September 30 - Zephaniah 1-3
The theme of the book of Zephaniah is the day of the Lord. As we have seen in the other prophetic books, this is a recurring theme that emphasizes the judgment of God because of the sins of the people. Zephaniah does a masterful job of laying out all of those sins, and the total destruction God will bring upon Jerusalem and Judah to punish their rebellion. He even points out that God's judgment will be upon the Gentiles for their sins, too.
However, as I read through the list of sins, there was one that stuck out to me. Zephaniah 1:12 says that God will punish people who are "settled in complacency." This is very relevant for us in America today. We are much too complacent, even though there are all sorts of notable disasters happening around us. The opinion of most people seems to be that they are fine, if the bad things don't effect them financially. As long as they have enough money and a comfortable lifestyle, they are not concerned about the evil things going on around them. This complacency causes people to overlook sin and to accept sin. It causes sin to get worse and worse, because no one cares enough to deal with it. That is why God hates complacency. That is why He must punish the complacent.
This why Zephaniah urges the people to seek the Lord, seek righteousness, and to seek humility. (2:3) Our complacency will keep us from prayer. It will keep us from real Bible study. It will keep us from witnessing. We will simply focus on our own comfort. If we spend time seeking God and His righteousness, He will humble us and show us what we need to be doing. Then, we can obey Him and be blessed. God's blessings are always better than worldly pleasures.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Haggai 1-2.
However, as I read through the list of sins, there was one that stuck out to me. Zephaniah 1:12 says that God will punish people who are "settled in complacency." This is very relevant for us in America today. We are much too complacent, even though there are all sorts of notable disasters happening around us. The opinion of most people seems to be that they are fine, if the bad things don't effect them financially. As long as they have enough money and a comfortable lifestyle, they are not concerned about the evil things going on around them. This complacency causes people to overlook sin and to accept sin. It causes sin to get worse and worse, because no one cares enough to deal with it. That is why God hates complacency. That is why He must punish the complacent.
This why Zephaniah urges the people to seek the Lord, seek righteousness, and to seek humility. (2:3) Our complacency will keep us from prayer. It will keep us from real Bible study. It will keep us from witnessing. We will simply focus on our own comfort. If we spend time seeking God and His righteousness, He will humble us and show us what we need to be doing. Then, we can obey Him and be blessed. God's blessings are always better than worldly pleasures.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Haggai 1-2.