If I have ever heard the Lord “reasoning” with people, this Text today is paramount. What I think is happening is this. Our Lord, talking to the people of Judah (through the Prophet Zephaniah) asks them to consider the nations recently brought into judgment (some even having been destroyed) … because of their sins! Then God thinks out loud, “Once my people see how I’ve justly (yet severely) treated other wayward nations … they will ‘shape up’ in a hurry. To spare themselves such devastation.” Then God laments, “Yet you of Judah have kept on sinning and sinning anyway, vigorously so!”

Now here’s the beautiful King James Text, Zephaniah 3:6-7. “I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.”

Wow!

This little 2 verse Unit is astounding!

What an admonition to “learn” from history!

Look at God’s “list,” the things He has done to the numerous peoples (plural because of their different ethnic backgrounds) who have rebelled against His Righteousness. “I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.”

Let’s “number” the actions:

1. “Cut off” (in Hebrew “karath”) meaning “to destroy!”
2. “Towers made desolate” meaning their “lookouts” and “military strongholds” have been “laid waste.”
3. “Streets” also “made waste,” this time using “charab,” meaning “dried up, caused to decay!”
4. “None pass by,” visitors are no more, populations of course dwindling as well!
5. “Cities destroyed” (in Hebrew tzsadah”) meaning “hunted down and killed!”
6. Then, finally, “no inhabitant” at all, total annihilation of the people. Perhaps they have all died, or maybe have been deported, but no one lives in their respective homelands any longer!

The List is thorough!

Surely, God believes, Judah will take note!

History does tell a “story!”

The Text continues, God still being the Speaker:  I said, Surely thou (Judah) wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.”

Let’s make a “list” again:

1. God is sure Judah will now “fear” Him, worship Him, obey Him.
2. She will “receive instruction,” or “accept My chastening.”
3. But Judah did not properly respond to the Lord. She in fact continued “to corrupt” her doings! Meaning “to spoil,” or even “to pervert!”

The Lord is left no choice!

He must judge even His Own people. He is no “Respecter of Persons” we all know.

This, so far, may be my favorite Passage from Zephaniah!

Let me ask you to read it (both verses) one more time: “I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.”

The Bible, what a Book!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell