Zephaniah

Sorry there have not been any blogs in a while. Why you ask? Part of it has been internet problems. We have had AT&T and our internet provider out. Lots of phones changed out to eliminate electrical shorts. We did get a new modem from our provider which helped but it has not totally solved the problem. The internet still goes out a bit. AT&T is coming back out on Wednesday. This time they are going to specifically clean up our noisy line. They have finally admitted that problem. But the line is only bad intermittently. So we are still scurrying to solve the problem.

I've been reading Zephaniah lately. He speaks of judgment for Judah. Judah is pronounced as bad as Sodom. I first thought of myself. Am I corrupt and sinful? Do I deserve God's wrath? It is hard to see myself as bad as these people. But I know I am sinful. I search myself to see what I can do about it to be more holy.

Zephaniah ends with some encouragement about the end times. People will come from other places they have been banished to and worship God in his temple.

Another time reading Zephaniah my mind goes to the depravity of this country. I wonder about those of us who are chosen, will we be punished along with those who are corrupt? That's silly, I probably am no better than most. I imagine myself as a refugee with all the stuff that I have accumulated all destroyed. Can I recover if I have to start over losing all my keepsakes. I realize that I cannot take them with me when I die. I am like a refugee on this earth. My true home is in heaven. I will only take my memories with me to heaven.

But I am God's chosen and Jesus saved me on the cross. He took on my sins. I think back to prophets like Zephaniah. We do not know what happened to them when God finally did come and allow other nations to conquer Judah and take away the survivors. The prophets suffered as refugees along with everyone else.

Those people in Zephaniah's time looked forward to judgment thinking it would fall on their enemies. They were blind to their own sin. Zephaniah told them that judgment would fall on them too.

I think this country to liable for judgment too. It may be judgment in the form of an economic collapse. It may not involve being conquered by an army. We may be conquered by the capitalism that we so depend upon. It may prove treacherous. For example if money become worthless there will be chaos. We will no longer be able to depend upon the illusion of control over our finances. That may be talking to me as much as anyone else.