Zephaniah 3.8b-God Has Decided to Gather Nations and Asssemble Kingdoms to Exercise His Righteous Indigation Against Them
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday July 13, 2016
Zephaniah: Zephaniah 3:8b-God Has Decided to Gather Nations and Assemble Kingdoms to Exercise His Righteous Indignation Against Them
Lesson # 74
Zephaniah 3:8 “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal.” (NASB95)
“Indeed, My decision is to gather nations” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kî (כִּי), “indeed” (2) masculine singular construct form of the noun mišpāṭ (מִשְׁפָּט), “decision” (3) first person singular independent personal pronoun ʾǎnî (אֲנִי), “My” (4) preposition l (לְ), “to” (5) qal active infinitive construct form of the verb ʾāsap (אָסַף), “gather” (6) masculine plural form of the noun gôy (גּוֹי), “nations.”
The conjunction kî means “indeed” because it is introducing a prophetic declaration which advances upon or amplifies the previous purpose clause in which the God of Israel declares that He will attack and take war booty.
This declaration amplifies the previous purpose clause in that it identifies the specific purpose for which God commanded the faithful Jews living during the seventh century B.C. and those living during the seventieth week to wait patiently for Him.
The noun mišpāṭ means “decision” since the word in this context pertains to an official proclamation of a sovereign or judge in a legal verdict.
The verb ʾāsap is in the qal stem and means “to gather” since the word pertains to a collection or mass moving to one place.
The word’s object is the masculine plural form of the noun gôy, which is used with reference to the various Gentiles nations which existed in the seventh century B.C. and those existing during the seventieth week of Daniel.
“To assemble kingdoms” is composed of the following: (1) preposition l (לְ), “to” (2) qal active infinitive construct form of the verb qābaṣ (קָבַץ), “assemble” (3) first person singular independent personal pronoun ʾǎnî (אֲנִי), which is not translated (4) feminine plural form of the noun mamlākâ (מַמְלָכָה), “kingdoms.”
The verb qābaṣ is in the qal stem and is expressing the idea of God gathering unrepentant Gentile nations together in one place in order to exercise His righteous indignation against them which are unified in their purpose to oppose Him.
“To pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger” is composed of the following: (1) preposition l (לְ), “to” (2) qal active infinitive construct form of the verb šāpak (שָׁפַךְ), “pour out” (3) preposition ʿal (עַל), “on” (4) third person masculine plural form of the pronominal suffix hēmâ (־הֵמָה), “them” (5) masculine singular construct form of the noun zaʿam (זַעַם), “indignation” (6) first person singular independent personal pronoun ʾǎnî (אֲנִי), “My” (17) collective singular construct form of the noun kōl (כֹּל), “all” (18) masculine singular construct form of the noun ḥārôn (חָרוֹן), “the anger of” (19) masculine singular construct form of the noun ʾap (אַף), “burning” (20) first person singular independent personal pronoun ʾǎnî (אֲנִי), “My.”
The verb šāpak is in the qal stem and means “to pour out” as a figurative extension of losing liquid out of a container.
Therefore, the idea of this verb is that just like liquid being poured out of a container onto the ground so God will pour out His wrath against unrepentant Gentile nations.
The preposition l is prefixed to the infinitive construct form of the verb šāpak and governs this verb and together they are used to express the purpose for which God has decided to gather nations and assemble kingdoms.
The third person masculine plural form of the pronominal suffix hēmâ means “them” referring to the unrepentant Gentile nations and it is the object of the preposition ʿal, which functions as a marker of opposition meaning that God is opposed to these unrepentant Gentile nations and kingdoms.
The noun zaʿam refers to God’s wrath or righteous indignation which will be manifested against unrepentant Gentiles nations existing during the seventh century B.C. and those living during the seventieth week of Daniel.
The nouns ḥārôn and ʾap in Zephaniah 3:8 literally mean “nose is hot” pertaining to having a strong feeling of displeasure over a person or persons or a situation, as a figurative extension of the nose as an area that can change color when blood rushes to it while one is angry.
The noun kōl denotes totality and is used in a distributive sense expressing the idea of God not holding anything back when He judges these unrepentant Gentile nations and kingdoms.
Zephaniah 3:8 “Therefore, each and every one of you wait patiently for Me,” declares the Lord, “for the day I attack and take war-booty. Indeed, I have decided to gather nations, I will assemble kingdoms in order to pour out against them My righteous indignation, every bit of My intense burning anger. In fact, the entire earth will be consumed by means of My jealous anger.” (My translation)
God advances upon or amplifies the previous purpose clause in which He declares that He will attack and take war booty by asserting that He has decided to gather nations and assemble kingdoms in order to exercise His righteous indignation against them.
This prophetic declaration amplifies the previous purpose clause in that it identifies the specific purpose for which God commanded the faithful Jews living during the seventh century B.C. and those living during the seventieth week to wait patiently for Him.
God then informs the reader the purpose for which He will gather nations and assemble kingdoms, namely to pour out His righteous indignation against these nations and kingdoms.
Just like a liquid being poured out of a container onto the ground so God will pour out His righteous indignation against these unrepentant Gentile nations and kingdoms.
This is followed by God stating that He will pour out every bit of His intense jealous anger which speaks of His righteous indignation or in other words, His legitimate anger towards sin and unrepentant sinners among Gentile nations and kingdoms.
God’s jealous anger is an anthropopathism and means that Zephaniah is ascribing to God a human emotion which He does not possess in order to appeal to the reader’s human frame of reference so that the reader understands God’s attitude towards the unrepentant sinful behavior of the Jewish people.
God is saying that He will not hold back in exercising a complete judgment of these unrepentant Gentile nations and kingdoms.
The Scriptures use it as language of accommodation in order to communicate God’s displeasure in a particular area of His relationship with His people or an attack upon His reputation.
The Lord is depicted as Israel’s husband and is jealous when His people turn to idolatry (Ex. 20:5).
Idolatry is spiritual adultery and merits death and the Lord will not tolerate idolatry because He is a jealous God (Josh. 24:19).
Through idolatry Israel incited God’s wrath in the days of Ahab and God disciplined them.
Ultimately, repeated warnings went unheeded by Israel and the Lord placed them under the fifth cycle of discipline for their spiritual adultery (Ezek. 5:13; 8:3, 5; 16:38).
Their spiritual idolatry which provoked God’s jealousy was the reason for this discipline (Psa. 79:5) and according to His promise God exercised His jealous wrath against Israel (Ezek. 16:42; cf. Deut. 30).
God is said to be jealous in vindicating His person or reputation (Ezek. 36:5-6), and His people so that all the earth felt His wrath (Zeph. 3:8).
God’s jealousy is often associated with words denoting wrath (Num. 25:11; Ezek. 16:38, 42; 36:6; 38:9) and anger (Deut. 29:19), and as a consuming force with fire (Zeph. 1:18; 3:8).
God’s “righteous indignation” and His “intense burning anger” as well as His “jealous anger” are all speaking of God’s wrath or in other words, His legitimate anger towards sin and unrepentant sinners among the Jewish people.
They all speak of God’s righteous indignation or wrath which is His legitimate anger towards evil and sin since both are contrary to His holiness or perfect character and nature.
In fact, God’s righteous indignation expresses His holiness, which pertains to the absolute perfection of God’s character and expresses the purity of His character.
He is totally separate from sin and sinners unless a way can be found to constitute them holy and that way has been provided based upon the merits of the impeccable Person and Finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.
The presence of evil, sin and injustice is totally absent in the character of God, thus God does not tolerate evil or sin because it is contrary to His character, i.e. His inherent moral qualities, ethical standards and principles.
God’s wrath or righteous indignation is used of God’s settled opposition to and displeasure against sin meaning that God’s holiness cannot and will not coexist with sin in any form whatsoever.
God hates sin so much and loves the sinner so much that He judged His Son Jesus Christ for every sin in human history-past, present and future and provided deliverance from sin through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
The only way to avoid God’s righteous indignation is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 3:36).
This prophecy of God gathering nations and assembling kingdoms in order to pour out His righteous indignation against these nations and kingdoms in Zephaniah 3:8 was fulfilled to a certain extent between 605-587 B.C.
During these years, God judged Judah and Jerusalem and the Gentile nations of the earth in the Mesopotamian and Mediterranean regions.
However, the ultimate fulfillment of this prophetic declaration in Zephaniah 3:8 will take place during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel, which is called by expositors “the tribulation period.”
These prophecies will be fulfilled through the seven seal, trumpet and bowl judgments recorded in Revelation 6-18 and at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ as recorded in Revelation 19:11-20:3.