The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah — Section 35

Vers. 4-7.-The doom ef the Philistines. The prophet, having declo.red the judgmente to come upon Judah, turned his thoughts to the surrounding bee.then nations and proclaimed the doom they should experience. Several reasons probo.bly influenced him in taking this sur.-ey and in calling attention to the chastisements inflicted upon other lands. (1) A. desire to make it clear to his people that with God there is no respect of persons; (2) that wrong-doing works evil issues wherever it is pt·actised; (3) to make vivid to them that the dark clouds of retribution were gathering, e.nd so to rouse them out of their 11.pathy and to stimulate them to return to righteousness of life. In referring thus to the heathen, he began with the Philistines, the natural enemies of his nation. We have here- I. A. SOLEMN DECLARATION OF DIVINE JUDGMENTS TO BE EXE0UTED AGAINST EVIL- DOERS, 1. The nation referred to was the.t of the Philistines. They were very influential in Pa.Jestine. Occupying the coast, they were in possession of the trade carried on with Europe e.nd .Asia.. Besides this transit trade, they had vast internal resources. They were given to agriculture, and hence we read that the Israelites had to go to the Philistines "to sharpen every me.n his share and his coulter, his axe and his mattock." In their prosperity they built their five great cities, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. They were warlike and idolatrous, and through their self-sufficiency 11.nd boastfulness, their tyranny and oppression, together with their idol-worship, they became offensive in the sight of Heaven. 2. The judgmente here declared as about to overtake them. Their cities should be destroyed, their land rendered desolate, their inhabitants should be removed, the busy tract by the sea, where once trade and commerce flourished, should become pastures and folds for sheep, e.nd where once stood the abodes of prosperous merchants, the humble shepherds should construct their huts (vers. 4-6). 3. The fulfilment is unquestionable; the word of the Lord by the mouth of his holy prophet has been amply verified. It is true that the Gaza of t~day is e. populous town, and hence those ready to carp and cavil have urged that Gaza bas not been forsaken. But the rnins which have been found and explored within a mile or two of modern Gaze. indicate the site of the ancient city, and tell how that city he.s indeed, like the others, passed away. "The Word of our God shall stand for ever." !I. A Tn""llEB ASSUllANCE OF DIVINE MERCY TO BE MANIFESTED TOWABDSTHE FAITH- FUL. In terms of exquisite beauty and gracious tenderness he represents the faithful servants of Heaven, "the remnant of Judah," as visited by God in the midst of their dark experiences, brought by him out of captivity and conducted by his guiding hand to the green pastures, where the~ wants a.re fully supplied by day, and to quiet resting- pla.ces, where by night they may lie down and repose in perfect security, as being under the Divine Shepherd's guardian ea.re (ver. 7). The verse has been ta.ken by some literally, and they have either seen its fulfilment in the return of the pious Jews after captivity in Babylon, or they look on to the fulfilment in the conversion of the Jews and their restoration to their own land; whilst others are content with recognizing in the words a confident a~surance and a beautiful symbolical picture of that ultimate peace and security and abundance which all the ransomed of the Lord she.11 enjoy. Certain it is that we may take the seer's stern words pronouncing the doom of the Philistines as conveying a clear intimation that evil-doing shall assuredly be followed by Divine retribution, whilst from his words of promise to the faithful we may draw the encouraging and inspiring consciousness that the faithful and God-fearing shall be sustained and comforted in present sorrow, and shall at length emerge out of the gloom and the darkness into the sunshine of a true prosperity. ()I[, II, 1-16.) THE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH. 33