“I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, with none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; there is no one, no inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction – so that her dwelling would not be cut off, despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.’” Zephaniah 3:6-7.
By telling the Jews that He was in their midst God is showing that He always had an internal witness within Jerusalem.
Yet, “they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.” Israel ignored God, the Creator of all things and persisted in worshipping and sacrificing their children to junk!
How these people were seduced into idolatry when they had blessings beyond any other nation around them is something that someone else may be able to answer, but I can only guess.
Initially God had set aside the Levites to be supported by the people and they in turn were to teach the people about the true and living God.
In time though the Levite parents ceased to raise their Levite children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This would turn out ignorant unbelievers too lazy to teach the people things that as teachers they did not believe or care about.
Instead, they became a bunch of sinful lay-abouts who collected their stipend and let the people drift into the dark abyss of superstition and then idolatry which fulfilled all their lusts.
The idolatry could only have gotten worse over the years as the priests, judges, prophets, and officials became nothing but evil beasts who fed on the helpless among the people.
Once ensnared by the devil it is hard to get free.
Today we have atheists instead of so much idolatry. There is no such thing as an atheist among any of them only God haters.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” Romans 1:18-22.
Later in Romans chapter 1 atheists and people like them are characterized as, among many other things:
“…backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents…” Romans 1:30.
Militant atheists are not atheists, they are haters of God.
It is evil like this that caused nations to be completely cut off by God in the past. Streets are desolate, with no one passing by; these cities are destroyed with no inhabitants. Many of them become permanently deserted.
Nineveh still was in power when Zephaniah prophesied against Jerusalem. Yet this city of the Assyrians, which was about 60 miles across and had walls 100 feet high and wide enough for chariots to ride around three abreast, was demolished and lost to archeologists until it was found in the 1800’s.
The ancient city of Babylon was after many centuries, demolished and abandoned until recently when Saddam Hussein started rebuilding it before his execution. However, that has not stopped the rebuilding of the city of Babylon, though I cannot say what progress has been made since.
The Hittites which were in power from about 1700 B.C. until destroyed circa 1200 B.C. about 600 years before the book of Zephaniah was written.
The Hittites occupied territory which is in Turkey their holdings also included the cities of Aleppo and Carchemish. They were powerful enough to raid other city states and raided and destroyed both Aleppo and Babylon, both of which were rebuilt.
The Hittites were harassed by raiders from other peoples at a time when their kings were basically incompetent; when they were weak, they were finished off by the Assyrians. I have also read that this was also at a time when the men started wearing women’s clothing.
The Hittites were for many years considered a Bible myth until artifacts were found in the late 1800’s and another Bible “myth” was found to be true.
Hrappa and the city of Mohenjo-daro are both on the Indus River and are two ancient cities in modern day Pakistan which were destroyed long before the book of Zephaniah was written and probably unknown by Israel. Still, they are examples of God’s judgment on the ungodly.
Hrappa existed from circa 3300 B.C. to 1300 B.C. little is known about this city and its demise.
Examination of the remains of these people showed a history of violence because of an extreme number of injuries, disease was also prevalent, and it is thought that this civilization died out due to injury and disease.
Mohenjo-daro existed from circa 2500 B.C. to 1900 B.C. Mohenjo-daro is not the actual name of this city interestingly enough because the name Mohenjo-daro which was given later on means “Mound of the Dead Men”. It is felt that flooding of the Indus was the cause of the city’s end, but the name gives one pause.
There is a theory that the city was invaded by Aryans who were expanding into India itself. The word that the Aryans used for war by the way means, “need for cattle”. There has to be a plausible excuse to kill people, I guess.
Both Hrappa and Mohenjo-daro were cities which were carefully laid out, though not identically. Many of the buildings were similar and they even had channels for their wastewater to drain into covered drains which lined major streets. You would not think this of such ancient cities.
Mohenjo-daro was lost for 3700 years until it was discovered again in 1919-20 A.D.
And what of the Mayan civilization circa 2600 B.C. to 1697 A.D. which mysteriously began to die out well before the Spanish invaders conquered them in 1697 A.D.
Along with the Mayan’s amazing developments in mathematics and astronomy with an advanced civilization which is now buried in the jungle they had a particularly cruel streak.
Like the Aztecs the Mayans engaged in human sacrifice by cutting the heart out of their prisoners, with the added feature of the ghastly torture of their more important prisoners before the ritual death.
The Aztec civilization ran from circa 1300 A.D. to when they too were conquered by the Spaniards in 1521 A.D. Just like the Mayans, the Aztec’s religion called for human sacrifice. Usually of prisoners they had taken in raids and warfare these were taken to the priests and had their hearts ritually cut out while still beating.
Though the number is disputed, the Aztecs claim to having killed 80,400 men in this manner within a period of four days. It is demonized and demon crazed populations like this who have rejected the living and true God that brings the wrath of God down on them.
Well, we have mentally walked through two graveyards and noted the graves of men (The Tyrannical City, Part 4A, 7-15-24) and the graves of civilizations, can anything speak more loudly of the frailty of men and of entire nations.
“O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this. When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever.” Psalm 92: 5-7.
When God calls out to Jerusalem and says:
“I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, with none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; there is no one, no inhabitant.” Zephaniah 3:6.
You would think that Jerusalem would repent, especially after the northern kingdom of Israel was carried off less than a hundred years earlier by the Assyrians who were easily as cruel as the Aztecs or the Mayans.
Yet the survivors in Jerusalem would cling to their own self-righteousness and idolatry right up to the destruction of their temple and having the majority of the people carried away prisoners. And still, they will rebel and cling to their gods.
“I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction’ – so that her dwelling would not be cut off, despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.” Zephaniah 3:7.
God’s question “Surely you will fear Me” is a rhetorical one since God is omniscient. The question is for our sake as we consider the chapter; surely the people of Israel would fear God after considering all these things?
Yet for all the words of God spoken by Zephaniah to the people, “they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.” There was no change of heart and no change of direction.
The officials, the roaring lions, continued to tear their weaker brothers to pieces along with the widows and orphans among them. The judges, like starving wolves violently eviscerated the helpless, and crushed their bones.
The prophets and teachers continued to lie to the naïve for profit. And the priests rolled in their own filth like so many swine.
And everyone continued to serve their abominable idols defiling themselves before them and sacrificing their children to them. While they imagine, “God surely will not judge us, His chosen people”.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” Luke 13:34.
The Tyrannical City, Part 4B taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 4-12-17, updated on 7-18-24 ck.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.