Exhortation to Wait
April 25, 2020
Commentary
Jerusalem is described as rebellious, defiled, and oppressive (v. 1). She is rebellious against the will of God, defiled by her sinful practices, and oppressive towards those who she can take advantage of. Furthermore, she refuses to accept correction or communion from her God (v. 2).
Jerusalem’s problem was really a leadership problem. Her officials were like lions and her judges were like wolves (v. 3). This connects to the oppression from verse 1. Her prophets were fickle and treacherous (v. 4a) while her priests were profaning the holy and mistreating the law (v. 4b). To put it simply, they were defiled (v. 1). To be fickle is to be erratic in your pronouncements, reacting to the felt needs of your hearers instead of listening to God and speaking his truth. A fickle person can’t be trusted.
The LORD in Jerusalem is righteous and just (v. 5). He does no injustice, for his justice is like the sun. Just as the sun runs its course every day, rising in the morning and setting in the evening, so the LORDS justice can be counted on. By contrast, the unjust don’t feel any shame for their sinful actions. The fate of other nations, like Northern Israel, should have been an example to Jerusalem (v. 6). But the city persisted in its sin: “they rose early and corrupted all their doings” (v. 7).
Verse 8 is a time jump forward to the end of the tribulation. Up to this point, Zephaniah’s prophecies had been concerned with the imminent judgment of Judah and its neighbors by the Babylonians. But now, the focus is grander. The Lord will assemble nations and kingdoms to his final judgment, the outpouring of his righteous anger, in which the whole world will be destroyed (v. 8). Zephaniah exhorts believers to wait for the Lord until that day comes.
Application
Am I rebellious, defiled, and oppressive or have I allowed the holy spirit to do a work in me to become a bit more like my savior, Christ Jesus? Lord, cleans me of my sinful ways and make me truly just!
Zephaniah 3:1– 8 (NET)
1 Beware to the filthy, stained city; the city filled with oppressors!
2 She is disobedient; she has refused correction. She does not trust the Lord; she has not sought the advice of her God.
3 Her princes are as fierce as roaring lions; her rulers are as hungry as wolves in the desert, who completely devour their prey by morning.
4 Her prophets are proud; they are deceitful men. Her priests have defiled what is holy; they have broken God’s laws.
5 The just Lord resides within her; he commits no unjust acts. Every morning he reveals his justice. At dawn he appears without fail. Yet the unjust know no shame.
6 “I destroyed nations; their walled cities are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins; no one passes through them. Their cities are desolate; no one lives there.
7 I thought, ‘Certainly you will respect me! Now you will accept correction!’ If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I have threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did.
8 Therefore you must wait patiently for me,” says the Lord, “for the day when I attack and take plunder. I have decided to gather nations together and assemble kingdoms, so I can pour out my fury on them— all my raging anger. For the whole earth will be consumed by my fiery anger.
Illustration: What Does a Pastor Say When He Hits His Thumb With a Hammer
There is a story about a pastor who was building a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he pounded away, he saw that a little boy was watching him. The youngster didn’t say a word, so the pastor kept on working, thinking the lad would just leave. But he didn’t. Finally the pastor asked, “Well, son, are you trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?” “No,” he replied, “I’m just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.” (Source Unknown, Lou Nicholes – Missionary/Author)