Here now the prophet pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem -- rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city! Disobedient towards, untrusting of, and far away from God. She, Jerusalem, had not received correction, yet.
Her political leaders and judges were abusive of their power, and her religious leaders were unfaithful. (Hmm, sounds like America today.)
Meanwhile, the Lord was patient with Judah, though they did not heed His warnings as He carried out His promised desolation of surrounding nations.
THE FUTURE REMNANT
And yet, the Lord is faithful. Look at His future promises:
Therefore wait for Me, until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.
For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord...In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deed in which you transgress against Me; for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain.
I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.
Zephaniah 3 ends on a joyful note, to say the least. The prophet relays the Lord's command for the remnant to "sing and shout with gladness; rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, (and) He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see disaster no more."
This is future Millennial stuff. In that day...
The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
This is awesome! God promises to save His people from their enemies, including those who were oppressed by other Jews (remember the wicked leaders of Israel?). When Jesus returns for good, all of His future remnant will be gathered back to Him.
COMMENTARY
The reason God judges Jerusalem harshly is because she was privileged to know the truth, but disregarded it. All nations will be judged, ultimately. But Jerusalem should have known better.
Again, she ignored the Lord's instructions; she did not learn her lesson and turn back to Him; she looked elsewhere for answers. (side note: even today, Israel proclaims that "Science will bring peace to [the] land." The truth, however, is that the Messiah is the Prince of Peace, and only He can bring peace.); they ran away from God; the political leaders were (and are) useless; judges were (and are) greedy; prophets withheld the Word of God; and priests abused their calling and falsely interpreted the Word of God.
Sadly, it appears to us today, as it did in Zephaniah's time, that God withholds correction or judgment when someone commits evil; but God says that He will eventually send judgment, though He will do no iniquity. Therefore, the unjust continue shamelessly in sin.
END TIMES
By verses 6-8, we get a glimpse of the future Great Tribulation period, also known as the Day of the Lord. Not only is Jerusalem to be judged, but other nations, as well. This will take place the moment Jesus returns to establish His kingdom on the earth.
McGee described the Book of Zephaniah as a "Florida hurricane*, a Texas tornado, a Mississippi River flood, a Minnesota snowstorm, and a California earthquake all rolled into one." (*I write this while awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Helene! It's not fun.) And yet, Zephaniah assures us that God is love, and whether He is chastising the unsaved or His own, He is always love.
