"And it shall come to pass 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 strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.
Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. "
- Zephaniah 1:8-1:13
Zephaniah - III
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We started our journey on the minor prophets by looking at Nahum, and Habbakuk. As we continue this week in Zephaniah, it would seem that somewhere along the line, someone committed a serious error in labeling ANY of them "minor"!
In terms of subject matter and reach, these prophets seem to be seeing a picture far bigger than the immediate context in which they spoke, and it is certainly taking all the brainpower we have to process their sayings!
All scripture is God-breathed and is beneficial for encouragement, instruction and reproof... and that includes these prophetic and dire utterances of warning. Let us therefore pick up where we left off, fully knowing that this book is --the most dark book-- in the Old Testament, the Spirit of God, through the prophet, painting a very clear warning, to the LORD's OWN PEOPLE!
Last week, we looked at what other prophets had to say about "the day of the LORD", the central topic and theme in this book, and we hope those references were useful jumping points for you to look at them in context and compare and contrast...
Let us now look at what is said in this book itself, beginning with ...
---- Who is being judged?
In verses 4-6 we were given... "I will also stretch out mine hand upon"...
1. Judah,
2. and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3. and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
4. And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops;
5. and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham [ Moloch ]]
6. And them that are turned back from the LORD;
7. and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
From this weeks text we can add...
8. Princes and the kings children
9. Those clothed with strange [[foreign or alien]] apparel
10. Those that "leap on the threshold" ( prob. a reference to the Philistines/ worshippers of Dagon, whose followers jumped over the threshold to avoid touching the cutoff palms and head of their God that lay there, decimated by the Ark cf:1 Samuel 5:2-7), & which fill their masters house with violence and deceit.
11. All the merchant people, and those that bear silver [[ Commerce & evil are interlinked ]]
12. Men OF JERUSALEM (searched with a candle), that are "settled on their lees" [[ comfortably esconced, a reference to wine making, where wine is settled to add flavor & remove impurities, before being decanted, however left there, it becomes too sweet and spoils quickly ]] that say that God is not going to interfere for good or bad...
Here is an oil painting of Jerusalem at the time of Zephaniah if you wanted to see one! If an AI were to draw a picture given this "prompt", what would we see?
A city given to buying and selling, a bustling quarter (Maktesh), people on flat housetops bowing down to the sun and and the stars, Baal & Moloch worship by the people, and their servants -- paganism, violence and deceit. A complete disregard and ignorance of the LORD and his wishes... treating Him as one of many, or worse... ignored as irrelevant, and INACTIVE!
This looks startlingly familiar to our current day & age as well, a reminder, that the more things change, the more they stay the same!
and the list continues in subsequent verses naming...
1. Nation not desired (Israel!! .... remember Hosea) -- Zep 2:1
2. Gaza & Ashkelon, Eshdod and Ekron (2:4)
3. The Cherethites on the sea coast (2:5)
4. Canaan, the land of the Philistines (2:5)
[[[ Hint : They should reference this verse in the UN !!! ]]]
5. Moab & Ammon (2:8) [[ Always seeking the destruction of Israel ]]
6. Ethopia (2:12)
7. Assyria & Nineveh! (2:13)
The mention of Nineveh at the very end is no coincidence, it has a direct connection with the heart of Babylon, as we see further on in Zep 2:15
"This is the rejoicing city that ---dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me-----: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand."
This was a warning to given the LORD's OWN PEOPLE, in such anger that He calls them "nation not desired". These are not the Israelites I AM looking for!
Much to ponder here over our own personal walk with the LORD, considering ourselves as micro-Jerusalems... is there fire burning on the altar of private prayer & heartfelt worship of the LORD? Is our worship of Him genuine, or is it just a social obligation, a singing of the words but no engagement from the heart? (Not that worship == singing, but singing praise is a form true worship takes).
The pursuit of holiness should be the #1 priority in the life of every sanctified human being, and our respect and adoration for the LORD be founded on the firm foundation of facts, experience, and His Word.
Beware, lest the worship of the Baals of the praise of men, the lure of riches and pleasure, and self-seeking make your feet to wander. Turn back, be humble, meek and righteous, and see that the LORD is GRACIOUS, inviting you back into TRUE FELLOWSHIP with Him & His Son, through the Spirit He has given us!
Hallelujah!