Today, we'll work through Zephaniah 2. This chapter is a "little" difficult. So what I want to do is give you a framework to help you understand what you are reading/hearing.
And I'll just say, up front, that there are things in here that are confusing. No one really understands several verses in this chapter, so when you find yourself getting confused, you are in good company. I'm just going to pass over them, and act like the verses make perfect sense. Maybe I'll fool you.
Last week, in Zephaniah 1, we read about how God is gathering the entire world, to bring an end to it. He's gathering livestock, and birds, and fish-- and humans. This will a horrible day-- a day of wailing, and crying out, and despair. A day when nothing can save you can from God's wrath.
And why is God coming in judgment? The main reason is that his people in Judah, have stopped serving, and following, and worshipping God alone. They are worshipping Yahweh+. And the reason they are doing that, is because they've decided that God alone is not enough. He doesn't act; He's not strong enough; He doesn't really bless his people-- or harm them, when they disobey.
So that's what God is doing, and that's why He's doing it.
What then should we do? How should we respond? Is there anything we can do, that may make God change his mind about all of this?
If there's any solution, we haven't heard it yet. Just weep and wail, knowing that your time is coming to a violent and bitter end.
This brings us to Zephaniah 2. In this chapter, Yahweh announces a two part plan.
In the first stage, Yahweh is going to go through Judah, and bring his promised judgment to fulfillment. The judgment is coming-- BUT, the judgment isn't going to literally kill off every single person. He will kill off the arrogant, and the mockers, and the idolaters, for sure. But Yahweh will leave a faithful remnant in Judah. AND, Yahweh will leave a faithful remnant, surprisingly, among the nations.
In the second stage, Yahweh will restore his faithful remnant: He will enlarge their territory, and give them places to live in safety, and bless them.
So that's Yahweh's plan, and the big picture for chapter 2. Let's read verses 1-3:
(2:1) Gather together, and gather, O Undesired/Shameless Nation.
Before He brings the judgment to fulfillment.
Like chaff, the day has flown away.
Before the heat of Yahweh's nose comes against you;
before Yahweh's anger comes against you.
(3) Seek Yahweh, all the humble ones of the land,
[the ones] who, his regulations, they have performed.
Seek righteousness.
Seek humility.
Perhaps, you will be concealed/undetected on the day of Yahweh's anger.
Zephaniah says that Yahweh is (1) coming, that (2) He is angry, and (3) that He is bringing judgment.
The question is, how will you respond?
The answer depends on whether or not you believe Zephaniah.
If you believe Zephaniah, you'll be scared by the idea that an angry God is coming against you for judgment. This should terrify you, right?
You'll seek Yahweh (and not idols/other elohim), and you'll humble yourself. You'll plead for forgiveness and mercy.
Someone (Karl Barth?) once said that at the root of every sin, is pride. We don't usually think of it that way, but maybe God does. It's pride that tells us that it doesn't matter what God wants, or what God thinks. If I choose to be a drunk, or violent, or an idolater, I'm making a deliberate choice to thumb my nose at God. I'm lifting myself up against God.
This is not how humble people live. Humble people walk through life remembering that Yahweh is God Most High. He is the one who created the world, and sustains it. He is the one who rules over all. He is the Glorious One. And when humble people start to lose sight of this, they turn back to God. They go outside, and look at the heavens, and they remember what God is really like. (And/or they read something like Revelation 4). They turn back to God. They seek God. They seek righteousness-- to act rightly toward God and people. And they seek humility.
So that's what God wants from his people. But verse 3 makes no promises, that if you do this, you'll survive. All you get, is a "maybe." A "perhaps." Perhaps, when God comes in judgment, your humility and righteousness will create a hiding place to protect you.
And so these verses are like a wake-up call. Be honest about how you've been living. Have you been humble? Have you been righteous?
All of us, probably, want to call ourselves "God's humble ones." We want to claim this, as something that's true for us. If we want to be considered "God's humble ones," and dodge the coming judgment, then let us be humble-- toward God, and toward each other.
Starting in verse 4, Zephaniah tells us why we should seek humility, and righteousness. I'll start again from Zephaniah 2:1, and go through verse 4 (NIV removes "because/for" in verse 4, which is unhelpful).
(2:1) Gather together, and gather, O Undesired/Shameless Nation.
Before He brings the judgment to fulfillment.
Like chaff, the day has flown away.
Before the heat of Yahweh's nose comes against you;
before Yahweh's anger comes against you.
(3) Seek Yahweh, all the humble ones of the land,
[the ones] who, his regulations they have performed.
(4) because Gaza, abandoned she shall be,
while Eschkon, as a desolation.
At noon, they will drive her out,
while Ekron shall be uprooted.
Starting in verse 4, Zephaniah begins to describe the judgment Yahweh is bringing on the surrounding nations:
verses 4-7: Philistia
verses 8-11: Moab and Amon
verse 12: Cush
verses 13-15: Assyria
In verses 5-7, Zephaniah turns to address the Philistines directly, giving a judgment oracle against them:
(5) Hey, the ones dwelling at the sea coast!,
the nation of the Cheretites, the word of Yahweh against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines,
and I shall destroy you until there is no one dwelling there,
(6) and you shall be, O Sea Coast, pastures,
meadows for shepherds, and pens for sheep,
(7) and the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah.
Upon them, they shall graze.
In the houses of Eshkelon, in the evening they shall lie down,
because Yahweh their God shall visit them,
and He shall restore their fortune.
The land of the Philistines will become an empty pastureland for the remnant of Judah-- a place for God's faithful people to feed, and lie down, and live in safety. Once God's judgment is finished, God will visit (Genesis 21:1; Genesis 50:24) the humble/faithful remnant, and restore them.
If you ever drive through the countryside, and you're not a total city slicker, there is something comforting about this image. You drive by a ranch, and see sheep eating, and lying down, in peace. They don't fear anything-- there are no wolves at the edges. Nothing howling in the distance. They can just live, and prosper, with nothing to worry about. That's the end goal, for the the land of the Philistines-- it'll be a safe place for God's flock to rest.
In verses 8-11, the prophet turns to address Moab and Ammon. Here, notice two particular sins: pride, and boasting:
(8) I have heard the taunt of Moab,
and the reproach of the sons of Ammon,
that they have taunted my people,
and they have boasted concerning their territory.
(9) Therefore, as I live --utterance of Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel--
In fact, Moab as Sodom shall be, ["as Sodom" is focused in Hebrew]
and the sons of Ammon as Gomorah-- a place of thistles and a salt pit,
and a desolation forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the remainder of the nation shall inherit them.
(10) This [shall be] for them in place of their pride,
because they taunted,
and they boasted against the people of Yahweh of armies.
(11) Frightful, Yahweh shall be against them. ["Frightful" is focused]
In fact, He shall dominate all the elohim/gods of the world,
and a man shall bow down to him from his place;
all the coastlands of the nations.
When God's people are mocked, and taunted, God knows. He sees the mocking; He hears the words. And it bothers him.
When you're on the receiving end of insults, it maybe doesn't feel this way. You find yourself being attacked, and criticized, and maybe you want to fight back. Or maybe you just want to find a quiet place, and cry. Know that God cares about you. And God will make it up to you, someday. Matthew 5:11: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you. Rejoice, and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
What people doesn't realize, is that when they mock God's people, they are mocking the people of Yahweh of armies. Do this, and you've bitten off more than you can chew.
Let's reread verse 11:
(11) Frightful, Yahweh shall be against them.
In fact, He shall dominate all the elohim/gods of the world,
and a man shall bow down to him from his place;
all the coastlands of the nations.
As soon as you read this, you knew I'd have to say something, right? I don't want to disappoint you.
Each of the nations of the world, at least in the OT (contrast Ephesians 1:19-23; Revelation 1:5), was ruled by a son of God. Deuteronomy 32:8-9:
8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders[a] of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.[b]
9 But the LORD's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.
And each of the sons of God were given the responsibility, of wisely exercising authority over their own nation (Psalm 82:2-4).
But what [at least] some of them ended up doing, instead, is fighting against Yahweh and his people. They resisted God, and tried to kill off His people. So there is this constant battle.
Now, if you looked at Judah early in the reign of King Josiah, you'd wonder if these sons of God were Yahweh's equals. If the nations were stronger than Judah, than were the sons of God stronger as well?
Zephaniah says, absolutely not. The day is coming when Yahweh is going to dominate them. He will prove his power.
Let's reread verse 11 one more time:
(11) Frightful, Yahweh shall be against them.
In fact, He shall dominate all the elohim/gods of the world,
and a man shall bow down to him from his place;
all the coastlands of the nations.
On the day when Yahweh proves his power, and dominates the "gods of the earth," Zephaniah says something remarkable will happen. Something we maybe didn't expect. People from other nations will bow down to Yahweh, each of them where they are, and serve Him (cf. Malachi 1:11; Isaiah 19:19-25).
I read this, and I can't help but think of John 4:16-24:
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
God's heart has always been for the entire world. His ultimate goal has always been that people from every tongue, and tribe, and nation would serve and worship him (Revelation 5:9-10). Here, in Zephaniah, we find just a hint of all of this. But these hints are enough to show that God's goals in the NT, are nothing new. It's just that the NT describes how God accomplishes this goal more fully, through Jesus Christ.
In verse 12, the Cushites get a single line:
(12) Also you, O Cushites, the slain of my sword, they [shall be],
I'm not sure what to add to that. God has a big sword. And all that needs to be said about the Cushites, is that they are going to get killed.
Now, maybe, the reason this is so short is because Zephaniah now turns to address the elephant in the room, Assyria. Yahweh/Zephaniah has a lot to say about Assyria, and the difference in length draws attention to that.
Verse 13:
(13) and He shall stretch out his hand to the north,
and He shall destroy Assyria,
and He shall make Ninevah a desolation,
a dry land like the desert/wilderness,
(14) and they shall lie down in her midst, herds of every living thing of a nation.
Also, the desert owl; also the screech owl, on her capitals, they shall spend the night.
A voice/sound shall sing at the window.
Rubble/a raven [shall be] on the threshold.
In fact, the cedar work has been laid bare.
(15) This is the rejoicing city.
The one dwelling in security,
the one saying in her heart,
"I [am], and there is no one else."
How she has become a desolation,
a resting place for animals.
Everyone passing through over her hisses.
He shakes his hand/fist.
One of the marks of every superpower is pride. You look at your own strength, and that of the rest of the world, and you say, "I am, and there is no one else." Today, that superpower is us, right? We have garrisons throughout the world; we can project great military power thousands of miles from our borders. We look at our neighbors, and their puny armies, and we rejoice. We know nothing can happen to us. We will stand strong forever.
And the rest of the world, living in our shadow, maybe agrees. They may secretly harbor jealous feelings. They may long for the day they are free from us. But they don't see a path to any of that happening. Syria and Iran today would say, "The U.S. is, and there is no other."
But in all of this, there's a catch. Above Assyria (and the U.S.), stands God. Yahweh is "I AM," and He is God Most High. And the day is coming, Zephaniah says, when Assyria will be destroyed. Her palaces will be stripped down the studs-- even the decorative cedar work will be taken. And everyone who passes through, will find themselves hissing, and shaking their fist. No one cries, when a superpower is taken down. And Yahweh will do this. Yahweh only tolerates pride among superpowers, for so long.
So, at this point, Zephaniah has given oracles against Philistia, Moab, Amon, Cush, and Assyria.
Now, probably, Zephaniah isn't going from nation to nation, and announcing Yahweh's judgment against all of these people. He's not on a circuit tour, going from Philistia, to Moab, to Cush, to Assyria. Usually, when a prophet announces judgment against a foreign nation, he does so in Judah, to God's people. It's more like we are overhearing announcements of judgment-- like listening in to a phone call.
Why?
If Zephaniah was talking to you, and giving you a message of hope for the future, he has to talk about Assyria. No good can really happen for you, until your enemy is dealt with. You need freedom from oppression, and mocking, and ridicule. You need Someone to take Assyria's boot off your neck. If Zephaniah was a prophet in modern Syria, he would have to talk about the U.S. Because there can be no prosperity in Syria, for Syrians, as long as the U.S. is sanctioning, and oppressing, the country.
So that's Zephaniah 2. Yahweh has a plan. First, He is going to purge his land of the wicked-- of idolaters, of the arrogant. And then, the humble remnant will inherit the world. They will be like a flock of sheep, safely pasturing in the ruins of the superpowers. And those ruins, will stand as evidence forever, that Yahweh is God Most High. He is, and there is no other.
What remains an open question, at this point, is the role you will get to play in all of this. The proud and boastful are going to be destroyed. Their homes are going to become pastureland. But God's humble ones will inherit the world.
If this true, what will happen to you (Zephaniah's hearers)?
The answer to that depends on who you are, really. You want to call yourself "God's humble ones." Are you? Or do you think you're better than others? Do you lift yourself up against God in pride, and rebel against Him? Do you live how you want the rest of the week, assuming God can't or won't touch you?
At some point, maybe you've lost sight of who you are, and who God is. Seek Yahweh. Seek humility. Seek righteousness. Do this, and someday, you will inherit the world (Matt. 5).
And, in the meantime, while you wait for God to bring this all to pass, have confidence in your God. Yahweh is God Most High, the One Who Dominates every other elohim, and every superpower. No other god, or nation, can stand against him.
Be humble. Repent. Seek your God. Trust Him.
Translation:
(2:1) Gather together, and gather, O Undesired /Shameless Nation.
Before He brings the judgment to fulfillment.
Like chaff, the day has flown away.
Before the heat of Yahweh's nose comes against you;
before Yahweh's anger comes against you.
(3) Seek Yahweh, all the humble ones of the land,
[the ones] who, his regulations they have performed.
Seek righteousness.
Seek humility.
Perhaps, you will be concealed /undetected on the day of Yahweh's anger.
(4) because Gaza, abandoned she shall be,
while Eschkon, as a desolation.
At noon, they will drive her out,
while Ekron shall be uprooted.
(5) Hey, the ones dwelling at the sea coast!,
the nation of the Cheretites, the word of Yahweh against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines,
and I shall destroy you until there is no one dwelling there,
(6) and you shall be, O Sea Coast, pastures,
meadows for shepherds, and pens for sheep,
(7) and the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah.
Upon them, they shall graze.
In the houses of Eshkelon, in the evening they shall lie down,
because Yahweh their God shall visit them,
and He shall restore their fortune.
(8) I have heard the taunt of Moab,
and the reproach of the sons of Ammon,
that they have taunted my people,
and they have boasted concerning their territory.
(9) Therefore, as I live --utterance of Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel--
In fact, Moab as Sodom shall be,
and the sons of Ammon as Gomorah-- a place of thistles and a salt pit,
and a desolation forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the remainder of the nation shall inherit them.
(10) This [shall be] for them in place of their pride,
because they taunted, and they boasted against the people of Yahweh of armies.
(11) Frightful, Yahweh shall be against them.
In fact, He shall dominate all the elohim/gods of the world,
and a man shall bow down to him from his place.
All the coastlands of the nations.
(12) Also you, O Cushites, the slain of my sword, they [shall be],
(13) and He shall stretch out his hand to the north,
and He will destroy Assyria,
and He shall make Ninevah a desolation,
a dry land like the desert/wilderness,
(14) and they shall lie down in her midst, herds of every living thing of a nation.
Also, the desert owl; also the screech owl, on her capitals, they shall spend the night.
A voice/sound shall sing at the window.
Rubble/a raven [shall be] on the threshold.
In fact, the cedar work has been laid bare.
(15) This is the rejoicing city.
The one dwelling in security,
the one saying in her heart,
"I [am], and there is no one else."
How she has become a desolation,
a resting place for animals.
Everyone passing through over her hisses.
He shakes his hand/fist.
