Zephaniah Chapter 3
9/30/24 10:48 AM
Solitary Man
solitaryman.substack.com
20240930
Zep 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy (maw-raw – disobedient, rebellious) and polluted (gaw-al – defiled, desecrated), to the oppressing (yaw-naw – to rage, at, oppress, suppress) city!
The book of Zephaniah presents us with much food for thought. You cannot predict exactly how God will use someone. For those of you who were with me when we looked at the book of Habakkuk, there we were given a lot more insight into the man. He ended up asking several questions of God, that gave us insight into his mind. He heard the word of the Lord and prophesied on more than one occasion. Most of the prophets were used by God for more than one message.
Not so Zephaniah. All we have recorded is one 3 chapter prophecy. That does not mean that God did not speak through him on other occasions, only that this was the only message preserved as scripture. We should remember what John said about Jesus:
Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
If God decided to record only a fraction of all that Jesus did (and that would include only a portion of what he actually said), then it is no stretch to think that other biblical characters had only a portion of their inspired utterances preserved as holy writ. The point is that you may be called to say and do many things for the Lord, but God may choose to magnify and make known only a small part. In the final judgment, all things will be made known, and we can take comfort that even if most of what we do for Jesus remains hidden to all, it is never forgotten in the annals of heaven.
God had begun with his indictment of Judah. After going around the horn, pronouncing various woes on Judah’s neighbors, God now comes full circle and zeroes back in on Jerusalem. We know he is speaking about Jerusalem if we sneak a peek at verse 4.
Note that God does not use her proper name. Jerusalem was to be known as the city of peace. Instead, we see a three fold denunciation of her crimes. She is charged with crimes against God, self, and others. First, she is rebellious (maw-raw) against God. Second, she has defiled (gaw-al) herself. Third, she oppressed (yaw-naw) the poor in her midst. We know that God has a special hatred for those who oppress the poor.
Deu_15:9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
Pro_14:31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
Pro_21:13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
Pro_28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
Isa_3:15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Zec_7:10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
Jas_2:6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
This truth needs to be scrubbed into our brains. Why? Because we are the offspring of the Laodiceans. These same thieves and robbers counselled us to believe that giving to the ministry that already had millions should be our priority. We gave so they could buy another mansion, or build another gold plated studio, or even install air conditioning in their doghouse! Meanwhile the poor of the land continued to cry out to the Lord, and we refused to hear.
How sad when the modern cradle of Christianity, that should of been found in America and Canada, became houses of defilement and oppression! We need look no further than our compromised, false god worshipping dens of religious iniquity, to see that we too are of the same spiritual condition as Jerusalem of old.
Zep 3:2 She obeyed (shama – to hear intelligently, with the implication of obedience) not the voice; she received not correction (moo-sawr – chastisement, reproof, warning, discipline, doctrine, rebuke); she trusted (baw-takh – to take refuge in, put confidence in) not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
God hates sin most in those nearest to him. Note the four fold indictment in this verse. First, the people of this wicked city did not shama. How familiar is this word for those of you who were with me as we studied Jeremiah! It seemed that that word was used in almost every verse! As a refresher, this word implies not just to hear, but it is more like a soldier receiving orders. Soldiers are given orders, not suggestions. So God expects us to receive his commandments as orders, not suggestions. They are not up for debate. You do not need to pray about it, nor form a committee to arrive at a consensus. You do not hold a vote. Like a soldier, you receive commandments as orders from your commanding officer, and you carry them out to the best of your ability. God is pronouncing woe on the rebellious city. Why? Because she did not shama the voice of Yehovah.
Second, God’s people did not receive correction. I like the fact that the Hebrew word used also implies so many other things, such as warning, chastisement, rebuke, and doctrine. You see, sound doctrine not only instructs, but rebukes, informs, and corrects.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
If you do not enjoy listening to sound doctrine, chances are you may be suffering from itching ear syndrome. It seems like this disease travels mostly in the charismatic portion of the body. Prophecy – yes, a dream or a vision – yes, a sound teaching – no, too boring and dull!
Notice the progression here. If you do not approach God with the intention of obeying what you hear, then you will not receive correction. Third, your faith will not exist, as the verse says these people refused to trust God. How can you grow your faith if you refuse to obey and to be corrected?
Finally, with no obedience, no correction, and no faith, you will have no desire to draw near to God. Because you do not know God, nor want to know him, he will remain far away from you.
That is not a good place to be.
Zep 3:3 Her princes (rulers) within her are roaring lions; her judges (shaphat) are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow (dawn, morning).
Here is a colloquial figure of speech that takes some clarification. God now indicts the rulers and those who control the levers of the judicial system. They are as fierce as hungry, ravenous lions and wolves. They are beasts. They cannot wait to oppress the poor and the righteous. And when they do, they eat them all up immediately. They cannot wait til the next day. Every last morsel is swallowed up forthwith. They leave nothing for tomorrow. This is the way of the totally corrupt.
Is this not our reality in 2024? have we not seen enough wicked rulings by our judges? All over the west, corrupt judges are throwing out the rule of law, and making up judgments as they go along. Freeing the wicked, and locking up the righteous is the new law of the land. We have lost our justice systems. However, this is nothing new. In every time and location where man gives themselves over to sin by rejecting the law of God, lawlessness is the result. Oppression becomes the norm. All because men reject the word of the Lord. It is not due to a lack of patriotism. It is not due to out of control immigration. Nor is it due to leftist thought. All of those are symptoms. The only cause is our rejection as a people of the commandments of the Lord.
Zep 3:4 Her prophets (naw-bee) are light (paw-khaz – frothy, unimportant persons) and treacherous (bohg-ed-oth – deceitful, covert) persons (eesh – men): her priests (kohen) have polluted (khaw-lal – profane, prostitute) the sanctuary (ko-desh – the most holy place), they have done violence (khaw-mas – maltreat, violated) to the law (torah).
The prophets are light and frothy. They boil and bubble up froth – things of no substance. They say they have the gift of prophecy but they do not. Not only that, but they are treacherous in heart. That is, God calls them traitors. Pretending to serve the side of Jehovah, they are actually doing the devil’s work, with their empty pronouncements, and making people believe God is speaking.
The priests, or pastors, bring defilement and violation. They defile what is holy and destroy the pure word of God with their vanities and lies. They have taken what is most holy, the living word, and twist it so that what comes out is an unholy, unrecognizable mess. How many pastors have you heard say something like: ‘I know this is what the bible says, but it really means this’. Out of their mouths should come an example of holiness and consecration, a living example of the real presence of Jesus, preaching the word of life. Instead, we get profanity, prostitution, and utter defilement.
Zep 3:5 The just (tsad-deek – righteous) LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity (eh-vel – perverseness, wickedness): every morning (bo-ker, bo-ker) doth he bring (give) his judgment (mishpat) to light (to illuminate us), he faileth not; but the unjust (aw-vawl – wicked) knoweth no shame.
I would like to quote Benson’s commentary on this verse, as he succinctly sums it up better than I could:
The just Lord is in the midst thereof — Namely, of Jerusalem, and sees all these things. He will not do iniquity — He is just and holy, and will do nothing but what is right; nor will he suffer wickedness to pass unpunished. Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light — “The sense is, not a day passes but we see instances of his goodness to righteous men, and of his vengeance on the wicked.” — Newcome. The expression, every morning, alludes to the custom of the Jews and neighbouring nations, who passed judgment only in the morning. He faileth not — He never omits thus to act. But the unjust knew not shame — The wicked continue to be hardened in their sins, and will not be induced to forsake them by any consideration, either of the baseness and evil of their conduct, or of the judgments of God continually inflicted on transgressors.
These people have so forgotten God that the prophet feels the need to insert the word tsad-deek before the name of Yehovah, just to remind them of who God is, and what his character consists of. He reminds them that God is in their midst. Not just God, but the totally righteous God. You can be sure that his ways are perfect. If God feels he has to remind his people that he himself will not do wickedly, then exactly how far have these people fallen away from the one true God? Did God have to actually remind them that he is not a God of wickedness?
Then the word bo-ker is used twice for emphasis. This is the same word found in Genesis, when God speaks of evening and morning, the first day, the second day, etc. We are all tempted to feel God delays his righteous verdicts on rewarding the good and punishing the evil. Yet somewhere, and somehow, each and every day one can find examples of God’s justice being manifested. When God judges, it does bring illumination to the soul. People are reminded that we are all accountable to a holy God. In the end, no one is getting away with anything.
God never fails. His word never fails. His promises never fail. In contrast, the wicked never fail in their wickedness. They never seem to feel or experience shame, no matter what they do. This here is another confirmation that the wicked are a separate sub class of the lost. Their consciences are seared permanently. They are past feeling. Today, they have taken over the earth. So many cannot grasp the nature and scope of the attacks against us, because they have no idea that these aberrant creatures exist. The wicked do not think like us. They do not act like us. Their brains have become rewired differently. They give us insight as to how demons think. We define this kind of thinking as insanity. To the wicked, their thought processes are perfectly rational and normal.
Zep 3:6 I have cut off (kaw-rath – to cut a covenant, to cut asunder) the nations (goy-ee): their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
God is hoping that the examples of past judgments on Gentile nations would serve as a stark example for Judah not to act in the same way that leads to this terrible fate. Note that the judgment of God leads to utter ruin. Not just property, but always an element of depopulation. Even before the great global poisoning, the west was deceived into accepting its own eventual demise by the embracing of feminism, which destroyed the idea that children were a great blessing. Instead, children were viewed as an impediment for women to achieve fulfillment out in the workplace. This just made the globalists’ job so much easier as they sent in their savages to replace us, when our population decline was already headed for freefall.
Zep 3:7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear (yaw-ray) me, thou wilt receive instruction (moo-sawr – chastisement, warning, be restrained); so their dwelling should not be cut off (kar-ath), howsoever (but no matter how) I punished them: but (nevertheless) they rose early (got a head start), and corrupted (shaw-khath – ruined, wasted) all their doings (deeds).
No matter how much God punished others, or punished them, in order to preserve them, nevertheless the Jews were eager to immerse themselves in total corruption. This is the inevitable progression of sin. Keep on sinning, keep refusing to repent, and your heart draws further and further away from God. Even when you start experiencing the chastisement of the Lord, should you ignore the implied warning and harden your heart some more, then there comes a time and place that every judgment causes you to go out and sin even harder, faster, and more deeply than before.
Is that not what we are seeing from the traitors who are running our nations? No matter how much of their evil that we expose, they keep doubling down. No matter how many articles are published on the poison death jabs, they keep flooding their media spaces with more attempts to get us to poison ourselves further. No matter how many times they try to kill a good man, they just keep trying again and again.
But how about those in the Laodicean false church system? Every time they compromise with the beast, and give in to one form of sin, the world demands that they give in to another. First it was abortion. Then gay marriage. Then the entire alphabet crowd, growing by the day. Then drag queens. Then countless pronouns. Then genital mutilation. Now pedophilia. Once you accept one abomination, what’s one more?
Zep 3:8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey (to attack): for my determination (mishpat – verdict, decree, judgment) is to gather the nations (goy-ee), that I may assemble (gather) the kingdoms (dominions), to pour upon them mine indignation (zah-am – fury, rage, as if frothing at the mouth angry), even all my fierce (khaw-rone – sore displeasure, fury) anger (af – as if smoke is rising form my nostrils): for all the earth shall be devoured (aw-kal – eaten up, consumed) with the fire of my jealousy (kin-aw – zeal).
We finally arrive at the beginning of a shift in the narrative. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. We actually get a remarkable insight into the eternal cosmic battle plan of our commander in chief. We are told to wait, because God wants something to occur before he rises up to attack. He clearly reveals one of his mish-pats – one of his executive decisions, or judicial verdicts that he has passed against the wicked. That decision states that he wants to gather all his enemies into one place at one time. When that occurs according to his satisfaction, then he will allow all his rage, fury and zeal, that is described as a wild man who is literally frothing at the mouth and blowing smoke out of his nostrils, to erupt.
Just take a moment and try to imagine the image that God is trying to convey here. At the appointed time, such as the time of the final battle of Armageddon, when all the nations are gathered together to fight on the side of satan against the returning king Jesus, God is said at that very moment to finally release all his pent up rage and fury at this last, most loathsome and rebellious group, led by the antichrist and the false prophet. All those millennia where God restrained himself, and chose not to execute his most just wrath in full measure. All those years and years and years, watching as little babies were being raped, even organ harvested, or sacrificed to satan in some demonic ritual. All the genocides, the poison death jabs, the chemtrails, the genital mutilations of his children, he restrained himself time and time again. All to get to this day. This day like no other.
I don’t think I wish to be on the receiving end of this outburst. Do you?
Zep 3:9 For then will I turn (haw-vak – return) to the people (am – tribe, nation) a pure (baw-rar – to purify) language (saw-faw – the lips, speech), that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve (to be in bond service to) him with one (ech-ad- united)) consent (shek-em – the shoulder or back as a place of burden).
I bet most of you thought that we would never get to a part where we’re not speaking about the obliteration of all creation! But here we are. Even in this, the most dire and ominous of warnings about the terrible day of the Lord, God leaves us with hope and a reason to rejoice. God never abandons those that are his to utter hopelessness, if they are truly his people. He always has a promise that is tailored for your situation, even if you are facing end of the world stuff!
This is an interesting verse. I believe there are several layers of meaning. It starts with a ‘then’. The then refers to the previous verse, after God has wiped out all his enemies. Of course, there have been shadows of partial fulfillment throughout the ages, starting with the return of Jews from their 70 year Babylonian exile under Cyrus. Then their return to the land in 1948. Some think the pure language is the restoration of Hebrew in the state of Israel. Certainly that could be one aspect of it. The literal Hebrew speaks of purified lips. The day of Pentecost comes to mind. The Holy Spirit unleashed the gospel message to men of every tongue. Our heavenly prayer language that God gives to us is another fulfillment. When we speak in tongues, we speak to God, and not to men. When we come to Christ, we are all to serve him in oneness of spirit, becoming willing bondslaves of Christ, bearing the burden of the cross that he gives us to bear in this life. God gives us new speech, and really a new life, in the new birth.
Once the enemies of God are finally dealt with, we have no idea of the endless possibilities that await us on the other side!
Zep 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants (as incense), even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering (min-khaw – freewill offering).
The immediate reference may be to the dispersed of Judah after the overthrow by Nebuchadnezzar. God does not lose track of his own, no matter where they end up. One may also see a hint of the church, the spiritual daughter of the Jews. This holy remnant will be moved to bring an offering to the Lord of their own free will, as opposed to something required by the law. Far too many sermons in the western church hammer the poor sheep over how they must tithe and give offerings, or they are under a curse. The new testament never emphasizes giving anything under coercion and duress. If we cannot honestly give because we want to, then God is not interested. That goes not just for money, but for any and every service we do for the Lord. Showing up at church because of peer pressure is pretty much useless. We need to be totally honest with Jesus. If the desire is not there, ask him to give it to you. It may take some time, but God will orchestrate your life in such a way that you will eventually want more and more of him, if we but open our hearts to him.
Zep 3:11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed (paw-shah – offended, rebel, revolt, apostatized) against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride (arrogance), and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy (ko-desh) mountain.
We are now getting the sense that in the midst of this most awful of days, the thread of redemption still runs true. If we step back and try to follow the thread of reasoning here, we see the overarching theme of the awfulness of the day of the Lord. God first judges his people, then those nations that persecute his chosen. He then circles back and continues to speak about his own nation. But first it is a summation of everything negative about them, ie, that no matter what God does, they refuse to repent.
So God then decides to reveal a portion of his master plan. And that is that he is going to orchestrate events in such a way that the entire planet will be gathered together. They may think that they have gathered to rebel against their creator, but God reveals that it is he that has gathered them, so that he can deal with their rebellion once and for all.
Only then will his people truly realize their grave spiritual condition. Once we see the earth shattering type of judgment that God will unleash, we then will experientially comprehend why Jesus calls this time similar to the days of Noah. World ending judgments is what it will take for his people to call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with an undivided heart. No matter where they have been scattered, they will have experienced this unbelievably frightening epoch of time. This will cause all to want to give him their all, including their resources, but most importantly, their whole heart.
The reason why they will want to do this is not only because they have lived through the worst of times, but that now God said he will remove all those who have led them astray, who have seduced them by appealing to their pride. How many false doctrines have we allowed to flourish in our midst, that had some fundamental element of self centeredness instead of being Jesus centered.
This verse says at that time, after all these things, we will finally not be ashamed of our deeds anymore. Why? Because not only have all the evil doers been taken away, but all our pride has been stripped away as well. No more arrogance, because you trust in God’s holy mountain Zion, as the Jews have done. For the Christian, that can mean stop trusting in your denomination.
I am still hearing testimonies, where men of God are not welcomed to preach in certain churches, because they do not belong to that specific denomination. You would think that after all that we have endured since 2020, that this nonsense would of ceased. Our nations are about to lose every single freedom and right we have ever had, and there are still many Christians who refuse to join together with other Jesus loving brethren, because they belong to some other church! Are they insane? Don’t they realize that we are already far past the point of no return? That it is now only a matter of time before they come after each and every one of us, because of our faith. And you still want to reject your brother and sister in the Lord over their church label?
God help us all.
Zep 3:12 I will also leave (reserve) in the midst of thee an afflicted (aw-nee – humble, lowly, needy) and poor (dal – weak) people (am – flock, tribe, nation), and they shall trust (khaw-saw – make refuge) in the name of the LORD.
The true remnant will be taught their spiritual poverty by being purified through the tribulation, and learn to rely on Jesus, and Jesus only.
This principle is strongly confirmed by Paul:
1Co_1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co_4:10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
2Co_12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2Co_13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
2Co_13:9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
God takes special pleasure in confounding the wise. He loves to take the weak things of this world, the despised, the things of no account. Think upon how many of you were really nobodies. Nevertheless God has given you the revelation of the kingdom. You know things that well over 90% of your countrymen have no clue of. All the rich and powerful and self sufficient will not be able to stand in the final day. God, and God alone, will be glorified. Only the truly meek shall inherit the earth.
Zep 3:13 The remnant (shey-ay-reeth – remainder, the final portion, those that have escaped, the survivors) of Israel shall not do iniquity (eh-vel – unrighteousness, wickedness), nor speak lies (kaw-zawb – falsehood, deceit); neither shall a deceitful (tow-maw – fraudulent) tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed (graze) and lie down (repose, rest), and none shall make them afraid (shudder with terror, tremble).
The Hebrew word for remnant is very telling. It speaks of a group that have survived some great trauma. They are the very few left alive, that have escaped some great doom. The word really lends credence to the fact that we are going through the great tribulation, rather than escaping out of it.
So what are some of the characteristics of these survivors? They are said to be virtually sinless. In other words, they are noted for their holiness above all. There is no guile found in their mouths. Have we not had our fill with all the liars that spew garbage day in and day out with every breath they take? Does any of us need to hear any more mainstream media headlines anymore, when almost every single one is one sort of lie or another? They have even invented many new words, so that no one speaks the truth of all these things. Today, there are no more lies, only misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, amongst other made up concepts, all to cover the fact that they are speaking lies, lies, and only lies.
These purified survivors have no fraud in their character. What you see is what you get. They will never say anything but the truth. Their reward is the finding of rich pasture to feed upon, and a place of utter security and comfort in the Lord. These precious ones shall find what is most sought after – peace and safety. These things have been permanently taken away by the beast, and will not be found again on this planet until the return of the King. Of course, our king does promise his peace and comfort in the midst of the storm, but it will be a difficult task to enter in and abide in that peace, in the midst of what is to come.
Zep 3:14 Sing (raw-nan – shout for joy), O daughter of Zion; shout (roo-ah – split the ears with sound), O Israel; be glad (saw-makh – brighten up, make merry) and rejoice (aw-laz – jump for joy) with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Now the whole tone and tenor of the prophecy takes an unexpected and joyous turn. Who would ever think to find verses such as these in this book? After having to face some of the harshest reality of the description of the apocalypse, we have just begun to be given some hope, in that at least there will be a remnant that will be preserved.
We need to keep this in mind, in that God has only promised that a remnant will be saved. This principle is seen in the plan God has for Israel, at the end of time:
Rom 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
Rom 9:28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
Rom 9:29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
So we see here in Zephaniah. Time and space does not permit in ferreting out all the scriptures that speak of the principle of God’s remnant. In God’s economy, it is never about quantity, it is always about quality. If the contest between God and satan was about the number of souls, no one would be argue that satan has the overwhelming victory. I don’t think any real believer would dispute the fact that most will not make it to heaven. The scriptures are crystal clear on that point.
Yet somehow that never bothers God. He sent his son, knowing that most would reject this free gift, this invitation to come to the son’s marriage feast. Nevertheless, Jesus will have his bride, spotless and pure. This will be the event of the ages. The fact that so few will make it will showcase just how special this event is. What a privilege to be seated at the marriage supper of the Lamb!
So before we take off around the sanctuary, grooving to the ear splitting decibels of the latest modern praise band, let us soberly reflect that God is speaking of those relatively few who have made it through the day of the Lord to the end. Once you have persevered and have been found worthy, then let the party begin! I suppose it is ok to go a little bit crazy from time to time in your praise and worship, as an act of faith and devotion. Only let us remember that the true celebration only occurs when we have passed through the valley of the shadow of death, and have survived right to the very end.
Zep 3:15 The LORD hath taken away (soor- turned off) thy judgments (mishpat), he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil (rah – adversity, affliction, wretchedness) any more.
Now that we are finally at the end of all judgments, this verse tells us that God has now turned off his mishpat. It has all been spent on the wicked, and they are now no more. At this point in time, we do not need to fear the judgment of God anymore. Why? Because all the enemies of God have been burned up in the fire of God’s wrath. Now that the wicked have been permanently dealt with, we do not have to worry about seeing, hearing, or experiencing any sort of evil anymore. Because evil is gone, our holy God can now dwell in the midst of us, or rather we can all dwell in the midst of his presence! At this moment in history is when we can truly put down our spiritual armor, drop our guard, and simply bask in, and rejoice in, the presence of our God!
Zep 3:16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear (yaw-ray – revere, dread) thou not: and to Zion (the mount of Jerusalem, their permanent capital), Let not thine hands be slack (raw-faw – idle, slothful).
Again it is reiterated, that these wonderful things only become real in that day. Which day? At the end of the awful and terrible day of the Lord.
So will there be a great future day of rejoicing? Sure. But let us never forget the horror that is yet to take place before we get to a place of such unrestrained joy and blessing as is described in this passage.
The fear of the Lord, which is the dread of him, will no longer be necessary, at least not with the expectation of future judgment, because judgment would of already been passed, at least on the earth. So for the immediate fulfillment of this verse, Israel itself can now look forward to full restoration. Her judgments have been executed, her remnant is now fully converted, purified, and safe in the master’s hands. Therefore, now you can worship God and serve him without fear. This may encompass building Ezekiel’s temple in the Millenium. God tells them to not be idle anymore in the work of the Lord. Your Messiah king Jesus is now here, let the total restoration begin!
Zion is simply another name for Jerusalem. Why we let the world redefine this term is some sort of universal symbol of the evil Jew is beyond me. When will we stop letting the world redefine words for us? Why do we get sucked into playing that game?
The exhortation to not be idle can be applied to all of us, at any time. Unrelenting evil in the land can cause us to lose heart. God is still watching our behavior. Regardless if we are in revival or a time of darkness, he still expects us to carry out his will, in putting off sin, picking up our cross, and following him.
Zep 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty (gibbor – giant, valiant, warrior); he will save (yaw-shah – avenge, deliver, preserve, rescue), he will rejoice (soos – be cheerful, make mirth) over thee with joy (sim-khaw – glee, pleasure, exceeding gladness); he will rest (khaw-rash – be quiet, hold his peace) in his love (a-hab-aw – from a root word meaning affection), he will joy (gheel – to spin around in emotion) over thee with singing (rin-naw – shouting and rejoicing).
Wow. What a verse. So much to unpack here.
First of all, can anyone think of another verse in the entire bible quite like this one? Where God the Father is described in such a manner? If we know and believe one thing about the Father, is that he is a very serious sort of being. You do not hear him cracking jokes, or engaging in any sort of frivolous activities. Yet here in this verse, in this particular context, he sounds like someone who has been overcome with new wine! As if he has become particularly over exuberant at the most joyous wedding feast that has ever been seen! He is said to be shouting and singing and spinning around in unbridled emotion! This does not sound like our heavenly Father, does it?
As one who has spent time in charismatic circles over the years, I can honestly say that this is the only verse that I have heard preached about in this entire book. Charismatics, especially the more exuberant ones, just love this one verse! It gives them justification for their out of control style of worship that some of them practice. Being a severe distraction by yelling and whooping and flag waving and running around the sanctuary like a madman (or more often, a madwoman), they can point to this one verse and claim that they are imitating God!
Well in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every matter be fully established. I dare you to try and find a second witness that claims God acts exactly like this. I think you will not have much success in trying to do so.
So why is this verse here? Once again, this is a perfect example to teach the fundamental truth of context regarding proper biblical interpretation. Before all the emotionally unstable nutjobs get too excited out there, using a verse such as this to try and justify their immature, out of control behavior that only serves to draw attention to themselves, let us remember that God is only acting this way at one specific time in all of human history.
The Father has just spent 6000 years in this grand adventure of creating man. Then watching him fall. Then seeing the watchers engage in the second heavenly rebellion, and corrupt his creation with illicit mixing. Producing giant Nephilim creatures, and corrupting all flesh. God then wipes out all life in the flood, save eight. Subsequently, watching man corrupt himself once again. Begin a plan of redemption that would shake all of creation for all eternity, by first calling Abram. Building a people for himself, culminating in the first coming of his Son. Watching his only begotten son die a horrible death on the cross, only to raise his from the dead. Then sending out his disciples, to build his body on earth. Coming to the end of the age where once again, a global rebellion is taking place. Only this time it is somehow even worse than the former one. Unleashing the great tribulation, where horrors imagined and unimagined mingle in such propensity and intensity as to drive even the most devoted saint to the edge of madness.
At that point, when all of humanity is about to destroyed by the beast and his new world order, the Father has finally seen enough and has unleashed all his judgments that he has been patiently holding back all these millennia. Judgments that words cannot even begin to describe. Judgments that deal with sin and wickedness once and for all. Judgments that allow so very few to survive to the other side of them.
At that point, when the story of man has been completely written, does God the Father, Yehovah himself, finally decide to unleash some pent up emotion over those who were found worthy and were chosen to endure and overcome all these unbelievable things. When he now looks at that holy remnant, purified to such a degree and measure like no other being before them, does he then finally let loose and give a shout of triumph and unrestrained joy!
What a story! What an adventure! What a tale for all the ages to come! And remember that we only grasp just a small portion of this epic adventure, as we only see through a glass dimly. Wait until we get to the other side, where the entirety of this drama will be revealed unto us!
I think we can now begin to understand why God has allowed himself to act so out of character, just this once!
I hope you see my point. God does not act like this all the time. He does not act like this some of the time. He does not act like this occasionally. He acts like this once in human history. This does not mean that you are not allowed to be joyous in your worship and praise of the one who alone is worthy. We certainly can point to the examples of someone like David, or Jehoshaphat, of Miriam, who all rejoiced enthusiastically on occasion. Just don’t try and anthropomorphize Yahweh, to make him seem just like you. God is the epitomy of self control. All of us have been guilty at times of trying to mold God into our own image. That is idolatry. God is not like us. Our number one task is to try to become like him. You cannot begin to become like him unless you know who he is, not who you would like to imagine him to be.
There is a time and place for everything. I have seen more than one occasion, where silly saints, in whom everything they hear has to be responded with some sort of ‘amen’ or ‘hallelujah’, makes fools of themselves in public. The preacher has just delivered some crushing word of judgment, or some dire prophetic warning, and someone mindlessly is still yelling amen, when they should be moved to weeping and tears in true repentance. Instead, their hearts look for nothing in church but entertainment and mirth. Such people are not really listening one little bit as to what the Spirit of the Lord is trying to say. Those shallow and foolish souls shall not survive the coming days.
I truly wonder what Yehovah thinks of some of our behaviors when we gather together. I remember a couple of years ago or so, right after the height of the mandates, a ‘freedom’ conference was being held in the city we were closest to. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to connect with like minded saints, who knew the times, so that perhaps new relationships could develop. We had been nothing but disappointed with our local churches, as only 2 of 130 churches in our city had even bothered to stay open during the plandemic. And those 2 churches did not have the doctrinal emphasis that we were comfortable with. Thus we had no regular fellowship at that time.
So we looked forward to attending this event. We came to the morning session. First of all, they started 15 minutes late. Second, the music was ultra modern, loud, repetitious, and utterly devoid of biblical meaning. Then, some effeminate pastor type person urged the men to come up on stage. He then commanded them to jump around like schoolgirls, in some sort of parody of proper praise.
My wife and I had enough. We left. Here it was, right at the ending of the worse tyranny in the history of our nation, and this group, which represented the most aware and discerning of anyone in our land, were dancing and prancing around, led by an effeminate man, making men acting unseemly. Such an unhealthy spirit of feminism, for starters. False doctrine and false worship thrown in the mix. Music that was of this world, and not of heaven. Believers acting with not a shred of humility, meekness, or godly sorrow. No repentance to be found, yet many thousands had just been slaughtered in our land by governments and hospitals. Peaceful protests brutally suppressed, just like in Soviet Russia.
It was truly sickening.
This is what I mean when I speak of inappropriate praise and worship by the Laodicean church among us. If even most of the truly aware are acting like this, then what hope is there for our lands? Even right up to today, we still have no sign of real repentance in our lands. Even as I release this teaching, I came across another video on Rumble hosted by a saint who has a popular podcast. In this video, she reads dreams with false interpretations about how America will be saved. She then reads out ‘declarations’, decreeing victory for our lands. So sad.
The biblically ignorant pick and choose isolated scriptures such as this one to think that God is just like them – emotionally out of control, dedicated to running and jumping and having a good time, at all costs!
Woe, woe, woe to the western church! Soon your gallivanting and frenzied celebrations will abruptly come to an end. God is about to unleash the book of Zephaniah in its entirety upon you, not just chapter 3, verse 17. Chapter 3, verse 17 is still a long way off. Few there will be that will survive to see that reality come to pass.
The bible often uses the same word to describe two diametrically disparate events. The word for mighty if gibbor, which usually refers to the Nephilim giants. However, David’s list of mighty men were also called gibbor. Here God is said to be gibbor. Context is everything. We need some men to be anointed with the positive spirit of gibbor today, as the body of Christ, and all who love and practise righteousness, are crying our for some gibborim to show up on the Lord’s behalf. The devil’s gibborim have swarmed and conquered our lands. Will someone pay the price and seek the Lord at this time, willing to lay down their lives to resist the darkness, and try and rescue as many souls as they can, whether spiritually and/or physically?
I love the word yaw-shaw, which represents the word save. This word encompasses all aspects of salvation – not only rescue and deliverance, but defending and avenging. In these final days as no other, only the Lord God can truly save us now. People speak of the need for a second Nuremberg trial. As if the first one brought much true justice to begin with. Sure, they hung 20 or so, but millions of murderers got away scot-free to this day. Who ever was held accountable for the Soviet atrocities? The Chinese kill with impunity up to this day. Somehow I think that the millions and millions of murderers unleashed in our own nations will not be held to account until that great and terrible day of the Lord.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. We are being called to that honor roll that is found in the book of Hebrews, where many did not receive the promise in this life.
Heb 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Heb 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Heb 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
If you want to stand on a sure promise of scripture for our time and season, look no further than the above. You may desire Zephaniah 3:17 with all your heart, but that will only come to pass after Hebrews 11:35-39 is endured first.
Once we get to the other side of what is imminently ahead of us, then we will all behold a wonder not seen since the foundation of the world – our Father expressing his joy at those few children who have been refined like none other have ever been refined. Even in the midst of all that exuberance, it is also said that He will hold his peace, or be quiet, in his love. Perhaps that means that no more warnings, no more mishpat need to be spoken. The judgment is over. There is no more reason to judge, or even chastise or correct. His son’s bride has now made herself ready, by the fire of the grace of God.
Zep 3:18 I will gather them that are sorrowful (yaw-gaw – to grieve, afflict or vex oneself) for the solemn assembly (mo-ade or moadin – the appointment, or the fixed time or season), who are of thee, to whom the reproach (kher-paw – disgrace, rebuke, the pudenda) of it was a burden (mas-ayth – a raising of the hands in prayer).
God promises to gather together those that grieve and afflict their souls for the moadin, or the appointed time of the great judgment, or the day of the Lord. These are those who truly understand the burden and the responsibility of being a believer in these end times when all things godly will be rejected and hated. Here is another example where not all believers will be treated equally. Those who grieve and afflict themselves, those who life up their hands in prayer and intercession, those are the ones he will gather to himself. These are those who felt tormented in their souls as they heard the taunts of the wicked, mocking all that is holy and good. Does your heart grieve when you hear the world praise the sexual degenerates? Are you sorely vexed when you hear the wicked rulers lie about the Christians and the Jews? Do you automatically turn to prayer, lifting up holy hands to heaven, when you are reproached by the wicked?
The first thing one must grasp is the time we are in. No, we are not in the time of revival. Purge that false doctrine out of your heads. Just think about historical precedent for a minute. Think of the very worse times in human history. During world war 2, did a great revival break out? Were multitudes saved in the concentration camps? No, more Jews became atheists in the camps that at any other time. So it will be in the day of the Lord. The judgments unleashed will cause men’s hearts to curse and swear at God continually, as the book of Revelation clearly states:
Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Rev 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Rev 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
I know this idea is not popular. Many great men of God believe the greatest revival is just around the corner. I happen to not agree. Whether or not you or I believe in it or not, only God truly knows exactly what is to come. In some ways, it is not that important. What we can all agree on is that the great tribulation will be the worst of times. We all need to be more prepared to face it than we currently are. If there happens to be a great revival thrown in there somewhere, then praise God, what a bonus that would be!
Zep 3:19 Behold, at that time I will undo (aw-saw – deal with, vex) all that afflict (aw-naw – browbeat, weaken, depress) thee: and I will save (yaw-shah) her that halteth (limps), and gather (assemble, collect) her that was driven out (naw-dakh – expelled, pushed off, cast down, driven out); and I will get them praise (laudation) and fame (memorial, honor) in every land where they have been put to shame (bo-sheth – confusion).
Nothing like the fulfillment of the great and precious promises of God! First, we must be patient to wait for this promise ‘at that time’. The time we are speaking of is the Millenium. God says that at the end of the day of the Lord, and flowing into the start of the golden age of the Sabbath rest of planet earth (the seventh day, or seventh 1000 year period), God will finally and fully deal with all the wicked. We have been having to put up with the power and torment of the evil ones since the Fall. However, all of us afflicted with finally be completely saved. As God gathered all the wicked together during the day of the Lord for final judgment, so he will gather all the righteous together to bless and deliver us.
Not only will he save us in every way possible, but all our shame will be turned into honor. God promises that our names will be known in every place. We will be part of that great eternal redemption story, that God speaks of in Ephesians, where he describes how the story of the Church will be heralded and lauded throughout eternity, in every future age to come.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
We are seeing hundreds and hundreds of brave souls who have taken a stand for what is right. Most, but not all, exhibit some sort of Christian faith. They have been arrested, held without bail, sentenced to long prison terms, and generally forgotten.
While the vast majority of freedom fighters are lost in the annals of history, and relatively few are remembered for their great sacrifices, God never forgets any of us. We are all called to pay some price in taking a stand for good against evil. We may of been pushed out and cast away by our families, our churches, our employers, our society, our government, our hospitals. But God promises that our shame will not be forgotten. He will give us everlasting honor, as long as we endure unto the end for him.
Zep 3:20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise (laudation) among all people of the earth, when I turn back (shoob) your captivity (sheb-ooth – exile, imprisonment, figuratively a former state of prosperity) before your eyes, saith the LORD.
Again we are reminded that all these good things will happen at the time of God’s choosing, not man’s. God states he will bring us again, reminding us that throughout history, God has rescued his people on more than one occasion. While the bible recounts the rescue of his chosen people the Jews on multiple occasions, so we too can reflect in our own personal lives all the times where God has rescued us from our own follies. I am sure many of us can relate to God’s rescuing power, whether great or small.
As in the previous verse, God reiterates his promise to make our names great amongst all the nations. This is interesting in that God does not say your name will be great amongst the heavenly host, but amongst the nations on earth. So it seems that the exploits of the faithful remnant during the day of the Lord will be known and lauded by all nations in the Millenium period on earth. God will reverse our captivity and imprisonment. Many of us will experience a literal imprisonment during this awful day. Others may be hidden. But all will experience this pressing in, inside out hearts and minds, as evil continues to cover the land, and grow thicker and darker with each passing day.
Perhaps than nuance of the word sheb-ooth that can refer to a former state of prosperity is a veiled reference to returning man to that pristine state before the Fall in the garden of Eden. The prophetic books, such as Jeremiah, are full of exhortations for man to shoob (turn back) to God. Here God is said to be the one to do the shoobing. He will turn back all our bondage to sin, whether in our own personal struggles, or in our circumstances, and turn it into total freedom.
So we have come to the end of this short little prophetic work. Short perhaps in length, but not in meaning and spiritual impact on those with ears to hear. Are we truly ready to face the day of the Lord? Have we settled it in our mind, that no matter what the future holds, that we are determined to follow Him, no matter the cost? Even if you still choose to believe in the pre trib rapture, are you fully committed to suffer whatever it is you are destined to suffer, unto whatever end you are destined to reach?
Let us all try and remember what is truly important in these days of peril. Let us look for opportunities to help one another, and encourage each other, as who knows when your day of crisis will suddenly come upon you, and you are in desperate need of mercy and compassion? We would do well to store up a goodly storehouse of good deeds, against the day of the Lord that is about to, and even now, come upon us.
May God bless you richly as you continue to seek him in his word.
Solitary Man
