Zephaniah began by announcing the Day of the Lord against the cosmos, then he narrowed the judgment down to the nation of Judah, next he spoke judgment against the ruling class, the princes of the land. In this section he describes how the Day of the Lord will affect the city of Jerusalem.
Zephaniah 1:10 “On that day,” declares the Lord, “There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, A wail from the Second Quarter, And a loud crash from the hills. 11 “Wail, O inhabitants of the pounding place, For all the people of Canaan will be silenced; All who weigh out silver will be cut off.
From the Fish Gate in the North wall, to the Second Quarter, to the hills within the city walls, Moriah, Zion, Opel, to where grain was pounded on mortars, to the financial district, there will be heard the sound of crying, wailing, and crashing when God comes in judgment. There will be no escaping The Day of the Lord.
Many years later, in 70 AD, in trying to escape as the Day of the Lord descends on Jerusalem, their descendants will also cry and wail:
And they cried to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Revelation 6:16
Zephaniah continued, even in this time of wrath and great judgment many will remain unmoved and complacent, refusing to repent of their wickedness.
Zephaniah 1:12 “It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are complacent like wine left on its dregs. Who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’
God announces that he will diligently search Jerusalem seeking those who are complacent like wine left on its dregs. In making wine the best wine is poured from one barrel to another to separate it from the dregs in the barrel. If it is left too long in one barrel it becomes bitter; worthless. Would you like to enjoy a nice glass of vinegar? Likewise these men have become indifferent to obedience to the Covenant. They think that God doesn’t see their disobedience. They have convinced themselves that The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.
In answer to this God announces that they will lose their wealth. The homes that they build and the vineyards that they planted, and even the wine that they produced, will all be taken away and given to their conquers, the Babylonians.
Zephaniah 1:13 “Moreover, their wealth will become plunder And their houses desolate; Yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”
As Christ would ask centuries later, what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world but lose his own soul? Mark 8:36 The complacent citizens of Judah had become secure in their wealth, believing that God would never judge their Covenant breaking. Of course, people claiming to be Christians frequently live the same way today. They say they believe in Christ but live as practical atheists, or as pagans chasing after false gods, as if God didn’t see their every action and hear their every thought. In the final Day of the Lord, at the end of time, Christ tells such people to, depart from Me because I never knew you, you workers of lawlessness. Matthew 7:21-23
Zephaniah continues, stacking up judgments against Judah because they have sinned against the Lord. Zephaniah 1:17
Zephaniah 1:14 Near is the great day of the Lord, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. 15 A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord’s wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
What is awaiting those who break the Covenant?
Wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness, gloom, blindness, blood poured out, flesh like dung, devoured, and terror, are the terrible and swift judgments awaiting those who continue to break the Covenant.
Are you a Covenant breaker deserving these judgments?
Have you ever sinned?
Have you ever been ashamed of Christ?
Have you ever compromised, going along with the sins of your friends, family, or coworkers to fit in?
Have you ever felt ashamed of your behavior?
If so, like Judah, you are a Covenant breaker, deserving the judgment of God.
Do you fear the Day of the Lord?
If you are paying attention you should deathly fear the sure and promised coming Day of the Lord.
Although I am jumping way ahead in the prophesy of Zephaniah, I can’t help myself because there is unbelievably good news embedded in the Covenant. When God made His [Covenant] Promise to Abraham… He swore by Himself saying I will bless you… Hebrews 6:13-15. This means that even when we are faithless He remains faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13
How can this be? How can God be faithful and willing to save even His sinful children?
As we have seen, in the Old Covenant, from the time of Adam, a lamb was sacrificed for the sins of the people. Sin is not to be taken lightly. Sin against the Creator is deadly serious and requires sacrifice. Sin requires death. This looked forward to the New Covenant where we learn that the Old Covenant lamb actually was a placeholder looking forward to the Promised Son, Jesus Christ. The Son of God, born of a woman, just like the Promise to Adam and Eve had predicted, was the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. He was the sacrifice that defeated death and crushed the original rebel, Lucifer. Because of this the multitudes in all of creation now sing:
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Revelation 5:11
Salvation is possible because in the New Covenant, God Himself, in the person of Christ, stood in our place absorbing wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness, gloom, blindness, blood poured out, flesh like dung, devoured, terror, and every other of the terrible and swift judgments that we rightly deserved.
For God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Christ bore the Wrath of the Lord in your place. Christ stood for you on The Day of the Lord. Christ was the sacrifice, the Lamb of God.
There is no place to hide but in the blood of the Lamb. A.W. Tozer
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