Zephaniah 2 - Judgment on the Nations

(vs. 1-3) These verses are a final call to repentance for Judah before God proclaims judgment against the Gentile nations

• This warning is both to the sinful and the repentant (vs. 3) Jews.  It is said that the meek, righteous, and humble may be hidden from God’s anger

• God gives them 2 commands - Seek righteousness and seek humility 

  • To seek righteousness - 

    • To have resounding faith in Christ and not in our own works

    • To desire to be obedient to God’s Word

  • To seek humility - 

    • To acknowledge our weakness before God and our need for His redemptive power

(vs. 4-15) God’s judgment on the surrounding nations for their sins and deeds against the Jewish people

• (vs. 4-7) God proclaims judgment to the Philistines, also known as the Cherethites - the nation of the West

  • Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron (Philistine cities) - would be forsaken, desolate, driven out, and rooted up

  • They would be utterly destroyed and their land would be used by Judah for pasture

• (vs. 8-11) God now proclaims judgment Moab and Ammon - the nations of the East

  • The Moabites and Ammonites were boasting against the Jews and treating them badly.  Due to their pride and bad actions, God proclaimed destruction against them

  • The remnant of the Jews (more information in Chapter 3) who survived God’s judgment would later come to dwell in the land of the Moabites and Ammonites

  • God proclaimed that Moab and Ammon would be destroyed in the same way as Sodom and Gomorrah.  

    • These nations were the product of the incestuous relationship of Lot and his daughters following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

  • God will reduce their gods to nothing and the people would see that He is the only true God

• (vs. 12) God proclaims judgment against the Cushites/Ethiopians - the nation of the South 

  • The Ethiopians had allied with the Egyptians against the Israelites, so they were receiving punishment 

• (vs. 13-15) God proclaims judgment against the Assyrians - the nation of the North 

  • Ninevah, the capital city of the Assyrian kingdom, would be destroyed to the point of it only being inhabited by animals and birds 

  • The kingdom said, “I am it, and there is none besides me.”  This pride led to their downfall 

What can we learn from this chapter?

• God will punish those who go against His people, even if it is the whole rest of the world.  This can be seen in that the nations that were punished were in all directions - nations of the West, East, South, and North.  

• God judges the nations, but He will judge His children first for their sin before turning against the Gentile nations.