Gather For The Mighty Warrior (Zephaniah)

Many people struggle to understand God's judgments, his justice, and his mercy. But each prophet paints a picture of what our God looks like in different ways. We have seen Amos' depiction of God as a lion roaring, Joel's description of God as a commander of a mighty army, and Micah's portrayal of God being the ultimate judge who condemns. But we have also seen that God plans to set up a shepherd to save his people in Micah. He calls for people to turn to him before it's too late in Joel. Hosea is all about God being a compassionate and merciful husband who has been abused and betrayed.

Last time we saw how Habakkuk is confused about God's judgments, justice, and mercy. He asks God what he is doing and tries to understand it. Then, God responds and shows him the long game. God has plans in store for mankind that we would never be able to accomplish for ourselves. All of these plans are to restore justice and to save all who put their faith in him.

None of us want to live in an increasingly evil society. We don't want to be surrounded by people who take whatever they want and do whatever they want. That is a frightening place to live. Imagine what it would be like to live right before the flood when it was said that man's thoughts were "only evil continually." We think we live in a scary time, but can you imagine what that would be like? What about during the judges' time when everyone does "what is right in their own sight?" We are getting close to that society. That sounds good when I get to do what I want, but not so good when everyone else gets to do what they want. That means that the most powerful person wins.

Sweeping Away Evil (Zephaniah 1)

God starts off the message of Zephaniah with a statement.

Zephaniah 1:2--3 (ESV) --- 2 “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 3 “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

He plans to wipe everything off the face of the earth. He says that he will even destroy the fish in the sea. This judgment is a total reversal of creation from Genesis. What a way to start a book! God plans to wipe every man and creature off the face of the earth. Now that doesn't sound very good. If we stop there, we might think that God is harsh and overbearing. But by the end of this book, we will see that God is nothing like that. He will explain why he says this and what he actually plans to do before wiping every creature off of the face of the earth.

Beginning with verse 4, he explains how he will start with the spiritual leaders of Judah. He will cut off all the idolaters who do not seek the Lord. In verse 8, he condemns all of the officials and the king's sons for wanting to be like the nations. They compromise and hold to superstitions. Finally, he attacks those who are wealthy in the land through ungodly means.

Zephaniah 1:12--13 (ESV) --- 12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.’ 13 Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.”

Notice this repetition in Chapter 1: The day of the Lord is near (v 7), on the day (8), on that day (9), on that day (10), At that time (12), and the great day of the Lord is near (14).

Zephaniah 1:14--18 (ESV) --- 14 The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. 15 A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. 17 I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

So much judgment. God is preparing to give people what they deserve. All those who do evil and think that God can't stop them will find out what God can do. If we persist in evil, God wants us to know that he sees our wickedness and will give what we deserve.

The Offer of Salvation (Zephaniah 2:1-3)

In verse 7 of Chapter 1, God says that he has "prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests." It seems as though God will judge and destroy his enemies while blessing his guests. Who are these guests, and what is this sacrifice?

Zephaniah 2:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, 2 before the decree takes effect ---before the day passes away like chaff--- before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord. 3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.

In Chapter 2, God calls for all of his people to gather with humility to seek the Lord. They can be saved from this day of judgment and sit at this sacrificial feast. But to be hidden from the judgment that we deserve, we must come to the Lord with humility and a desire to be truly righteous.

Repeated Judgment (Zephaniah 2:4-3:8)

We could end our studies here. This is the totality of Zephaniah's message. But God goes on to repeat it all in greater detail. Beginning with verse 4, he starts to condemn and judge all of the nations around Judah. He starts with the Philistines to their west. Then, in verse 8, he condemns the Moabites and Ammonites to their east. After that, he spends one verse (12) to condemn Cush (and by extension, Egypt) to the south. Then, in verse 13, he brings up the Assyrians to their north. If you are Judah and Jerusalem, all of this sounds awesome. Assyria wiped out Israel. Judah really wanted them to be destroyed. All of this portrays God as being the judge of all mankind. He doesn't overlook the sins of nations and men outside of Judah. He judges all! But he's not done yet. In Chapter 3, he starts to describe another city. It seems like he is condemning Ninevah, the capital of Assyria, but see if you can figure out who he is talking about.

Zephaniah 3:1--5 (ESV) --- 1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! 2 She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. 3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. 4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. 5 The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.

In this section, Jerusalem is being called out for its stubborn rebellion. They do not listen to the correction from God. The judges and officials are harming the innocent, and the priests and prophets are lying and deceiving. God is with them, but they are leading people away from God. God is just and good. He does good for his people even though they are stubborn. Verses 6-7 are a testimony to God's righteousness. He has done all that he can to turn the people of Jerusalem back to him. He has destroyed enemies for them. God was a type of cheerleader for them, but look at what they did in response.

Zephaniah 3:6--7 (ESV) --- 6 “I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. 7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.

Verse 8 reinforces everything he said in the first Chapter.

Zephaniah 3:8 (ESV) --- 8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

A judgment day is coming. God will clear out all of the earth on a final day of judgment. He will gather all of the nations together to destroy them. Again, this is such a grim picture of judgment. Man is evil beyond saving, and God will bring about a final judgment to wipe them off of the face of the earth. The statement in verse 8 is identical to the statement at the end of Chapter 1, “All the earth shall be consumed."

Repeated Hope (Zephaniah 3:9-20)

Zephaniah has a repeated statement that is the grimmest and depressing of any words in all the Bible. God is going to have enough of us and our rebellion. He will wipe us all out. But, this book does not disappoint. It doesn't leave us feeling depressed and discouraged. In the final section of the book, we see God transition from judgment to discussing those who turn to him in humility. We don't have time to discuss this section in detail, but this section of the Bible is near my heart.

At That Time

First, I want us to see in this section that he uses the same language he used for the day of judgment. He says, "At that time" and, "On that day" five times. The judgment day is given the primary emphasis to impress upon the people the need to repent, but now God blesses those of us who repent with reassurance. It will be a day of judgment for the wicked and carry a different meaning for the humble who seek the Lord.

Reversing Babel (9-10)

God wants people to know that they are going to be transformed.

Zephaniah 3:9--10 (ESV) --- 9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. 10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.

Notice that this is not just the people of Jerusalem. All people will have their speech changed to a pure speech. This is a reversal of what happened in Babel (Genesis 11) when men started planning to overthrow God's glory. God messed up men's language, but now he will purify their speech so that they can be worshippers of God.

Purging Evil (11-13)

God also wants those who turn to him to know that their sins will not be held against them. Those who humbly seek refuge in the Lord will be set free from the evil influence of the world. They will also be made more righteous and live with complete security.

Zephaniah 3:11--13 (ESV) --- 11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, 13 those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”

Rejoicing (14-17)

Third, God wants them to have joy and freedom from fear. God wants them to know that there is coming a day when he will save them from the judgments and save them from the evil people. They can rejoice in the Lord. They can proclaim that God is in their midst, and he is a mighty warrior who will save them.

Verse 17 is perhaps one of the most mind-blowing texts in scripture. After telling the people to rejoice, God says that he will rejoice over his people. He will quiet your fears himself and show how much he loves you by singing over you. Can you imagine what God's love song would be like? If you are like me, this makes no sense. How could God rejoice over a rebellious sinner like me? How could he sing over me with loud singing? This is a testimony to the forgiveness of God.

Retribution (18-19)

He wants to draw us to him, forgive us, change us, protect us, sing over us, and deal with the wicked oppressors. For those who make life difficult for the humble, God will visit with judgment. He will exalt the humble and bring down the proud.

Gathering His People (20)

The final verse of the book uses this phrase that has been repeated throughout the book. In 2:1, he tells his people to gather together and repent with humility. In 3:8, he calls for the nations to gather for judgment. At the end of the book, he calls for his people to gather for restoration and renewal.

Zephaniah 3:20 (ESV) --- 20 At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.

What Is The Point?

The Day Of Judgment

Zephaniah is a book about the day of the Lord. In a sense, the day of the Lord represents any day that the Lord chooses to act in judgment. Babylon destroying all of the nations back in the sixth and seventh century BC was the day of the Lord for those nations. The destruction of Jerusalem was the day of the Lord from 606-587 BC. But that day could also be said to include the day Jerusalem was destroyed in 70-72 AD and the extended period of destruction in the Roman empire. Usually, the "day" of the Lord doesn't represent one day. It means some amount of time when judgment will be brought against exceedingly wicked people.

But the day of the Lord is also spoken about in a final sense. There is coming a day when all the earth will be swept away. A new heaven and new earth will be established where God's people will dwell for eternity. The Lord will judge all of those who live wickedly on that day. Zephaniah points to this event as many of the prophets do, but no hint is given about when that will occur. The point is that God will judge the wicked. He does it with every nation mentioned in this book, and he will do it with all mankind.

The Day of Salvation

The sad truth of this book is that all mankind is worthy of that judgment. We are stubborn and rebellious, self-seeking people. But God is righteous and good. So he wants to save all of those who see this truth and repent. He wants to gather together all of the humble and protect them form judgment. He wants to hide them in his wings as a protective mother would. The book talks about a day of judgment, but it also talks about a day of salvation. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved from judgment, transformed to be like God in righteousness, and given glory and praise as God's children. God himself will sing over the lowly, humble people with joy.

Application

We have to make the right decision. We have to submit our hearts to the will of God. He promises to work on us and mold us into his image. One day, we will enjoy him singing over us in love. But we have to seek humility, seek God, and seek righteousness in this life. He offers to forgive. Will we take him up on his offer, or will we be destroyed in our stubbornness?