Zephaniah 3

3:1-5

3:6-8

3:9-13

3:14-17

3:18-20

Recap

Summary

Conclusion

A. Find Out:

1. What threefold description is given to this city? v.1

2. What fourfold activities are noted? v.2

3. How are here leaders described? v.3

4. How are religious leaders condemned? v.4

5. Who else is there and how described v.5a,b

6. Yet what is amazing? v.5c 

B. Think:

1. List the condemnations of the people of Jerusalem ?

2. How do we know it is Jerusalem ?

3. How is the Lord's activity described?

C. Comment:

  A city is now spoken about (v.1a) which has to be Jerusalem , for only that city could be described as having the Lord in it (v.5a).

  The city is first condemned in general terms: it is rebellious and defiled, a city of oppressors (v.1). It is a city that is answerable to no one and does not trust in her Lord and does not seek Him out (v.2).

  Within the city its officials and rulers are described as roaring lions and evening wolves (out looking for prey at nightfall) who are obviously the oppressors of verse 1 who devour those weaker than themselves (v.3).

  But it gets worse. The spiritual leaders – well those who should be spiritual leaders, the prophets and priests – are also condemned as being arrogant, and treacherous and abusive of their roles in the Temple (v.4) and thus abuse the Law. Those who should be examples and those who lead people to God, utterly fail to do so.

  Yet here is the amazing thing: the Lord is in the Temple (v.5a), His dwelling place in Jerusalem, and He is righteous and never does wrong and remains utterly faithful to His holy character every day, and He is there in their midst and so you would expect people to respect His presence and live accordingly and yet, as we've seen, people are living unrighteous lives and have no shame in it!

D. Application:

1. Being religious is not what God wants. Being righteous is.

2. Observing rituals is not what God wants. Being godly is.

Chapter: Zephaniah 3

Passage: Zephaniah 3:6-8

A. Find Out:    

1. What has the Lord done? v.6

2. What had He said to Jerusalem and why? v.7.a,b

3. But what had been their response? v.7c

4. So what is He going to do? v.8a

5. Followed by what? v.8b

6. And how extensive will this be? v.8c

B. Think:

1. Why might Jerusalem have considered their ways?

2. But what path had they taken?

3. So what will happen?

C. Comment:

  The present verses, we need to remember, flow directly on from what is before. In verse 5 we are reminded that the Lord lived in the midst of Jerusalem – and He is a righteous God, which mean everything He does is right – including bringing justice!

So now (v.6) the Lord reminds them that He is an active God, one who brings judgment on whole nations for their wrong, and thus they have been destroyed. This is the sort of God Jerusalem has in their midst – One who holds people accountable!

He had spoken to them (v.7) warning them that He brought accountability in the form of punishment on unrighteous peoples, yet they ignored Him and continued in their corrupt practices.

OK, says the Lord, it is time for accounting. Get ready (wait) for I am coming to testify against you (v.8) and when I testify (implied) I tell the truth and it will amount to condemnation and condemnation will be followed by judgment that I will bring on you in the form of other nations invading you. My anger will flow through into all the nations and they will come against you, my anger will be seen by all others being against you (implied). These verses have a sense of a judicial courtroom scene about them, that warn Jerusalem it will end up in court and there being found guilty. It's time to repent!

D. Application:

1. Can we stand before the court of heaven? What is our plea?

2. Our only hope is the Lamb of God who died in our place.

Chapter: Zephaniah 3

Passage: Zephaniah 3:9-13    

A. Find Out:

1. What will the Lord then do to achieve what? v.9

2. Who will come from where to do what? v.10

3. What will not happen because of what? v.11

4. Who will be left? v.12

5. What will the remnant not do? v.13a

6. How will they be? v.13b

B. Think:

1. What picture had verse 8 left us with?

2. But what is now conveyed in these verses?

3. What will be the end result of that achieved by the Lord?

C. Comment:

  In verse 8 we saw the Lord declaring destruction but we always need to read prophecy as a whole for that is not the end of the matter. When the Lord brings destruction it will be to purify the peoples so that there will be a holy remnant left.

  The result of this purging will be that those who are left will call on the Lord and serve Him (v.9). Although the people of God may be scattered far and wide, the picture given is that they will be gathered back again, even from the upper reaches of the Nile in Egypt (v.10) and they will come to worship the Lord and will come bringing offerings.

  On that day, the memories of past shame will be wiped away because in this purging the Lord will have removed all those who had been proud and haughty (v.11) and who (implied) had rejected the Lord.

  The people who are left – the remnant – will be meek and humble and will be those who trust the Lord (v.12). This purified people will no longer do wrong or speak lies or deceit (v.13a) but in their new found relationship with the Lord they will also know a new found security in that they will be able to eat and sleep in peace, with no fear of an enemy invader coming (v.13b).

  Thus we have been able to see that although in the prophetic scriptures there is judgment, there is also salvation for the faithful.

D. Application:

1. Judgment will come on the godless and unrighteous.

2. Even though judgment comes, the faithful will be saved.

Chapter: Zephaniah 3

Passage: Zephaniah 3:14-17     

A. Find Out:

1. What are Israel encouraged to do? v.14

2. Why? v.15a

3. What will be true, with what effect? v.15b

4. How will Israel be encouraged? v.16

5. What truth is reiterated? v.17a

6. What will He do? v.17b,c

B. Think:

1. What assurance is first brought in these verses?

2. What assurance follows that?

3. What do you think of the picture conveyed?

C. Comment:

  The Lord, remember from the previous verses, is speaking about the faithful remnant who will be left in Israel after He has purged it of the proud and arrogant and ungodly. These are now verses to hearten and encourage them in the face of coming judgment.

  They are encouraged to sing and shout, to be glad and rejoice (v.14) and you can only do that when you feel good and are glad. The reason for being able to that is then given: God has removed the punishment (it has finished for those who deserved it) and turned away the enemy He used to purge them (v.15). Now this purging is finished (as the prophet looks into the future) the remnant will be left with the Lord in their midst and so they may feel protected and may know they never need fear harm again for He will be there to protect them (v.15b).

  Then, when that has happened, people will say to Jerusalem, it's all right you don't need to fear any more (v.16) for the time for helplessness has gone, and you can get on and live life to the full (implied). Why? Because God is with you (v.17) and His salvation will be complete so that you may enter into the fullness of His blessing and of the relationship you will have with Him. For the Lord will delight in you (purged and pure as you are) and His love will quieten you, reassuring you, and He will sing over you with joy.

D. Application:

1. God's intentions are always good towards His faithful people. 

2. The unfaithful have no such assurance.

Chapter: Zephaniah 3

Passage: Zephaniah 3:18-20

A. Find Out:

1. What does the Lord say He will remove? v.18a

2. Why, what had they become? v.18b

3. What will He do for them? v.19a

4. What will He give them, where? v.19b

5. What will He further do for them? v.20a

6. What will He give them, when? v.20b

B. Think:

1. In exile, what is the significance of verse 18?

2. List the things the Lord says He will do for them?

C. Comment:

  Without doubt, as Zephaniah was prophesying in years before the Exile, the remaining verses of this chapter must refer to the return from that exile. Whether they have yet future fulfilment implications only time will tell – and possibly the return to the Land in the middle of the twentieth century may be such a fulfilment – but we must not imply it until such a possible time happens.

  The Lord is speaking of what He will do for Israel (His people) at that time. Whereas the joy of the feasts was constrained and almost a source of anguish while in exile, the Lord will remove all that from them (v.18). How? He will do it by dealing with their oppressors (v.19) and will rescue them in their weak state (lame and scattered) and instead of shame He will give them praise and honour, even in that land of exile.

  Then He is quite clear: this will happen at the time when He will bring them out of exile and take them home (v.20), and He will give them honour in the eyes of the on-looking world (who will see and understand that they are God's people and this return is a work of God). He will return them in thier position as the blessed people of God.

  The big question over these verses is when is the fulfilment? As we've said, it was the return from the Exile quite clearly but if the return in the mid 20 th century was a further fulfilment, it has so far been only a partial fulfilment of what is here.

D. Application:

1. God always fulfils His word – sometimes more than once!

2. Understanding may not be complete so simply trust in Him.

RECAP - "Folly of Judea" -   Zephaniah 3

SUMMARY :

In this third group of 5 studies we have seen :

COMMENT :

  Perhaps more than many places in the Old Testament, we see in this chapter God's desire, when bringing destructive judgment, for it to act as invasive surgery to remove the ‘unhealthy and sick' elements of the so-called people of God, and to leave a healthy and faithful remnant who are truly the people of God.

  The folly of Judah is fully exposed in the folly of their secular and spiritual leaders who have turned from God, even though He is there in their midst and is constantly working to bring righteousness and justice. It seems so obvious that they, knowing what He was like and what He had done in the past, should realise the stupidity of living unrighteous and self-centred lives when God was right next door to them, so to speak.

  Yet this they continue to do and so the judgment WILL come but it will not destroy entirely, for there will be those who will turn back to the Lord and they will be faithful and they will be preserved, and that is the Lord's ultimate objective – a faithful people.

LESSONS?

1. God's warnings come again and again.

2. When there is no hope of response, He brings judgment.

3. Even within judgment, He looks for the faithful few who will return.

4. The faithful remnant will be preserved and blessed.

5. Blessing comes in the relationship we have with the Lord.

PRAY :

  Thank the Lord for all you have learned in these studies. Ask Him to help you remain true and faithful.

There are two primary aspects of this book to note: 

1. Warning of Judgment & Denunciation of Sin

It is first a warning of judgment that stands out in this small book – 1:2-4,8-18, 2:1,4,5,9-13, 3:8 - judgment on Judah, Jerusalem, surrounding nations and possibly the whole earth (although 1:18 may simply mean all who live on the earth in the lands mentioned). Nevertheless the picture is clear – destruction is coming.

Within this declaration of judgment, there is also a call for repentance (2:1-3) to avoid the possibility of this coming destruction.

To make clear, there is also clear denunciation of the sins that have built up to cause this coming judgment. There is idolatry (1:4,5), godlessness (1:6), complacency (1:12), general sin (1:17), deriding God's people (2:8,10), and (probably the cause of the ultimate decision to bring the judgement) rebellion and refusal to accept correction (3:1,2,7c) and to maintain pride and arrogance (3:11)

2. Restoration of a Faithful Remnant

The first indications of a remnant surviving comes in the warnings against the surrounding nations (2:7,9c) but the real picture of the faithful remnant comes from verse 9 onwards in chapter 3. Of this remnant, note the following:

a) they are formed from purging and purifying (by removal of those who will not heed v.9)

b) they will come from far and wide (v.10)

c) they will be characterised by humility (v.12) and truthfulness (v.13)

d) they will feel secure (v.13c,15c)

e) they will be a delight to the Lord (v.17)

f) their past anguishes will have gone (v.18)

g) they will be gathered together (v.19,20)

h) they will receive honour as God's people (v.19,20)

And So….

So we see the Lord's intent is not just to bring destruction but the destruction is of those who refuse to heed His calls. Moreover, there will always be those who will heed and it is those to whom is brought hope and assurance of a new day to come. The Lord is always looking for a people who will respond to His love and goodness.