As we began looking at Zephaniah last week, we saw very clearly that the focus of God’s message as delivered through Zephaniah is the Day of the Lord. The point of this prophecy is that there is a cataclysmic Day of Reckoning coming on which God’s wrath will be poured out upon those who have sinned. Last week, in chapter 1, we saw more of a focus on the individual. The Lord very explicitly highlighted certain individuals that would be punished: those who served other gods, the arrogant, and those who believed God would never act. The Lord was clear that His wrath would fall on these people.
As we move to chapter 2 this week, we will see that the theme is the same: the wrath of God that will be poured out on the Day of the Lord. However, we will also see that the focus shifts a bit from individuals to more corporate entities. Specifically, Zephaniah 2 is concerned with the wrath of God that will be poured out on the enemies of God’s people. God is very clear that horrible judgment awaits these enemies, and He is equally clear that – though some of them may experience judgment for their sins – a remnant of God’s people will be delivered on that Day. With this general understanding of the section, let us look at the text itself.
Just like with chapter 1 last week, the most prominent feature of this text is the incredible judgment that is promised. There are various features of this judgment that we should notice. First, the people mentioned as the objects of this judgment are strategically chosen to make a specific point: the grouped singled out in this chapter form a complete circle around the nation of Israel. God’s point is that all of Israel’s enemies in all directions will be punished by God. The cities and places mentioned in 2:4-5 (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron) all lie to the west of Israel, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Moab and the Ammonites, condemned in 2:9a, lie to the east of Israel, across the Jordan River. Cush, mentioned in 2:12, lies far to the south of Israel, and Assyria (with Ninevah as her capital, highlighted in 2:13-15) lies north of Israel. The point of this is obviously to make clear that all of God’s enemies will be addressed. There is not one point of the compass that will escape this judgment.
The second thing we should notice about this judgment – much like last week – is the sheer ferocity of it. It is clear that the Lord’s judgment is going to be absolutely terrible and incredibly comprehensive. Gaza, a major Philistine town, is going to be deserted, and Ashkelon is going to become a desolation. Ashdod, another large Philistine city, will have its entire people driven away, and Ekron will be ripped up like a plant yanked out of the ground (2:4). These are images of total and complete destruction. Moab and the Ammonites will become like Sodom and Gomorrah – completely destroyed and good for nothing but waste (2:9a), and God promises the Cushites that they will be killed by the sword (2:12). Like the Philistine cities, Assyria will become a desolation and the once bustling city will be inhabited by animals and will be mocked at by all who pass by (2:13-15). The point of these descriptions is that the judgment on these nations will be terrible and complete. God’s wrath will be poured out on them, and they will not escape.
One final thing that we should notice about this judgment is the fact that God will carry it out himself. Zephaniah declares that it is “the word of the Lord” that is against Canaan, and that is the reason she will be destroyed (2:5). Likewise, it is the Lord himself who declares to Moab and the Ammonites his intention to destroy them (2:9a). And in the middle of our text, Zephaniah offers a frightening summation of this judgment that is being described: “The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations” (2:11). This truly is an awesome picture: the Lord will act against these nations in such a way that the only proper response will be awe. The Lord will make clear that the gods of these nations are nothing by destroying them, and everything – including the land of these nations – will “bow down” and worship Him. The Lord is going to judge these enemies of His people.
Again, much like last week in chapter 1, Zephaniah makes clear that this judgment of the nations will not be a mere temper-tantrum being thrown by God. Rather, the text makes clear that this anger and judgment being poured out by God have a very specific source: the sin of these nations. In particular, the text makes clear that the cause of God’s wrath is the sin of these nations against God’s people.
In 2:8, the Lord declares, “I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory.” Verse 9 then makes clear that it is because of these taunts that Moab and Ammon will become like Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord goes on to speak of the plundering of Moab and Ammon by saying, “This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts” (2:10). Likewise, after describing the destruction that will come upon Assyria, we read, “This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else’” (2:15a). It is clear from the text itself that such arrogance and pride – particularly as directed against the people of God – has stirred up God to judge these nations.
Once again, this is crucial for us to notice because it reveals to us a crucial aspect of God’s character. First, we see God’s utter hatred for pride and arrogance. Proverbs 3:34 says, “Toward the scorners he is scornful, but the humble he gives favor.” James expressly tells his readers, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Isaiah, speaking of the same Day of the Lord as Zephaniah, writes, “The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa. 2:9). Pride is a wretched sin that seeks to take God’s place and lies at the root of every other sin, and God despises it. Second, it reveals to us God’s commitment to care for His people. God will defend His people. He will curse those who curse them. God does take note of every wrong committed against His people, and He will avenge those things. And this leads to the last part of our text.
The final piece of this part of Zephaniah’s prophecy, much like the end of our text last week, is a message of hope. In the midst of this judgment and destruction being poured out by God, He is also bestowing redemption. In the midst of wrath, there is also grace because in the midst of this judgment on the nations is blessing and rescue for the people of God.
After pronouncing woe on the Philistine areas to the west of Israel, God declares, “And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows for shepherds and folds for flocks” (2:6). This is an amazing reality because God has just declared that these lands will be a desolation, but now they are fit for pasturing flocks! But God has also made clear that all people will be driven out of these lands, so who will inhabit the land? The answer comes in verse 7: “The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes” (2:7). Here is the blessing of the text: God is going to judge the enemies of His people and then give to His people that which belonged to their enemies. This same idea appears in 2:9. After describing the destruction that will come on Moab and the Ammonites, God declares, “The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them” (2:9b). Once again, the judgment of God on the enemies of His people also serves as a time of blessing for His people because they will possess the land of their enemies.
Just like with God’s punishment of wicked nations, this blessing of His people reveals to us His character. First of all, it reveals God’s faithfulness to His promises. All the way back in Genesis, God had promised Abraham that his offspring would possess this land. Now, so many years later, God is reiterating this promise. Even though so much has happened over these centuries that could change the plan of God, God is proving Himself faithful to His word and His plan. Second, it reveals to us God’s mercy and grace. The astounding thing about these promises for a remnant of God’s people is that Zephaniah has already made clear that God’s people are acting just as wickedly as the nations around them. The surrounding nations have been terribly arrogant, and so have God’s people. The surrounding nations have turned and served other gods, and so have God’s people. The surrounding nations have ignored the one true God, and so have God’s people. And yet, in spite of their unfaithfulness, God is showing grace to them. God is delivering them and providing for them. There is no basis for this kind of action other than the boundless grace and mercy of the God whose steadfast love endures forever.
Aside from these points regarding God’s character, how should we interact with this text? What is our relation to this day spoken about in Zephaniah 2? To begin, just as we saw last week, we must keep in mind that this Day still lies in the future. Though there are a number of historical events that could perhaps be pointed to as “mini-fulfillments” of this text, the ultimate vision of God’s people possessing the land without fear of God’s enemies because those enemies have been destroyed has not yet arrived. Moreover, we must understand how the person and work of Jesus Christ has affected our understanding of this Day.
If you just read through Zephaniah (and the other prophets), you will get the impression that this cataclysmic judgment of God will happen all at once. However, as we read through the New Testament, we realize that the process – while it will have a single cataclysmic end – actually happens in stages. When Jesus came to earth and died on the cross and was raised from the dead, he triumphed over His enemies. In that moment when Jesus was resurrected, God won the victory over those enemies. That is why Paul can write, “He [God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him [Jesus]” (Col. 2:15). However, that victory, though achieved, has not yet been fully implemented. Rather, after being raised, Jesus ascended into heaven and now sits at God’s right hand, “waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet” (Heb. 10:13). So, Jesus, having overcome every enemy, is now waiting until that victory is fully displayed and consummated.
But why would there be such a period of waiting between Christ’s accomplishment of the victory and the consummation of that victory? The answer is that the good news of Jesus Christ must be preached to all the nations so that all of God’s people might believe. The grace and mercy spoken about in Zephaniah 2 that will fall on the remnant of God’s people comes through the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is our relation to Jesus Christ that determines our fate on the Day described in Zephaniah 2. If we persist in our pride and arrogance, we will find ourselves in the company of the wicked nations who are swept away by Him on that day. However, if we humble ourselves and trust in Christ, we will be saved by Him on that day. Paul makes this very clear in 1 Corinthians 15:21-25 as he writes, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” We must now understand this Day of the Lord through the lens of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is He who will crush His enemies under His feet on that Day, and it is He who will present His people holy and blameless because of His work on their behalf on that Day.
In light of this, it is crucial for us to realize that the people of God are no longer distinguished by nationality, as they were in the Old Testament. This is important because it means that the enemies of God are no longer determined by nationality either. Rather, it is relation to Christ that determines our fate on that Day. As John made clear, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). If you have not submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord, trusting that He died on the cross for your sin and was raised from the dead, you are an enemy of God. Repent and believe so that you might have life. If you have trusted in Christ, rejoice that you no longer have to fear the wrath of Zephaniah 2. Exalt your Savior by meditating on the terrible judgment that will be poured out on that Day so that you can delight in the Savior who has rescued you from such judgment. Also, for those who have trusted in Christ, recognize that you do not need to take justice and vengeance into your own hands because God will avenge every wrong on that day. This is Paul’s point in Romans 12:19 – the coming judgment of God frees up the people of God to love our enemies instead of retaliating against them. We can trust that God sees every offense, every taunt, every abuse and every bit of suffering, and we can trust that every one of those wrongs will be made right. Let us look forward to this Day with joy and not with dread. And let us speak the gospel to those around us so that they might be spared on that Day. For we too were once enemies before being rescued by the free grace of God. Let us speak the Gospel so that others might be rescued as well. Amen.