Zephaniah 2:4 - Meaning and Application

The prophet here foretells what part the surrounding nations will have in the destruction that Nebuchadnezzar and his victorious Chaldeans will bring on that region. Other prophets spoke the same way in that time. This warning had two purposes. It was meant to wake up the people of Judah by showing them how strong, deep, and wide the coming disaster would be, so the day of the Lord, which was near, would seem more serious and they would get ready for it as for a great flood. It was also meant to comfort them with the thought that their trouble, though painful, would not be unique. Even more, though God had seemed to be against them, he was still their friend in this sense, and the enemy of their enemies, because he noticed and would punish the shame done to them.

These verses give the judgment on the Philistines, who lived near Judah and had long been enemies of Israel. Their land had five chief cities, but only four are named here, Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron. Gath, the fifth, is not named, and some think that was because it was already under Judah’s control. They are described as living on the seacoast, because their land was beside the Great Sea. The nation of the Cherethites, a nearby people, is joined with them and said to fall with them, as Ezekiel also foretold (Ezekiel 25:16).

Their land is called Canaan here, because it belonged to the land God had given to Israel and had included in Israel’s inheritance (Joshua 13:3). It is still spoken of as something to be possessed, because the Philistines were wrongly keeping Israel out of what God had given them (Judges 3:3). That wrong is now brought back to mind. Even if someone holds another person’s rightful place for a long time, the righteous God will at last punish the injustice.

The Philistines, then, are to be stripped of what they stole and completely cut off. In general, there is a warning of woe against them (Zephaniah 2:5). A word from God means full misery when it is a word of judgment. The Lord’s word is against them, as the earlier prophets had said, and though the warning had not yet come true, it would come in its time (Isaiah 14:31). That same word now comes through this prophet. Those are truly in a terrible state who have the Lord’s word against them, because none of his words fail. Those who rebel against God’s commands will also face the threats in his word.

Their ruin will be complete. God himself says, “I will destroy you.” He alone can carry out what he says. The destruction will reach the whole land, both the cities and the countryside. Gaza will be abandoned, though it is now a busy city. Jeremiah had foretold that baldness would come upon Gaza (Jeremiah 47:6), and Alexander the Great later destroyed it. We also read that Gaza was a desert place (Acts 8:26). Ashkelon will become a ruin, a clear example of desolation. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, when the heat is strongest and people most need shade and shelter. At that very time they will be forced into exile, which makes the judgment even harsher. Ekron, which had long been taking root, will be uprooted too. The land of the Philistines will be emptied of its people. There will be no inhabitant there (Zephaniah 2:5).

God made the earth to be lived in (Isaiah 45:18), and he would not have made it for nothing. But if people do not use their life to serve him, it is right for God to withhold the land from them as a home. Human sin has at times brought this emptiness on the world.

This destruction will be total. The seacoast, which had once been a place for ships and merchants, will be deserted. It will become only a place for shepherds’ huts and sheep pens (Zephaniah 2:6). That may even be a better use of the land than when it was ruled by the Philistine lords.

Yet Judah, the rightful owner, will recover it again. The remnant of those who return from captivity, when God restores them, will lie down safely in the houses of Ashkelon (Zephaniah 2:7). They will rest there at evening when they are tired and sleepy. There they will feed themselves and their flocks. God will at last restore his people to what is rightfully theirs, even if they are kept out of it for a long time.