was revisiting our recent history of the last 30 years and watching a nation forget why it was great.  We the Church are to blame and have become more like the world and have not been that shining light that proclaims our greatness is not in government, but in a God who has blessed us with abundance, not because we are good, but because His Church was seeking Him.  If only we the Church would humble ourselves, if only the people of  Judah, would have bowed their knee to a Holy God, then they would have been forgiven.  “I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction.  Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’  But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.”

If you can read the above and tell me that is not the USA today, I wonder what planet you are living on?  This is not about what party you vote for, it is about what god you have been following, as for me and my house we will follow the God of Creation, the Triune God who is a God of Promises, and who keeps His word.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice