Sofonias 1

Sofonias 1

MacArthur: God’s judgment on Israel was viewed as His sacrifice. The guests were the dreaded Babylonians, who as “priests” were invited to slay the sacrifice, i.e., Judah (cf. Is 13:3; 34:6; Jer 46:10; Eze 39:17; Hab 1:6; Rev 19:17, 18). (See MacArthur Study Bible) NET NOTE - The origin of the concept of “the day of the LORD” is uncertain. It may have originated in the ancient Near Eastern idea of the sovereign’s day of conquest, where a king would boast that he had concluded an entire military campaign in a single day (see D. Stuart, “The Sovereign’s Day of Conquest,” BASOR 221 [1976]: 159–64). In the OT the expression is applied to several acts of divine judgment, some historical and others still future (see A. J. Everson, “The Days of Yahweh,” JBL 93 [1974]: 329–37). In the OT the phrase first appears in Amos (assuming that Amos predates Joel and Obadiah), where it seems to refer to a belief on the part of the northern kingdom that God would intervene on Israel’s behalf and judge the nation’s enemies. Amos affirms that the Lord’s day of judgment is indeed approaching, but he declares that it will be a day of disaster, not deliverance, for Israel. Here in Zephaniah, the “day of the Lord” includes God’s coming judgment of Judah, as well as a more universal outpouring of divine anger. Summarizing some of the descriptions in the OT/NT references, we see that this Day is.... "coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it" (Isaiah 13:9), "a day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes… a slaughter for the Lord GOD of hosts" (Jeremiah 46:10), "a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations" (Ezekiel 30:3), "near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty" (Joel 1:15), "surely it is near" (Joel 2:1), "great and very awesome, and who can endure it?" (Joel 2:11), "the great and awesome day" (Joel 2:31), "near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14), "It will be darkness and not light" (Amos 5:18), "even gloom with no brightness in it" (Amos 5:20), "(a day when) your dealings will return on your own head" (Obadiah 1:15), "near and coming very quickly… in it the warrior cries out bitterly, 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" (Zephaniah 1:14,15), "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" (Zephaniah 1:18), "the day of the LORD'S anger" (Zephaniah 2:2), "His coming… is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap" (Malachi 3:2), "the great and terrible day" (Malachi 4:5), "will come just like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2Pe 3:10). Hampton Keathley - Zephaniah - Overview 1). The Day of the Lord involves God's Intervention One of the most prominent features that we learn from Zephaniah concerning the Day of the LORD is that God will intervene in human affairs. Zephaniah uses the word paqad three times (Zeph 1:8,9,12). It is translated "punish," but originally has the idea of "to visit" or "inspect in order to take appropriate action." This is not just a visit from God to dispense blind destruction or judgment. We also see that Yahweh will search Jerusalem with Lamps (Zeph 1:12). This is personal involvement by God. The message is that there will be a personal encounter with God. Why was Zephaniah explaining all this about the Day of the Lord? Because they did not believe that God was involved in human affairs. They were practical atheists. What is our response to this encounter with God? Be silent Zeph 1:7 It is a sobering thought to realize you are going to stand before the Creator. Another aspect of the Day of the Lord is the demonstration of Yahweh's unrivaled superiority. (cf. Zeph 1:2, 18) In chapter 2 the four nations represent the four points of the compass and point to God's superiority over all the nations of the world. Also cf. Zeph 2:11. If Yahweh is going to starve all the other gods then he must be superior to them. Zeph 3:8, 15. Yahweh has no equals. He will share his throne with no one. 2). The Day of the Lord is a day of Judgment. In Zeph 1:3 we saw that the destruction of the earth would be worse than the flood. This time even the fish would be destroyed. This destruction is the reversal of creation. The original order was fish, birds, beasts, man. Zephaniah recounts the de-creation. Although both man and beast will suffer, the emphasis is on the judgment that comes to the people. This is seen in the fact that he mentions the judgment on man twice (in vs 3) and he uses the word "cut off" in Zeph 1:3 which was used almost as a technical term for the death penalty, and he goes on to elaborate the type of judgment on specific groups of people. Why is Yahweh bringing Judgment? Is He capricious? No, it is because they have sinned against Him (Zeph 1:17). His judgment is the response to human choices - to human sin. One principle we can derive from this is that God deals with sin. Concerning the sins of Judah and the nations, He mentions: Judah The Nations Idolatry Zeph 1:4-6 Mocking the Jews Zeph 2:8,10 Violence Zeph 1:9 Arrogance against the Jews Zeph 2:8-10 Complacency Zeph 1:12 Self sufficiency Zeph 2:15 Not trusting in God Zeph 1:6, 3:2 Deceit Zeph 1:9, 3:13 Therefore, I need to recognize that I can't get away with sin. 3). The Day of the Lord is also a time of Salvation The whole book of Zephaniah builds to a crescendo with the proclamation of salvation in the final verses. The phrases "on that day" and "at that time" refer to the same day and time that he has been referring to earlier in a context of judgment. The discussion of the remnant (Zeph 2:9;3:13) and the universal worship of Yahweh (Zeph 3:9) contribute to this theme. Here we see that some of the Gentiles are included in the salvation. Yahweh rejoices when He saves but not when He judges which shows that he does not enjoy judging, but relishes saving. And so we see the Day of the Lord has two components, a day of gloom and a day of glory. Which day will you choose dear reader? Jesus calls for a choice, for not to choose Him is a choice! -- Editorial Comment Robert Hawker —Zeph. 1:7. My soul! here is a portion of God’s word, which, like the pillar of the cloud in the camp of Israel, hath a double aspect: it becomes a cloud of trembling indeed, of darkness, dread, and fear, to all spiritual Egyptians, but a glorious refreshing light to the people of God. The presence of the Lord God is a solemn presence to all, and will command silence, yea, a trembling. “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” And is the day of the Lord at hand? Yea, verily, every day brings it nearer; every breath, every pulse that beats, shortens the distance. There is, there must be, a day, in which “the Lord will judge the world in righteousness, and minister true judgment unto the people.” And observe, my soul, what this blessed scripture adds: “The Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.” God hath set forth his dear Son, as a propitiation, for “without shedding of blood, there is no remission.” He hath bid his guests. Yes! the Lord that hath made this rich feast of salvation, hath also invited the people he will have to partake of it. He hath sent out his word, his servants, into the highways, and lanes, and hedges of the city, to call them in. And their characters are marked: they are “the poor, and the needy, and the halt, and the blind.” Thousands, answering to this character, are come; have partaken of the rich feast, and called it blessed; “and yet there is room.” My soul! art thou come? Hast thou accepted the invitation, and come under this character? Hast thou found it blessed? Pause over the inquiry. The reverse of this will be a cup of trembling, and astonishment, and madness, to all that reject the counsel of God against their own souls, who are too proud to accept the bidding to the feast of Jesus’s blood, to cleanse them, and too rich, in their own eyes, to look for salvation in his righteousness to justify them. Zephaniah 1:8 “Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments. Legacy Standard Bible - “Then it will be on the day of Yahweh’s sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments. NET "On the day of the LORD's sacrificial meal, I will punish the princes and the king's sons, and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. punish: Heb. visit upon, Isa 10:12 24:21 the princes: 2Ki 23:30-34 24:12,13 25:6,7,19-21 Isa 39:7 Jer 22:11-19,24-30 Jer 39:6,7 strange: De 22:5 2Ki 10:22 Isa 3:18-24 THE LORD'S SACRIFICE OF HIS OWN PEOPLE Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrifice - The day of the LORD refers to a time when God intervenes in history to judge sin and vindicate His righteousness and here is called the LORD’s sacrifice which is a powerful metaphor. Instead of people offering sacrifices to God, God Himself prepares a sacrifice, and the wicked become the victims of judgment. Not animals but humans sacrificed! The people of Judah would be the "sacrifice!" A similar image appears in Isaiah 34:6 “The LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.” The idea is that judgment itself becomes a sacrificial slaughter. That I will punish (paqad) the princes, the king’s sons - The princes get top billing for God's judgment! To whom much is given, much is expected and greater responsibility would incur greater judgment. The princes were the nobles, officials, and ruling leaders of Judah were responsible for guiding the nation in righteousness but instead led the people into corruption and compromise. Throughout Scripture, God often begins judgment with leaders, because their influence shapes the whole nation. Ezekiel 9:6 “Begin at My sanctuary.” In other words, those with the greatest responsibility face the greatest accountability. The king's son warns that even royal privilege will not protect them from God’s judgment. And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments - Foreign garments indicates the chosen people who were to sanctified or separated ones are associating with and assimilating foreign customs. First, foreign gods (like Milcom) and now foreign fashion! Wearing foreign garments symbolized adopting pagan customs and values from surrounding nations, customs that often included idolatry and moral corruption. This was a serious problem in ancient Israel because God had called His people to live as a distinct and holy nation (Leviticus 20:26). The adoption of foreign attire may also have implied loyalty to foreign powers or participation in their religious practices, which violated the first commandment. The broader biblical theme is that God’s people are to remain separate from the sinful values of the world, a principle echoed in the New Testament, where believers are called to live in the world but not be shaped by it (cf John 17:14–16+, Ro 12:2+, 1Jn 2:15-17+, Jas 4:4+, Php 2:15+, 1Pe 2:11+, 1Co 6:17+). Charles Feinberg - They (princes) should have been leaders in righteousness instead of evil. Judgment will fall on the royal family because they followed after foreign customs and oppressed the people....Josiah the king is not included because he was to be spared the judgment because of his godly life.....With foreign dress came foreign manners and worship, especially idolatry. 🙏 THOUGHT - Sad, what happens when you begin to drift from fellowship with God. Beware! See Backsliding John Walton - foreign clothes. Since Judah had been under foreign (Assyrian, Egyptian and Babylonian) domination for over a hundred years, it is not surprising that government officials and those who wished to curry favor with their overlords would adopt their clothing styles as well as other cultural traits. Neither Judean nor Babylonian dress of this period is well attested in the inscriptional materials, so detailed comparison is not possible. Differences could have included the articles of clothing that were worn or the style, material, weave or dyes that were used. A later example of the adoption of foreign styles is found in the Hellenistic period, when Jason, the high priest, forced the nobility of Jerusalem to wear a broad-brimmed hat associated with the Greek god Hermes (2 Macc 3:12). (page 795 IVP Bible Background Commentary: OT) Punish (number, visit) (06485) pequddah/pāqadh/paqad conveys the root idea of something that is attended to or set in order -- fighting men under an officer (2 Chr. 17:14), priests in an order (1 Chr. 23:11; 24:19); arrangement of Tabernacle (Nu 4:16[2x]). Office of one in charge of something (Ps 109:8) or officers (2 Ki. 11:18; Isa. 60:17). Usually pequddah means accounting when God attended to people's actions, usually to call them to account for their sins (Nu 16:29; Jer. 48:44). In Job 10:12 God's attention was for Job's good. Gilbrant - The verb pāqadh possesses the basic meaning or "to intervene" or "to muster," "to inspect." In the Qal, it can mean "to attend to," "to pay attention to," "to care for," "to punish," "to muster," "to assemble," "to record," "to enroll," "to commit," "to appoint," "to call to account" or "to avenge." In the Niphal stem, the word can be defined as "to be missed," "to be lacking," "to be appointed" or "to be called to account." The Piel and Pual define pāqadh as "to muster" and "to be mustered," respectively. The Hiphil translates the verb as "to appoint," "to entrust" or "to commit." Essentially meaning "intervention," "division," or "duty," pequddāh occurs thirty-two times in the OT. The noun is derived from pāqadh. In Middle Hebrew, the word means "custody." A cognate in Akkadian means "handing over" or "examination." Frequently, pequddāh refers to various positions of authority (Num. 3:32, 36; 2 Ki. 11:18; Isa. 60:17; Ezek. 44:11). For example, Eleazar was appointed as the chief leader over the Levites (Nu 3:32) and was to be in charge of the Tabernacle and everything in it (4:16). Elsewhere, the idea of punishment is indicated by pequddāh (Isa. 10:3; Jer. 8:12; 10:15; Hos. 9:7). On one occasion, God's kindness and providence in the life of Job is cited (Job 10:12). BDB 824, KB 3:958, NIDOTTE 3:657-63, Strong <H6486>, TWOT 2:731-32.(Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Zephaniah 1:9 “And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit. Legacy Standard Bible - “And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, Who fill the house of their Lord with violence and deceit. NET On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with wealth taken by violence and deceit. those: Or, "that leap over the threshold," by which is probably meant the Philistines, who, after the time that Dagon fell before the ark and was broken on the threshold, leaped over it when entering his temple. leap: 1Sa 5:5 which: 1Sa 2:15,16 2Ki 5:20-27 Ne 5:15 Pr 29:12 Ac 16:19 JUDGMENT OF LEAPING THRESHOLDS, VIOLENCE AND DECEIT And I will punish (paqad) on that day all who leap on the temple threshold - What day? The Day of Yahweh. The meaning of leaping on the temple threshold is unclear but suggests that they had as much, if not more, respect for the god Dagon and his insignia in the floor of the temple at Ashdod (1 Sam. 5:5) as they had for Yahweh. Note that punishment begins the household of faith as in the new testament (1Pe 4:17+). NET NOTE agrees"A ritual or superstition associated with the Philistine god Dagon may be in view (see 1 Sam 5:5)." John Hannah on leap on the temple threshold - All who avoid stepping on the threshold refers either to people who followed the Philistines’ superstition about not stepping on a threshold (1 Sam. 5:5) or perhaps more likely to those who suddenly leaped into others’ homes to pillage and steal. This is paralleled by the words violence and deceit. The gain of such robbery was then offered to pagan deities as objects of sacred worship. It was strange that pagan religious leaders condoned such violence and plundering. (See Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament - Page 1526) Believers Study Bible on leap on the temple threshold - "Those who leap over the threshold" (or "on the threshold"; the preposition in Hebrew can be translated either way) may be a reference to the priests and worshipers of the idol Dagon, who superstitiously abstained from treading on the temple's threshold, since it was there that the idol had fallen (see 1 Sam. 5:4, 5). More likely, however, they are servants of the rich who in their eagerness to devour "leap over thresholds" and plunder the property of others, especially of the poor. John Walton on leap on the temple threshold - The threshold was typically made of a single stone that spanned the doorway, raised slightly from the level of the floor. Sockets were cut into the outer edges of the threshold on which the gates or door swung. The height of the threshold would prevent the doors from swinging out. Entryways were often considered both sacred and vulnerable. Superstitious belief presumably held that stepping on the threshold would allow the demons that haunted the entryway to gain admission. Similar superstitions have continued in the Near East and the Far East from Syria to Iraq to China, but ancient information concerning this superstition is lacking. (page 795 IVP Bible Background Commentary: OT) Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit - NET - "who fill the house of their master with wealth taken by violence and deceit" Note that this evil is not in the streets but is literally in the presence of Yahweh. It is bold faced, brazen sin against the Holy One. This is how deeply sin will deceive you (Hebrews 3:13+)! Lightning should have fallen from Heaven but it did not because God wanted to first send a warning to His people, and Zephaniah was the man of the hour to carry out that role. Walter Kaiser - The paraphernalia of pagan Assyria that graced the walls and floors of the royal palace were nothing more than frauds and perversions of all that is true and holy. (See all three excellent chapters - Preacher's Commentary) J