The day of the judgement of the Lord, the day of his wrath, will change things forever. It will be devastating for those that have not accepted the Lord but only a moment in time for those who go on with him for eternity. In the short prophecy from Zephaniah, “their silver and their gold will not be able to save them” and “the region of the sea, shall become pasture”. People have prized the land of the coasts for ports, for commerce, for travel, for their beauty but priorities will change. Josiah led as he, in 2 Chronicles 34:2 “walked in the ways of David his ancestor”. And it is great to have a godly leader and to live your own godly life, but here is my prayer from Zephaniah 3:9 “Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure; that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him in unison”. This is what the Church should be, calling on his name and serving in unison.
Their Silver and Gold Will Not Save Them
Zephaniah 1:10–18
There are many today that don’t believe God has any influence on the affairs of men. The day of the Lord will come as a shock to these described in
Zephaniah 1:12 “I will punish the men whose senses are dulled from drinking, who say in their hearts, ‘Yahweh will not do good, nor will he do evil.’
And there isn’t anything that will save them from this day.
You, O Region of the Sea, Shall Become Pastures
Zephaniah 2:1–15
On the day of the Lord, these places will be abandoned in Zephaniah 2:4-6 “on the day of the anger of Yahweh …”
- Gaza – abandoned
- Ashkelon – a desolation
- Ashdod – driven away
- Ekron – uprooted
- Kerethites (“inhabitants of the region of the sea”) – no inhabitant (“shall become pastures and meadows for shepherds”)
I Will Make the Speech of the Nations Pure
Zephaniah 3:1–10
The Lord will bring a day of judgement, but there is more than that. He will also bring clarity of understanding, clarity of language, particularly as it relates to who he is, or as it says in
Zephaniah 3:9 “Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure; that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him in unison”.
Have you ever prayed for this purity of speech? Shouldn’t we have this now? Jesus prayed for us in
John 17:22–23 “And the glory that you have given to me, I have given to them, in order that they may be one, just as we are one 23 I in them, and you in me, in order that they may be completed in one, so that the world may know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.
And Paul wrote in
Romans 15:5–7 “Now may the God of patient endurance and of encouragement grant you to be in agreement with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one mind you may glorify with one mouth the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore accept one another, just as Christ also has accepted you, to the glory of God”.
Even so, today, there are many languages and many descriptions of God. And there are even differing concepts about the character and nature of God within languages. This action by God to “make the speech of the nations pure” will bring a unity that has never before been seen. In fact, “This could be seen as a reversal of Babel (cf. Gen. 11:1, 6–7, 9),28 with a common language replacing a plurality of tongues … The purpose of the purification, as that of Isaiah’s cleansing, is to address God appropriately. It is to call on Yahweh’s name (cf. Gen. 4:26; 1 Chr. 16:8; Ps. 105:1; Isa. 12:4) in worship and service (cf. Exod. 10:26; Num. 8:11; Josh. 24:14–15, 18–19, 21–22) … Strife and enmity will disappear, and harmony and peace and shared worship of Yahweh will result (cf. 1 Kgs 8:41–43; Pss 22:27; 102:22; Isa. 2:2–4; 56:1–7; Mal. 1:11)”.1
Yahweh Your God is in Your Midst
Zephaniah 3:11–20
In Zephaniah 3:14–15 it says “Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Cry aloud, O Israel! Rejoice and be jubilant with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!”. But why should they be rejoicing? Because, twice here in short succession, Zechariah says, “in your midst”.
First in Zechariah 3:15 “The king of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst” and here he is the one that “has annulled your judgments” and “turned away your enemies”. And this is comforting to know that we have an advocate, a protector.
Second in Zephaniah 3:17 “Yahweh your God is in your midst; a mighty warrior who saves. He shall rejoice over you with joy; he renews you in his love; he will exult over you with singing”. But how much better it is to find that God is not far off, but right here with us to save, love, share joy, and sing.
Seek the God of David
2 Chronicles 34:4–7
It says of Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34:3 “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a boy, he began to seek the God of David his ancestor”. And in 2 Chronicles 34:1 “Josiah was eight years old when he became king” so as he became a young man, his heart was for God. He not only learned, but in 2 Chronicles 34:2 “he walked in the ways of David his ancestor and did not deviate to the right or to the left”.
Josiah became a strong man of God, as David had been and in 2 Chronicles 34:3 “in the twelfth year (of his reign) he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem”. And now at about twenty years of age, he takes his authority as a man of God and as king of Judah. It says here, that “he destroyed”, now it may be that this was done at the command of the king, but the language is strong. David was a warrior that fought his enemies and it is likely Josiah was a man of like passion because it says in 2 Chronicles 34:4-5 that “he destroyed before him the altars … he cut down the incense stands … the idols, and the images he smashed … he ground them to powder … he burned the bones of the priests on the altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem”.
But Josiah doesn’t stop with cleansing of the temple, it goes on to say in
2 Chronicles 34:6-7 And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, 7 he broke down the altars and the Asherahs and crushed the idols, grinding them to dust, and he cut down all the incense stands in all the land of Israel.
And we might take a lesson from Josiah, it is right for us to take a strong stand and walk in the ways of the Lord and “not deviate to the right or to the left”.
Study Verses
- Zephaniah 3:1–10 I Will Make the Speech of the Nations Pure
- Zephaniah 3:11–20 Yahweh Your God is in Your Midst
- 2 Chronicles 34:4–7 Seek the God of David
Today’s Reading
- Zephaniah 1:10-18
- Zephaniah 2:1-15
- Zephaniah 3:1-20
- 2 Chronicles 34:4-7
References
- 1. Baker, D. W. (1988). Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 27, pp. 114–115). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.