[Biblemat] S) ZEPHANIAH: THE DAY OF THE LORD'S ANGER IS NEAR

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
files.  Use to the glory of God.

ZEPHANIAH: THE DAY OF THE LORD'S ANGER IS NEAR

     Early in the reign of Josiah, Zephaniah spoke against Judah, Jerusalem, 
and the nations.  King Josiah began to
seek the Lord in the eighth year of his reign (2 Chron. 34:3),
and to purge Judah and Jerusalem of their trappings of idol-
atry in the twelfth year of his reign.  Likely Zephaniah wrote
sometime in these early years of Josiah's rule.  Ninevah had
not fallen yet (Zeph. 2:13-15).

     Zephaniah's prophecy captures the feeling of the righteus.
He is indignant at the wickedness he sees around him yet
fearful of the suffering that the judgment of the ungodly will
bring to him.  Righteous men have always been conscious of
the wickedness and evil that surrounds them.

     Righteous men desire that the justice of God prevail, but
how will the righteous endure the punishment of the wicked?

     The idolaters of Judah will be cut off (1:4-6).  The day of the Lord is 
near, He has prepared a sacrifice (1:7,8), and the
ungodly will be the ones offered up to assuage the Lord's 
wrath, as Isaiah spoke earlier concerning the Edomites (Isa. 
34:6).  Jeremiah will say the same a little later concerning the
Egyptians (Jer. 46:10).  Unfortunately the victims of this sacri-
fice will be the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah.  In
a reversal of the beautiful promise of Deut. 6:11, "they shall
build houses, but shall not inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, but shall not drink the wine thereof".  (Zeph. 1:13),
judgment would come.  Their silver and gold will be unable to
deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath (Zeph. 1:18).

     Though so much of Zephaniah is filled with vivid threats
of judgment against the wicked, who is going to read this
prophecy?  Note that in Zeph. 2:3, the Lord directly address-
es His "meek of the earth, that have kept His ordinances."
These are the ones who are assured of the judgment of the
Lord upon the wicked, but the Lord also offers them the hope
that "it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger"
(2:3).  The Lord will address these same people a little later
(3:8).

     God's wrath will also be upon other nations of the area, 
the Philistines (2:4-7), the Moabites and Ammonites (2:8-11),
upon the Ethiopians (2:12), and even upon Assyria and might-y Ninevah 
(2:13-15).  Where there were vibrant cities and flour-
ishing societies in Philistia, shepherds will keep their sheep 
and live in rude huts, (2:6); the land of Moab and Ammon will
be possessed by nettles and filled with salt pits (2:9).  Desol-
ation will prevail where the imperial city of Ninevah thrived,
and various wild animals will lodge among its ruins (2:13-15).

     But the remnant of God's people will not see desolation
and oblivion.  As Isaiah (chs. 34,35) and Ezekiel (chs. 35,36)
contrasted the future of Edom versus the future of Israel, so
does Zephaniah (2:7,9b).  But the fate of present day Jerusal-
em is dark and fearful.  The people have despised God's 
attempts to correct them.  If Judah had received the rebuke
and mended their ways "her dwelling would not have been cut
off" (3:7).  She will now, however share the desolation of many of the 
nations round about her (3:6).

     Once again the Lord addresses the righteous (3:8).  The
remainder of the message will be to the redeemed.  The proud and the haughty 
will be removed from God's holy moun-
tain, and He will leave an afflicted and poor people who will
take refuge in the name of the Lord (3:11,12).  Those that are
left will not do iniquity nor speak lies (3:13).  The spiritual
purity of the true remnant of God's people is spoke of frequently in the 
prophets (Isa. 4:3,4; 11:6-9; Zech. 5:11).  Likewise Zephaniah describes the 
holiness that shall be the
hallmark of God's restored people.  Zeph. 3:14-20 ranks among the most 
beautiful of the passages that describe the
blessings God will bestow upon His precious remnant.  Hav-
ing taken away their judgments, "the King of Israel, even Jeh-
ovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not fear evil any more" (3:15).  
"Fear not, O Zion, let not they hands be slack.
Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who 
will save; He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His
love; He will joy over thee with singing" (3:16,17).  He will 
restore the solemn assembly to those who have been depriv-
ed of its blessing.  He will render affliction to those who have
afflicted His people and will heal the lame and will bring toget-
her His people to make them a name and a praise among all
the peoples of the earth (3:18-20).   ----- Bob Waldron in Bibli-
cal Insights, Vol. 6, No. 8, Aug. 2006.
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