Text: Zephaniah 3:1-20
Zephaniah has prophesied against evil nations (vv.1-7), and now he turns to pronounce punishment upon Jerusalem and four groups of leaders who are singled out: 1. Princes; (2). Judges; 3. Prophets and 4. Priests. The priests pretended to serve God yet they did not (vv. 3-5). They could not learn from the punishment that God had inflicted on their neighbouring nations (vv.6-7).
Zephaniah makes a transition in that God will settle with the humble (vv.11- 12). They will be rewarded for trusting Him other than in themselves. That the Lord came to live among them and their enemies will be chased away. God cannot be with us unless we humble ourselves and faithfully follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as we obey His commands (vv.14-18). For God to “take away the judgments against you” (vv.15, EVS), the prophecy has been fulfilled in Christ, for He satisfied God’s judgement against you and defeated God’s enemies through His death on the cross (Rom. 3:23-25; Col. 2:15). Zephaniah mentioned the King of Israel in the midst of the people (v.15), pointing people to Christ who will be the King of Israel (John 1:49).
Praise the Lord, Zephaniah who had begun with doom, concludes his prophesy with the message of hope (v.20). The new day is coming when Christ, the messiah will return and Jews gather again, and will become the source of blessing to the world as it had been originally intended (Deut. 26:18-19; Isaiah 62:7).
Meditate on verse 15. How are you going to respond to it?
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, thank You, for in Christ’s death, You took away the punishment I deserved. Amen.