Welcome back again to another podcast of Struggling Well. And this is kind of a continuation, at least the theme or the thoughts that we've had last week to this week deal with prophets, God's spokespeople in the Old Testament. And we looked some at Isaiah and Jeremiah last week who were what the Bible refers to as major prophets because they're long books. Isaiah's 66 chapters, Jeremiah's 52 chapters. we're turning our thoughts this week to what is considered a minor prophet. who spoke and wrote at the time of Jeremiah. that was Gus. He wanted to get in there. his name is Zephaniah. The difference is instead of 66 chapters, Zephaniah only has three chapters. but he prophesied during the time of King Josiah just before the fall of Judah to the Babylonians. And it really is a book about justice but also hope and There's many different things that are talked about in terms of the sins of the people, but they all point to one reality. The people of God no longer trusted in God or worshiped him.
And why was that?
Well, I mean, I think it's because they saw themselves as the answer to life's issues were found in themselves. They weren't found in God.
in chapter three, the first part of the chapter, just Zephan IA says, "Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city." Speaking about Jerusalem, she listens to no voice. She accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord. She does not draw near to her God.
And so, so again, she just it is
Wait, hold on a minute. We have our 85lb dog breathing heavily on Tim, our producer, Gus. Gus,
get down. Get down.
I wish y'all could see him. He's such a sweetheart. But he is like a big baby.
Yeah, he is.
Sometime we'll put out a picture of Gus so you all can see who he is. Well, let me just interject for a minute because I'm thinking about these men that were called to be prophets,
right?
That was a tough calling because they were called to bring the judgments of God, the discipline of God, and that must have been a terribly lonely existence.
Yeah. Well, I For example, in Jeremiah's case, God said, "You're going to be my spokesperson for 40 years, and no one's going to listen to you." So there's to your point, Suzi, that there they did not necessarily get invited to a lot of parties, I don't think. Now, you know, they
it must have been lonely.
It must have been lonely. but it is that sense of so here we are at a time in the life of Israel. The northern kingdom has already fallen. So they've seen the result of the discipline of God on the northern kingdom. The southern kingdom not quite to that point, but getting ready to go into it. Even though Josiah who was king brought the nation, brought Judah back to a point of worshiping God. It wasn't enough to prevent God from sending them into captivity because of their waywardness and their sense that they did not
they didn't listen to him.
And so I just again that's the context of the of when the book was written and who the book was written to. But I bring it forward to us today. I wonder how often we don't listen to the voice of God.
Yeah. I just I was reading in Hebrews 3:es 12-15. And this probably in the NLT it says, "Be careful. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled." And there's that the attention of they had been rebellious and disobedient. God disciplines them as a loving father and then they get angry at God for him disciplining them. They cry out to him. He rescues them over and over again and they keep disobeying what he's asked them to do. And then it's interesting when like when you said in Zephaniah that they don't trust God anymore,
right?
That's an interesting conclusion to come to.
Yeah. And the thing about it is in the midst of all this, that's the human side of things, the way it looks from them. And they I mean they the oppression of the wealthy to the poor and all the things that we would look at today and say those things exist to some extent today. They existed then. The flip side is God never stops pursuing them.
No.
And that's where you get to what I think is one of the great declarations of Zephaniah about who God is. And In the midst of all these things, in the midst of Israel or Judah about to go into captivity into Babylon, he says, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He'll rejoice over you with gladness. He'll quiet you by his love. He'll exalt over you with loud singing." So, here's God's picture of them. And it again, it's not a deserved picture.
Yeah.
But it's how God sees his people even in the midst of their rebellion, even in their midst of not trusting him, not wanting to listen to him. He sees them born out of his great love for them. And it's an amazing picture of the pursuing love of God.
Well, and it points to the gospel because while we were in sin, not while we were all cleaned up and good, God sent his son and Christ died for us in that place.
And that pursuit, that continual compassion and mercy and forgiveness offered and grace poured and mercy given should draw us to him. but sometimes like the nation of Israel, we turn away.
Yeah. And so my question I have for you and me and a question I have for the people who are listening to this is are the circumstances in your life such that you find yourself not wanting not willingly trusting in the Lord
because that's the bottom line,
right?
They did not trust because the circumstances around them were not favorable. because they didn't like them. They didn't like where it was headed. they don't trust him.
And so, can the circumstances of my life, can the circumstances of our lives get to the place that we find ourselves less willing to trust in the Lord and listen to him?
Yeah. This is hard stuff.
Yeah. And it's but it's again I think it's a reality for us to have to look at because again human nature is no different. and in the circumstances that Israel wrestled with as a nation, the situations that they found themselves in because of their own sin and their own turning away from the Lord can also be true for me and you today.
And yet God is a God who loves and pursues and never stops pursuing.
We hope that as you've heard last weeks and this week's that it will cause you to think about where you are. Are you moving towards or running away? Do you trust God's plan? Do you trust God's love for you and his compassion and mercy and pursuit of you? We hope that you do and we hope that you continue to listen.
Have a great week.