Day of Judgment on Judah
The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of 1Hezekiah, in the days of aJosiah the son of bAmon, king of Judah:Zephaniah’s great-great-grandfather, Hezekiah, ruled Judah (the Southern Kingdom) from 715-686 B.C. He was a godly king who restored the temple and abolished pagan worship. He was also notable as the great warrior who defended Jerusalem from the attacking Assyrians, and the great builder who developed the Siloam tunnel and reservoir to enhance the fresh water supply of Jerusalem.2 Kin 22:1, 2; 2 Chr 34:1-33; Jer 1:2; 22:112 Kin 21:18-26; 2 Chr 33:20-25
2 “I will completely aconsume and sweep away all thingsFrom the face of the earth in judgment,” says the LORD.Gen 6:7; Jer 7:20; Ezek 33:27, 283 “I will consume and sweep away aman and beast;I will consume and sweep away the bbirds of the airAnd the fish of the sea,And the 1cstumbling blocks along with the wicked;And I will cut off and destroy man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.MT reads ruins.Is 6:11, 12Jer 4:25; 9:10Ezek 7:19; 14:3, 4, 84 “I will also astretch out My hand in judgment against JudahAnd against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.And I will bcut off and destroy the remnant of 1Baal from this place,And the names and remembrance of the cidolatrous priests along with the false priests,One of the major male gods of Canaan. His female consort was Asherah.Jer 6:12; Ezek 6:14Mic 5:132 Kin 23:5; Hos 10:55 And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven the sun, the moon, and the stars 1on their ahousetopsAnd those who bow down and bswear oaths to and pretend to worship the LORD and yet also swear by the pagan god called cMilcom god of the Ammonites,The flat roofs of the houses were often used as convenient places of planetary worship (i.e. Sabeanism, astrology).2 Kin 23:12; Jer 19:13Jer 5:2, 7; 7:9, 101 Kin 11:5, 33; Jer 49:16 And those who have aturned back from following the LORD,And those who have bnot sought the LORD as their most important need or inquired of Him.”Is 1:4; Hos 7:10Is 9:13
7 Hush! aBe silent before the Lord GOD there is no acceptable excuse to offer!For the bday of the vengeance of the LORD is near,For the LORD has prepared a csacrifice ,He has dset apart for His use those who have accepted His invitation the Chaldeans who rule Babylon. Hab 2:20Hab 2:20; Zech 2:13Zeph 1:14Is 34:6; Jer 46:101 Sam 16:5; Is 13:38 “Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrificeThat I will apunish the princes and the king’s sonsAnd all who are clothed in lavish bforeign apparel reflecting their paganism. Num 15:38, 39Is 24:21; Hab 1:10Is 2:69 “On that day I will also punish all those who 1leap over the temple threshold,Who fill their pagan lord’s temple with aviolence and deceit.This may have a connection to the pagan custom mentioned in 1 Sam 5:5, or to the pagan belief that spirits resided in the threshold.Jer 5:27; Amos 3:1010 “On that day,” declares the LORD,“There will be the sound of crying from the aFish Gate in the northern wall of Jerusalem where invaders enterAnd wailing from the 1bSecond Quarter of the city,And a loud crash from the chills.I.e. the lower, newer part of the city.2 Chr 33:14; Neh 3:3; 12:392 Chr 34:22Ezek 6:1311 “Wail in anguish, you inhabitants of the 1Mortar ,For all the merchants of aCanaan will be silenced and destroyed;All who weigh out bsilver will be cut off.A shallow hollow that was a district in Jerusalem.Zeph 2:5; Zech 14:21Job 27:16, 17; Hos 9:612 “It will come about at that timeThat I will asearch Jerusalem with lampsAnd I will punish the menWho like old wine are bstagnant in spirit,Who say in their hearts,‘The LORD will cnot do good, nor will He do evil.’Jer 16:16, 17; Ezek 9:4-11; Amos 9:1-3Jer 48:11; Amos 6:1Ezek 8:12; 9:913 “Furthermore, their wealth will become aplunderAnd their houses a desolation.Yes, bthey will build houses but not live in them,And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.” Deut 28:30, 39; Amos 5:11, 12Jer 15:13; 17:3Amos 5:11; Mic 6:15
14 The agreat judgment bday of the LORD is near,Near and coming very quickly.Listen! The voice of the day of the LORD!The warrior ccries out bitterly unable to fight or to flee.Jer 30:7; Joel 2:11; Mal 4:5Ezek 7:7, 12; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 3:14; Zeph 1:7Ezek 7:16-1815 That day is a day of the outpouring of the wrath of God,A day of atrouble and distress,A day of destruction and devastation,A day of bdarkness and gloom,A day of clouds and thick darkness, Jer 30:7; Joel 2:11; Amos 5:18Is 22:5Joel 2:2, 31; Amos 5:18-2016 A day of atrumpet and the battle cry of invadersAgainst the bfortified citiesAnd against the high corner towers .Is 27:13; Jer 4:19Is 2:12-1517 I will bring adistress on menSo that they will walk blike the blind unable to find a way of escape,Because they have sinned against the LORD;Their cblood will be poured out like dust and trampled underfoot,And their dflesh like dung.Jer 10:18Deut 28:29Ezek 24:7, 8Jer 8:2; 9:2218 Neither their asilver nor their goldWill be able to rescue themOn the day of the LORD’S indignation and wrath.And the bwhole earth will be consumedIn the fire of His jealous 1wrath,For He shall cmake a full and complete end,Indeed a terrifying one,Of all the inhabitants of the earth. Luke 21:35, 36; 2+@Pet 3:10-13God’s judgment and God’s mercy are the twin themes of the prophets. In this dramatic passage, the Lord describes the destruction that will sweep the earth in the day of His wrath. Yet the LORD is true to His promises: the remnant will be restored (Zeph 3:18-20); the last day is also “the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). See also Matt 24:31; John 14:3; 1 Thess 4:15-17.Ezek 7:19Zeph 3:8Gen 6:7; Ezek 7:5-7