"She has not received correction from the Lord. She has not obeyed His voice. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God." (Zephaniah 3:2, from the Interlinear Bible)
The prophet here is declaring the Word of the Lord against Jerusalem. These Words, however, are not just for Jerusalem. They are Words for twentieth-century Earth. The Call of the Living Triune God in Jesus Christ is for all humanity, "Come to Me."
I'm drawing near to the end of the Old Testament. I have refused over the years to just read "favorite passages" over and over, to the neglect of, "the whole counsel of God." For me, there is not a "said-and-done-with" in the Bible. I cease not to be amazed at how passages which may have seemed "remote" at times are Words for daily living.
My question of today's text is, Do I, "receive[] correction from the Lord?" Do I, "obey[] His voice?" Do I trust in the Lord," and do I, "draw near to...God"? It's easy to sit in judgement on the people and nations to whom the Lord addresses these Words, but do I see myself in these Words at all? Whether or not we may be aware of something specific, "Search me, O God...," is not without merit.
So today, you and I are reminded of correction, obedience, trust and "drawing near," which for us in whom Jesus Christ lives, it means continual, "Abide in Me." Correction, obedience, trust, "draw near," are not just Old Testament Words.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I hear; now may I walk therein. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
