ZEP 2Zephaniah 2

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NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

2 Gather together—yes, gather together, you shameless nation. 2 Gather before judgment begins, and the terrible day of the LORD’s anger begins. 3 Seek the LORD, all who are humble, protect you from his anger on that day of destruction. 4 Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned, Ashdod and Ekron torn down. 5 And what sorrow awaits you Philistines until not one of you is left. 6 The Philistine coast will become a wilderness pasture, and enclosures for sheep and goats. 7 The remnant of the tribe of Judah will pasture there. and restore their prosperity again. 8 “I have heard the taunts of the Moabites and invading their borders. 9 Now, as surely as I live,” and take their land.” 10 They will receive the wages of their pride, for they have scoffed at the people of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. 11 The LORD will terrify them each in their own land. 12 “You Ethiopians will also be slaughtered by my sword,” says the LORD. 13 And the LORD will strike the lands of the north with his fist, parched like a desert. 14 The proud city will become a pasture for flocks and herds, and the cedar paneling will be exposed to the weather. 15 This is the boisterous city, and shake a defiant fist.

Introduction to Zephaniah

Background of Zephaniah

What Is the Book of Zephaniah About?

Time: 4 Minutes

The Bible is a very complex book. There’s a reason people dedicate their entire lives to trying to understand it.

And yet, when all is said and done, the Bible simply presents us with two choices: Turn to God in faith, repenting of our sins and be saved, or remain in our sins and suffer God’s wrath.

The prophet Zephaniah presents us with this same option (Zephaniah 1:7). He warns us that God’s judgment is coming: “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:7). Judgment is certain, so Zephaniah asks us: What will you do?

God’s judgment will be total. God tells Zephaniah he will “utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth . . . I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth” (Zephaniah 1:3). The keen Bible reader will notice the allusions to the worldwide flood in Genesis 6-7, which tells a story of God’s judgment and a reversal of creation. God is saying in Zephaniah that his coming judgment will be so total that it will undo all of creation again. Jerusalem will be like the world at the beginning of creation: “without form and void” (Genesis 1:2).

Zephaniah is one of the few prophets who prophesies to the nations, not just to Israel. Thus, his warning of judgment is for everyone.

For the sinful nations surrounding Israel had declared themselves to be God, setting up their own authority over God: “This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else’” (Zephaniah 2:15). Notice yet another Old Testament allusion here. In Exodus 3:14, God reveals his name to be “I am.” Zephaniah, then, says that these foreign nations, in their pride, have attempted to place themselves above God, taking his name.

And this is the essence of all sin—yours, mine, and these nations. We rebel against God, attempting to set ourselves above him and his authority, though we are his own creation (Romans 1:18-23). This is what kindles God’s rage. And therefore, his judgment is coming.

What will you do?

There is nothing you can do: “For in the fire of [the Lord’s] jealousy all the earth shall be consumed” (Zephaniah 3:8). There is nowhere to hide from God’s all-consuming wrath…

But God, being rich in mercy, offers a way for us to be saved. You’ll notice a significant change in the tone of Zephaniah, transitioning from doom to hope, almost like sunlight breaking through dark clouds. God says in Zephaniah, “For at that time [of judgment] I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9).

Zephaniah explains to us that for some, the “fire” of God’s wrath doesn’t destroy but purifies, making them able to rightly worship God, not setting themselves above God, but being “a people humble and lowly” (Zephaniah 3:12).

Zephaniah prophesies that God will show mercy to some people, not pouring out his wrath on them, but choosing to shape them into new people who can live forever with him.

We find out how God has shown this mercy when we open the New Testament.

In Zephaniah we notice two themes—judgment and salvation—which point us to what God has done for us in Jesus. God brought about our salvation through Jesus. In order to save us, Jesus had to bear God’s judgment and wrath for our sins.

As the New Testament teaches us, God’s own Son Jesus Christ stands in our place, taking God’s wrath for our sins upon himself on the cross, so that we may be saved from God’s consuming fire. The “fire” of God’s judgment fell upon Christ. God can purify, save, and provide refuge for all who trust in his Son, Jesus.

God’s judgment is coming—What will you do?

You can turn to Jesus, who took God’s judgment for your sins upon himself, and you can be saved from God’s wrath. Then you will enjoy the greatest blessing possible: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). The Lord can be your God. Will you turn from your sins and be saved from the coming judgment?

Call out to the Lord today, and ask him to grant you his salvation! For, “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

What Is the Background of Zephaniah?

Time: 15 Minutes

Background of Zephaniah

1

Author and Date

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah (640–609 BC), a Judean king who sought to reestablish acceptable worship practices (2 Kings 22:1–23:30).

2

Theme

The theme of Zephaniah is the approaching “day of the Lord.” This “day” is one of judgment against those who sin against God, and one of blessing for those who follow him.

3

Purpose and Background

In spite of having seen the destruction and exile of Israel (the northern kingdom), Judah (the southern kingdom) refuses to keep its covenant obligations to God. If Judah repents and abandons its evil ways, “perhaps” God will forgive (Zephaniah 2:3). Regardless, God’s judgment will lead to renewal for Judah and other peoples (Zephaniah 3:9–20).

The book declares judgment on many nations, all of which opposed God through opposition to his people. The last nation warned is Judah herself (Zephaniah 3:1–7). God is displeased with those who claimed to be his own people.

4

Key Themes

1. God will judge the whole earth (Zephaniah 1:2–3, 17–18; 3:8), including Judah (Zephaniah 1:4–16; 3:1–7) and her pagan neighbors (Zephaniah 2:4–15) alike.

2. God will bless his people when they return to their covenant relationship with him (Zephaniah 3:11–20).

3. God extends blessing and grace to all peoples and nations (Zephaniah 3:9–10).

4. Judgment and blessing occur both in the near future for the prophet and his audience (Zephaniah 1:4–18; 2:3) and also in the more distant future (Zephaniah 3:8–9, 11, 13–17).

5. There is no such thing as a second-generation child of God. Every generation must accept God’s covenant, rather than relying on the faith of a previous generation.

5

Outline

I. Heading (1:1)

II. Judgment Coming against Judah (1:2–6)

III. The Day of the Lord (1:7–3:20)
A. Day of sacrifice and punishment (1:7–9)
B. The coming wrath (1:10–18)
C. Repentance is still possible (2:1–3)
D. Nations warned (2:4–3:8)
E. Anticipation of hope (3:9–20)

6

The Near East at the Time of Zephaniah

Background of Zephaniah

The Global Message of Zephaniah

The message of Zephaniah to the global church of the twenty-first century is the certainty of the coming “day of the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:7). On that day, punishment will be executed on all God’s enemies from many nations (Zephaniah 2:11; 3:8) and salvation will be granted to all God’s people, also from many nations (Zephaniah 3:9–10).

If one of these two themes rises to the surface, however, it is the theme of global salvation. “From beyond the rivers of Cush”—that is, from beyond the known ends of the earth in the time of Zephaniah—“my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering” (Zephaniah 3:10). After beginning by denouncing first Judah herself (ch. 1) and then Judah’s oppressors (ch. 2), the book of Zephaniah ends on a note of triumphant restoration for God’s people because of his love, restoration that includes in its sweep peoples from the ends of the earth (Zephaniah 3:16–18).

1

Zephaniah in Redemptive History

The Failure of God’s People

Israel had been called out from the nations of the earth to be a blessing to those nations (Genesis 12:1–3). Yet this glorious calling had been tragically frustrated when Israel wound up exhibiting the same idolatry and selfishness that she had been sent to heal. No one, not even those called by God to be a light to the nations of the world (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6), can escape the corruption and rebellion that fill the earth because of the fall (Genesis 3).

The Judgment of God’s People

For this reason God needed to punish not only the wicked nations to whom he had not revealed himself but also the wicked nation, Israel, to whom he had revealed himself. Rather than influencing the world, Israel had been influenced by the world. The book of Zephaniah exists because of this dilemma. The prophecy opens by recounting Judah’s sin. The northern kingdom of Israel has already been exiled to Assyria for its sin, and Judah is following fast in the footsteps of its northern kinsmen.

God’s Refusal to Forsake His People

Yet because of the covenant God has made with Israel, by which he will be their God and they will be his people, he cannot forsake them, no matter how unfaithful they are. The Lord has every right to abandon them due to their spiritual adultery. Yet in his great love, his covenant mercy, he delights instead to “change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. . . . I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth” (Zephaniah 3:19–20). The Lord will restore his wayward children before a global audience.

How can God do this, while remaining just? Must not sin, even the sin of his people, be punished?

Yes, indeed—and in sending his own Son to bear that punishment, God remains just and punishes sin in what is also a supreme act of covenant love. For believers, the great day of the Lord is now behind them. This is because the day of the Lord, “a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom” (Zephaniah 1:15), was experienced by Jesus Christ on the cross. He endured the ultimate distress and anguish, ruin and devastation, darkness and gloom—so that those who put their trust in him need not eternally endure those things.

2

Universal Themes in Zephaniah

Worldwide Judgment

Even though current circumstances may indicate to the contrary, all sin will be brought to justice. Rebellious human hearts and the actions that such hearts produce will not escape the punishment of God. Specifically, actions against God’s own people will not escape God’s punishment. The Lord has bound himself to his people. He will bring every wrong against them to justice.

Worldwide Salvation

Alongside the whole-earth dimensions of God’s judgment stands the whole-earth extension of his mercy. Those who humble themselves enough to trust him will escape his punishment despite their sin. For God has taken them into covenant with himself and has dealt with their sin through the atoning work of his Son. “At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9).

3

The Global Message of Zephaniah for Today

There is no greater need in the human heart than for divine love. Beneath every other valid need is the need to be loved by the One who knows us better even than we know ourselves. And to those who look to him, to those who make the Lord their refuge, he himself says,

“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:16–17)

Such is the delight of God in heaven over every one of his children—children in western hemisphere or east, urban or rural, rich or poor.

And this love will be seen “among all the peoples of the earth” (Zephaniah 3:20). The display of God’s love for his own is not a provincial or tepid or restrained display. God’s covenant love for his people will one day explode in joyous cosmic celebration as all the suffering undergone by believers is reversed and they enjoy the glory for which they were created (Romans 8:18; Revelation 21:4).

2:1-2:3 In light of the horrifying spectacle he has described, Zephaniah calls on his nation to repent and humble themselves before God.

2:2 Farmers threshed grain on windy hilltops. When they tossed the mixed grain and chaff in the air, the wind blew the chaff away while the heavier grain fell back to the ground. The opportunity to repent was a fleeting one.

2:3 all who are humble: True humility involves submission to and dependence on God (Pss 18:25-27; 119:142-144; Prov 15:33; 18:12; 22:4).

2:4 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered the Philistine cities of Gaza and Ashkelon . . . Ashdod and Ekron. Gaza remained deserted, but the others recovered and continued into later times. Zephaniah does not mention Gath, the fifth major Philistine city (see 1 Sam 6:17), which had either disappeared or become unimportant by Zephaniah’s time.

2:4-2:15 Zephaniah began his pronouncements with the Philistines, whose kingdom lay on Judah’s west (2:4-7). He moved on to Moab and Ammon in the east (2:8-11), and finally singled out Cush (Ethiopia) to the south (2:12) and Assyria to the north (2:13-15).

2:4-3:20 Zephaniah turns his attention to the judgment of the foreign nations (2:4-15) before returning to the judgment of Judah and Jerusalem (3:1-8). He then outlines God’s plans for his purified and obedient people (3:9-20).

2:5 Old Testament scholars believe the Philistines came from the island of Crete (cp. Ezek 25:16).

2:6 pasture . . . shepherd camps and enclosures for sheep: The destruction of cities and their return to a natural state represents a severe form of punishment from God. See also Isa 7:23-25; 13:19-21; 32:9-15; Ezek 35:9.

2:7 The Baal worshipers (1:4) and the Philistines would never be restored (2:4-6; see also Amos 1:8). By contrast, God promised to return the remnant of his people to their land, care for them, and restore them to prosperity (Zeph 3:18-20; Isa 11:11-16; Jer 23:1-8; Ezek 34:11-16, 20-31).

2:8 The Moabites and Ammonites were Israel’s traditional foes. The Israelites fought with them frequently (see 2 Kgs 3:1-27; 2 Chr 20:1-30), and they remained Israel’s enemies to the end (2 Kgs 25:25; Jer 40:11-14). • mocking . . . invading: The Israelites not only suffered repeated attacks by the Moabites and Ammonites (see Amos 1:13) but also endured their insults over their successes.

2:9 The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as an example of God’s severe judgment of sin, both in the Old Testament (Deut 29:23; Isa 1:9; Jer 23:14; Amos 4:11) and in the New Testament (Luke 10:12; Rom 9:29; 2 Pet 2:6). • salt pits: A ruinous waste (Deut 29:23; Ps 107:34; Jer 17:6). Sowing the earth with salt was a mark of permanent judgment (see Judg 9:45) because it made the ground barren.

2:11 nations . . . will worship the Lord: At the end of history, all people in all places will worship God alone (3:9; Ps 66:4; Mic 4:1-2; Zech 14:16).

2:12 Ethiopians: Hebrew Cushites. While the Hebrew term can refer to any nation or people along the southern edge of the known world of that time, here it refers specifically to the Ethiopian dynasty that ruled Egypt.

2:13 Zephaniah turns from the south (2:12) to the north. Like Nahum before him, he announces the imminent demise of Assyria.

2:14 To drive home his point about Nineveh’s fate, Zephaniah invokes powerful imagery: Rubble would fill the doorways through which the wealthy and powerful of Nineveh had once walked. The eerie sounds of owls hooting in empty windows would punctuate the city’s desolation.

2:15 utter ruin: The doom was so certain and irreversible (see Nah 1:14; 2:13; 3:19) that Zephaniah saw no future for Assyria or its capital. So complete was Nineveh’s devastation that the Greek historian Xenophon once passed by its ruins unaware that it was there. • laugh . . . shake a defiant fist: Those who suffered under Assyria’s cruel empire would be glad seeing its demise.

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