A message the Lord God
revealed to Zephaniah the prophet:
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger. For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Askhelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts. The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.-Zephaniah 2:1-11***The people of the Lord of hosts are the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. Zephaniah was an Israelite and a prophet of the Lord God. King Josiah was an Israelite and the 15th king to rule Judah, the southern nation in the Promised Land, the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham (Abram the Hebrew), and to Abraham's son Isaac, and to Isaac's youngest fraternal twin son Jacob (Israel), and to their descendants. Approximately 70 years before Josiah was born, the Assyrians invaded the northern nation of Israel in the Promised Land and conquered the royal city, Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. During Josiah's reign, Zephaniah proclaimed the words of the Lord God to the Israelites. The Lord God gave Zephaniah messages regarding the great day of the Lord, and the events to occur on that day, and messages about the Cherethites, Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Canaan, and the children of Moab and Ammon..The Cherethites (Cherethim) were associated and identified with the Philistines and the Cretans (Cretes/Cretians) of Crete. A group of Cherethites were loyal to Josiah's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather King David, the 2nd king to reign over all of the Israelites in the Promised Land. Before the Lord God promised to give Canaan to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Philistines and other idol worshiping inhabitants were living throughout the land. Joshua was an Israelite from the tribe of Ephraim, descended from Jacob and his 2nd wife Rachel, their firstborn son Joseph and his wife Asenath, and Joseph and Asenath's 2nd born son Ephraim, whom Jacob proclaimed to be his own son. After Joshua led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the Promised Land, the Philistines and other idol worshipers continued living throughout the land and were enemies of the Israelites. Gaza, Ashkelon (Askelon), Ashdod, and Ekron, were principal cities of the Philistines, and were located in the portion of the Promised Land allotted to the tribe of Judah, the tribe of David and Josiah's birth. David, Josiah and their fellow Israelites descended from Abraham and Sarah (Sarai), their father Terah, Terah's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Shem, and Shem's father Noah the ark builder. The Philistines descended from Noah's son Ham, Ham's son Mizraim, and Mizraim's son Casluhim. Moab and Ben-ammi, the forefathers of the Moabites and Ammonites, were the sons born to Abraham and Sarah's nephew Lot and Lot's daughters. The Moabites and Ammonites were enemies of the Israelites. Jehoiakim (Eliakim), the son born to Josiah and Zebudah, was the 17th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiakim's reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) invaded Judah and Jerusalem and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, began looting the temple of the Lord. Jehoiachin (Jeconiah/Coniah), the son born to Jehoiakim and Nehushta, was the 18th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiachin's reign, the Babylonians took more prominent Israelites, including Jehoiachin, his wives and mother, to Babylon. Zedekiah (Mattaniah), the son born to Josiah and Hamutal, was the 19th king to rule Judah. During the 11th year of Zedekiah's reign, the Babylonians conquered the royal city, Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem, approximately 6 miles from Jerusalem, into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by Mary's relative John the Baptist, from the tribe of Jacob's 3rd born son Levi. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites. When Jesus was upon the Mount of Olives, Jesus spoke to at least 4 of his disciples and apostles of his return to the world and the end of the present age.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 15:1-63, 23:1-24:33, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 7:20-29, 10:1-29:30, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Zephaniah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
Reference Information:
breeding = mimsaq/mimshaq = overrun with, possession
famish = razah = reduce to nothing, to be lean, make thin
nettles = harul/charul/kharul = weeds
terrible = nowra = yare = to fear, revere, or make afraid, awesome
Reference Scriptures:
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.-Genesis 19:24-25
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