God’s Warning

God’s Warning

In Zephaniah’s day, the people of Judah had grown deaf to the periodic warnings of the Lord concerning the imminent shipwreck of their nation. Occasionally He took extreme measures to shake them out of their complacency, to no avail. For example, he “cut off” entire nations and cities (Zeph. 3:6), including Israel, as an example of the judgment waiting for them. He felt that perhaps this would cause His people to “receive instruction” before it was too late (3:7). Yet despite the Lord’s every effort, Judah remained stubbornly “rebellious and polluted,” refusing to receive correction (3:1, 2). Princes, prophets, judges, and priests persisted in their evil ways, oblivious to God’s urgent warnings of danger ahead (3:3, 4).