Zephaniah 1:8

Zephaniah — his name means "Treasured of Jehovah" — prophesied in the days of Josiah. Josiah was a godly king, and his faith and energy had produced a clear revival in the outward state of Israel. But this book takes no notice of that revival. It goes straight to a declaration of God's sweeping judgment, in which He consumes everything from the land. The revival was outward only. At heart the nation stayed exactly as it was, and this became clear as soon as Josiah died.

The prophet Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah. He had something special to say about the young princes, and about the king's children. He spoke about those very young men who would soon be kings, and about their sisters too… These are days when our young people are strongly tempted to wear strange clothes. But they will do well, and their parents will do well, to remember this. Strange clothes were part of the cause of the terrible downfall of the Kingdom of Judah.

We saw that the beginning of Israel's history in their own land was spoiled by a Babylonian garment (Joshua 7:21). How strange that a Babylonian garment also brings that history to a close. Babylon speaks to us of the world… In the early days of Israel's history there was spiritual energy to put the evil away. But even in the days of Josiah, even in his own family, there was no such energy. The king's children wore that strange, foreign clothing in the open. In the early days it was hidden in a tent. Now it was worn boldly and openly — the badge and mark and proof of where their hearts belonged.

In this day of the Babylonian, which we are looking at with Zephaniah, everything is judged. There is Judah, and there is Jerusalem. There are the peoples around them: Edom, the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Ethiopians and the Assyrians. North, south, east and west, all come in for this common and complete exposure, down to the smallest detail. The remnant of Baal, the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, idolaters, those who swear by the Lord and by Malcham, the backsliders and the careless, and those who wear strange clothes — God visits each one on his own… Nothing escapes.

The day of the Lord is at hand. That statement confirms our reading: this prophecy points to the future day. The Lord has prepared His sacrifice and invited His guests. It is the supper of the great God… Read Revelation 19:17-18 alongside this. Verses 8-13 describe what that day will bring. The Lord will deal with all the evildoers.

Where truth is high and practice is low, no one can testify honestly to the day of Jehovah… If we were truthful, with hearts exercised by His grace, we would wait for Christ freely and gladly. And we would not knowingly allow anything that goes against His mind and would call forth His judgment. For instance, we often find this self-deceit in a Christian who lives in worldliness. It leads him to say that at least his heart is not in it.