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A sharp scolding of Text: Zephaniah 3:1 – 7
a. The cry comes from God’s prophets and ministers and the people refuse to hear. b. John Gill said the following: “The inhabitants of Jerusalem hearkened not to the voice of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, who gave notice of his coming; nor to the voice of Christ himself, who stretched out his hand all the day to a disobedient and gainsaying people; nor to the voice of his apostles, whose doctrines they contradicted and blasphemed; and put away the word of God from them, thereby judging themselves unworthy of eternal life.” c. When people refuse to hear truth and obey truth then they “obeyed not the voice”. d. Luke 6:49 “But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
a. Jeremiah 5:3 “O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.” b. What ever destruction the Lord sent them in correction it did not good. c. There are many Christians today who suffer but never learn why God permits it. - God never lets anything happen to His own unless there is a purpose behind it.
a.
J. Vernon McGee said. “The city had no trust in Him
at all but looked to something else. When the modern nation of b. John Gill said: “they trusted in the law of Moses, and in their obedience to it; in their rites and ceremonies, and in the observance of them, and the traditions of their elders; they trusted in the flesh, in their carnal privileges; in their own legal righteousness, and in themselves, that they were righteous, and despised others; and particularly the righteousness of Christ they submitted not unto; they trusted not in him, nor in that; though they were told, that, if they believed not that he was the Messiah, they should die in their sins:” c. Man today trust in what they can do and see but not in God, trusting in God is to walk by faith not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”
a. Deuteronomy 4:7 “For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?” b. She did not worship Him; she did not walk in His ways; she did not make prayer and supplication to Him. She simply had no faith in Him. Exodus 32:8 “They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” c. Today we see men are not running to God but rather they are running from Him as fast as they possibly can. d. Hosea 7:13 “Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.” e. Just as they fled the Lord Jesus. John 6:66 “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” f. 1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
a. “…are roaring lions…” Which hunt for prey, and are ever affrighting or devouring. They want you afraid so that you will freeze in place and be afraid to advance. b. These are the same people who demanded the Lord Jesus be crucified. These are the same people who demand we stop preaching truth. c. They hate and destroy everyone in their way. Proverbs 28:15 “As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.”
a. A judge would be one who pronounces a sentence or one who makes law. Here the Lord says they are willing to work day and night -- not for the people but for themselves. b. They have no fear of God, they are selfish and want for themselves money, power, and authority and will destroy anyone in their way. Luke 18:2 “Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:” c. Just as the prey in the forest will fear lions and wolves Satan want God’s people to fear his people.
a. They will prepare law in the night behind closed doors that will eat the flesh to the bone, and when you wake in the morning ou will be a skeleton. b. They have done nothing for the people, but every law is designed to profit them, their greed. c. Isaiah 56:11 “Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” d. Ezekiel 22:27 “Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.” e. 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
a. John Gill defines it this way: “these seem to design the lawyers spoken of in the New Testament, whose business it was to interpret the law to the people; these were "light" men, good for nothing, of no worth and value; light in knowledge, men of no brains; empty headed men, that had no substantial knowledge; giddy, unstable, and inconstant, and compliant with the humours and vices of the people; men of no gravity in their countenance, speech, and conversation.” b. Not only is the government condemning God and His word but so is religion. c. They do not adhere to the scriptures, they give a passage and babble about nothing of value.
a. The word treacherous speaks of them as false to Jehovah God. They not only know nothing of God’s word they are deceivers. b. Jeremiah 23:29-32 “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? (30.) Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. (31.) Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. (32.) Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. c. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. (14.) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
a. The word polluted comes from the Greek word châlal (pronounced khaw-lal') and means - to wound, to dissolve; figuratively to profane a thing. Strong’s compares it to châlâh (pronounced khaw-law' which means to be weak, sick, afflicted. b. The definition “to dissolve” would fit a lot of churches today because it means - to fade away gradually and disappear, or make something do this. c. Men seeking their own glory have destroyed the Lord’s churches. d. The Lord has rules for a church, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (7.)Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: (8.) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Galatians 5:7, 9 - 10 “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? (9.) A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (10.) I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. e.
We hear the Lord’s warning to the seven church at f. 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 “Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. (2.) For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (3.) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (4.) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”
a. The word “violence” means to maltreat: - make bare, shake off, or take away violently b. The Adam Clarke's Commentary - “They have forced wrong constructions on it in order to excuse themselves, and lull the people into spiritual slumber. So we find that it was an ancient practice for men to alter the meaning of the Scriptures to their own destruction.” c. J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible Says: “they did not interpret it accurately. In fact, they did violence to it by omitting the teaching of the Word of God. "The law" here means the total Word of God.” d. 2 Chronicles 36:16 “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” e. Isaiah 30:9 “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:” f. Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” g. Mark 7:9 “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”
a. “In the midst” means God was among them, the just God saw their rebellion and wrong doing, and that they were doing it in His name. b. It appears that since God does not judge them then He approves of their doing, however He does not. c. “…he will not do iniquity…” God will not approve nor will He join and bless their doings. Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
a. The Lord has warned them, most know truth and still preach to please man and not God. b. They hear of Gods warning from his men but rather than turn back to truth laugh and ignore truth. c.
“but the unjust knoweth no shame.” Churches that load themselves down
with unrighteous people know no shame. The Pastors do however refuse to
rebuke them. God is not at all happy with them. Isaiah 1:4 “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a
seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD,
they have provoked the Holy One of d. Job 19:29 “Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.”
a.
The Lord allowed them to lay in the vomit they laid
themselves in. They no longer deserved God hand of grace. b.
c. The Lord goes on to say “…their towers are desolate…” I have remover their watchtowers.
a. That have become worthless to the Lord, sinfulness has taken over. b. Homosexual sin, abortion, the banning of God and His words have became illegal. c. Their streets have become dangerous. d. The nation is no longer one nation under God, but rather one of many nations against God.
a. God has cursed people before and they are still cursed today. b. God has punished our nation before, but we did not heed the warning. c. Did it do any good! “…but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.” They will never turn back. d. Adam Clarke's Commentary – “And instead of returning to God, they practiced every abomination. They were diligent to find out times and places for their iniquity. This is the worst state of man.” e. Genesis 6:12 “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” |