The Coming Judgment on Judah. Zephaniah 1:1-18
INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH
Zephaniah may have been a great-great-grandson of Hezekiah, Zep_1:1, R.V. He prophesied during the reign of Josiah, probably before the discovery of the Book of the Law, as the evils which he denounced were then removed by the king.
Zephaniah is the prophet of the Day of the Lord. He does not, like Obadiah, Nahum, or Habakkuk, deal with the downfall of any one nation; he is instead a prophet of universal judgment. His message to the nations is parallel to the words of Jesus: “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,” Luk_13:4-5.
Zephaniah declares that all nations, even Judah itself, will fall under the divine wrath if they continue to defy the divine law. But his message is more than one of judgment. He shows that God is working for the salvation of mankind and that following judgment there will be revealed new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness.
“The Day of the Lord”
I. A DAY OF JUDGMENT, Zep_1:1-18; Zep_2:1-15; Zep_3:1-8
1. Upon the Whole Earth, Zep_1:1-3
2. Upon Particular Nations, Zep_1:4-18; Zep_2:1-15; Zep_3:1-8
(1) Judah and Jerusalem, Zep_1:4-18
The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah:
THE COMING JUDGMENT ON JUDAH
“I will completely consume and sweep away all things From the face of the earth [in judgment],” says the LORD.
“I will consume and sweep away man and beast; I will consume and sweep away the birds of the air And the fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks (idols) along with the wicked; And I will cut off and destroy man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
“I will also stretch out My hand [in judgment] against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off and destroy the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names and remembrance of the idolatrous priests along with the [false] priests,
And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] on their housetops And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the LORD and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],
And those who have turned back from following the LORD, And those who have not sought the LORD [as their most important need] or inquired of Him.”
THE DAY OF THE LORD IS NEAR
[Hush!] Be silent before the Lord GOD [there is no acceptable excuse to offer]! For the day [of the vengeance] of the LORD is near, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice (Judah), He has set apart [for His use] those who have accepted His invitation [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon]. [Hab_2:20]
“Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrifice That I will punish the princes and the king’s sons And all who are clothed in [lavish] foreign apparel [reflecting their paganism]. [Num_15:38-39]
“On that day I will also punish all those who leap over the temple threshold, Who fill their [pagan] lord’s temple with violence and deceit.
“On that day,” declares the LORD, “There will be the sound of crying from the Fish (Damascus) Gate [in the northern wall of Jerusalem where invaders enter] And wailing from the Second Quarter [of the city], And a loud crash from the hills.
“Wail [in anguish], you inhabitants of the Mortar (Valley of Siloam), For all the merchants of Canaan will be silenced and destroyed; All who weigh out silver will be cut off.
“It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps And I will punish the men Who [like old wine] are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil.’
“Furthermore, their wealth will become plunder And their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses but not live in them, And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.” [Deu_28:30, Deu_28:39; Amo_5:11-12]
The great [judgment] day of the LORD is near, Near and coming very quickly. Listen! The [voice of the] day of the LORD! The warrior cries out bitterly [unable to fight or to flee].
That day is a day of [the outpouring of the] wrath [of God], A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and devastation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, [Jer_30:7; Joe_2:11; Amo_5:18]
A day of trumpet and the battle cry [of invaders] Against the fortified cities And against the high corner towers (battlements).
I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind [unable to find a way of escape], Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood will be poured out like dust [and trampled underfoot], And their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to rescue them On the day of the LORD’S indignation and wrath. And the whole earth will be consumed In the fire of His jealous wrath, For He shall make a full and complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. [Luk_21:35-36; 2Pe_3:10-13]
“THE GREAT DAY OF THE LORD”
Zephaniah means hidden of the Lord. He lived in Josiah’s reign, and cooperated with that king in his efforts to put down idolatry. His prophecy deals with the sins that were rife in Judah and the fearful retribution that would be inflicted through the Chaldeans.
Approaching destruction, Zep_1:2-6. The Chemarim, R.V., were idolatrous priests dressed in black garments. Malcam is Milcom or Moloch. Notice the successive classes of those who were to suffer in the overthrow. They constitute a series of concentric circles, narrowing down at last to those who had turned back, and to those who had never sought the Lord.
The invaders, Zep_1:7-18. The guests whom God invited to the banquet were Nebuchadnezzar and his soldiers! They marched in through the Fish Gate; and, as they advanced, cry after cry arose from the affrighted populace, driven from quarter to quarter. Maktesh, Zep_1:11, was probably the Vale of Siloam, where the merchant princes dwelt or pursued their business. None would be able to elude the coming vengeance. Those that affected foreign attire, or leaped across the threshold in superstition, or practiced deceit, would have to pay dearly for their sins. Fulfilled in the overthrow of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterward by Titus, these words will always stand for the inevitable national sufferings which follow national crimes.
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