http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 1 God s Wrath Coming Upon the Nations Zephaniah 2:1-15
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 2 God s Wrath Coming Upon the Nations Commentary by Charles Box Text: Zephaniah 2:1-15, 1. Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, 2. before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's wrath comes upon you. 3. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger. Against Philistia 4. Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. 5. Woe to you who live by the sea, O Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. "I will destroy you, and none will be left." 6. The land by the sea, where the Kerethites dwell, will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens. 7. It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes. Against Moab and Ammonites
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 3 8. "I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land. 9. Therefore, as surely as I live," declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, "surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land." 10. This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty. 11. The LORD will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the land. The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land. Against Cush 12. "You too, O Cushites, will be slain by my sword." Against Assyria 13. He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. 14. Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows, rubble will be in the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed. 15. This is the carefree city that lived in safety. She said to herself, "I am, and there is none besides me." What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists. (NIV) Introduction: 1. Zephaniah called upon his people to repent before the Day of the Lord came upon them.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 4 A. The people had become callused to evil and they had lost all sense of shame. 1. Continuation in sin brings you to the point where you do not even blush at sin. 2. Jeremiah 8:12 says, Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; therefore they shall fall among them that fall: I the time of visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. B. It was not too late for God s people if they would 1. Humbly obey the LORD,... 2. Come and worship Him, and... 3. Do right and be humble. C. Those that turn to the Lord will be hidden from His wrath. 1. Zephaniah had total respect for the sovereignty of God. 2. He believed that if the people would repent and seek the Lord that it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord s anger. II. God also pronounced sure and certain judgment against the nations that had rejected Him.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 5 A. In a graphic way, God s judgment against the nations that surrounded His people was set forth. 1. Located to the west were the Philistines. a. They would face God s wrath. 2. The Moabites and the Ammonites were to the east. a. They were as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah and would therefore receive severe punishment. 3. The Ethiopians to the south would also be destroyed. 4. The Assyrians to the north would soon to be destroyed. B. All nations will be judged by how they have responded to God s people and to God s commandments. Repent Before it is too Late Zephaniah 2:1-3, Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's wrath comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger. (NIV) 1. God s people had become a disgraceful nation.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 6 A. God called upon them to gather around and focus their attention on correcting those things wherein they had failed in their relationship with Him. 1. The gathering together was to be a time of mourning and repentance. a. Zephaniah called upon them to repent and correct their evils before it was too late. b. If they failed to repent, the Lord had set a time when His furious wrath would be poured out and they would be swept away. 2. The prophets announced the doom that would happen if the people did not repent. a. He urged them not to just allow the day to pass as chaff and there be no repentance. B. We must never neglect, even for a day, getting right with God and staying right with Him. 1. God says, Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2) 2. The devil says, There is no hurry, get right later. 3. The message of the prophet was, See ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment;
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 7 seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD s anger. (Zephaniah 2:3) God s Judgment Against the Philistines Zephaniah 2:4-7, Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. Woe to you who live by the sea, O Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. "I will destroy you, and none will be left." The land by the sea, where the Kerethites dwell, will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens. It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes. Against Moab and Ammonites. (NIV) 1. If Judah failed to repent she would face God s judgment. A. The heathen nations would also face the judgment of the Almighty. II. Scripture pictures God s judgment on Philistia. A. Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Edron are Philistine cities that were near to God s people. B. They had been enemies to God s people and now they will face proper punishment. 1. God said that Gaza and Ashkelon will be deserted and left in ruins.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 8 a. Ashdod will be emptied in broad daylight, and Edron uprooted. b. God told them that He was their enemy and that He would wipe them out. c. God would use their sea coast to be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. d. This would later be a blessing to God s people as they returned to the homeland from captivity. e. The remnant of the house of Judah would take that land and use it for pasture. III. God s judgment would come upon Judah because they would not repent. A. His judgment would also come against the pagan nations because of their sins. God s Judgment Against the Moabites and Ammonites Zephaniah 2:8-11, "I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land. Therefore, as surely as I live," declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, "surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land." This is what they
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 9 will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty. The LORD will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the land. The nations on every shore will worship him, every one in its own land. (NIV) 1. God next dealt with the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, Judah s neighbors to the east. A. These heathen nations had insulted and threatened God s chosen nation. 1. These nations were also idolatrous. 2. God promised that captivity would cut off idol worship. a. The idols would have no more sacrifices offered to them. b. Their (idols ) worship would be entirely destroyed. c. The Lord says, He will famish all the gods of the land. d. God promised that these nations would become like Sodom and Gomorrah. e. They would be covered with thorn bushes and they would become salt pits forever. f. They would feel the strong sting of divine wrath.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 10 g. Bible students remember the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from heaven. (Genesis 19) i. Genesis 19:1-29, The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom both young and old surrounded the house. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 11 to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-inlaw, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" But
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 12 Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared." He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar.) By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. (NIV)
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 13 h. The Moabites and Ammonites would be destroyed with similar decisiveness. B. Then the remnant of God s people would possess their land. 1. This remnant was that small group of Jews that returned from captivity in Babylon. (Ezra 2). a. Ezra 2:1-2, Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel: (NIV) 2. God said, This is how Moab and Ammon will at last be repaid for their pride and for sneering at the nation that belongs to me, the Lord All-Powerful. (Zephaniah 2:10). 3. The sin of pride is preoccupation with self. a. Pride may damn more souls than any other sin. b. God hates all sin and He will punish every sin. c. He especially hates pride because it robs Him of His glory.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 14 d. The person that walks in pride tries to take God off His throne and to put self on that throne. 4. God would throw down their idols and all would recognize Him as the superior power of the universe. a. God promised to judge the Moabites and the Ammonites and to bring them to perpetual desolation. Judgment Against Ethiopia and Assyria Zephaniah 2:12-15, "You too, O Cushites, will be slain by my sword." Against Assyria He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows, rubble will be in the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed. This is the carefree city that lived in safety. She said to herself, "I am, and there is none besides me." What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists. (NIV) I. The Ethiopians had also made light of God s people. A. They likewise would feel the vengeance of divine wrath. II. God completed His circle of judgment by looking north to Assyria. A. He would make this once prosperous nation desolate. 1. It would be a fit habitation only of animals and birds.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 15 B. The Lord will reach to the north to crush Assyria and overthrow Nineveh. 1. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. a. Nineveh had felt strong and secure. b. Assyria proves again that, Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18). c. The destruction would be so complete that only noisy ravens would be heard inside its buildings at night. d. The beautiful cedar would even be removed from the buildings. 2. This sad description was given of Nineveh in Zephaniah 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. a. Only the owls and ravens would stand as sentinel in the watchtower overlooking this once great city. b. Zephaniah simply mentions the coming Judgment. c. He does not deal with the reasons for the Judgment because that was dealt with in detail by Amos, Isaiah and Nahum.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 16 Conclusion: I. Those that serve God are blessed and those that rebel are punished. II. Is it your desire to see the will of God done? A. If so it is time to become a Christian now!
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 17 Questions Zephaniah 2:1-15 1. What is the shameful nation mentioned in verse 1? 2. The shameful nation was to gather together before what things happened? 3. Who is told to seek the Lord? See verse 3. 4. What three things were to be sought? See verse 3.
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 18 5. What blessing could these seekers hope for? 6. What was the day of the Lord s anger mentioned in verse 3? Be specific. 7. Who were the Philistines, those of Philistia? 8. What was the connection between Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Philistia?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 19 9. What would happen to Gaza? to Ashkelon? to Ashdod? to Ekron? 10. Exactly why were these cities to suffer misfortunes?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 20 11. Who were the Kerethites (Cherethites)? Where did they live? 12. Why was the word of the LORD against the land of the Philistines? 13. God said, I will you, and will be. 14. What would happen to the land where the Kerethites dwelled? 15. What is meant by the remnant of the house of Judah?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 21 16. What blessings were the remnant of the house of Judah to receive? See verse 7. 17. Who were Moab and Ammon? 18. What had they done to displease God? 19. What punishments would God bring upon them for their sins? 20. What sins had Sodom and Gomorrah committed? What punishment befell them?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 22 21. What would Moab and Ammon get in return for their pride? 22. The will be to them when he all the of the : The on will him, in its. 23. When was or when will the prophecy of verse 11b be fulfilled? 24. Who were the Cushites? What would happen to them? Why would this happen to them?
http://www.biblestudyworkshop.com 23 25. What would happen to Assyria and its capital Ninevah? Why would these misfortunes befall Assyria and Ninevah?