Zephaniah chapter 3
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Introduction
Introduction
So today is the time we come to the last chapter of this minor prophet by the name of Zephaniah.
We will move to Zechariah next week. and so looking at the minor prophets when have the chance to see God at work in the lives of his people, and the truth reminds us that He has been and continues to work in our lives today as His children.
So today lets finish this chapter and see God’s work in the lives of his people Israel.
So lets look at verse 1
1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
the oppressing city!
In spite of the call to repentance and yes some probably did repent, Jerusalem remained wicked, the city is called rebellious and defiled.
Rebellious meaning that they have disobeyed and refused to follow the ways of the Lord.
Defiled, they are no longer pure, they are steeped in sin.. Steeped is a good word, it is like it has progressively gotten worse and they have allowed it too. Morally filthy… It speaks of the same nature of woman who has prostituted her virtue away.
They acted outwardly pure, but inwardly terrible.
God says they are a oppressing city… they oppress those who can do nothing to help themselves, the poor, the elderly, the weak the widows and orphans and strangers...
God says they are a oppressing city… they oppress those who can do nothing to help themselves, the poor, the elderly, the weak the widows and orphans and strangers
3 Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
Now verse 2....
Now verse 2....
2 She listens to no voice;
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.
The she refers to the city and its people, especially its leaders, they are incurable, they refuse correction...
Can you imagine a city, a people and they refuse to listen to the Lord.
Listen to Jeremiah 5:3
3 O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?
You have struck them down,
but they felt no anguish;
you have consumed them,
but they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
they have refused to repent.
faces hard as a rock is a terrible thing to say, no emotion, no care to repent...
And then the prophet Zephaniah says they do not trust in the Lord. - as if the Lord would seek to harm them in any way shape or form. John Calvin says they act as if the Lord were the parent of all superstitions and wickedness.. On the contrary the Lord has always sought their best, but they refused.
Now verse 3
3 Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
;
Some of the versions say lions and some say wolves, but what is common with both is that they all seek their prey at night… they stalk, with the prey not knowing...
The wolves/lions fight but leave nothing, it is like the animals tearing the pieces a part and scattering the bones so that none is found.
27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
Remember the Lord adores the actions where the leaders and the rich are the ones who took advantage of others, especially the poor and lowest under them.
Remember the Lord adores the actions where the leaders and the rich are the ones who took advantage of others, especially the poor and lowest under them.
The Lord sends a similar message through the prophet Amos.
4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
her priests profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
A judgment about its leaders and priests.
11 “Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
even in my house I have found their evil,
declares the Lord.
7 The days of punishment have come;
the days of recompense have come;
Israel shall know it.
The prophet is a fool;
the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity
and great hatred.
There is no truth in these people. The Prophets and priests say they are His servants but they are not…
22 But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and from the evil of their deeds.
28 And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken.
Do you remember Jesus telling the religious leaders they are like “white washed tombs” full of dead mens bones.
The tombs were painted to help people avoid the unclean, and while they were white and clean, death was on the inside, no live no spiritual life.
Now verses 5 and 6
5 The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
In contrast to the faithful Lord, the One who is always at work, always does good and in stead the people are completely difference, they are ones who are full of shame.
In contrast to the faithful Lord, the One who is always at work, always does good and in stead the people are completely difference, they are ones who are full of shame.
if the Lord is just, and they are His servants, how come they are unjust.....Do you remember the Lord’s word to them in ?
Listen to it
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
And then also looking at their wickedness, see what Micah says...
11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
its priests teach for a price;
its prophets practice divination for money;
yet they lean on the Lord and say,
“Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
No disaster shall come upon us.”
And then consider the meaning of verse 6....
The northern kingdom has experienced the judgment of God, they had indeed been cut off, and carried off because of their sin… Without a doubt, Judah and Benjamin should have learned from their example.
Can then the prophet says they do not trust in the Lord. - as if the Lord would seek to harm them in any way shape or form.
Now look at verse 7
7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
you will accept correction.
Then your dwelling would not be cut off
according to all that I have appointed against you.’
But all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
This passage is indeed sad, in light of all of this, you think they would have accepted correction. You think they would have responded well and done what it right..
But it was just the opposite.. they engaged all the more...
Micah 7:3
3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
thus they weave it together.
And now lets look at verse 8… it begins with a word of transition.
8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
all the earth shall be consumed.
Because of all that I have said.. wait on me
17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
Amidst all these judgments, they( the true followers of God) look forward to the glorious time of restoration to be ushered in by God’s precious outpouring of wrath on the nations..
Now the time has come, the Lord will turn His burning anger toward those who were unfaithful, wait for it. It is going to happen, don’t think the Lord has forgot or delayed..
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
Now verse 9
9 “For 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.
The punishment will result in good things, people will be turning their hearts to the Lord. They will have a pure lip or language, If you remember a long time before this the confusion of language was the penalty of sin, we see this in , verses 1-6. On that day there will be a singular heart toward the Lord.
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
and then consider
6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
IN the New testament era, those who were once impure, the Gentiles are now made pure through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. So we see a message of hope has come to the nations.
Now look at verse 10
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
Israel will be restored one day in the future. Those of the dispersia, will be found again, they will come back to the Lord. Those who were once scattered, this is a prophetic word of the future. It is a word of hope for the future as well.
says they will bring all the brothers of Israel as a offering unto the Lord. And we know that Cush speaks to the land of Ethiopia. But it might also seek to the boundaries of Cush’s son Nimrod, who founded Nineveh and the acquired Babylon… it might be where some of the nations were scattered...
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Now moving on to verse 11
Now moving on to verse 11
11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
:ll
I love this phrase “On that day”… that is a day which speaks or could speak to many things, namely the Lord’s faithfulness to deliver and judge… either way The Lord is faithful…Amen
On that day, the Lord will remove those who boast of their wickedness, He and his people will be victorious. They will be removed form the midst of the faithful.
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
Verse 12
12 But I will leave in your midst
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
When the Assyrians and the Babylonians uprooted the people of God, they didn’t usually take everyone, they left the poorest, the weak and the sick behind. They had no need for them.
But these are not alone, they can turn to the Lord for He is their best help
Verse 13
13 those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no injustice
and speak no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.”
Those who are left will do what is right, they will no longer fall away and be left to their own devices....
Now verse 14
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
Zephaniah brings about a word of salvation and consultation to the people of God.
The people in Israel will rejoice for the Lord is faithful. Man if there was only one thing, we can do, we can rejoice in just who He is amen. He is worthy of our praise and greatly to be praised.
Now verses 15-17
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
17 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.
Man, if there was anything to be praised, it is right here. lets break it down. The Lord has taken away your judgments.. and taking away your enemies… Man this is a cause for joy.
The Lord is the one who had judged them and now he has taken away for sin. Happiness follows in the wake of holiness
The conviction for them to know the Lord is with them is a sign of assurance, for a time it seemed as if he has departed from them. The Lord has never done anything like this but my friends he is with them.
He is their safeguard...
They will not experience evil anymore...
Verse 16 is a call to faint not in the work of the Lord..
And then we come to verse 17...
“17 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.”
Isn't it wonderful to hear again that the Lord was in their midst… He will never leave us or forsake us is what Jesus has promised my friends, how wonderful. Arn’t you thankful for that my friends...
He is mighty to save… can I say thank you Lord that He is powerful my friends, and will save.
The rejoicing will be from ...
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
16 None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
EzeK 33:16
There is rejoicing in Salvation, rejoicing in the truth that God is so good, loves us and desires to save us…
Now verses 18-20
18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Zeph 3:18-20
I love that He says I will gather the lame and the outcast… isnt it wondeful that God is one who receives each of us… how wondeful
1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
the oppressing city!
2 She listens to no voice;
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.
3 Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
her priests profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
5 The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
you will accept correction.
Then your dwelling would not be cut off
according to all that I have appointed against you.’
But all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
all the earth shall be consumed.
9 “For 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.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13 those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no injustice
and speak no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.”
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
17 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.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord.