Jerusalem Obeys No One
A few hundred years before Jesus came, God’s people had really strayed from Him. One of the prophets of the day, Zephaniah, spoke out about the godlessness of the Israelites in those days, and his book in the Old Testament is a very interesting read.
In Zephaniah 3, we read his words against Jerusalem, which really had become a centre for sin and selfishness. And Zephaniah says it like it is, naming the sins that that the city of Jerusalem is caught up in. This is how the chapter starts: “Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one.” (Zephaniah 3:1-2 NIV11)
Call to Obedience
Prophets had a particular calling to share God’s word, not just their own thoughts, with the people of their day. God would reveal things to the prophets in a special way, and they would pass the message on. So here is this prophet, saying to the people of Jerusalem that God says “woe to this city, because she obeys no one.”
Throughout the Old Testament God constantly reminded His people to obey the things he commanded. But they kept messing it up. They kept disobeying, and the prophet even says here that Jerusalem “obeys no one” – not just God, but any type of instruction or guidelines are just rejected by these people.
In our day, people can have a similar mindset. I’ve encountered people who have it in their mind that they will not do what anybody tells them to do. It’s a kind of “my life, my choice” attitude – and of course there’s something to be said for being able to make your own decisions, and back yourself as you go through life. But there also something to be said for living a life of obedience – to God, above all, of course.
Would you call yourself an obedient Christian, willing to obey God whatever He says? Many in our culture have rejected the idea that God expects any obedience from us. Many believe that as long as you are true to yourself and your feelings, this is all that matters. As a result, many have become disobedient – in fact Paul once wrote to a young Christian leader named Titus, and in his letter spoke about people who “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.” And Paul says that these people “are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (Titus 1:16 NIV).
Obedience Brings Blessing
Now contrast this to the way Paul speaks of true Christians in Romans 6: “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.” (Romans 6:17 NIV11)
If Zephaniah was writing to us today, he would probably also lament the disobedience he saw around him. But if Paul wrote to us as Christians, would he be saying “thanks be to God, you are now obeying His pattern of teaching?”
I pray that you and I will not be disobedient, and hear words of woe from God because we refuse to do things his way. I pray that, instead, we will obey with gladness, trusting that our God’s way is the better way, and being willing to do whatever He asks.
