February 16, 2012
It's hard to believe. When I finish writing about Zephaniah I will have finished the entire Old Testament. Because I followed the sequence timeline Jane (Her Name Was Jane) had written beside Ezra in her KJV, I read and wrote about Haggai 1:1 – 2:23 on November 29, 2010; Zechariah 1:1 – 6:8 on November 30, 2010; Zechariah 6:9 – 8:23 on December 01, 2010; Zechariah 9:1 – 14:21 on December 02, 2010; and Malachi 1:1 – 4:6 on December 29, 2010.
What a journey this has been. On November 16, 2009, when I started this journey I had no agenda planned. I just knew I was supposed to start.I had no preconceived ideas about what I would write about or how much I would write. Now, two years and three months, and seven and a half full sized notebook journals later, the Old Testament is coming to an end. On one hand, I hate to see it be over. On the other hand, it is exciting to be entering the New Testament.
I have learned so much. God is faithful! His mercies are new every morning. It was amazing to watch what God would show me in His Word. I stand amazed and am in awe of the great I AM. The prevailing message of the Old Testament is precisely that: I am the I AM. I AM the LORD. There is NO other God. Come to ME! Have no other Gods before ME. Come to me FIRST and ONLY! Have no other gods in addition to me. I AM. Trust me! Trust only me! Come to me! I AM the LORD!
The other thing that stood out to me in the Old Testament is this: There really are no "new" sins. The sins of today are exactly the same as in the Old Testament times. Pride. Greed. Revenge. Self-reliance. Refusal to trust and surrender to God's authority. It all goes back to the first two commandments: No other gods and no idols. The root of all sin comes from Pride and Self. Change your hearts and lives! Get a new way of thinking. I AM—the I AM.
God demands our respect. He wants us to give it to Him willingly, however, He will have it one way or another. In the margins of my Bible I have written: As for me and my house, we choose to serve God.
Throughout the Old Testament there are two choices: Respect me—and receive blessings; Refuse me and serve yourself—receive judgment. God was not happy with the path of sin many people had chosen and he clearly warned them of the consequences.
A day of accountability and consequence is planned and will happen.
Addendum: 10/3/15 ~ The people were just so sure that nothing would happen and they could get by with their actions and there would be no accountability. They truly thought they were invincible. Yet in Chapter 2, in very descriptive terms, Zephaniah paints a picture of the destruction that will happen. What was once thriving is now abandoned. I picture a ghost town with a tumbleweed blowing down a now empty dirt street; a shutter, hanging by one remaining screw, creaking as it sways in the wind; the piercing sound of a crow's call at twilight; and the haunting sound of a hoot owl in the still night air.
Zephaniah 2:14–15 says, "The owls and crows will sit on the stone pillars. The owl will hoot through the windows, trash will be in the doorways, and the wooden boards of the buildings will be gone. This is the happy and safe city that thinks there is no one else as strong as it is. But what a ruin it will be..."
They were so sure. They were just so sure they were safe and nothing would happen. But a day is planned. And on THAT day accountability WILL happen.
Next Entry: Zephaniah 1:1 – 3:20 (Continued)
It's hard to believe. When I finish writing about Zephaniah I will have finished the entire Old Testament. Because I followed the sequence timeline Jane (Her Name Was Jane) had written beside Ezra in her KJV, I read and wrote about Haggai 1:1 – 2:23 on November 29, 2010; Zechariah 1:1 – 6:8 on November 30, 2010; Zechariah 6:9 – 8:23 on December 01, 2010; Zechariah 9:1 – 14:21 on December 02, 2010; and Malachi 1:1 – 4:6 on December 29, 2010.
What a journey this has been. On November 16, 2009, when I started this journey I had no agenda planned. I just knew I was supposed to start.I had no preconceived ideas about what I would write about or how much I would write. Now, two years and three months, and seven and a half full sized notebook journals later, the Old Testament is coming to an end. On one hand, I hate to see it be over. On the other hand, it is exciting to be entering the New Testament.
I have learned so much. God is faithful! His mercies are new every morning. It was amazing to watch what God would show me in His Word. I stand amazed and am in awe of the great I AM. The prevailing message of the Old Testament is precisely that: I am the I AM. I AM the LORD. There is NO other God. Come to ME! Have no other Gods before ME. Come to me FIRST and ONLY! Have no other gods in addition to me. I AM. Trust me! Trust only me! Come to me! I AM the LORD!
The other thing that stood out to me in the Old Testament is this: There really are no "new" sins. The sins of today are exactly the same as in the Old Testament times. Pride. Greed. Revenge. Self-reliance. Refusal to trust and surrender to God's authority. It all goes back to the first two commandments: No other gods and no idols. The root of all sin comes from Pride and Self. Change your hearts and lives! Get a new way of thinking. I AM—the I AM.
God demands our respect. He wants us to give it to Him willingly, however, He will have it one way or another. In the margins of my Bible I have written: As for me and my house, we choose to serve God.
Throughout the Old Testament there are two choices: Respect me—and receive blessings; Refuse me and serve yourself—receive judgment. God was not happy with the path of sin many people had chosen and he clearly warned them of the consequences.
- I will sweep away
- I will ruin
- I will punish
- I will remove
- I will destroy
- On that day...
- On that day...
- On that day..
- At that time...
"I will punish those who are satisfied with themselves (NIV - complacent) who think, 'the LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.' Their wealth will be plundered and their houses destroyed. They may build houses, but they will not live in them. They may plant vineyards, but they will not drink any wine from them. The LORD's day of judging is coming soon; it is near and coming fast." Zephaniah 1:12-14"That day will be a day of anger, a day of terror and trouble, a day of destruction and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of alarms and battle cries... on that day God will show his anger, neither silver nor gold will save them." (Zephaniah 1:15-18)
A day of accountability and consequence is planned and will happen.
Addendum: 10/3/15 ~ The people were just so sure that nothing would happen and they could get by with their actions and there would be no accountability. They truly thought they were invincible. Yet in Chapter 2, in very descriptive terms, Zephaniah paints a picture of the destruction that will happen. What was once thriving is now abandoned. I picture a ghost town with a tumbleweed blowing down a now empty dirt street; a shutter, hanging by one remaining screw, creaking as it sways in the wind; the piercing sound of a crow's call at twilight; and the haunting sound of a hoot owl in the still night air.
Zephaniah 2:14–15 says, "The owls and crows will sit on the stone pillars. The owl will hoot through the windows, trash will be in the doorways, and the wooden boards of the buildings will be gone. This is the happy and safe city that thinks there is no one else as strong as it is. But what a ruin it will be..."
They were so sure. They were just so sure they were safe and nothing would happen. But a day is planned. And on THAT day accountability WILL happen.
Next Entry: Zephaniah 1:1 – 3:20 (Continued)
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