This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.

Zephaniah 2:4-15

This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist. Zephaniah 2:15

I continue my study of Zephaniah using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zephaniah 2:4-15, which is the text for the first division for the next chapter of the commentary, which includes two divisions.  The first division covers 2:4-15 and the commentary further breaks this down into nine subdivisions - and I tackle the last four today.

• The Gentile gods will be proven powerless in the face of Yahweh (2:11): "This God whom they have treated as a false god or an impotent god will be known for who He is: the God of the universe. He will do so by exerting His authority and sovereignty over every other so-called god. Each god who is an object of worship will join with its worshippers and bow at the feet of the one true God. All of this points to a progression that plays out not just in the book of Zephaniah but over and over again throughout human history. Man bows to his pride. Man assumes a position of self-sufficiency. God reveals man for who he is: small, insignificant, and in need of a savior."
  
• The pride of the Gentiles will be their undoing (2:10): "Verse 10 points out that they were behaving as enemies of God because they had surrendered to their pride. Their taunting is rooted in their belief that they are the supreme object in the world. Not only are they filled with pride, but their pride has blinded them to truth. This is why Augustine and Bonhoeffer, among others, have claimed pride as the chief of every other sin...From Satan’s fall out of heaven to our contemporary sins, pride is pervasive and fundamental to every sin we engage in." See also Matthew 5:21-22 for Jesus' view on this sin. "It is hard to overstate the significance of pride in relationship to the rest of our spiritual condition. Fundamentally, what makes pride so damaging is its inherent blasphemy. It claims that God is not God and that we are. It denies what is the central reality of the universe and creates the justification for every other sin that proceeds from it."   
  
• The Gentile taunting of God’s people is an affront to God Himself (2:10): See Proverbs 16:5, 16:18, Obadiah 3-4, 1 Corinthians 10:12, 1 Timothy 6:4, and James 4:6 for scripture where God "vigorously confronts and condemns pride." 
  
• Self-confidence betrays a false security that will lead to shame and destruction (2:15): "When one is steeped in pride, the natural next step is to extrapolate from that our self-sufficiency. This is precisely why God condemns the enemies of Judah....This self-centered, self-confident perspective on life has become somewhat synonymous with our culture. As we have become increasingly self-focused, this ethos has grown louder and louder. Ultimately, self-sufficiency is self-worship. It is a grievous form of idolatry that exalts ourselves to the level of highest order in the universe...God loves humanity and has a plan to help humanity flourish. At the foundation of His plan is a call to faith in Him, resting on a denial of self."  See also Philippians 3:1-7. "Of course, in contemporary society we can learn from the sin of the enemies of God that Zephaniah was addressing. Because of Christ we can turn away from self-confidence and pride and reject the false hope that is contained within. We can take the risk of rejecting self because Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection have secured for us an alternative future, a far more hopeful future." See also Galatians 2:19-20.  "Finally, at the end of verse 15, we read that the judgment of God, in response to the pride and self-sufficiency of Judah’s enemies, will bring them to nothing, making them a laughingstock among those who pass by them. As we said earlier, this follows this pattern of pride, self-sufficiency, and then God’s work to bring humility and compel us to see our dependence."  See also Mark 10:21:22. "In Zephaniah 2 we have no indication that the enemies of God did anything other than oppose God, but that does not negate the good work of God in bringing justice, which also reveals our need and pushes us to trust in Him."
  

Regardless of what we all may think, we are all broken, fallen, and sinful, in need of a Savior.  Turn away from worship of self (pride) or other idols and worship Jesus, who offers life to the full now and for eternity!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God like no other - offering amazing grace and salvation to all.  Thank You for making me one of Your elect.  I am not deserving of such a gift and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.