Zephaniah 02 (Contemporary English Version)
- You disgraceful nation, gather around,
- before it's too late. The LORD has set a time when his fierce anger will strike like a storm and sweep you away.
- If you humbly obey the LORD, then come and worship him. If you do right and are humble, perhaps you will be safe on that day when the LORD turns loose his anger.
- Gaza and Ashkelon will be deserted and left in ruins. Ashdod will be emptied in broad daylight, and Ekron uprooted.
- To you people of Philistia who live along the coast, the LORD has this to say: "I am now your enemy, and I'll wipe you out!"
- Your seacoast will be changed into pastureland and sheep pens.
- The LORD God hasn't forgotten those survivors in Judah, and he will help them-- his people will take your land to use for pasture. And when evening comes, they will rest in houses at Ashkelon. *
- The LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, said: I've heard Moab and Ammon insult my people and threaten their nation.
- And so, I swear by my very life that Moab and Ammon will end up like Sodom and Gomorrah-- covered with thornbushes and salt pits forever. Then my people who survive will take their land.
- 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.
- I will fiercely attack. Then every god on this earth will shrink to nothing, and everyone of every nation will bow down to me, right where they are.
- People of Ethiopia, the sword of the LORD will slaughter you!
- The LORD will reach to the north to crush Assyria and overthrow Nineveh.
- Herds of wild animals will live in its rubble; all kinds of desert owls will perch on its stones and hoot in the windows. Noisy ravens will be heard inside its buildings, stripped bare of cedar.
- This is the glorious city that felt secure and said, "I am the only one!" Now it's merely ruins, a home for wild animals. Every passerby simply sneers and makes vulgar signs.
Judah is called here to gather together as a people and "Seek the Lord." Along with seeking the Lord Judah was also called upon to seek righteousness and humility. It is a package. Righteousness and humility are attributes of seeking God. One has to do with our actions and the other with our attitude. It is incompatible with following the Lord to act unrighteously and to be prideful. This was Judah's situation. She tried to give the impression of following God though she was acting unrighteously and was prideful. But she fooled only herself. God was not impressed by her semblance of following Him and was threatening pending judgment on her. If Judah was going to repent she needed to do it quickly because God was about to bring on the judgment.
Judah was not the only nation at risk, however. If God was going to judge her because of her idolatry, those nations that led her into this practice were certainly not exempt. God is not merely the God of Israel but of all people and He desires for all people to acknowledge Him for who He is and to worship Him. If it is detestable for Judah to worship idols and credit them for what God has done, it is also detestable for other nations to do so. Therefore, judgment was announced against Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria.
This announcement of judgment against these other nations was told to Judah. We do not know if these nations also had the benefit of being told of the pending judgment and given the opportunity to repent. I am inclined to believe that God also told them in some manner, because that is His nature and practice. He always prefers repentance to judgment. But Zephaniah's prophecy was primarily for Judah's ears that she might come to repentance. She needed to know that these other idolatrous nations were also in jeopardy. There was no escape for any who turned to idols.
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