Zep 1:1
Introduction
This is the prophetic message that the LORD gave to1
Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah,
son of Hezekiah.
Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of2 King
Josiah son of Amon of Judah: (Guzik)
Zep 1:1-18
ZEPHANIAH 1 – COMING JUDGMENT AND THE
REASONS FOR IT
A. God’s promised judgment.
1. (Zep_1:1) Zephaniah: The man and his times.
The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of
Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of
Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of
Judah.
a. The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah:
This first verse of the prophecy of Zephaniah sets it apart
from most other prophets, in that he tells us both his time
and his roots. Zephaniah was an unusual prophet, in that he
was of royal lineage, descending from the godly King
Hezekiah.
i. The name Zephaniah means “Yahweh Hides” or “Yahweh
Has Hidden.” Zephaniah was almost certainly born during
the long, wicked reign of Manasseh, whose reign began 55
years before the start of Josiah’s reign. Zephaniah was
probably hidden for his own protection.
b. In the days of Josiah: Josiah was a godly, young king
who brought great revival and reform to Judah but Josiah
reigned for 10 years before he led his great revival.
Zephaniah was likely written in the years before the revival,
and God used this prophecy to bring and further revival.
i. Since Zephaniah predicts the destruction of Nineveh
(which happened in 612 B.C.) we know that his prophecy
belongs to the first part of the reign of King Josiah.
ii. The 12 Minor Prophets are divided into two groups: preexilic
and post-exilic. The first 9 are pre-exilic, writing before
the Babylonians conquered and exiled Judah. The last 3 are
post-exilic, writing during and after the return of Israel from
Babylon to the Promised Land. Zephaniah is the last of the
pre-exilic prophets, and can be said to “sum up” the
messages of the previous 8. This is why Zephaniah seems
unoriginal to some scholars, because he quotes the words
and ideas of many previous prophets.
2. (Zep_1:2-3) The promise of judgment.
“I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land,”
says the LORD; “I will consume man and beast; I will
consume the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, and
the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off
man from the face of the land,” says the LORD.
a. I will utterly consume everything: Zephaniah doesn’t
waste any time getting to the point. Delivering the message
of the LORD, he warns of harsh and complete judgment that
consumes everything before the LORD.
3. (Zep_1:4-6) Judgment is promised to idolaters.
“I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal
from this place, the names of the idolatrous priests with the
pagan priests; those who worship the host of heaven on the
housetops; those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD,
but who also swear by Milcom; those who have turned back
from following the LORD, and have not sought the LORD, nor
inquired of Him.”
a. Against Judah: The promise of judgment in Zep_1:2-3
was broad enough to include the whole earth, and to allow
some to think that God didn’t really mean them. Now God
zeros in on His people in the land of Judah, and He will not
allow them to think that He speaks just to others.
b. I will cut off every trace of Baal: King Josiah inherited
a corrupt nation from his father Amon and grandfather
Manasseh, a nation almost wholly given over to idolatry
(2Ki_21:3-7). Here God announces judgment against the idol
worshippers in Israel. Apparently both the leadership and
the people heeded this announcement of judgment,
because in the days of Josiah this kind of gross idolatry was
put away (2Ki_23:4-15).
i. In light of the complete uprooting of idolatry described in
2 Kings 23, we can see that God’s promise to cut off every
trace of Baal and destroy the rest of the expressions of
idolatry was fulfilled. We also see that this prophecy was an
invitation, as if God said: “Baal and the idols are going to go.
You can get rid of them in righteousness or I will get rid of
them in judgment, but rest assured that they are going to
go.” King Josiah directed the war on idolatry and the nation
was blessed.
4. (Zep_1:7-9) Judgment is promised to royalty.
“Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; for the day of the
LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He
has invited His guests. And it shall be, in the day of the
Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king’s
children, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel. In
the same day I will punish all those who leap over the
threshold, who fill their masters’
houses with violence and deceit.”
a. Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD: God
addresses the royalty of Judah in a way they aren’t used to
hearing. He tells them to “shut up” and listen to His
pronouncement of judgment – a sacrifice of judgment made
against a wicked nation.
i. Boice tells the story of two gangsters, one named “Two-
Gun Crowley” who cruelly murdered many including a
policeman. He was captured in a shoot-out with police and
wrote this note during the shoot-out, fearing he would die:
“Under my coat is a weary heart, but a kind one – one that
would do nobody any harm.” The other gangster is Al
Capone, who said: “I have spent the best years of my life
giving people the lighter pleasures, and all I get is abuse,
the existence of a hunted man.” Our ability to proclaim our
innocence when we are deep in sin is pretty amazing, but
through it all God tells us be silent in the presence of
the Lord GOD.
b. I will punish the princes and the king’s children:
This warning came to a godly king during a time of reform.
God warns Josiah and the whole royal community what will
happen if they don’t follow through on their turning to God.
c. All such as are clothed with foreign apparel: The
priests and leaders of Judah were ashamed of their national
identity, so they loved to dress in foreign apparel. They
wanted to be as much like the worldly nations around them
as they could possibly be.
d. All those who leap over the threshold: This probably
refers to bringing pagan customs and superstitions into the
house of God, in the same way that the worshippers of
Dagon honored silly and offensive superstitions (1Sa_5:5).
5. (Zep_1:10-11) Judgment is promised to merchants.
“And there shall be on that day,” says the LORD, “The sound
of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate, a wailing from the
Second Quarter, and a loud crashing from the hills. Wail, you
inhabitants of Maktesh! For all the merchant people are cut
down; all those who handle money are cut off.”
a. All the merchant people are cut down: Merchants
and those with money trusted in their riches, and now God
promises to cut down those steeped in that kind of idolatry.
Col_3:5-6 shows this isn’t just an Old Testament concept:
Therefore put to death your members which are on the
earth . . . covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these
things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of
disobedience.
6. (Zep_1:12-13) Judgment is promised to the complacent.
“And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search
Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in
complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do
good, nor will He do evil.’ Therefore their goods shall
become booty, and their houses a desolation; they shall
build houses, but not inhabit them; they shall plant
vineyards, but not drink their wine.”
a. I will search Jerusalem with lamps: No one will be
able to hide against the judgment of God. It is coming, and
even if God must get out the “flashlights,” He will find them.
i. “Unlike Diogenes, the pre-Christian Greek philosopher who
was searching for an honest man, Yahweh in this context
does not seek righteousness but sin to punish and
eradicate.” (Baker) b. Punish the men who are settled
in complacency: The LORD promises judgment against
those who feel that God is distant or detached from their
lives, and have thus become complacent.
c. The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil:
Some people believe in God as a great “clockmaker” who
created the universe, wound it up and then left it ticking
without any intervention from Him. Those who believe there
is no God, or if He is He has nothing to do with man are
terribly and tragically wrong.
i. Edward Gibbon in his book The Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire described the attitude towards religion in the
last days of the Roman Empire – attitudes remarkably like
our own today.
· The people regarded all religions as equally true
· The philosophers regarded all religions as equally false
· The politicians regarded all religions as equally useful
B. The description of judgment.
1. (Zep_1:14-16) The intensity of judgment.
The great day of the LORD is near; it is near and hastens
quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; there the
mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day
of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick
darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified
cities and against the high towers.
a. The great day of the LORD is near: The term day of
the LORD (used more than 25 times in the Bible) does not
necessarily refer to one specific day; it speaks of “God’s
time.” The idea is that now is the day of man, but the day of
man will not last forever. One day, the Messiah will end the
day of man and bring forth the day of the LORD.
b. That day is a day of wrath: It is a day of wrath
because man will not give up without a fight, and because
mankind will receive the just penalty for his rebellion
against the LORD. Zephaniah paints the picture powerfully
with the repeated description, “a day of . . . ”
i. That day is a day of wrath: “This passage is the Vulgate
forms the first line of the medieval sequence Dies irae.”
(Walker) 2. (Zep_1:17-18) The certainty of judgment.
“I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind
men, because they have sinned against the LORD; their
blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like
refuse.” Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to
deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole
land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will
make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.
a. I will . . . I shall: God wants to make it plain and certain
that He will judge a rebellious Judah. If they do not repent,
there will be no holding back from the completion of His
judgment.
b. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to
deliver them: Men trust in silver and gold, but it will do
them no good on the day of God’s deliverance.
Zep 1:2 The Lord’s Day of Judgment is Approaching
“I will destroy3 everything from the face of the earth,” says
the LORD.
Zep 1:3 “I will destroy people and animals;
I will destroy the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea.
(The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed
along with evil people.)4
I will remove5 humanity from the face of the earth,” says the
LORD.
Zep 1:4 “I will attack6 Judah
and all who live in Jerusalem.7
I will remove8 from this place every trace of Baal worship,9
as well as the very memory10 of the pagan priests.11
Zep 1:5 I will remove12 those who worship the stars in the
sky from their rooftops,13
those who swear allegiance to the LORD14 while taking
oaths in the name of15 their ‘king,’16
Zep 1:6 and those who turn their backs on17 the LORD
and do not want the LORD’s help or guidance.”18
Zep 1:7 Be silent before the Lord GOD,19
for the LORD’s day of judgment20 is almost here.21
The LORD has prepared a sacrificial meal;22
he has ritually purified23 his guests.
Zep 1:8 “On the day of the LORD’s sacrificial meal,
I will punish the princes24 and the king’s sons,
and all who wear foreign styles of clothing.25
Zep 1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the
threshold,26
who fill the house of their master27 with wealth taken by
violence and deceit.28
Zep 1:10 On that day,” says the LORD,
“a loud cry will go up29 from the Fish Gate,30
wailing from the city’s newer district,31
and a loud crash32 from the hills.
Zep 1:11 Wail, you who live in the market district,33
for all the merchants34 will disappear35
and those who count money36 will be removed.37
Zep 1:12 At that time I will search through Jerusalem with
lamps.
I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin,38
those who think to themselves,39
‘The LORD neither rewards nor punishes.’40
Zep 1:13 Their wealth will be stolen
and their houses ruined!
They will not live in the houses they have built,
nor will they drink the wine from the vineyards they have
planted.
Zep 1:14 The LORD’s great day of judgment41 is almost
here;
it is approaching very rapidly!
There will be a bitter sound on the LORD’s day of judgment;
at that time warriors will cry out in battle.42
Zep 1:15 That day will be a day of God’s anger,43
a day of distress and hardship,
a day of devastation and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and dark skies,
Zep 1:16 a day of trumpet blasts44 and battle cries.45
Judgment will fall on46 the fortified cities and the high
corner towers.
Zep 1:17 I will bring distress on the people47
and they will stumble48 like blind men,
for they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dirt;
their flesh49 will be scattered50 like manure.
Zep 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to
deliver them
in the day of the LORD’s angry judgment.
The whole earth51 will be consumed by his fiery wrath.52
Indeed,53 he will bring terrifying destruction54 on all who
live on the earth.”55
Zep 2:1 The Prophet Warns the People
Bunch yourselves together like straw,1 you undesirable2
nation,
(Guzik)
Zep 2:1-15
ZEPHANIAH 2 – JUDGMENT AGAINST THE NATIONS
A. The last chance.
1. (Zep_2:1-2) Repent while there is still time.
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O
undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, or the day
passes like chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon
you, before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you!
a. Gather yourselves together: The idea is gathering
together in a solemn demonstration of national mourning
and repentance.
b. Before the decree is issued: All the announcement of
judgment in the previous chapter is understood as a warning
and as an invitation to repentance. The often-unwritten
theme behind most every prophecy of judgment is, “This is
what will happen if you do not repent.” Here the prophet
pleads with the nation to repent before it is too late.
c. Before the day passes like chaff: Here the prophet
calls for a sense of urgency in repentance. Each day passes
like chaff, and there is nothing to show for the day if we
neglect what is most important: getting right and staying
right with God.
i. How easy it is to let the days pass like chaff, and never
get right with God! Often the devil’s most powerful lie isn’t
that there is no God, or no Bible, or no truth – often his most
powerful lie is that there is no hurry.
Nevertheless, today is the day of salvation.
2. (Zep_2:3) The last chance.
Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld
His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that
you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.
a. Seek the LORD, all you meek: Even the righteous
must take heed to this warning. It would do them no good to
say, “The LORD speaks to my wicked neighbor and not to
me.” At a critical moment of national danger, even the
righteous must seek the LORD.
b. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the
Lord’s anger: In more than one place, God promises to
hide His righteous in the day of great judgment. This is
especially relevant to the time of the Great Tribulation, when
Jesus warned us to Watch therefore, and pray always that
you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that
will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
(Luk_21:36) B. Judgment against the nations.
1. (Zep_2:4-7) Judgment against the Philistines.
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon desolate; they
shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall 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: “I will destroy you; so there
shall be no inhabitant.” The seacoast shall be pastures, with
shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks. The coast shall be
for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their
flocks there; in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at
evening. For the LORD their God will intervene for them, and
return their captives.
a. For Gaza shall be forsaken: Judgment will come
against an unrepentant Judah, but it will also come against
the pagan nations neighboring Judah. God promises to
destroy the cities of the Philistines and give their land as
pasture for the remnant of the house of Judah.
b. The name Cherethites is “a reference to their early
geographical links with Crete.” (Baker) 2. (Zep_2:8-11)
Judgment against the Moabites and Ammonites.
“I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the insults of the
people of Ammon, with which they have reproached My
people, and made arrogant threats against their borders.
Therefore, as I live,” says the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and the people of
Ammon like Gomorrah; overrun with weeds and saltpits, and
a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall
plunder them, and the remnant of My people shall possess
them.” This they shall have for their pride, because they
have reproached and made arrogant threats against the
people of the LORD of hosts. The LORD will be awesome to
them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;
people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed
all the shores of the nations.
a. I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the insults
of the people of Ammon: First God looked to the west and
saw the Philistines; now He looks to the east and sees the
Moabites and the Ammonites. God promises to judge these
peoples and bring them to perpetual desolation.
i. “The comparison of Moab and Ammon to Sodom and
Gomorrah is not surprising in view of their origin: Moab and
Ammon were the offspring of the incestuous relations of
Lot’s daughters with their drunk father after he fled the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.” (Walker)
b. The LORD will be awesome to them, for He will
reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people
shall worship Him: God will glorify Himself among the
nations, and one way He will do it is to bring the idols of the
nations low. All will see that their idols are vain and that the
LORD alone is God.
3. (Zep_2:12) Judgment against Ethiopia.
“You Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by My sword.”
a. You Ethiopians also: Now God looks to the south,
announcing judgment against the Ethiopians.
4. (Zep_2:13-15) Judgment against Assyria.
And He will stretch out His hand against the north, destroy
Assyria, and make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as the
wilderness. The herds shall lie down in her midst, every
beast of the nation. Both the pelican and the bittern shall
lodge on the capitals of her pillars; their voice shall sing in
the windows; desolation shall be at the threshold; for He will
lay bare the cedar work. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt
securely, that said in her heart, “I am it, and there is none
besides me.” How has she become a desolation, a place for
beasts to lie down! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss
and shake his fist.
a. And He will stretch out His hand against the north:
God completes the circle of judgment against Israel’s
neighbors by looking at Assyria and her capital city of
Nineveh, which will be made a desolate city fit only for the
habitation of animals and birds.
b. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt securely:
Nineveh felt strong and confident, but God knew how to
bring her low. Here the Lord fulfills the principle of Jam_4:6 :
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
c. Zephaniah never mentions why the nations are ripe for
judgment. Perhaps he assumes we’ve already read Amos
and Isaiah and Nahum, which do detail the sins of these
neighboring nations.
Zep 2:2 before God’s decree becomes reality3 and the day
of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff,4
before the LORD’s raging anger5 overtakes6 you —
before the day of the LORD’s angry judgment overtakes you!
Zep 2:3 Seek the LORD’s favor,7 all you humble people8 of
the land who have obeyed his commands!9
Strive to do what is right!10 Strive to be humble!11
Maybe you will be protected12 on the day of the LORD’s
angry judgment.
Zep 2:4 Judgment on Surrounding Nations
Indeed,13 Gaza will be deserted14
and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins.15
Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon,16
and Ekron will be overthrown.17
Zep 2:5 Those who live by the sea, the people who came
from Crete,18 are as good as dead.19
The LORD has decreed your downfall,20 Canaan, land of the
Philistines:
“I will destroy everyone who lives there!”21
Zep 2:6 The seacoast22 will be used as pasture lands23 by
the shepherds
and as pens for their flocks.
Zep 2:7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah24
will take possession of it.25
By the sea26 they27 will graze,
in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,
for the LORD their God will intervene for them28 and restore
their prosperity.29
Zep 2:8 “I have heard Moab’s taunts
and the Ammonites’ insults.
They30 taunted my people
and verbally harassed those living in Judah.31
Zep 2:9 Therefore, as surely as I live,” says the LORD who
commands armies, the God of Israel,
“be certain that Moab will become like Sodom
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah.
They will be overrun by weeds,32
filled with salt pits,33
and permanently desolate.
Those of my people who are left34 will plunder their
belongings;35
those who are left in Judah36 will take possession of their
land.”
Zep 2:10 This is how they will be repaid for their
arrogance,37
for they taunted and verbally harassed38 the people of the
LORD who commands armies.
Zep 2:11 The LORD will terrify them,39
for40 he will weaken41 all the gods of the earth.
All the distant nations will worship the LORD in their own
lands.42
Zep 2:12 “You43 Ethiopians44 will also die by my
sword!”45
Zep 2:13 The LORD46 will attack the north47
and destroy Assyria.
He will make Nineveh a heap of ruins;
it will be as barren48 as the desert.
Zep 2:14 Flocks and herds49 will lie down in the middle of
it,
as well as every kind of wild animal.50
Owls51 will sleep in the tops of its support pillars;
they will hoot through the windows.52
Rubble will cover the thresholds;53
even the cedar work54 will be exposed to the elements.55
Zep 2:15 This is how the once-proud city will end up56 —
the city that was so secure.57
She thought to herself,58 “I am unique! No one can compare
to me!”59
What a heap of ruins she has become, a place where wild
animals live!
Everyone who passes by her taunts her60 and shakes his
fist.61
Zep 3:1 Jerusalem is Corrupt
The filthy,1 stained city is as good as dead;
the city filled with oppressors is finished!2
(Guzik)
Zep 3:1-20
ZEPHANIAH 3 – THE LORD REJOICES OVER THE
RESTORATION OF HIS PEOPLE
A. A contrast between a wicked city and a righteous God.
1. (Zep_3:1-4) Jerusalem, the wicked city.
Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing
city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received
correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not
drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring
lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone
till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done
violence to the law.
a. Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the
oppressing city! From the way that Zephaniah 2 ended we
perhaps hoped that this oppressing city was Nineveh.
From the references to her prophets, her priests, and the
sanctuary and the law, we know Jerusalem is the
oppressing city.
b. She has not . . . she has not . . . she has not . . .
she has not: In repeating these four phrases, the prophet
tells us the root of Jerusalem’s sin.
i. She has not obeyed His voice: God called to His
people, but they did not listen. If there is any voice for the
sheep to obey, it is the voice of the shepherd – but she has
not obeyed His voice.
ii. She has not received correction: Correction certainly
came, but she did not receive it as correction from the LORD.
Instead it was a bad time, tough circumstances, whatever –
but she has not received correction.
iii. She has not trusted in the LORD: God never gave her
a reason to stop trusting in Him; He never proved Himself
unfaithful or untrustworthy. Now God’s people will openly
deny and contradict God’s word and promises, showing that
she has not trusted in the LORD.
iv. She has not drawn near to her God: The worst
offence is saved for last. God longs for relationship with His
people, but they rejected His desire and went their own way,
so she has not drawn near to her God.
2. (Zep_3:5-7) The righteous God.
The LORD is righteous in her midst, He will do no
unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to
light; He never fails, but the unjust knows no shame. “I have
cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated; I have made
their streets desolate, with none passing by. Their cities are
destroyed; there is no one, no inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely you
will fear Me, you will receive instruction’; so that her
dwelling would not be cut off, despite everything for which I
punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their
deeds.”
a. The LORD is righteous in her midst: This makes the
unrighteousness of His people even more criminal and
tragic.
God has been nothing but righteous to them, yet they
respond with sin. Eventually they put themselves on the
wrong side of God’s righteousness and face His justice.
b. Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction
. . . But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds:
God brought His justice to the nations around Judah, and it
should have warned Judah what would happen if they
rejected God. Instead of learning from the surrounding
nations, they dedicated themselves to ungodliness all the
more.
B. The promise of restoration.
1. (Zep_3:8-13) Judgment and restoration.
“Therefore wait for Me,” says the LORD, “Until the day I rise
up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to
My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation,
all my fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the
fire of My jealousy. For then I will restore to the peoples a
pure language, that they all may call on the name of the
LORD, to serve Him with one accord. From beyond the rivers
of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed
ones, shall bring My offering. In that day you shall not be
shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress
against Me; for then I will take away from your midst those
who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be
haughty in My holy mountain. I will leave in your midst a
meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name
of the LORD. The remnant of Israel shall do no
unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful
tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their
flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.”
a. Pour on them My indignation . . . then I will
restore: In light of the repeated and chronic sin of the
nations and of God’s own people, God will bring judgment –
and then restoration.
b. That they all may call on the name of the LORD: In
this ultimate restoration, God will give the world a common
language again (a pure language), and the entire world
will worship the LORD, not only Israel.
i. Most Bible scholars see this as fulfilled in the days of the
Millennium, when Jesus reigns for 1,000 years over this earth
after His return in power and glory. From this passage many
scholars believe that in that day the world will go back to a
common language – perhaps Hebrew.
c. To serve Him with one accord: Literally, this is with
one shoulder. The idea is that the shoulders are working
together as one to bear the load of the work.
d. You shall no longer be haughty in My holy
mountain: In the millennial earth Israel will be the world’s
superpower, but she will not be proud or haughty. Under
the leadership of the Lord Jesus and His redeemed, she will
know that her standing is all of grace.
e. For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and
no one shall make them afraid: This speaks of the peace
and prosperity Israel will know in the millennial earth.
2. (Zep_3:14-20) Restored with singing.
Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and
rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The
LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your
enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you
shall see disaster no more.
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion,
let not your hands be weak. The LORD your God in your
midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you
with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice
over you with singing.” “I will gather those who sorrow over
the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom its
reproach is a burden.
Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will
save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will
appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they
were put to shame. At that time I will bring you back, even
at the time I gather you; for I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your
captives before your eyes,” says the LORD.
a. Sing, O daughter of Zion! In light of the glorious
promise of restoration, Israel should sing and shout with joy.
God will save and redeem them from both their enemies and
their iniquities.
b. The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One,
will save: This passage gives us definite steps for
consolation, as we understand that:
· The LORD is in your midst
· The LORD is in your midst with power to save
· God takes joy in you
· God gives you rest in His love
· God sings over you
c. He will rejoice over you with gladness: We often
underestimate the joy God has in His people, and too often
think God is annoyed or irritated with us. “Faulty as the
church is, the Lord rejoices in her. While we mourn, as well
we may, yet we do not sorrow as those that are without
hope; for God does not sorrow, his heart is glad, and he is
said to rejoice with joy – a highly emphatic expression.”
(Spurgeon) d. He will rejoice over you with singing: We
don’t often think of God singing, but He does – and He sings
over His people. This is how much joy and delight we give
to the LORD – that He breaks into song!
i. “Think of the great Jehovah singing! Can you imagine it? Is
it possible to conceive of the Deity breaking into a song:
Father, Son and Holy Ghost together singing over the
redeemed? God is so happy in the love which he bears to his
people that he breaks the eternal silence, and sun and moon
and stars with astonishment hear God chanting a hymn of
joy.” (Spurgeon)
ii. “If God sings, shall not we sing? He did not sing when he
made the world. No; he looked upon it, and simply said that
it was good. The angels sang, the sons of God shouted for
joy: creation was very wonderful to them, but it was not
much to God, who could have made thousands of worlds by
his mere will. Creation could not make him sing . . .
When all was done, and the Lord saw what became of it in
the salvation of his redeemed, then he rejoiced after a divine
manner.” (Spurgeon)
e. Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak:
Knowing this is the tender love and care of God for us should
make us respond two ways. First, we do not fear – if the
Mighty One loves us and delights in us this way, what can
we be afraid of? Second, we let not your hands be weak –
knowing this mighty Lord of Love is for us, we want to be for
Him with all of our energy. We will not become weak or
weary in our service for Him.
i. “‘Fear thou not.’ What! Not a little? No, ‘Fear thou not.’ But
surely I may show some measure of trembling? No, ‘Fear
thou not.’ Tie that knot tight about the throat of unbelief.
‘Fear thou not’: neither this day, nor any day of thy life.
When fear comes in, drive it away; give it no space. If God
rests in his love, and if God sings, what canst thou have to
do with fear?” (Spurgeon) f. I will gather . . . I will save:
God promises to encourage the discouraged, to defeat our
enemies, to heal the lame, and to gather the scattered. All
this is for His praise and fame and for ours, because we
are found in Him (I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples).
Zep 3:2 She is disobedient;3
she refuses correction.4
She does not trust the LORD;
she does not seek the advice of5 her God.
Zep 3:3 Her princes6 are as fierce as roaring lions;7
her rulers8 are as hungry as wolves in the desert,9
who completely devour their prey by morning.10
Zep 3:4 Her prophets are proud;11
they are deceitful men.
Her priests defile what is holy;12
they break God’s laws.13
Zep 3:5 The just LORD resides14 within her;
he commits no unjust acts.15
Every morning he reveals16 his justice.
At dawn he appears without fail.17
Yet the unjust know no shame.
Zep 3:6 The Lord’s Judgment will Purify
“I destroyed18 nations;
their walled cities19 are in ruins.
I turned their streets into ruins;
no one passes through them.
Their cities are desolate;20
no one lives there.21
Zep 3:7 I thought,22 ‘Certainly you will respect23 me!
Now you will accept correction!’
If she had done so, her home24 would not be destroyed25
by all the punishments I have threatened.26
But they eagerly sinned
in everything they did.27
Zep 3:8 Therefore you must wait patiently28 for me,” says
the LORD,
“for the day when I attack and take plunder.29
I have decided30 to gather nations together
and assemble kingdoms,
so I can pour out my fury on them —
all my raging anger.
For31 the whole earth will be consumed
by my fiery anger.
Zep 3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable
the nations to give me acceptable praise.32
All of them will invoke the LORD’s name when they pray,33
and will worship him in unison.34
Zep 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,35
those who pray to me36 will bring me tribute.
Zep 3:11 In that day you37 will not be ashamed of all your
rebelliousness against me,38
for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly
boast,39
and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill.
Zep 3:12 I will leave in your midst a humble and meek
group of people,40
and they will find safety in the LORD’s presence.41
Zep 3:13 The Israelites who remain42 will not act
deceitfully.
They will not lie,
and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth.
Indeed, they will graze peacefully like sheep43 and lie
down;
no one will terrify them.”
Zep 3:14 Shout for joy, Daughter Zion!44
Shout out, Israel!
Be happy and boast with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
Zep 3:15 The LORD has removed the judgment against
you;45
he has turned back your enemy.
Israel’s king, the LORD, is in your midst!
You no longer need to fear disaster.
Zep 3:16 On that day they will say46 to Jerusalem,
“Don’t be afraid, Zion!
Your hands must not be paralyzed from panic!47
Zep 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst;
he is a warrior who can deliver.
He takes great delight in you;48
he renews you by his love;49
he shouts for joy over you.”50
Zep 3:18 “As for those who grieve because they cannot
attend the festivals —
I took them away from you;
they became tribute and were a source of shame to you.51
Zep 3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who
mistreated you.
I will rescue the lame sheep52
and gather together the scattered sheep.
I will take away their humiliation
and make the whole earth admire and respect them.53
Zep 3:20 At that time I will lead you —
at the time I gather you together.54
Be sure of this!55 I will make all the nations of the earth
respect and admire you56
when you see me restore you,”57 says the LORD.