Zephaniah 1.7b-The Sovereign Lord Has Prepared the Babylonians to Destroy the Idolatrous Inhabitants of Jerusalem (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)
Doctrinal Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday June 21, 2026
Zephaniah Series: Zephaniah 1:7b-The Sovereign Lord Has Prepared the Babylonians to Destroy the Idolatrous Inhabitants of Jerusalem
Lesson # 14
Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent before the presence of my Sovereign, my Lord because the period of judgment to be brought about by the Lord is imminent. Indeed, the Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal. He has consecrated His invited guests. (Pastor’s translation)
After ordering the citizens of the kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem to be silent before his sovereign and Lord because the period in which they will be judged by the Lord was imminent, the prophet Zephaniah advances upon or amplifies this command and causal clause.
He asserts that the Lord had prepared a sacrifice which amplifies the previous causal clause in that it informs the inhabitants of Jerusalem specifically why they should obey his command to be silent before the presence of the sovereign Lord.
It identifies specifically for the inhabitants of Jerusalem why they should fear the day of the Lord, namely, because God has prepared them as a sacrificial meal for the enemy who are His consecrated guests or in other words, they should fear the day of the Lord and repent because they will be judged by the sovereign Lord.
This is indicated by the prophet Zephaniah’s statements in Zephaniah 1:8-13.
Verse 8 says that the Lord will judge the aristocracy of this city.
Verse 9 says that the Lord will judge those who leap on the temple threshold which was a pagan practice.
Also the Lord will judge those who fill the house of the Lord with violence and deceit.
Verse 12 says that He will judge those among His people who are living in apostasy and unrepentant about it.
These people are wealthy among His people and He will judge them.
History records the Babylonian Empire led by Nebuchadnezzar were the Lord’s invited guests and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the citizens of the kingdom of Judah were the sacrificial meal.
This sacrifice of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem would serve to satisfy God’s holiness which demanded that these people be judged for their idolatry.
God used the Babylonian Empire to discipline the kingdom of Judah and the inhabitants of her capital city of Jerusalem.
This empire led by Nebuchadnezzar was serving God in that they were the instrument used to judge Judah and Jerusalem.
In Jeremiah 25:9, and 27:6, the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah describes Nebuchadnezzar as His servant because this king and his empire were the Lord’s instrument in judging Judah and Jerusalem.
God used Nebuchadnezzar to discipline the nation of Israel for their disobedience.
Jeremiah 25:1-11 also teaches that the Lord delivered Judah into Nebuchadnezzar’s power because of their idolatry.
Also, a comparison of Leviticus 25:1-12, 26:32-35, 43, Jeremiah 25:11, 29:10 and 2 Chronicles 26:21 indicates that the Lord delivered Judah into Nebuchadnezzar’s power because they failed to respect the Sabbath Day and the sabbatic year in which every seventh year they were to let the land rest.
In 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in September 605 B.C. and returned again a second time in 597 B.C. where he laid siege to Jerusalem in response to Jehoiachim’s ill-advised rebellion.
At this point, Jerusalem was now subjugated to Babylon and then after the attack in 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar established Zedekiah (Mattaniah) who was the uncle of Jehoiachin, as a puppet ruler in Judah.
He was urged to rebel and ally with Egypt against the protestations of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:6ff.; 38:14ff.).
Zedekiah did not pay heed to Jeremiah and allied himself with Egypt and revolted against Nebuchadnezzar.
The Chaldean armies invaded Judah in 587 B.C.
He attacked Jerusalem after destroying the small Syrian states and laying siege to Lachish and Azekah as predicted by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:9).
In 587 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar returned a third time where he again laid siege to the city of David, breaching the walls and destroying the city and burned the temple of Solomon in 586 B.C.
The majority of Jews who were not killed in this offensive were also taken captive to Babylon (2 Kings 25;1-7; Jeremiah 34:1-7; 39:1-7; 52:2-11).
God uses evil nations like Babylon to destroy other evil nations and thus, God uses evil against itself.
God used an evil idolatrous nation like Babylon in order to judge Judah and the city of Jerusalem which like Babylon was an evil and an idolatrous nation.
Eventually God brought in other evil and idolatrous nations to conquer Babylon and all of this was predicted by the prophets of Israel, namely the Medo-Persian Empire.
So Zephaniah 1:7 contains a warning for the inhabitants of Jerusalem whether they are God’s people in apostasy or unregenerate sinners in the sense that it was an announcement of judgment that was conditional rather than an unconditional decree of God.
It obviously implies that the Lord wants them to repent since He could have destroyed them immediately without warning.
The Lord is leaving room open for repentance and this is indicated by the statements recorded in Zephaniah 2:1-3.
If God had intended to wipe out Jerusalem, what reason was there for Him to tell its inhabitants about it, and then send Zephaniah to inform the people of Jerusalem of His intention.
God announces judgment against Jerusalem in advance so as to afford an opportunity for its people to repent.
The Lord’s desire was not to destroy the city of Jerusalem but rather His will was to forgive them and show mercy to them even though they rebelled against Him.
Therefore, this announcement of judgment against Jerusalem was conditional.
Therefore, if Jerusalem repented just as Nineveh did when Jonah pronounced judgment against that great city, God would relent and not destroy the city.
Sadly, history records that Judah and Jerusalem did not repent and were judged by God through the Babylonian Empire.
