Zephaniah 3:8-13

Wait upon the Lord -- Zephaniah 3:8-13: God gave a very specific promise that His judgment was coming upon the Jews. He promised that He would punish them with fiery anger. God's faithful prophets had warned and exhorted His people to be faithful. They refused and now the punishment would be that the entire land of Judah would be devastated by the invading forces. The captivity would bring the people back to respect and service to the one true God. During captivity the people would learn how to speak about God and how to serve and honor Him. Captivity provided a cure for idolatry. The people learned to serve the one true and living God. The majority of the captivity took place in Babylon. Others were scattered in various other parts of the world. Those that were scattered in other places would learn of the rebuilding of the land and the Temple and they too would return to offer sacrifice to the true and living God. God promised that the captivity would do away with those filled with pride and arrogance. The people that returned from captivity would be meek, humble and willing to trust in the Almighty. The Lord promised that He would not destroy any afflicted and poor person that trusted in Him. These were the people that had been taken advantage of by the godless princes and false prophets. This remnant of the people lived right, spoke truth and conduct themselves without fear.