Inspiration From the Book of Zephaniah

Recently in trying to decide what book to study in the WORD, I decided to check out Zephaniah - I knew next to nothing about it, never having made it an object of any study. I was blessed by it and thought I would share insights from it as I go along. I will invite others to do likewise.

Zephaniah 1:1: NASB

1 The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:

Comment:
Apparently Zephaniah was the g-g-grandson of King Hezekiah...I then noticed that Hezekiah had one other son, Amariah. Ohhh...so whatever possessed Hezekiah or Judah to choose his son Manassah to be king over Judah? the most wicked one ever to sit on Judah's throne. Did they have no clue about this son's spirituality? What were the ongoing dynamics that resulted in this choice?

Or, maybe there were none, at least nothing that was worth mentioning.

I am still stumped about why Manassah was chosen when there was Amariah...a mystery...

Any thoughts?

Maybe....

"Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah (verse 10) .... Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah (verse 16)" Matthew 1:10,16 NASB

Just a thought.

Until I stumbled on this I figured the Lord should have let Hezekiah die the first time instead of letting him get better. Good thing I'm not the Lord, huh? ;)

Glad you started another of these Ginny. I really enjoyed the last one.

Hum, not sure I have been doing some research in hopes of finding the answer. My only guess would be Amariah and Manassah were half brothers, meaning Hezekiah had two different wives which wasn't uncommon even for a godly man of the time.

Also another option is Manassah was the older brother and when Manassah was 12 years old would have made Amariah at least 11 years old so they choose the older of the two.

"so whatever possessed Hezekiah or Judah to choose his son Manassah to be king over Judah?"

I am not sure if it would have been possible to see the heart of a 12 year old, its likely the young boy didn't even have power over the kingdom until a certain age. Also Manasseh was born 709 BC and reigned 55 years this overlaps Hezekiah's reign 10 years meaning a Coregency which was pretty common where Father and Son would reign together at the same time to transition and pass on the power of one and go to the other. Hezekiah likely heeded the words of Isaiah in 2 Kings 20:1 to put his house in order meaning he needed to find someone to replace him in the event of his death. My guess is young Manasseh had great promise to be a great king as Hezekiah saw it but instead He gave his heart over to the world.

We see this often though while a boy is young their hearts and minds are generally quite moldable but after time if not cultivated properly will become hard and rebellious.

Also thanks for asking this question its not everyday I get to explore the Chronicles of Israel for an answer to a question.

I figured the Lord should have let Hezekiah die the first time instead of letting him get better.

Amen!

I agree with this 100% because Manasseh was born AFTER God healed Hezekiah from his illness. If Hezekiah had died, Manasseh would not have been born and saved thousands a lot of grief.

Or, maybe, his life merely empowered idol worshiping people to proceed with their sin unchallenged by the king. Their hearts were bent in doing evil and his rule merely exposed the depth of depravity a person is capable of sinking into.

On the other hand, the life of Manasseh does demonstrate the power of God in changing the heart of a despotic ruler. 2Chronicles 33:10-20, 23.

Does this not teach us that one has to be very careful what he prays for lest God would grant our wishes which may not be a good thing for us?

Kind of humbling, is it not?

Or, maybe it demonstrates that I would not make a good god?

Oh, I know some of this is speculative, but God did record this for our learning...

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah (verse 10) .... Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah (verse 16)" Matthew 1:10,16 NASB

Demonstrates there are bad apples in most or every family tree. It also proves that because there are some wicked folks therein it will not damn the rest to evil, if they choose to do otherwise.

So many powerful lessons in history...

Loved your insights, SHMILY.

Zephaniah 1:2-6: (NASB)
2 "I will completely remove all things
From the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

3 “I will remove man and beast;
I will remove the birds of the sky
And the fish of the sea,
And the ruins along with the wicked;
And I will cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

4 “So I will stretch out My hand against Judah
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place,
And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests.

5 “And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven,
And those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom,

6 And those who have turned back from following the LORD,
And those who have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him.”

Comments:

We see God pronouncing judgement against all those who (EDIT)"those who have turned back from following the LORD and those have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him.” This judgment seems to be so thorough, so complete. I sense God is exasperated with the rebellion of people so he will make a clean sweep of it all!

His frustration reminds me how it is sometimes when I sew. I love to sew but in the course of creating something, sometimes I have problems and more problems. The harder I work to fix it, the worst it gets. Once my frustration reaches a certain level, I will throw the thing out and start anew - lots less frustrating and time consuming. However, in doing so I will check to see where I had made the original mistake to ensure it will not be repeated, then all things work well and smoothly. Now I know God is not subject to the same limitations as I am, but he is restricted by people's will, the decision to disobey and this angers Him - it messes things up bad all over the place.

Somehow, I sense God's wrath against sin is justified and allowing the cleansing of the land will provide Him with a clean slate to work on ..

Yes, God is just.

In the rest of the book one will learn what are the issues God is warning his people to repent from...and therein lies a lot of lessons for us moderns.

Any more thoughts?

In reading this again this morning I was arrested by the word "stagnant" in verse 12 ~ NASB

"It will come about in that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do good or evil!' "

KJV renders it "settled on their lees" and NIV "complacent".

Matthew Henry's commentary said, "Their dispositions are sensual: They are settled on their lees, intoxicated with their pleasures, strengthening themselves in their wealth and wickedness; they are secure and easy, and, because they have had no changes, they fear none, as Moab, Jer. 48:11."

Oh my!

Zephaniah 1:7:

7 Be silent before the Lord GOD!
For the day of the LORD is near,
For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice,
He has consecrated His guests.

Zephaniah 2: 1-3: (NASB)
1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather,
O nation without shame,
2 Before the decree takes effect—
The day passes like the chaff—
Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you,
Before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you.

3 Seek the LORD,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’S anger.

COMMENTS:

Zephaniah is a book that details God's judgments against sin. Yet, in the midst of all this there are messages of comfort, of hope. God is telling people you do not have to be victims of my wrath: "Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’S anger." v. 3

Verse 7 in very interesting: God is saying he is going to provide a sacrifice and then will consecrate his guests. Then in cha 2:3 he tells us they may be hidden in the day of his anger.

Interesting. The time frame: Is this sacrifice talking about Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross? is God referring to the church as his guests? is God talking about the end-times as we perceive it? I do not know. In any case, I would like to concentrate on what were the behaviors that triggered God's anger and what one can do to escape.

I was arrested by the word "stagnant

SHMILY, it is this phrase that grabbed my attention when I looked at this book. It acts like a popcorn kernel stuck in my teeth.

Jesus used the word lukewarm - neither hot nor cold. Today we would call it being ambivalent: so what? who cares? each to his own....

Glad you saw noticed this...

I camped out in verse 12 a bit longer. "... and I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts,' The Lord will not do good or evil!' " (NASB)

I was reminded of 2 Peter 3:3-4 "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." (NASB)

In chapter 2 verse 3 I thought of the passage in Isaiah 26 that says, "Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a little while until indignation runs its course. For behold, the Lord is about to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity..." v. 20-21a (NASB)

I think of the Isaiah passage as spending time in prayer seeking the Lord's favor. Like Matt. 6:7 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (NASB)

In the immediate time of the passage I think the "guests" were the Babylonians and the "sacrifice" Judah but I also think there is more to it. A sign of something else to come.

Zephaniah 1:7a (NASB)

7 Be silent before the LORD God For the day of the Lord is near...

COMMENT:

This phrase arrested me this morning: Be quiet! Listen I have something to tell you - the day of the LORD is close!

How many times do we think we have to do all the speaking when we come into the LORD's presence? Can we be quiet and not say anything? Just listen?

7 Be silent before the LORD God For the day of the Lord is near...

14 Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! ...

Thought:

Wisdom cries in the streets, "Listen! Listen!" But we are too busy, too hurried. "Later Lord. I have so much to do but here's my list for now. Later...."

How He loves! Offering opportunity after opportunity until it is too late.

What will He have to do to catch our attention?

**************

How I wish more would comment! This book is so full, so rich. Each time I read it there is more and more. Much reads like it was written today. What do you see? What strikes you? I'd much rather read your insights than mine.

What will He have to do to catch our attention?

Affliction. Makes a body feel utterly helpless. Therefore it is not always bad because this is why God allows it. I have learned more through it then about anything else.

What say?

Zephaniah 1:8,9,18 (NASB)

8 “Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrifice
That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons
And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.

9 “And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold,
Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to deliver them
On the day of the LORD’S wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

COMMENT:

Wealth. It is worked for in most cultures because of the pleasure it affords its possessors. It will gain you friends, influence in high places, protection, advantages, power, beautiful things, prestige....But God is saying here your wealth will not help you one bit! OH. Ohhhh. All the advantages wealth can give you will fail you in the day when God metes out his judgement. It will not influence God for your advantage. It will give you no security, your money cannot buy you a reprieve from God's judgement.

This book is so full, so rich. Each time I read it there is more and more. Much reads like it was written today.

Agreed. That is one reason I find the prophets so inspiring.

I'd much rather read your insights than mine.

Go ahead and post, Shmily. Your thoughts might trigger another's insight..happens all the time.:-)

"Affliction"

Refiner's fire.

Been thinking on this much of the day.

*****************

Sometimes I have what I call my "lab coat" mentality. I know certain things may happen ~ but surely not to me. I will merely observe it. Like a lab experiment or a TV program.

Those in this passage must have that same thought. That whatever happens to someone else will not happen to them.

I am reminded of something I read long ago when I was in school. (My grandchildren think that was shortly after Noah exited the ark ;) ) It was about a battle during the Civil War. It was fought outside some city and people took picnic lunches and went out to watch much like a sporting event. Men were dieing and they were eating lunch!

"On the day of the LORD’S wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth." Verse 18

May I more fully comprehend this. Not in my head but in my heart. Stamped on my eyeballs when with those who need to be snatched from the fire.

12“It will come about at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And I will punish the men
Who are stagnant in spirit,
Who say in their hearts,
‘The LORD will not do good or evil!’

COMMENT:
This verse keeps coming back, challenging me. Apparently I am not the only one it challenges from reading the other posts on this thread.

Anyhow.

As I consider the context in which this is shared, the context refers to the wealthy. Wealth give people an immense sense of security. They think they have everything under control because money buys security. But God is saying it will not protect you from my judgement. Decisions were based on gold, silver and its properties. This in turn makes people disregard God because they have no need of him. They are self-reliant, self-satisfied: they get what they want, when they want, how they want and woe on anybody who interferes in this process!

Proverbs 30:8.9 NASB come to mind:

8 Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,

9That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

Powerful...

That whatever happens to someone else will not happen to them.

Sounds familiar.

Quote: 'The Lord will not do good or evil'

Isn't that a fallacy in this day and age?

Somehow, people suppose God is dormant, doing zero.

He is seeing all we do, and we all have to give an account to God.

And yes, wealth and fulness does increase pride and brings a divide between us and God.

Why do we need God when we have so much? Or so we think.

Another good thread Ginnyrose. Have been reading but not commenting till now.

God bless.

12“It will come about at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And I will punish the men
Who are stagnant in spirit,
Who say in their hearts,
‘The LORD will not do good or evil!’

18"Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to deliver them
On the day of the Lord's wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Chapter 2
1Gather yourselves together, yes, gather,
O nation without shame,
2Before the decree takes effect -
The day passes like chaff -
Before the burning anger of the Lord
comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord's anger
comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility,
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord's anger."

Thoughts:
"so it is today"
"They are self-reliant, self-satisfied"

I want to give a hearty "AMEN!" and yet the Spirit reminds me I am often much more self-reliant and self-satisfied than I ought to be. =(

As I read the beginning of the 2nd chapter I realized not only is the "nation without shame" told to gather ~ perhaps a solemn assembly ~ but so too "all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances" are to seek the Lord and righteousness and humility. I especially need humility when I see the wicked punished!

"The day passes like chaff" ~ don't put it off! Time flies.

--------------
Jesus-is-GOD and enid thank you for commenting too. It makes for a much richer discussion. Thanks again.

This is really good ginnyrose. =)

I love all the insights.
REJOICE! =)

Zephaniah 2:1 NASB

1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather,
O nation without shame,

COMMENT:

Once again I am in awe how the situation with Judah parallels so closely with the current spiritual crises in the world today.

Shame. Without shame. People today are so shameless. People are so bold in their sin and woe on you if so much as confront it! You are labelled as being either legalistic, unforgiving by professing Christians; intolerant by secular society.

We are commanded by God to forgive sin and so we do. But too many times we forgive the sinner who has no intention of repenting and so we soon learn to accommodate the sin because we love the person so much: God would not send him/her to hell! They are too nice, such wonderful people! And so we become used to the dark and sin flourishes, even among so-called Christian people.

Years ago I talked to a godly lady whose youth was spent in riotous living about having her life story written. She declined, saying it was so shameful! That it is behind her and she does not want to talk about it. This gave me a lot to think about. She was ashamed of her past.

Now, how can we protect shame and still be forgiving?

I was speaking with a friend today. It had been several months since we had had time to talk.

She was heartsick over a relative. The relative had sinned. Long story short ~ had stood before the church not to confess and repent but to justify what had happened.

Most distressing to my friend was the fact the church stood and applauded 3 times during this!

No, ginny, there is no shame in the nation and very little in the "church".

The relative had sinned. Long story short ~ had stood before the church not to confess and repent but to justify what had happened. Most distressing to my friend was the fact the church stood and applauded 3 times during this! No, ginny, there is no shame in the nation and very little in the "church".

Yes, I have heard of a 'pastor' getting up in front of his flock announcing that he is leaving his wife and family for another woman in the church and the audience applauded! Now if this does not make me hopping mad... if it angers me, wonder how God feels?! His wrath is deserved, don't you think?

Anyhow. If this is normal for the church, one sure cannot expect more from the prevailing society.

Many years ago I read a column written by Eric Hoffer, I think, on 'Shame'. He is secular, but it is so good. In it he lamented the loss of shame in society. Sad when a secular philosopher gets closer to being Biblical in this regard then church people. (I have looked to find the article online, called the newspaper but have not been able to find it anywhere.)

SHMILY, we have two wayward sons. I do not encourage them to attend church services because I believe that it is the most dangerous place an apostate can be on a Sunday morning.

Zephaniah 2:3 (NASB)

3 Seek the LORD,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’S anger.

COMMENT:

Who is called to seek the LORD? The humble.

What characterizes the humble? They are obedient (carried out his ordinances), they seek righteousness, seek humility.

How can one be obedient to His ordinances? What are they? Does obedience not entail a teachable spirit? To be willing to obey when it does not make sense?

As I consider humility I had to wonder what does it look like in life? Is a humble person not one who is submissive to authority? one who is teachable? Is it not one who recognizes his/her own limitations and will work to learn?

How does one work to 'seek righteousness?' Does it not happen when we take to heart the lessons learned by being taught by a Master teacher? Does it not happen when these lessons characterizes our lifestyle?

As long as we think we know it all, we are not teachable. We will argue, debate, work to discredit those who disagree with us. This one cannot do with God and win. All will be losers when this is one's mindset.

"Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD’S anger."
Does this promise pertain to moderns? I think so. I want to be protected by his wings and as the world's turmoil work to rattle our well-being, it behooves us the more to find shelter there.

Seek righteousness, seek humility: an excellent motto for today and the future.

Christ died to take away our sin and any continuation with it puts Him back on the cross and to shame when His power is already available to His children to walk in holiness and purity of heart, with eternal power to keep him in the temple of the Lord in constant communion and prayer without cessation, obeying God 100% all of the time. Nothing less is acceptable and when the Day of the Lord comes for each one, there will be no excuse when we have the book of Zephaniah in our Bibles.

Excellent point, Brenda.

Zephaniah 2:4-7 NASB

For Gaza will be abandoned
And Ashkelon a desolation;
Ashdod will be driven out at noon
And Ekron will be uprooted.

5Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the LORD is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
And I will destroy you
So that there will be no inhabitant.

6So the seacoast will be pastures,
With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.

7And the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the LORD their God will care for them
And restore their fortune.

COMMENT:

For some interesting reason - the which I find difficult to fully grasp - I find this so comforting! God is going to rid the countryside of His enemies and then giving it to his people! The humble ones, the righteous ones.

I do not know what practical application this has for us today but it does remind me of Psalm 23:5: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;"

How does God prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies? Is it not when we experience his blessings in the presence of those who wish us harm? We experience pressure to capitulate to sinful culture but God in his mercy provides for us so graciously in contrast to the ungodly culture around us. These people may mock us, scorn us, but they sure want the blessings God has given to us...

v.5 "Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast...I will destroy you so that there will be no inhabitant."

I am reminded of the times the Lord told the children of Israel to completely destroy the various 'ites' and they only partially complied. Often we wonder, "Why didn't they do what God said?" Maybe even when we were younger and more rash we thought, "I would have!"

And yet ...Of the four cities named in verse 4, three are currently in Israel ~ Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron. Gaza obviously is not.

Gaza. We see pictures of the inhabitants of Gaza on the news. No matter our politics, they are real people with real lives, loves, pains, fears. Faces put to the word "inhabitants". Could we completely destroy them?

From verse 7
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the LORD their God will care for them

I believe it was last summer that the rockets/missiles Hamas fires into Israel from the Gaza strip reached Ashkelon. How they needed the security shown in this verse.

Such is the Lord's love for His people. He will destroy the inhabitants of Gaza.

I agree with your thoughts ginny. It is a comfort.

8“I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory.

9“Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel,
“Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”

10This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts. 11The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

"I have heard.." Our God listens.

"...they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory.
....they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts"

Today there are those nations that do not believe Israel has a right to exist. They try to provoke them. They are "arrogant" against the people and the land.

But also in many countries just following the Lord can cost a believer their business, their home, even their life. In those places too the sons of darkness are 'arrogant' against them.

Our God hears. "The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth"

There is comfort in knowing God hears and will answer in His time.

Zephaniah 2: 8-11 NASB

8“I have heard the taunting of Moab
And the revilings of the sons of Ammon,
With which they have taunted My people
And become arrogant against their territory.

9“Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel,
“Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”

10This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts. 11The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

COMMENT:

Does someone have an insight to share about the taunting of God's people?

(I am having a problem now to concentrate adequately because of the stress of moving...I know what the scripture is teaching me, but to phrase it in the least number of words escapes me at the moment.)

God bless!

Insightful! Fascinating!

Taunting. Making light of something sacred....or reviling, heaping scorn on those one deems strange.

How many times do we find ourselves doing likewise to those whom we do not see eye to eye with? (Not referring to sin issues but doctrinal ones.)

Or, just plain reviling someone for its own sake? Is it loving? Children do that in their childishness, at times, but what about adults?

The penalty to reviling was severe: "Surely Moab will be like Sodom." Oh. Oh. We know Sodom was given to perversion and was destroyed for it. Now God is saying I will make you like Sodom because you have reviled my people. The end result is the same.

Do we regard this sin as serious as God does?

12“You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”

13And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.

14Flocks will lie down in her midst,
All beasts which range in herds;
Both the pelican and the hedgehog
Will lodge in the tops of her pillars;
Birds will sing in the window,
Desolation will be on the threshold;
For He has laid bare the cedar work.

15This is the exultant city
Which dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.

Thought:
Verses 4-7 were the enemies on the west ~ Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, the land of the Philistines.

Verses 8-11 were the enemies on the east ~ Moab and the sons of Ammon (present day Jordan).

In this passage 12-15 it is the enemies of the south ~ Ethiopia (Cush - possibly Egypt) ~ and the enemies of the north ~ Assyria whose capital was Nineveh.

Enemies all around. God would/will deal with them all.

Ever feel surrounded? Don't know which way to turn? Our God hears.

15This is the exultant city
Which dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.

This struck me in this verse:
Who says in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”

There is only one I AM. And there is none beside Him.

Zephaniah 2:10-11 NASB

10 This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts.

11The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.

COMMENT:

Pride. The sin that precedes a fall: Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. Proverbs 16:18. It is the mindset that declares I know better, MY idea is always right, I am going to do what I want to do and others be hanged! It focus on self - always: what I want. It dismisses the concept of submission, loving the unlovely, looking out for the welfare of others. A selfish person may do all these things on a limited scale, but only if it will benefit them. The concept of assisting another and not allowing it to become known is foreign to this mind.

The god of self wars against the Jehovah God and his people. Godly people become targets of ridicule and derision from those who serve other gods because they are a threat to their self-esteem. The want everyone's approval and if they do not get it from the ones who they respect for their integrity they get angry and will work to destroy by discrediting them.

But God says here that he will starve all the gods of the earth! All the philosophies what warred against God's Word will be discredited because they will no longer work! "I always do things this way!" "I aways..." and it no longer works or is true! God starved these man-made'absolutes'. God will demonstrate that the only absolutes that are true, workable are those that come from Him. This fact will become known and they will be forced to acknowledge it.

Is it not comforting to know we stand on the solid rock, Jesus Christ?! The winds of scorn, derision may be fierce but that storm will cease - God is in control of it.

Yes!

I agree Jesus-is GOD that is most probably the same city.

What struck me was the arrogance, the pride. The audacity to say, "I am ..." In a sense to claim to be GOD.

Pride. As Ginny says it is woven through these verses and God calls it sin.

Quote:
Is it not comforting to know we stand on the solid rock, Jesus Christ?!

Yes and Amen!! =)

And imagine, if each Christian would take on that commission for their own town - we'd have the whole country covered .... that's all it would take.

Hhhhhmm - interesting challenge. Think I will take you up on it...as the LORD leads.

Any others?

Zephaniah 2: 12-13 NASB

12You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”

13And He will stretch out His hand against the north
And destroy Assyria,
And He will make Nineveh a desolation,
Parched like the wilderness.

COMMENT:

I am always thrilled when I read in the OT God's words of warnings to non-Jewish peoples. For some reason one has the idea that before Jesus came, God was the God of the Jews only. Not so. The prophets' writings indicate otherwise - there is just little details given in the WORD concerning God's dealings with surrounding nations. The fact that he issued warnings for them in addition to Israel proves how much he loves all.

Years ago "Biblical Archaeology Review" printed an article dealing with this issue,declaring there is very little archaeological evidence that knowledge of God existed beyond the Jewish communities. Yet, a casual reading of the prophets would indicate otherwise. Aren't you glad?

Zephaniah 2:10; 3:11 NASB

10 This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts.

11 b For then I will remove from your midst Your proud, exulting ones, And you will never again be haughty

COMMENT:

Haughtiness. Arrogance: I am better then you. This mentality intimidates, strikes fear in the heart of the lesser putting a stumbling block in his way, working to gain the approval of this bully. But this bully is working is cahoots with the devil. And God says he will remove these proud people from their midst.

How God will remove the proud ones is his call, yet I suspect that from reading the prophets he does it by destroying their securities, all these things that empowered them to lord themselves over others. Yet when these devastations occur, the innocent will suffer as well, but the innocent will have a sustaining hand to assist them through this trial whereas the proud will be left to his own - now depleted - devices.

Yes, God is very much aware of the forces that work aggressively to destroy his people and there is a payday a-coming.

The events in Japan this week have had me ruminating on the first chapter of Zephaniah again. Please note I understand the historical context of the passage and also possible future events connected with it. It is simply that the events in Japan help me to just begin to comprehend what it means in the real world.

"'I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth,' declares the Lord." v.2 I could not help but think of this as I saw the before and after pictures of the tsunami in Sendai. It was there and now it is nearly totally gone.

"... all who weight out silver will be cut off..." v.11 Commerce is gone. Even if the shops were still there the roads are blocked or gone or cracked. And the people are mostly gone too. The only things wanted/needed by the people now are water and food both of which are lacking.

"...and they will plant vineyards and not drink their wine..." v.13 I watched the wall of water roll over farms and greenhouses. Gone.

"Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly. Listen, the day of the Lord." v.14 The people got up Friday morning and began their day as usual, getting ready for work, waking the kids, ... It was so normal, so mundane. Then the earth began to shake. And it went on and on and on. Then the tsunami. I read it traveled across the ocean at 500 miles an hour! "As it was in the days of Noah, people were eating and drinking and giving in marriage and knew not....."

*******

Parenthetical comment:

I don't know if anyone else watched the live feed of the water rushing inland or not but I as I watched I could see tiny cars rushing on the road trying to get away. But I could see they were headed into the worst part of it. I kept speaking to the computer screen, "NO! NO! Go the other way!" but they rushed headlong. I wonder if, since "we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses", there are times my actions cause them to exclaim the same?

*******

Verse 15 ~ "...A day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation.." That so describes what happened.

"Neither their silver not their gold will be able to deliver them..." v.18 Their wealth ~ or lack of it ~ made absolutely no difference. And it really still doesn't.

"..for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of the inhabitants of the earth." v.18 More than a thousand missing and presumed dead. The number could rise even higher. Swept into eternity. ....

How then ought we to live ....

I thought the same, SHMILY.

Is it not interesting that while we are reading Zephaniah that we are seeing some of these things happening now? Oh, I know that this prophecy may not be referring to the event in Japan, but in watching this one can see how these calamities can be a reality, not just a hypothetical situation.

Did you see the video a man took of the earthquake? (It was on iReport, I think.) He said the shaking was so bad he could hardly stand up?

Still shaking my head...

Zephaniah 2:15; 3:2 NASB

15 Who says in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me

22 She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the LORD, She did not draw near to her God

COMMENT:

Pride, its characteristics:

1. There is no one besides me.
2. She listens to no one because she thinks she knows it all.
3. She is not teachable.
4. She does not trust in the LORD.
5. Does not draw near to Him.

A proud heart feels self-sufficient and think she knows it all and will not take any instruction from anyone, thinking they know more then anyone else.

Many wise students of human nature have declared affluence promotes this self-satisfied mentality. Coupled with this is the all pervasive teaching of self-esteem: I am a wonderful person! and I deserve whatever I want! (Someone has said that inmates in prison are afflicted with much self-esteem!)
Self-satisfaction, the ability to have all your personal wants met impedes God's ability to work in the life of an individual. God is regarded as a kill joy who will work to deprive one of pleasures so much enjoyed and who wants to submit to a god like that?

There is payday a-coming. God will demonstrate this in ways that will force the individual to face the fact that he is not in control of life, God is. And we do well to allow God to search our heart to kmow whether we are teachable, whether we listen and allow Him to lead.

Pride is the fundamental issue one has to deal with every day...it is not just them - although it is - but it us also, as well.

Zephaniah 3:1-5 NASB

1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
The tyrannical city!
2 She heeded no voice,
She accepted no instruction.
She did not trust in the LORD,
She did not draw near to her God.

3 Her princes within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are wolves at evening;
They leave nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;
Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law.

5 The LORD is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust knows no shame.

COMMENT:

I noticed where God's presence is in the midst of this city but the people live in defiance of this better knowledge. They work hard to do the opposite of what they know they should do.

Have you ever noticed that when people apostasize the same thing happens? They are so defiant, will do anything contrary to prove they are not responsible to submit to anybody but their own desires. The cruelty these people engage in defies common sense.

In my many years of counseling at a CPC I was amazed how my ungodly clients knew they were living in sin and what they were doing is wrong and will send them to hell. They knew - I did not have to tell them. Amazing.

And it says they know no shame. Sounds like this was written just last week.

Zephaniah 3:6 NASB

“I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their cities are laid waste,
Without a man, without an inhabitant.

COMMENT:

Whenever I read something like this, I am left with a sense of wonderment, amazement at how futile it is for men to expend so much resources to protect ones country when its security is all in God's hands. God can in a moment lay its defenses in ruins. All that work, all that tax money gone to waste...all to give one a sense of security which is no better then to build a sand castle on the beach, subject to high tides every 24 hours.

On the personal level I am reminded how much time is wasted when I work without spending time FIRST with the LORD at the beginning of a day. Spending time with Him in the WORD results in me making fewer errors; my day goes a whole lot better; I accomplish much more. There is protection with divine assistance working quietly, discretely but always there.

Where is my security? I can build whatever defenses to protect myself but God can and will in his time destroy it and then what do I have left?

Zephaniah3:8-11 NASB

8 "Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.

9“For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the LORD,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

10“From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
Will bring My offerings.

11“In that day you will feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My holy mountain.

COMMENT:

Many comments, insights can be gleaned from this portion but will limit it to one per post.

(At the onset, I want to reaffirm what another poster shared - and that is prophesy will have multiple applications, meanings, not limited to one ere of time.)

God says in v. 8 "wait for me.." How many times do we get impatient and run ahead of God to accomplish what we think should be done?

Wait for me. This gets to be a trial for those who want all things done yesterday. Like me.

"Wait." And then "I will", so says God.

5The LORD is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust knows no shame.

6“I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their cities are laid waste,
Without a man, without an inhabitant.

7“I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me,
Accept instruction.’
So her dwelling will not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.

Thoughts:
I have been ruminating on this today. Verses 5 & 7 speak of GOD's incredibly great love and desire for us even when we refuse to pay attention.

v5. He is faithful ~ "Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail." Every morning He shows us. He does not fail.

v.7“I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me, accept instruction.’ So her dwelling will not be cut off..." There seems a longing in His voice. A love that reaches out calling us to heed Him and follow to safety.

Yet "the unjust knows no shame" and "they were eager to corrupt all their deeds." Not only without shame, they were "eager" to corrupt their deeds! Even with the examples given in v6.

I am taken back to the attitude in chapter 1 verse 12 again. My loose paraphrase: "So what. What's God gonna do about it? Nothing. He's not going to do anything."

They will not believe what He says, "'Therefore wait for Me,' declares the Lord ....'for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of my zeal.'" (v.8) The day of reckoning will come.

Remember in the cartoons where the little bully rolls up his sleeves intent on pounding someone. Then he stalks around the corner and runs into something. He looks up, and up, and up at this really, really big guy. He swallows hard and mumbles, "uh-o" and the next thing you see after the dust clears is what is left of the bully.

Our GOD is ginormous. Those without shame thumbing their nose at Him will come around the corner soon. Then it will be too late.

His desire, and my prayer, is that they would hear his call and turn and repent.

Zephaniah - Pollution of God's House.

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. Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. ... Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
Zephaniah 2:15

Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. Lamentations 2:14

They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. Lamentations 4:14

Zephaniah was the prophet in the time of Josiah's reign and reformation. The quote above in Zephaniah is the condemnation of the apostate priests who were destroyed by Josiah.

The priests polluted the sanctuary!!

Compare these two:

2Ch 36:14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

Zep 3:4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

Lamentations 2:14: The prophets have been vain and foolish.
Zephaniah 3:4: The prophets are light and treacherous persons.

Lamentations 4:14: ...they have polluted themselves with blood.(leading others astray and to destruction).

Zephaniah 3:4: Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law (perverted the Word).

Nothing new under heaven. This sounds like today.

More comments on Zeph. 3: 8-11.

How many times do we get impatient with evil around us? We want to take drastic measures to remove its presence from our community. But we can never accomplish it. God is saying "Wait on me. I am going to do it and it will be thorough. Just be patient and faithful."

Anyones patience in this area been tested lately?

We need to be impatient with evil in our own hearts and take drastic measures to remove it quickly.

You can't really do this in society (other people), except by preaching the Gospel and even then it is the Spirit of God which draws men and cleanses hearts.

We need to be impatient with evil in our own hearts and take drastic measures to remove it quickly

So true. Glad you mentioned it.

Zephaniah 3:8-13 NASB

8 Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.

9 “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the LORD,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

10 “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
Will bring My offerings.

11 “In that day you will feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My holy mountain.

A Remnant of Israel

12 “But I will leave among you
A humble and lowly people,
And they will take refuge in the name of the LORD.

13 “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong
And tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will feed and lie down
With no one to make them tremble.”

COMMENT:

As I get into this chapter I sense a change in God's mood: as one who is about to reveal a delightful secret. He is revealing the reasons for judgements, calamities: to rid the earth of evil people. (He gave them plenty of chances to repent and their refusal will earn for them rejection by God.)

God goes on to say how nice life will be after he rids the earth of the proud and haughty (v.11). Consider these characteristics:

1. The people will have purified lips.
2. That all may call upon the LORD. (Notice: one cannot call on the LORD without purified lips. Think about that!)
3. There will be unity among God's people - they will stand shoulder to shoulder. This unity will cross national boundaries.
4. They will bring offerings to Him.
5. God will remove the shame they feel for their past sins. (How many today feel shame for their sinful past?)
6. You will not again have to deal with proud and ahaughty people. YES!!!!
7. People around you will be humble and lowly. (Got to begin now but it only happens when the Holy SPirit is in charge.)
8.The remnant of Israel will do no wrong. (Love this Neil? I do.)
9. They will tell no lies.
10. Will not have a deceitful tongue.
1. They will feel safe and nothing will frighten them.

WOW!

I have not known this to be a reality on this earth, so it must be futuristic. Seems to be if we allow this promise to permeate our spirit, our soul, it should strengthen our resolve to faithfulness. It does me. This is a delight to meditate upon.

Zephaniah 3:14,17 NASB

14Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!

17“The LORD your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

COMMENT:

Joy. Rejoice.

I love to meditate on this emotion.

The world wants joy but it eludes them. So to compensate they will resort to comedy, music, drugs, perversion, the acquision of things, entertainment because of the rush it gives them only to find themselves in a pursuit of more. For many this pursuit becomes addictive. And there is no lasting peace at all. It is momentarily, at best.

But God's joy! Aaahhh...Joy comes when you have surrendered yourself to His will and allows Him to be the god in your life: one that allows Him to do his will with no resentment from you..AAAhhhh, yes, joy follows! It is such a delight when one does not fight God's will.

My mind often goes to the incident where I felt such intense joy, pleasure, the like I never before nor since have experienced. And even today it fills me with so much delight. It still thrills! And there are no hangovers, either.

In January 1996 our 25 YO daughter, Regina - a wife and mother to two children - had just died from a glioblastoma, a brain cancer. She had fought it for over a year, had been anointed with oil three times. The last six weeks of her life she was paralyzed from the waist down, her body was bloated because of steriods, this once very pretty girl now looked ugly. Two weeks before her passing, the Holy Spirit gave me the verse: "Stand back and see the salvation of the LORD" spoken by Moses when he and the Israelites came to the Red Sea with water in front and Egyptians behind. Anyhow, I expected the LORD to heal Gina. And he did but not like I expected.

After she died that Sunday afternoon, I went to bed to sleep. Then the LORD gave me a wonderful gift: I relived her life froom infancy to adulthood. It was like a movie of her life that I was seeing. In viewing this I was filled with incredible joy. It was so intense, the like I never experienced before nor since. I was so thankful that God had loaned her to us for 25 years. She was a gift, a loan from God who could recall her at his will. And I was content with that. I felt really blessed to have been the recipient of that gift. Now it was time to relinquish it, and I did. It was no problem. Ahhh, the joy of the LORD. No one can anywhere begin to duplicate it.

In v. 17 it says God will rejoice over you with shouts of joy! Is this not wonderful??!! Sometimes when I read this in my mind it is almost as though God's response is like a child who is filled so so much anticipation of something that delights - and she jumps up and down...

Yes, the world nor anything in it can never produce the joy that comes from God. And He says here that we should shout for joy because He is going to deliver his people from the presence of sin!

Does this evoke a sense of joy in our hearts?

Zephaniah 3: 15-17 NASB

Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!

15The LORD has taken away His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You will fear disaster no more.

16In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.

17“The LORD your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

COMMENT:

Shout for joy! and for what reason?

1. God has removed our enemies! YES!!!!
2.God will be in our midst!
a. God will not tolerate the presence of His enemies! Hallelujah!
3. And God will rejoice over us! He will rejoice with shouts of joy! WOW!!
a. Can you imagine God rejoicing over you??? That God delights in you? Ah, what love...this should make us fall down on our knees in reverence and holy fear...
b. I get this mental picture of God being on the sidelines cheering us on as we race towards the goal!

Can you imagine this being or becoming a reality?

God, using Zephaniah as his spokesman to the Jews and Moabites, had three major complaints against them:
1.Stagnant in spirit - who say in their hearts the LORD will not do good nor evil. 1:12
2.To the Moabites - who taunted God's people and their territory. 2:8,10
3. Accepted no instruction. 3:2

And as a result brought on these actions:
4. Did not trust in the LORD.3:2
5. Their priests were reckless.3:4
6. Their prophets profaned the sanctuary. 3:4
7. Done violence to the Law.3:4
8. The unjust knows no shame.3:5
9. Are eager to corrupt all their deeds. 3:7

Nine complaints.

To live with this mindset in people who are in authority is very intimidating. But God says I will clear away your enemies. (3:15)

It is so comforting to know that when God pronounces judgement against sin, he does not forget the faithful. He comes along as in Zeph. 3:14-20 and speaks wonderful words of promise that comfort. (I understand that this also is speaking also of a future restoration of the nation of Israel, but the principle still remains.)

Can we see the spirit of love that is God's in this book?