Moment in the Word

Zephaniah 1:12 - "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will search Jerusalem with a candle, and will take vengeance on the men that despise the things committed to them; but they say in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do any good, neither will he do any evil.'" (Greek Septuagint)

 

This ancient verse is very familiar to devout individuals who celebrate the Jewish holy day of Passover when all dirt (leaven) is diligently removed from the house to be ritually burned or buried as a sign of spiritual purity. In the same Scripture, God's warning implies, "You can either clean up your lives, or else I'll search with a flame and clean you up Myself!"

 

What gave God the right to make such a fiery demand?

 

After judging the cruel Egyptians, God blessed His people with unimaginable benefits. He gave them "a land with large, flourishing cities they did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things they did not provide, wells they did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves they did not plant," directly linked to a somber warning, "then, when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)

 

Americans also enjoy the bounty of God's unmerited favor in this glorious land that we currently call "home."

 

"O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crowned thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!"

 

Sadly, Jacob's children eventually forgot all of Heaven's benefits before slipping into foolish agnosticism, "God is irrelevant because He doesn't do anything good or bad (Zephaniah 1:12)!"

 

Due to their rebellious opinion, the people became corrupt, and God noticed, "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. This was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore, I took them away as I saw fit..." (Ezekiel 16:48-49)

 

Despite brutal tornadoes in Missouri, horrific floods in North Carolina, the burning of Los Angeles, devastating fires in South Carolina, unimaginable hurricanes in Florida, and unexplained tragedies all around this country; the children of Puritan ancestors still flaunt the same careless notion that God "doesn't do anything good or bad!"

 

But since the Almighty graciously established our Pilgrim Fathers in this New World, He still reserves the right to search us - as their descendants, "I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst." (Ezekiel 22:21)

 

But why are good, decent people also included in God's "national" judgment? Saint Peter warned, "For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17)

 

Maybe those who do "obey the gospel of God" are used as visible examples for the wicked who are not ready to face judgment but would be lost in the end? To support his initial statement, St. Peter quoted Proverbs 11:31 from the Bible of his day - the Greek Septuagint, "And, if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" (1 Peter 4:18)

 

Regardless, these current calamities will become more frequent and more destructive as time progresses, for Jesus said, "Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come." (Matthew 24:7-8)

 

The day approaches when God will pass through the entire length and breadth of this land with a burning torch to examine our careless attitude and our neglected spiritual devotion, "It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work." (1 Corinthians 3:13)

 

But for those who hope in Heaven, "When all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!" (Luke 21:28)