Devotional Commentary on Zephaniah 3
When Zephaniah entered chapter 3, he
intended to describe the remnant. The wayward remnant were those who did not
obey (verse 2a); not accept reproof (verse 2b); not trust the Lord (verse 2c);
not draw near to God (verse 2d). The blacklist goes on: the princes are
like lions, judges like wolves. “They did not leave over the bones for morning”.
They were fierce against the innocent. Violent in their pursuit. The prophets are unstable; treacherous
people; priests have profaned the sanctuary; priests removed the Torah (verse
4). When the Law of God is supplanted by
popular jurisprudence then the sanctuary of the Lord is profaned. LGBTQH
embedded in modern globalism is a philosophy that originated from satanic
endeavors to substitute the Law of God with man’s self-image of “kindness and
equity in a humanism way”. It was the same in the days of Jezebel and Ahab. Wrapped
up with it is pluralism and ecumenism. Jezebel’s role of highpriestess for the
Baal prophets was increased due to these axioms. It is no different in our own
day. When Christ was in the midst of people
He committed no injustice “The Lord is just in her midst, He commits no
injustice in the morning.” (verse 5). In morning He brings His judgment to
light (verse 5). There is a double “in the morning” here in one sentence. Very
unusual in Scripture. On the other hand, the one who commits injustice knows no
shame. Their actions are the opposite of Christ. God is in communication with Himself
about what He did in history with the empires of the world: “I have cut off
nations…” (verse 6). God decided their time in and switched
them off when done. “I have destroyed their streets….” “Their
cities have become waste….” That was with the evil empires of the
world. It is true that when one excavate the
capitals of past empires, Ur, Boghazkoy of the Hittites, Ebla, Mari, Ugarit,
Tyre, Nippur, Babylon, Niniveh, there are only skeletons but no inhabitants.
The empire is almost forgotten under sand and dust until archaeology opens the
history. In contrast to the cities of evil
empires that were cut off, the remnant of the Lord were not cut off (verse 7). “Her
dwelling shall not be cut off all that I [the Lord] ordained upon her”. The Lord expected a positive change
but they did not and corrupted their deeds. The wayward remnant is talked about
here. The Lord then said that they, the
house of God, should wait until He will rise up to meet in the Investigative
Judgment with the faithful and their deeds since the future 1844 Judgment
starts (verse 8). Christ is the Advocate since 1844 but
the day will come when He will finish and then come to reward those who passed
the scrutiny of the stigma removal in the heavenly court now ongoing. Christ as
King of Glory will appear at the Second coming and after 1000 years Christ the
Warrior Messiah shall assemble evil nations “For it is My judgment to assemble
nations, to gather kingdoms, to pour out My fury upon them, yea, all the
kindling of My wrath, for with the fire [of the Hell event] of My jealousy all
the earth shall be consumed” (verse 8). This is the executive judgment of the
evil after the investigative judgment of the saints. There will be those who
are saying that I am reading into the text what is not there. The Qumran text,
Pesher Habakkuk also read an investigative judgment to precede an investigative
judgment similar to what 1 Peter 4:17 is indicating. An article of mine on this
will soon appear. At that time after the Hell event when
the Book of Revelation says that a new heaven and earth will be created by God
for the saints, then verse 9 kicks in: “For then I will convert the peoples to
a pure language that all of them call in the name of the Lord to worship Him of
one accord”. Unity and harmony at last and that forever. The people’s
narratives are all clean of past memories with the evil loved ones eradicated
forever so that a clean thinking and similar language is created for the
faithful at that time. Delitzsch in 1884: 164-165 had a
similar mind that at the Second Coming these verses of saved from all heathen
nations will come to pass. They will be of one accord since all
the weed is burnt and eradicated. There will be no relativism but unity. One
accord, not many accords. Not a multiplicity of views but harmony and
synchronization. Not culture over the Bible and Bible over culture hand in hand
seen as unity through kind tolerance of each other’s differences, but Bible
over culture only. This will be a miracle from the Lord. At that time, faithful worshippers
from “the other side of the rivers of Cush” which Delitzsch saw as the Nile but
Cush was the country at that time that included Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia. Other
side of the rivers of Cush could be more south in Africa so that faithful
people south of Ethiopia will be “My supplicants”. Indeed Southern Africa will
be “My scattered ones” and “they shall bring Me an offering” probably of songs
since they have the beautiful talent of singing. Before the Door of Mercy closes a
shaking of the faithful remnant tree will take place and the bad fruit will
drop out (verse 11). A sifting or shaking process will take place among the
faithful at the End Time “for then I will remove from your midst those who
rejoice in your pride and you shall no longer continue to be haughty on My holy
mount.” Ellen White says of the faithful: “Only
obedience to the requirements of Heaven will keep man from apostasy.” Ellen
White, Prophets and Kings, page 83 as cited in the Sabbath School
Quarterly on Minor Prophets and Zephaniah by mrs. F. D. Chase in 1944 page 21. The ones that will remain after the
Great Shaking is humble and poor people: “And I will leave over in your midst a
humble and poor people, and they shall take shelter in the name of the Lord”
(verse 12). Because they received the seal of the
Latter Rain and be perfected at the time of the Closing of the Door of Mercy,
therefore “the remnant of [spiritual] Israel shall neither commit injustice nor
speak lies, neither shall deceitful speech be found in their mouths, for they
shall graze and lie down, with no one to cause them to shudder” (verse 13).
During the Time of Trouble that will be a time of shuddering of the evil, the
faithful are safe and sound also the prophet Isaiah indicated. In perfection the remnant are asked to
sing: “Rejoice and jubilate with all your heart O daughter of [New] Jerusalem”
(verse 14). “The Lord has removed your afflictions” (verse 15). As perfected
saints there are no more afflictions. There is no more an enemy. Ellen White says of this time: “The
great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is
clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From
Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of
illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things,
animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that
God is love.” Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page 678 as cited in the
Sabbath School Quarterly on Minor Prophets and Zephaniah by mrs. F. D. Chase in
1944 page 21. Christ comes at the Second Coming and
indeed “The King of [spiritual] Israel, the Lord, is in your midst you shall no
longer fear evil” (verse 15) The Second Coming of Christ is a paradigm shift
for the saints. “The Lord God is in your midst
[heavenly Zion] a Mighty One Who will save”. He as Warrior Messiah will execute
the Hell fire to extinguish Satan and all evil to create a new heavens and
earth. “He will rejoice over you with joy”
(verse 17). “He will be silent in His love” (verse 17). “He will jubilate over
you with song”. Christ will sing a song in heaven! It is the Song of the Lamb. At that time “those who are removed
from the appointed season [1000 years or millennium] I have destroyed [in Hell
fire at the end of this period]” (verse 18). These were the loved ones and related
to the true remnant but they as the wayward remnant “was a burden of shame upon
her [remnant]”. Destruction is promised against anyone
who during the Time of Trouble intends to afflict the faithful (verse 19). The faithful one who limps, who stray,
will be made to praise and they will be made popular (verse 19). At the Second Advent when Michael
stood up and the Messiah coming [as also Rabbi Abarbanel and Mezudath David saw
when they said “at that time, the time of the Messiah, I will bring you to your
land”] it is then that verse 20 is applicable. “At that time I will bring you, and at
that time I will gather you” for when the resurrection takes place there is a
bringing of people from the graves to meet the living in the air before they
meet Christ together. No one is before the other. At the same time they meet
Christ in the air. They will be made a name and be
praised among all peoples of the earth when their captivities will be restored “before
your eyes” said the Lord. The evil will say: “Mountains fall on us”. The saved
are restored. Rabbi Abarbanel also suggested that it refers to the
resurrection. Rabbi Mezudath David also understood it to be the resurrection: “You
will rise up from the grave and witness the ingathering of the exiles”. Delitzsch in 1884: 164 says that verse
20 will be full realized at the Second Coming of Christ.
Dear God We are fascinated by the wonderful
resurrection event that Zephaniah is outlining here, the vision of eternal joy.
We want to be totally part of it with all our loved ones we pray for. In Jesus
Name. Amen.