Zephaniah 2.4-15-God's Intention to Judge Judah's Gentile Neighbors Serves as Motivation to Obey the Commands in Zephaniah 2.1 and 3
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday April 12, 2016
Zephaniah: Zephaniah 2:4-15-God’s Intention to Judge Judah’s Gentile Neighbors Serves as Motivation to Obey the Commands in Zephaniah 2:1 and 3
Lesson # 41
Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, 2 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. 3 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. 4 For Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon and Ekron will be uprooted. 5 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. 6 So the seacoast will be pastures, with caves for shepherds and folds for flocks. 7 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. 8 “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. 9 “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.” 10 This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts. 11 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. 12 “You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.” 13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and He will make Nineveh a desolation, parched like the wilderness. 14 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. 15 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. (NASB95)
In Zephaniah 2:1, the prophet issued two solemn commands.
Both were directed at unrepentant sinners living in Judah during the seventh century B.C. and those who will be living during the seventieth week of Daniel.
The first command demanded that each and every one of the Jewish people living in the seventh century B.C. and those living during the seventieth week to cause each other to enter the state of being assembled together before the Lord for the purpose of repentance.
It emphasizes the importance of the Jewish people acting upon each other by causing those who need to repent to enter into the state of assembling before the Lord to do so.
It emphasizes the need of the Jewish people to hold each other accountable.
So the first command is directed at those who are faithful.
The second simply requires that they assemble themselves together as a corporate unit.
The second command is directed at the unfaithful.
The idea of these two commands is that of the faithful Jews were to act upon unfaithful Jews so as to cause the latter to enter into the state of being assembled with the former for the purpose of seeking the Lord’s forgiveness.
Zephaniah 2:2 presents the reason why they are to cause each other to assemble for the purpose of repentance, namely before the decree to judge them is executed by the Lord and expresses His righteous indignation towards them.
The reference to the humble of the earth who carried out the Lord’s commands in Zephaniah 2:3 are not under God’s judgment because they have carried out His commands.
They are commanded to continue to seek His righteousness and seek humility so that perhaps they will be spared from experiencing the Lord’s anger.
Of course, they would be spared if they continued to obey Him.
The commands in Zephaniah 2:3 were directed exclusively at the faithful Jewish believers living in the seventh century B.C and those living during the seventieth week of Daniel.
This is indicated by the fact that those who are to obey these commands are described as humble and who obey the Word of God.
The Scriptures teach that only those who are faithful believers are humble and obey the Word of God.
Nowhere do they describe the unfaithful believer or the non-believer as humble and obeying the Word of God.
Rather they are described as arrogant and proud.
The first command issued by the prophet Zephaniah in verse 3 required that each and every one of these faithful Jewish believers continue making it their habit of diligently seeking after the Lord’s will.
This would involve the diligent study of the Word of God which reveals His will.
The second command in Zephaniah 2:3 demanded that each and every one of the faithful Jews living in the seventh century B.C. and those living during the seventieth week of Daniel continue making it their habit of seeking after righteousness which refers of course to the righteousness of God.
The third command which appears in Zephaniah 2:3 is also addressed to faithful Jewish believers living in the prophet Zephaniah’s day in the seventh century B.C. and those who will live during the seventieth week of Daniel and demands that they continue making it their habit of diligently seeking after humility.
Now, in Zephaniah 2:4-15, the prophet under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit presents a series of prophetic declarations which provide the reason for the two commands in verse 1 and the three commands in verse 3.
These prophetic declarations are recorded in Zephaniah 2:4-15.
They assert that Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon will be a desolation while Ashdod will be driven out at noon and Ekron will be uprooted.
They also pronounce judgment against the people who came from Crete as well as the Canaanites, the land of the Philistines.
These prophetic declarations also pronounce judgment against Moab, the Ammonites, the Ethiopians and Assyria and her capital city Nineveh.
Therefore, in relation to the commands in verse 1, the prophetic declarations in Zephaniah 2:4-15 indicate that faithful Jews were to cause unfaithful Jews to assemble together for the purpose of seeking the Lord’s forgiveness and thus for the purpose of repentance because the Lord will judge their Gentile neighbors.
In relation to the commands in verse 3, faithful Jews were to seek after the Lord’s will as well as righteousness and humility because the Lord will judge these surrounding nations.
The purpose of this causal clause in verse 4 is to motivate unfaithful Jews to repent and faithful Jews to continue being faithful since God’s judgment of heathen Gentile nations who are their neighbors will bring blessing to them as a nation.
If these Jews are judged by God like the heathen Gentile nations who are their neighbors, then they will not be able to take advantage of and experience blessing as a nation.
The reference to these nations in Zephaniah 2:4-15 which were in existence in the seventh century B.C. and will not be during the seventieth week of Daniel indicates that these verses serve as motivation for the Jews living in the seventh century B.C. rather than those living during the seventieth week of Daniel to obey the commands in verses 1 and 3.
The motivation for the Jews living during the seventh century B.C and those living during the seventieth week of Daniel to obey the commands in verse 1 to assemble for the purpose of repentance have already been given by the prophet in verse 2.
The motivation for faithful Jews to obey the Lord’s commands to remain faithful is found in verse 3 in that they will be spared if they remain faithful.
Thus the prophet’s statements in verses 4-15 are serving as further motivation for the Jews living in the seventh century B.C. to obey the commands in verses 1 and 3.
Verse 2 provides a negative motivation in the sense that God won’t judge those unfaithful Jews who assemble to repent as a corporate unit and He will not judge those Jews who continue to remain faithful to Him.
However, verses 4-15 provide positive motivation in the sense that God is attempting to motivate them to obey His commands to assemble and repent and remain faithful.
Hannah writes “The prophet predicted the destruction of four of Philistia’s five major cities—Gaza … Ashkelon … Ashdod, and Ekron, mentioned in order from south to north. The reason for Gath’s being omitted is uncertain, but most scholars feel that the city had not recovered from Uzziah’s devastation of it (2 Chron. 26:6). Or it may be that four rather than five are mentioned in order to maintain the literary symmetry of the verse’s structure. (Amos 1:6–8 omits Gath also.).”
Barker writes “Zephaniah basically moved from south to north in his description of the destruction. Gaza, the most remote Philistine city, lay fifty miles southwest of Jerusalem. Since the time of Sennacherib, Gaza had served as a vassal of Assyria and held Judean territory with the help of the Assyrians. From Gaza, Zephaniah moved his prophecy progressively closer to Jerusalem, proclaiming the coming destruction of Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron. Zephaniah’s message came closer and closer to the covenant people who had rejected the true God for idols which do not profit.”
