Zephaniah 1:17 Commentary and Bible Study

God must demonstrate the strength of his anger in the way he judges the world. It is not simply enough to obliterate the wicked in a moment, because even his judgment carries lessons in it, which teach us about the effects of sin on us. Every aspect of his judgment is fitting and therefore we look at what happens to men and women, and we say that is entirely appropriate. The righteous thank God for his deliverance, for they know they deserve to share the same fate, but that do not hesitate to praise him for his justice even though it is very severe.God will bring distress on men. The human frame cannot help but he troubled by the judgment of God. He who is far stronger than us cannot be kept at bay, or held off when he decides to act. He knows how to give peace and calm, and he knows how disturb the human mind so that all source of comfort is taken away. Man must learn that for every second of peace he is dependant on the Lord. He has not been created to live independently of his God, or seal himself up in a cocoon where God cannot reach him. If he sins against his Creator there will be a terrible price to pay. ‘They will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD.’ The blind have lost or never possessed a vital faculty. Without it they are exposed to many new dangers, in constant fear of falling or hurting themselves, slowed down in all their progress, at a great disadvantage compared to the sighted. We may have compassion on the blind and do what we can to help them, but God created the wonderful gift of sight, and without it man is lacking. How great then is the loss of spiritual sight, which is its analogue. What disadvantages and danger we are exposed to as those who do not know God and are under attack from a ruthless enemy!The language is unrestrained and so will the judgment of God be, however long he has held back in the past. Blood, the symbol of life, will be poured out upon the ground and mingle with the dust as if it was worth nothing. It is the very life of a man, but God will cause it to be something worthless in his sight, because they did not count his commandments as having any value. Likewise, their flesh, which they pampered and nourished during their lives, will become as dung, as something obnoxious.