Zephaniah
prophesied during the reign of Josiah king of Judah. Within 15 years of the end
of his prophecy Babylon swept into Judah and took the city and the prophecies
of this book were fulfilled in their immediate context. However, like many of
the prophets, Zephaniah has a double scope. There is an immediate fulfillment
to the people to whom the message was given, but there is also a future
fulfillment. The obvious theme of the book of Zephaniah is the day of the Lord.
This day is referred to around twenty times in these three chapters. The day of the Lord is that time period that begins
with the great tribulation period and goes through the millennial kingdom. This
time period is similar to a Jewish day. Our day begins and ends in the middle
of the night. The Hebrew day, however, begins at sundown, goes through the
darkness and then ends in the light. This is the way the day of the Lord is, beginning
in darkness with a time of worldwide judgment, a time when the Lord will pour
out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world, a time known as the tribulation,
Daniels seventieth week or the time of Jacobs trouble, and ending up in the
light with the return of Christ when we will come back with Him to the earth
and He will rule and reign on the earth for a thousand years, eventually
ushering in the creation of new heavens and a new earth and ultimately the
eternal state "And so shall we ever be with the Lord."
As we saw last time chapter one deals primarily with the nation of Judah and the overall lukewarmness of the people of Jerusalem, settling in their lees. Because of their apathy the Lord pronounces judgment against that land. But in a wider scope, as I've already mentioned, this judgment being talked about in this chapter is pointing forward to a future judgment that is yet to come. Verses 14-18 summarize Revelation 6-19 very well.
I want to go back and look at these last five verses of chapter 1, last time we read through them together, but I want to go back and read them again and point out some of the things that are being talked about here. And keep in mind that as we go through this book we're going to try and see what this message meant to the people of Judah in their immediate context and we also want to see what is being said about the day of the Lord that is still yet to come.
As we saw last time chapter one deals primarily with the nation of Judah and the overall lukewarmness of the people of Jerusalem, settling in their lees. Because of their apathy the Lord pronounces judgment against that land. But in a wider scope, as I've already mentioned, this judgment being talked about in this chapter is pointing forward to a future judgment that is yet to come. Verses 14-18 summarize Revelation 6-19 very well.
I want to go back and look at these last five verses of chapter 1, last time we read through them together, but I want to go back and read them again and point out some of the things that are being talked about here. And keep in mind that as we go through this book we're going to try and see what this message meant to the people of Judah in their immediate context and we also want to see what is being said about the day of the Lord that is still yet to come.
Vs.14-18
- "Near is the great day of the Lord,
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the Lord!
In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet and battle cry
Against the fortified cities
And the high corner towers.
I will bring distress on men
So that they will walk like the blind,
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
And their blood will be poured out like dust
And their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to deliver them
On the day of the Lord’s wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Chapter 1 ends with this vivid description of the day of the Lord. It is near and coming very quickly. It's described as a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness and a day of trumpet and battle cry. In verse 17 the Lord gives the reason for the awesome judgment - "because they have sinned against the Lord." The sins of the people of Judah are laid out clearly throughout this first chapter and we went through some of these things last time. But the Lord says that because they turned from Him and sinned against Him He was going to bring judgment on these people. It’s not rare in the Old Testament to see the Lord using pagan nations and pagan people to chastise His people and draw them back to Himself. You’ll remember, for example, in the book of Habakkuk the prophet was looking around at the nation of Judah and the sinfulness of that nation and he asked God how long He was going to delay His judgment. The Lord responded and told Habakkuk that He was going to raise up the Chaldeans and bring them against Judah for judgment. But that raised another question in the prophet’s mind. He knew that Judah was bad and deserving of Gods judgment, but as bad as they were the Chaldeans were worse. He said “How can you use such a wicked people to judge those more righteous than they?” And the Lord proceeded to answer him. This is only one example, but time and again the Lord used pagan nations to judge His people. However, any nation that comes against His people, even if God uses them in judgment, they are held accountable for their treatment of God’s chosen people and judged accordingly. So in the historical context, it was because of the sin of Judah and Jerusalem that God was bringing Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army against them. That’s the “day of wrath” that was coming against the people of Judah in the days of Zephaniah.
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the Lord!
In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet and battle cry
Against the fortified cities
And the high corner towers.
I will bring distress on men
So that they will walk like the blind,
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
And their blood will be poured out like dust
And their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to deliver them
On the day of the Lord’s wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Chapter 1 ends with this vivid description of the day of the Lord. It is near and coming very quickly. It's described as a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness and a day of trumpet and battle cry. In verse 17 the Lord gives the reason for the awesome judgment - "because they have sinned against the Lord." The sins of the people of Judah are laid out clearly throughout this first chapter and we went through some of these things last time. But the Lord says that because they turned from Him and sinned against Him He was going to bring judgment on these people. It’s not rare in the Old Testament to see the Lord using pagan nations and pagan people to chastise His people and draw them back to Himself. You’ll remember, for example, in the book of Habakkuk the prophet was looking around at the nation of Judah and the sinfulness of that nation and he asked God how long He was going to delay His judgment. The Lord responded and told Habakkuk that He was going to raise up the Chaldeans and bring them against Judah for judgment. But that raised another question in the prophet’s mind. He knew that Judah was bad and deserving of Gods judgment, but as bad as they were the Chaldeans were worse. He said “How can you use such a wicked people to judge those more righteous than they?” And the Lord proceeded to answer him. This is only one example, but time and again the Lord used pagan nations to judge His people. However, any nation that comes against His people, even if God uses them in judgment, they are held accountable for their treatment of God’s chosen people and judged accordingly. So in the historical context, it was because of the sin of Judah and Jerusalem that God was bringing Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army against them. That’s the “day of wrath” that was coming against the people of Judah in the days of Zephaniah.
But
the future day of the Lord is also in sight here. It is near and coming very
quickly. The whole earth needs to be judged, and the reason for the judgment is
the same as it was in the days that this was written. Sin. We must never try to
justify sin or make it seem like a small thing. There is no such thing as a
small sin. Sin is sin and the wages of sin is death. The day of the Lord which
is about to come is about to come on the earth is a time of God’s wrath being
poured out on the whole world because of sin. And it's justly deserved. In
fact, if God did not bring this day of wrath on the world He would not be just.
All of creation was affected by sin and that sin problem needs to be taken care
of. And this coming judgment needs to be part of our preaching the gospel. In
his sermon on Mars Hill in Acts 17 Paul declared - "Truly, these times of
ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because
He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by
the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising
Him from the dead." The day of the Lord is coming, on that day He will
judge the world in righteousness. Because of this He commands all men
everywhere to repent. People often ask the question “How can a good God allow
suffering or pain or injustice or sin or whatever?” The truth is that one day
God is going to put an end to all that. He will judge the world in
righteousness. But that doesn’t mean just sin in the broad sense of the word or
the things that we might consider to be really bad, but all sin is going to be
judged. including the individual, seemingly small sins of the person asking
the question about how God could allow sin in His creation. See, we want God to
judge other peoples sin, but we don’t want Him to judge our sin. But the fact
is that there is coming a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness
because of sin.
We
need to be faithful in our proclamation of the gospel to say, along with Paul,
that “God is not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance,
but there is coming a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness.
The day of the Lord is near and coming very quickly.
This
message of judgment is a heavy one and it's not very popular, but this is part
of Gods plan. And even though Gods judgment is coming He still has offered us
an escape if we'll take it. The Lord has promised that this time of judgment is
coming, and He is not slow concerning His promise, but He is patient toward us,
not wishing that any would perish but that all would come to repentance. We
don't know when the Lord is going to return and the day of the Lord begin, but
we know that it hasn't happened yet because God is patient and is giving men a
chance to repent and turn to Him. Although that time must come, even in the
light of coming judgment, both in the immediate context and in light of the coming
day of the Lord, God issues a call for repentance. This brings us to chapter 2.
2:1-3 - " Gather yourselves together, yes, gather,
O nation without shame,
Before the decree takes effect—
The day passes like the chaff—
Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
Seek the Lord,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger."
2:1-3 - " Gather yourselves together, yes, gather,
O nation without shame,
Before the decree takes effect—
The day passes like the chaff—
Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
Seek the Lord,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger."
God
calls on Israel, specifically, to repent. To seek Him in humility. Israel, an
undesirable and shameless nation, a nation not to be envied, will go through
the time of Jacobs trouble. A time that God will use to wake up His people. But
in light of this judgment in the days of Zephaniah, as well as the judgment
that is about to come upon the whole earth to try those that dwell on the
earth, God issues a call for repentance. God calls for Israel specifically to
gather together and repent, much the same as they were called to do in Joel
chapter 2.
In the day of the Lord Judah will be in a very similar position as she was in in the days of Zephaniah. In the land, surrounded by enemies who are seeking her destruction. The majority of the population will be swayed by the anti-Christ, and all because of the nation’s rejection of Christ as the Messiah. Israel as a whole will welcome the man of sin as their Messiah. I heard a man on the radio recently talking about a recent trip he took to Israel. He said that while he was there he was talking with a Jewish man about Jesus as Messiah. The man responded that he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah. So he asked him who the Messiah would be. This Jewish man responded by saying that when Messiah came he would bring peace to the Middle East, between the Muslims and the Jews. He said that he would allow the Jews to rebuild their temple and once again enable them to offer sacrifices in the temple. The first man responded by saying “What you just said perfectly describes the anti-christ.” To which the Jew responded “Call him what you will, we will hail him as our Messiah.” And this is the position of the Jewish nation as a whole. They have rejected Jesus as their Messiah and they will willingly embrace anti-christ in His place.
In the day of the Lord Judah will be in a very similar position as she was in in the days of Zephaniah. In the land, surrounded by enemies who are seeking her destruction. The majority of the population will be swayed by the anti-Christ, and all because of the nation’s rejection of Christ as the Messiah. Israel as a whole will welcome the man of sin as their Messiah. I heard a man on the radio recently talking about a recent trip he took to Israel. He said that while he was there he was talking with a Jewish man about Jesus as Messiah. The man responded that he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah. So he asked him who the Messiah would be. This Jewish man responded by saying that when Messiah came he would bring peace to the Middle East, between the Muslims and the Jews. He said that he would allow the Jews to rebuild their temple and once again enable them to offer sacrifices in the temple. The first man responded by saying “What you just said perfectly describes the anti-christ.” To which the Jew responded “Call him what you will, we will hail him as our Messiah.” And this is the position of the Jewish nation as a whole. They have rejected Jesus as their Messiah and they will willingly embrace anti-christ in His place.
In
H.A. Ironsides commentary on this chapter he says that the nation of Israel
during the day of the Lord will be in the land of Israel. He wrote this in the
early 1900's, before Israel was recognized as a nation, when many Bible
students and commentators were saying that Israel would never again be a nation
and that the church had replaced Israel. There were a few who stuck
to the Word of God, taking it at face value, trusting that the Lord would bring
everything to pass exactly as He said and in His perfect timing. Only about
forty years after Ironside wrote this Israel did reenter the land and they were
recognized as a nation again, and God began to set the stage for the soon
coming day of the Lord. In Zephaniahs day Judah was surrounded by enemies on
all sides, much as she is today. And while this chapter goes on to talk about
the judgment that God poured out on these people who surrounded Judah, it also
looks forward to a time when God will hide the faithful remnant of His people
and pour out His wrath on their enemies. In Verse 3 it says “Seek the Lord, all
you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; Seek
righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the
Lords anger.” The last phrase in this verse is a play on words of the prophets
name. The name Zephaniah means “the Lord will hide.” Or “hidden of the Lord.”
In the great tribulation period there is going to be remnant of the Jews that
will be hidden of the Lord. In Revelation chapter 12 we read of Satan being
cast to the earth and beginning to persecute the woman who brought forth the
Man Child, or Israel. But the Lord helps His people and hides them from the
dragon. They will be taken into a secret place in the wilderness and hidden of
the Lord.
The
Lord calls on the faithful remnant to seek the Lord, seek righteousness and
humility. Twice in verse three He mentions humility. Pride is something that
was a characteristic of the surrounding nations, as we'll see in the following
verses, but there is a danger for His faithful remnant to fall into that snare
of pride, so He warns them to seek humility. There is a danger of the remnant
to become so preoccupied with their remnant character that they become
prideful. The remnant recognizes their need for the Lord and their utter
dependency on Him. An attitude of pride will destroy that sense of dependency.
The true remnant will not be preoccupied with their own remnant character, but
they will be preoccupied with Him to whom they are set apart. This is a principle
that we would do well to apply to ourselves. I often think about the churches
in Revelation chapters two and three and my mindset is that I am part of the
church of Philadelphia, part of the faithful remnant of the church. But that
attitude of focusing on myself is more characteristic of Laodicea than it is of
Philadelphia. The church of Philadelphia isn't preoccupied with her remnant
character but they are completely taken up with Him. We need to watch out for
pride, it is a very dangerous thing.
The
burning judgment of the Lord is about to come upon the whole world. The call
for the unbeliever is to turn to the Lord, repent, humble yourself in the sight
of the Lord. The only way any of us will escape this judgment is through
Christ. Jesus Christ absorbed the wrath of God in our place when He hung on the
cross and took the sin of the world on Himself. Even though the Lord recognizes
that this nation is an undesirable, shameless nation, that there is nothing in
mankind that is good, that there is none righteous and that the thoughts of
mankind are only evil continually, in His great love where with He love us,
even when we were His enemies, ungodly sinners, Christ died for us. The Lord
must judge, that's true, but God has offered a way of salvation. Through this
awesome judgment we see His unfathomable love, that Christ would take our sin
on Himself in order that those who come to Him might be saved, and not only
saved from the consequences of our sin, but we also get to enter into this
relationship with our loving God and Creator.
In
Verses 4-15 we see Gods judgment on the nations surrounding Judah at the four
points of the compass, West, East, South and North. There are a few themes
interwoven throughout this chapter. The judgment of the nations is obviously
the overall focus of the chapter, but we also see several references to the
remnant and also the danger of pride. In Verses 4-7 we see the Lords
pronouncement of judgment against Philistia, or Canaan, to the west of Israel.
In verses 8-11 judgment is pronounced against Moab and Ammon, to the east. In
Verse 12 we see Gods judgment against Ethiopia to the south, and the chapter
ends with an indictment against Assyria to the north.
-The
judgment of Philistia
Vs. 4-7 - "For Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
Ashdod will be driven out at noon
And Ekron will be uprooted.
Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will destroy you
So that there will be no inhabitant.
So the seacoast will be pastures,
With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.
And the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the Lord their God will care for them
And restore their fortune."
In Verse 4, four of the five main Philistine cities are mentioned by name, and the Lord declares that they will be abandoned, a desolation, driven out when they least expect it and uprooted. They shall no longer have any place in the land. This is the territory to the west of Israel that boarders the Mediterranean sea. This territory is the center of a lot of controversy right now, the Gaza strip. For Judah and Philistia there has already been a fulfilling of this prediction literally. But a more complete fulfillment will take place in the last days. All this controversy right now in the Middle East, surrounding Israel, and particularly in the Gaza strip, all this will be settled. The Lord declares that this territory will be given to the remnant of the Jews. The remnant of the house of Judah will pasture on it. This is the word of God and it is a fact, even though it hasn't happened yet. There are many different opinions concerning this territory but God says that this land will be for the Jews. In Verses 4 and 5 we see Gods treatment of Philistia, whereas in Verses 6 and 7 we see God caring for His people and giving this land to them. In Verse 5 we read "the word of the Lord is against you." What a terrifying statement. It doesn't matter what you have going for you if Gods word is against you you're in deep trouble. At the end of Verse 5 the Lord says to this nation "I will destroy you." In Verse 7 we see the Lord caring for His people. "the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah, they will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the Lord their God will care for them and restore their fortune." The Lord may use pagan nations to bring judgment against His people but He will not leave those nations unpunished and He is never without a remnant. At the end of this verse we see the Lord God tenderly caring for His own special people.
The next nations we see the Lords judgment against are the nations of Moab and Ammon. These two nations lie to the east of Israel.
-The judgment of Moab and Ammon
Verses 8-11 - "I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory.
“Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel,
Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts. The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place."
Moab and Ammon are located in present day Jordan, to the east of Israel. The biblical territory of Ammon is the same as modern day Amman Jordan. In Verses 8 and 10 the Lord says that He heard their taunting and reviling against His people. He saw their arrogance. They rose up against His people, and He would punish them for it. Sure, the Lord may have used them to chastise His people, but they would not escape His punishment for rising up against His people. As I said earlier, the Lord frequently used pagan nations to judge His people, but He always dealt with those nations for coming against His special people. When you mess with Israel you're messing with the apple of Gods eye. In Verse 9 He says that the judgment of these nations will be like that of Sodom and Gomorah. We read in Genesis 19:24-25 - "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground." Interestingly enough, the same chapter that records the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is the very first chapter in which these two nations, Moab and Ammon, are mentioned. Before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed the Lord in his compassion brought Lot out of the city so that the righteous would not be destroyed with the wicked. After escaping from Sodom with his two daughters, Lot fled into the mountains and lived in a cave. Both of Lots daughters were with child through incest with their father, and we read in Genesis 19:36-38 - "Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day." Lot may have escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but his offspring would fall under the same condemnation as those two cities.
The reason that the Lord is bringing His judgment against these nations is pride, their arrogance. The Lord hates pride. He cannot tolerate it. "This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts."
The remnant is mentioned twice in verse 9.
Vs. 4-7 - "For Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
Ashdod will be driven out at noon
And Ekron will be uprooted.
Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will destroy you
So that there will be no inhabitant.
So the seacoast will be pastures,
With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.
And the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the Lord their God will care for them
And restore their fortune."
In Verse 4, four of the five main Philistine cities are mentioned by name, and the Lord declares that they will be abandoned, a desolation, driven out when they least expect it and uprooted. They shall no longer have any place in the land. This is the territory to the west of Israel that boarders the Mediterranean sea. This territory is the center of a lot of controversy right now, the Gaza strip. For Judah and Philistia there has already been a fulfilling of this prediction literally. But a more complete fulfillment will take place in the last days. All this controversy right now in the Middle East, surrounding Israel, and particularly in the Gaza strip, all this will be settled. The Lord declares that this territory will be given to the remnant of the Jews. The remnant of the house of Judah will pasture on it. This is the word of God and it is a fact, even though it hasn't happened yet. There are many different opinions concerning this territory but God says that this land will be for the Jews. In Verses 4 and 5 we see Gods treatment of Philistia, whereas in Verses 6 and 7 we see God caring for His people and giving this land to them. In Verse 5 we read "the word of the Lord is against you." What a terrifying statement. It doesn't matter what you have going for you if Gods word is against you you're in deep trouble. At the end of Verse 5 the Lord says to this nation "I will destroy you." In Verse 7 we see the Lord caring for His people. "the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah, they will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the Lord their God will care for them and restore their fortune." The Lord may use pagan nations to bring judgment against His people but He will not leave those nations unpunished and He is never without a remnant. At the end of this verse we see the Lord God tenderly caring for His own special people.
The next nations we see the Lords judgment against are the nations of Moab and Ammon. These two nations lie to the east of Israel.
-The judgment of Moab and Ammon
Verses 8-11 - "I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory.
“Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel,
Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts. The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place."
Moab and Ammon are located in present day Jordan, to the east of Israel. The biblical territory of Ammon is the same as modern day Amman Jordan. In Verses 8 and 10 the Lord says that He heard their taunting and reviling against His people. He saw their arrogance. They rose up against His people, and He would punish them for it. Sure, the Lord may have used them to chastise His people, but they would not escape His punishment for rising up against His people. As I said earlier, the Lord frequently used pagan nations to judge His people, but He always dealt with those nations for coming against His special people. When you mess with Israel you're messing with the apple of Gods eye. In Verse 9 He says that the judgment of these nations will be like that of Sodom and Gomorah. We read in Genesis 19:24-25 - "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground." Interestingly enough, the same chapter that records the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is the very first chapter in which these two nations, Moab and Ammon, are mentioned. Before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed the Lord in his compassion brought Lot out of the city so that the righteous would not be destroyed with the wicked. After escaping from Sodom with his two daughters, Lot fled into the mountains and lived in a cave. Both of Lots daughters were with child through incest with their father, and we read in Genesis 19:36-38 - "Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day." Lot may have escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but his offspring would fall under the same condemnation as those two cities.
The reason that the Lord is bringing His judgment against these nations is pride, their arrogance. The Lord hates pride. He cannot tolerate it. "This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts."
The remnant is mentioned twice in verse 9.
-The
judgment against Ethiopia
Verse 12 - "You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword."
Not much is said against this nation, but the Lord does say that He will stretch out His sword against this nation that lies to the south. This could be referring to Egypt or the land south of Egypt. God says that He will lift up His sword against these people. Some associate this with Nebuchadnezzar conquering Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians being the sword of God, the instrument that God used to judge the nations surrounding Jerusalem. There is however hope for Ethiopia. While we're told that Nineveh and other places will fall never to rise again, Psalm 68:31 seems to say that there is yet hope for Ethiopia. Psalm 68:31 says - "Ethipoia will quickly stretch out her hands to God." In chapter 3 and verse 10 of Zephaniah the Lord says that His worshipers would bring offerings from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. So it seems as though there is still a chance for this people to the south to repent, and there will be a remnant that turn to God.
The final nation that God pronounces judgment against in this chapter is the northern nation of Assyria, and particularly against its capital, Nineveh.
Verses 13-15 - "And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All beasts which range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation will be on the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.
This is the exultant city
Which dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt."
Assyria, modern day Syria and Iraq, lies to the north of Israel. This nation was indicted because of her pride. According to verse 15 she said in her heart "I am, and there is no one besides me." Her pride and self-sufficiency were her down fall. The fall of Nineveh is prophesied about in detail in the book of Nahum. In the year 612 B.C. the Medes from the north and the Babylonians from the south joined together to attack the city of Nineveh. Three times in three years they assaulted the city, but they found no way to break through. They were easily beaten back as the Assyrians would simply close up the city, there was enough food growing within the walls of the city to last them eighteen years, the Tigris River flowed through the city so they had no worry about fresh water, they had it flowing right in. They were a very self-sufficient people. And they would simply close themselves up and they were unconquerable. After the third attempt by the Medes and the Babylonians to take the city, the Assyrians saw that they were unsuccessful and began to throw a huge party inside the city. A drunken party that went on for weeks. They thought that they were unconquerable and no one could beat them. But while this was going on the Lord sent a great storm over Nineveh and it began to rain and rain and rain. The Tigris River began to swell and get deeper and stronger, and it began to overflow its banks. When it overflowed its banks it began to weaken the foundations of the mighty wall that wrapped around the city of Nineveh. The foundations of the wall began to crumble as the river began to push out and the wall fell down around the river and great gaps were left open and unguarded. The Medes and the Babylonians saw what was going on and invaded the city and set it on fire, exactly as is prophesied in the book of Nahum. Nineveh was completely flattened, not one stone was left upon another. It was left like a wilderness. In verse 14 we see all kinds of wild life roaming around where this mighty city once stood. This incredible city and this mighty people were destroyed due to their pride. Pride goes before destruction.
The Lord will not abandon His people. When they were surrounded on all sides the Lord brought judgment against these nations and preserved for Himself a remnant. In a coming day when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies on all sides the Lord will intervene on behalf of His people.
In chapter 3 the focus is turned once again toward
Jerusalem in the first seven verses and then the book ends with a prophecy
concerning the millennial kingdom.
Verse 12 - "You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword."
Not much is said against this nation, but the Lord does say that He will stretch out His sword against this nation that lies to the south. This could be referring to Egypt or the land south of Egypt. God says that He will lift up His sword against these people. Some associate this with Nebuchadnezzar conquering Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians being the sword of God, the instrument that God used to judge the nations surrounding Jerusalem. There is however hope for Ethiopia. While we're told that Nineveh and other places will fall never to rise again, Psalm 68:31 seems to say that there is yet hope for Ethiopia. Psalm 68:31 says - "Ethipoia will quickly stretch out her hands to God." In chapter 3 and verse 10 of Zephaniah the Lord says that His worshipers would bring offerings from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. So it seems as though there is still a chance for this people to the south to repent, and there will be a remnant that turn to God.
The final nation that God pronounces judgment against in this chapter is the northern nation of Assyria, and particularly against its capital, Nineveh.
Verses 13-15 - "And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.
Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All beasts which range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation will be on the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.
This is the exultant city
Which dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt."
Assyria, modern day Syria and Iraq, lies to the north of Israel. This nation was indicted because of her pride. According to verse 15 she said in her heart "I am, and there is no one besides me." Her pride and self-sufficiency were her down fall. The fall of Nineveh is prophesied about in detail in the book of Nahum. In the year 612 B.C. the Medes from the north and the Babylonians from the south joined together to attack the city of Nineveh. Three times in three years they assaulted the city, but they found no way to break through. They were easily beaten back as the Assyrians would simply close up the city, there was enough food growing within the walls of the city to last them eighteen years, the Tigris River flowed through the city so they had no worry about fresh water, they had it flowing right in. They were a very self-sufficient people. And they would simply close themselves up and they were unconquerable. After the third attempt by the Medes and the Babylonians to take the city, the Assyrians saw that they were unsuccessful and began to throw a huge party inside the city. A drunken party that went on for weeks. They thought that they were unconquerable and no one could beat them. But while this was going on the Lord sent a great storm over Nineveh and it began to rain and rain and rain. The Tigris River began to swell and get deeper and stronger, and it began to overflow its banks. When it overflowed its banks it began to weaken the foundations of the mighty wall that wrapped around the city of Nineveh. The foundations of the wall began to crumble as the river began to push out and the wall fell down around the river and great gaps were left open and unguarded. The Medes and the Babylonians saw what was going on and invaded the city and set it on fire, exactly as is prophesied in the book of Nahum. Nineveh was completely flattened, not one stone was left upon another. It was left like a wilderness. In verse 14 we see all kinds of wild life roaming around where this mighty city once stood. This incredible city and this mighty people were destroyed due to their pride. Pride goes before destruction.
The Lord will not abandon His people. When they were surrounded on all sides the Lord brought judgment against these nations and preserved for Himself a remnant. In a coming day when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies on all sides the Lord will intervene on behalf of His people.
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