Zephaniah 3:1-8, Judah Is Incorrigible

To be incorrigible is to be “not capable of being cured or reformed,” like a “criminal who should spend the rest of his life behind bars” (Merriam-Webster). Though Yahweh appealed to Judah for repentance, it seems she would not “draw near her God.” And so He resigns Himself to seeing her destruction through.

^3:1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! ² She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in Yahweh, she does not draw near to her God. ³ Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. ⁴ Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. ⁵ Yahweh within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
⁶ “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. ⁷ Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. ⁸ Therefore wait for me,” declares Yahweh, “for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them—all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

The “city of oppressors” is Jerusalem, Judah’s capital. She incorrigibly “accepts no correction,” and refuses to trust in Yahweh or draw near to Him. Like a strong-willed child who will have nothing to do with his parent, Judah resists Yahweh.

Once again Judah’s leaders are pointed to as particularly guilty. They should be serving those they lead, but instead are like animals of prey, seeking to devour their people. Rulers, prophets, and priests alike fail at their assigned tasks. They have no principles, don’t safeguard their people, and have no sense of what is holy and righteous. Nevertheless, Yahweh is righteous within her. His righteousness has been manifested through the messages of His prophets and the righteous judgments of those loyal to Him. And it has been seen in His judgments against the nations.

He has, in fact, destroyed the wickedness of nations, thinking Judah would see this and be warned and they would repent. But He will have to follow through on destroying the holy city, Jerusalem, which was their place of refuge. He cannot but vent His “fierce anger” on all the nations, Judah included, and so bring about this terrible consuming of the whole world.

One thinks of the words of Jesus, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37).