Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Zephaniah Chapter 1
Metaphysically Interpreting Zephaniah 1:1-13
1:1The word of Jehovah which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
1:2I will utterly consume all things from off the face of the ground, saith Jehovah. 1:3I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the face of the ground, saith Jehovah. 1:4And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarim with the priests; 1:5and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam; 1:6and them that are turned back from following Jehovah; and those that have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired after him.
1:7Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand: for Jehovah hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath consecrated his guests. 1:8And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel. 1:9And in that day I will punish all those that leap over the threshold, that fill their master's house with violence and deceit.
1:10And in that day, saith Jehovah, there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills. 1:11Wail, ye inhabitants of Maktesh; for all the people of Canaan are undone; all they that were laden with silver are cut off. 1:12And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps; and I will punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do evil. 1:13And their wealth shall become a spoil, and their houses a desolation: yea, they shall build houses, but shall not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but shall not drink the wine thereof.
Metaphysically Interpreting Zephaniah 1:14-18
1:14The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly. 1:15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 1:16a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.
1:17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung. 1:18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land.
June 11, 1950: Zephaniah 1:12-18
What underlies the statement “Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do evil”? It refers to the belief in materiality. The material-minded person refuses to accept the truth that God is at work in the affairs of everyday life, and he accepts the scientific or materialistic approach as a sufficient explanation of all phenomena.
Does the world have spiritual meaning or significance? Yes, it is spiritual in origin. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The world therefore must be a continuing expression of divine ideas.
Why does the wealth of the materialists “become a spoil, and their houses a desolation”? Because of their negative outlook on life, which when it comes into manifestation reverses all their plans and provisions for their future welfare.
What is “the great day of Jehovah”? It is a time of judgment, the time when the divine law balances the materialistic consciousness and life expression of a people against the absolute values of right and justice and exacts an accounting.
Must this “day” necessarily be a “day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress” and of the other ills mentioned in the text? No. It is so only when men have continually disregarded the divine law and followed selfish ways of thinking and living. Such ways lead eventually to the destruction not only of individuals but of entire peoples and nations.
What meaning does Zephaniah’s prophecy of “the great day of Jehovah” have for the Truth student? When read according to the letter, the prophecy describes the calamities to be visited upon sinful mankind. The Truth student who reads it according to the spirit beholds in it an implied assurance that he who has turned from sense to Spirit is set free from them.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-24-2014
