“On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.
Zephaniah points to a day still ahead. On that day Jerusalem's shame will be gone, and so will the proud who boasted in God's holy mountain. Two questions run through the verse: when is that day, and why must the proud go before blessing comes?
The Day in View
Kelly ties this promise to a coming age, not to the present one.
William KellyAlong with God's judgment of the nations there will be a new heart for Israel, and on Jerusalem the glory will be a defence. Then the tide of divine mercy returns, when the promises are fulfilled in full and established forever. It is the fruit of grace, without doubt; but it shows a lack of understanding to see in this a picture of the gospel state. We must leave room for the varied dealings of God according to His word. It is the new age, not the present evil age.
What Comes First
The verse opens with "on that day." Grant traces what leads up to it, and Jerusalem is not spared.
Frederick W GrantThe day of the Lord is upon all the earth, a day of wrath because of man's sin; and in the middle of the judgment of the nations, can Jerusalem possibly escape? No! And yet divine love will have its way too: "All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy;" but then I will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent.
Shame Lifted, Repentance Kept
Kelly weighs what this promise does and does not take away.
William KellyIn that day shame for the past will be taken from the Jews: not, of course, that they shall not deeply mourn and truly repent, but the reproach shall be removed from them. Their empty self-exaltation shall disappear, and they shall be the meek of the earth.
Darby adds what happens to the record, and to the people left in the city:
J. N. DarbyJerusalem would no longer remember her shame. God would blot out her transgressions completely. He would take the proud away from among her. A humble and despised people would live in her, and Jehovah alone would be their refuge.
Haughty Because of a Holy Place
The pride named here is a boast built on God's own mountain. One writer names the type of person God removes, and describes who takes their place.
The Christian's FriendThen we have God's separating judgment and the blessed effect in the souls of those who bow under His mighty hand: "I will take away out of the midst of you those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall be no more haughty [as, for example, the Pharisees were] because of My holy mountain." And now notice that what is least and most despised among men is where God finds His pleasure. It is a "poor and afflicted people" who shall be left in the midst of Jerusalem — a people poor in spirit and contrite before God because of the many sorrows through which they have passed.
Why the Proud Must Go
Kelly reads the humbling as preparation for a throne.
William KellyThere must be moral integrity as well as true lowliness before they can be entrusted with the throne. They are destined to have the first dominion. Before that they will know a humbling, not only in their circumstances but by grace in their spirit, and this will fit them for their future greatness.
The Same Two Types Today
The contrast between the haughty and the lowly is not confined to Israel's future. One commentator finds both groups in a New Testament church.
F. B. HoleThe rebuking and chastening of the Lord are an expression of His grace. This point comes to light in Scripture from the early days of Job. Yet it is easily overlooked if we catch the spirit of self-satisfaction that marked Laodicea. There was a minority who were like that "afflicted and poor people" of whom we read in Zephaniah 3:12. These are in contrast with "those who rejoice in your pride" and are "haughty," spoken of in the previous verse. The majority at Laodicea were of this haughty type, yet they did not come under the rebuking and chastening as the minority did.
Summary
- Midst, cleared. Judgment on the nations comes first. Only then does God clear the proud out of His city. Blessing comes through sifting, not through slow improvement.
- Midst, forgiven. God lifts the shame of the past and blots out the record. Real mourning and repentance remain.
- Midst, humbled. God judges pride in privilege — the boast in His own holy mountain, the error of the Pharisees.
- Midst, filled. What replaces the proud is a poor and contrite people whose only refuge is the Lord Himself.
- Midst, fitted. The humbling is preparation. A lowly spirit is what fits them for the dominion still to come.