Renewed in God's Love

June 25, 2023 Background Scripture: Zephaniah 3 : 14 - 20 Lesson Passage: Zephaniah 3 : 14 - 20 Zephaniah's writing is classified with the group referred to as the Minor Prophets. This classification is based on the amount of their writing and not the extent, or effectiveness, of their prophetic message. (Can you imagine anyone considering Elijah the Tishbite or John the Baptist a minor prophet? Neither wrote anything that's less than the Minor Prophets!) Zephaniah prophesied ultimate destruction of Judah by the hand of God. However, the message included a ray of hope at the very end of it: God's people were going to repent, and then they would be delivered and renewed by the same hand of God. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah. Both saw the rapid spiritual decline in Judah that occurred during a time of corrupt leadership. There was corruption in every level of leadership; including religious, civil, and judicial. Judah would not be punished because of the leaders. Judah would be punished because the people of Judah behaved just like their leaders; they were corrupt, There is a pattern of human behavior I have observed in my lifetime: People tend to follow leadership—good or bad! This does not include everyone without exception. But by and large, this is true of many people in a group. Perhaps this is the reason the word of God admonishes His people to pray for our leaders that we may live lives of peace. Judah failed to learn from the mistakes of her northern sister, Israel. Zephaniah's ministry began about a hundred years after Israel was destroyed and taken into captivity by the Assyrians because of their corruption. The history of the destruction often of the twelve tribes that were allotted territory should have been warning enough. The two tribes who comprised the southern kingdom of Judah began to behave like their northern sisters when corrupt leaders came into power. They could have predicted their own outcome. Unfortunately, we remember the lessons of history, but we rarely learn from them. I grew up with six older siblings and three younger ones. I avoided a lot of punishment by remembering what led to my older siblings' punishment. I also received a lot of avoidable punishment because I refused to learn from their mistakes. After the punishment was over, I still had a home to live in, clothes to wear, and meals prepared for me to eat. My parents continued to celebrate each child's birthday with cake and ice cream. They did not treat me like I was their enemy. They punished me because I am their child. After the punishment and I corrected my behavior, then life returned to normal for me. I continued as the recipient of the blessings of my parents. Everything they provided for me reflected their love. From a newborn baby to a senior in college, my parents did what they were able to in support of me. None of my wayward behavior during those twenty-two years was enough to overcome their love for me. Sometimes I repented and corrected my behavior before the punishment. At other times, I ignored their warnings and received punishment accordingly. They were there to witness my graduations and feel proud that they had reared me such that I could live up to my potential. Neither of them graduated from school. They demanded I do my best without them knowing what was in me. God knows everything there is to know about us. He knows the potential He has placed within each of us. God does not require eve1Y person to do the exact same things. God expects each of us to live up to the potential He has placed in us. Israel and Judah are the examples for Christians today. When children of God misbehave, we will either repent before or after punishment. Then we will experience spiritual renewal. We are renewed in God's love. Robert C. Hudson June 21, 2023