Zephaniah Prophesies Judgment on Judah (Matthew 13:36-43)
“This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah: “I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. (Or and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble) I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests— those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom, (Molech) and those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of Him.”
The Day of the LORD (Amos 5:16-27; Malachi 4:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-13)
Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests. On the Day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all who are dressed in foreign apparel. On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, (in the temple of their gods) who fill the house of their master with violence and deceit.
“On that day,” declares the LORD, “a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second District, and a loud crashing from the hills. Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow, for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off. And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish the men settled in complacency, (thickening on the dregs) who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’ Their wealth will be plundered and their houses laid waste.
They will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but never drink their wine.
The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter. That day will be 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 blackness, a day of horn blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers. I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD.
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. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.
WOW! For generations, those in Judah and Jerusalem who should have been worshiping God have been playing religious games in the temple and then running off to Asherah fertility rites, child sacrifices to Molech, sewing charms in garments to catch souls, indulging in midnight rituals in graveyards, and all kinds of horrible things. God is patient, but He has given the citizens of Judah every opportunity to repent and they have not. Now God is sending Zephaniah to sound a final warning that destruction is looming.
“I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers.” “I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests— those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom, (Molech) and those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of Him.” Hmm! All the time these people were sneaking off to pagan rituals, God has been watching. How God’s heart must be breaking as He watches men and women whom He has designed for His praise and glory debasing themselves in pursuit of pleasure, wealth, and demonic power.
“Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests. On the Day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all who are dressed in foreign apparel. On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, (in the temple of their gods) who fill the house of their master with violence and deceit.”
Why the mention of leaping over the thresholds of the temple? In the time of the prophet Samuel, when the Ark was captured by the Philistines and they hauled it into the temple of Dagon, the statue of Dagon toppled, shattering on the threshold of the temple. Those worshiping Dagon would leap over the threshold rather than touching it because of this. Why the mention of “foreign apparel?” It is likely that worshipers of strange gods are also wearing costumes particular to the cult in which they are involved; meanwhile, God has already given the Israelites specific commands as to the manner in which they should dress. Dressing in ritual costumes is another form of rebellion against the One True Living God.
“I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. 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. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.” The Creator of the Universe is very thorough. Not so much as a single detail escapes His attention. All the ill-gotten gains these idol worshipers have amassed will disappear.
APPLICATION: This is a very disturbing chapter. Today, a flood tide of evil appears to be advancing throughout the earth. Human trafficking and slavery, political corruption, corruption of justice, endangerment of the most vulnerable – the list is endless. Looking around us, we might wonder when God will become fed up with the evil that surrounds us. In the last several years, all manner of business empires have arisen, only to collapse. The internet has brought instant fame to many, but it has equally brought ruin and shame to others.
Why is God so angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem? These people have had the opportunity to continue to worship in the temple; however, they are only going through the motions, saving most of their resources for worshiping demons instead. Study the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 33 and you will see that even at that time, God already knows what will happen. It is not God’s will for people to be destroyed; many people choose their own destruction. There are innocent victims of evil because evil people exercise their God-given rights of free will to commit crimes. But many others are in the same situation as the people to whom Zephaniah is speaking.
What should be our response to these warnings? We need to search our hearts and worship God alone. Jesus told his disciples that nobody can serve two masters, and we will either serve God or we will serve Satan by serving something else. Today, while we have the chance, let us choose to serve God!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to completely serve You. Show us those things that we have put in Your place and let us throw out our idols. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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