Judgment on Philistia
December 29, 2021
Commentary
This section begins with a summons to “seek the Lord” before the day of judgment arrives. “Seeking” the Lord could refer either to desiring from Him a word of revelation (1:6) or to turning to Him in repentance. It is the opposite, then, of either indifference to the Lord or abandoning Him. Judah was guilty of both, and the Lord had consequently turned His face (or favor) from them. The “shameless nation” (v. 1) is called on to assemble in repentance “before you are driven away like the drifting chaff” (v. 2). The fate of the proud is sealed; but those who “seek righteousness, seek meekness” (humility) and have hope of escape “in the day of the Lord’s anger” (v. 3).
There was hope for Judah if they repented. Philistines, however, had no such hope (vv. 4-7). Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron were four of the five Philistine cities located to the southwest of Israel along the Mediterranean Sea (the fifth city, Gath, may have already been abandoned at this point). Cherethite is another term for the Philistines, pointing to the fact that they originally came from Crete. The Lord promised to destroy them until none were left (v. 5). Their land would be given over to the shepherds of Judah who would graze their flocks in their meadows and rest in their houses in the evening (vv. 6-7). Just as the shepherds watch over their sheep, the Lord would be watching over the shepherds (v. 7b).
Since the time of the Judges, the Philistines had been a chief adversary to God’s people. They represented a constant military threat, with their advanced weaponry, while also being a stumbling block via their alternative cultural lifestyles and religious beliefs. Because of Israel’s sin, the Lord allowed the Philistines to be a thorn in their side for centuries, but Philistia’s time had finally run out. Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt whipped them out in accordance with Zephaniah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 47).
Application
Whether it be people, cities, or nations, all things come to an end. Everyone dies eventually. We have a short window in which to get the good news out to the world. What can I do today to spread the gospel in my community?
Zephaniah 2:1– 7 (NET)
1 Bunch yourselves together like straw, you undesirable nation,
2 before God’s decree becomes reality and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s raging anger overtakes you— before the day of the Lord’s angry judgment overtakes you!
3 Seek the Lord’s favor, all you humble people of the land who have obeyed his commands! Strive to do what is right! Strive to be humble! Maybe you will be protected on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.
4 Indeed, Gaza will be deserted and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, and Ekron will be overthrown.
5 Beware, you who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete. The Lord’s message is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy everyone who lives there!”
6 The seacoast will be used as pasture lands by the shepherds and as pens for their flocks.
7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah will take possession of it. By the sea they will graze, in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening, for the Lord their God will intervene for them and restore their prosperity.