Sunday, March 29, 2015

Zephaniah 2:10

Zephaniah 2:10

This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.

a. NLT: They will receive the wages of their pride, for they have scoffed at the people of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

b. NIV: This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty.

c. YLT: This is to them for their arrogancy, Because they have reproached, And they magnify themselves against the people of Jehovah of Hosts.

d. Amplified Bible: This shall they have for their pride, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.

e. Septuagint: This is their punishment in return for their haughtiness, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the Lord Almighty. 

f. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: This shall they have in place of their haughtiness, for they taunted and boasted over the people of HASHEM, Master of Legions.

1. “This shall they have for their pride…”

a. this shall they  have for their pride [1347 * ga’own] [Strong: from 1342; the same as 1346:--arrogancy, excellency(-lent), majesty, pomp, pride, proud, swelling.

1). Sodom was full of pride, this was the first sin listed against her.

a). Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

2). Sodom’s pride was in her sin. Sodom probably had homosexual pride parades.

b). Isaiah 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

 (1) declare [5046 * nagad] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to front, i.e. stand boldly out opposite; by implication (causatively), to manifest; figuratively, to announce (always by word of mouth to one present); specifically, to expose, predict, explain, praise:--bewray, X certainly, certify, declare(-ing), denounce, expound, X fully, messenger, plainly, profess, rehearse, report, shew (forth), speak, X surely, tell, utter.] [Gesenius: to be conspicuous, tell, make known, to tell, declare, to tell, announce, report, to declare, make known, expound, to inform of, to publish, declare, proclaim, to avow, acknowledge, confess, messenger (participle),  to be told, be announced, be reported.]

 2. “…because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.”

a. because they have reproached [2778 * cherupah][Strongs: a primitive root; to pull off, i.e. (by implication) to expose (as by stripping); specifically, to betroth (as if a surrender); figuratively, to carp at [to find fault; complain unreasonably], i.e. defame; denominative (from 2779) to spend the winter:--betroth, blaspheme, defy, jeopardy, rail, reproach, upbraid.][Gesenius: to reproach, taunt, blaspheme, defy, jeopardize, rail, upbraid.]

1). Examples of the contemporary homosexual community blaspheming, railing, taunting and defying the people of  God.

a). The first example is demonstrated by a homosexual group called Soulforce. In the Spring of 2006 this group traveled across the United States to Christian Colleges and Universities protesting the schools Biblical stands on homosexuality. In their effort though, Soulforce mimicked Moab, Ammon, Sodom, and Gomorrah by using “abusive and slanderous” language. On April 24 of 2006, Soulforce issued a press release telling Christian Colleges and Universities to “Repent of your homophobia”. In the press release, the group accused the Church, i.e., “the people of the LORD of hosts” of discrimination against homosexuals, because of their Biblical stand against the sin of homosexuality. www.soulforce.org/article.php?article_id=778&action=print.

b). Another example is that of Dan Savage, a homosexual activist who started the It Gets Better Project, a web page to encourage homosexual teenagers. Savage viciously attacked the former Senator and Presidential candidate Rick Santorum for his stand against homosexual marriage. Mr. Savage created a website called Santorum.com where he redefines Santorum’s last name as “the frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the by-product of anal sex.” This is the same Dan Savage who was giving a keynote address about anti-bullying to students at a journalism conference in late April when he said the following: "We can learn to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about gay people… the same way we have learned to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about shellfish, about slavery, about dinner, about farming, about menstruation, about virginity, about masturbation…We ignore bullshit in the Bible about all sorts of things." Dan Savage is a perfect example of the slander, the reproach and the reviling of the Moabites and Ammonites towards God and his people and as we will discover in the next verses.

c). A final example of the homosexual community slandering and reproaching God’s people similar to Moab and Ammon and Sodom and Gomorrah occurred in July of 1998, when a group of Christian organizations launched a campaign called “Truth in Love”. These groups placed a number of ads in national newspapers proclaiming the Biblical truth that Jesus can set free and forgive the homosexual. It was done in a very loving and gentle way. Many former homosexuals set free by the power of God, contributed and took part in the ads. The homosexual community responded to the Christian ads in exactly the same way the nations of Moab and Ammon responded to Israel, the people of God. They scornfully insulted the Christian groups and used slander against them. On July 27, 2000, Family News in Focus, a website of Focus on the Family, reported that in San Francisco, the city Board of Supervisors said the ads contributed to “horrible crimes against gays and lesbians”. They even claimed the ads were partially responsible for the death of Matthew Shepard. www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/A0011944.html. Folks, to say that presenting the gospel in a loving way contributes to “horrible crimes” is slander. Concerning these same ads, the Washington Times reported on July 15, 2000, that a group called the Interfaith Alliance, a group of apostates, issued a press release. In it, several spokespersons said the following: Rev. J. Phillip Wogaman, this “narrow agenda…threatens the sanctity of religion, the integrity of the political process, and our on going struggle to create a more just society.” The Rev. C. Weldon Gaddy said, “These ads offer a false choice to gays and lesbians.” Sister Maureen Fieldler called the ads “psychologically destructive, anti-family, anti-biblical and anti-Christian.” Mel White, a leader in the homosexual movement and founder of the group Soulforce, characterized the ads on his website as “attacks on lesbian and gay Americans”. The site went on to say, “anti-homosexual rhetoric leads to intolerance, suffering, and death for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Americans.” www.melwhite.org/AntiAdvert.htm.

b. magnified [1431 * gadal][Strong: to be (causatively make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor, also in pride):--advance, boast, bring up, exceed, excellent, be(-come, do, give, make, wax), great(-er, come to...estate, + things), grow(up),increase, lift up, magnify(-ifical), be much set by, nourish (up), pass, promote, proudly (spoken)…]

1). Moab and Ammon magnified themselves against the borders of God’s people. Borders are boundary lines. Above in Zephaniah 2:8 it declares they magnified themselves against the border of God’s people. They want territory, real estate, ecclesiastical real estate. In the last 50 years many churches and denominations have fallen to homosexual propaganda. Presbyterian Church (USA); Society of Friends (Quakers); United Church of Christ; Evangelical Lutheran Church are just some of the denominations that have become apostate  

2). The Amplified Bible says Moab and Ammon, “…magnified themselves and made boasts against their territory.”  The King James said they “…magnified themselves against their border.” Again it all comes down to territory of some kind, above it is ecclesiastical real estate, but there are other kinds of territory. They want to change the border because borders determine jurisdiction, they wanted Israel’s land. Culturally, in this arena the biggest land grab in recent memory took place in the Landmark case (pun intended, landmarks determine boundaries, Proverbs 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.), Lawrence v. Texas, 2003 that decriminalized homosexuality on the Federal level by invalidating homosexual behavior on the state level.

c. against the people [5971 * ‘am] [Strong: from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation, people.]

d. of the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

e. of hosts [6635 * tsaba’] [Strong: from 6633; a mass of persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized for war (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or figuratively (specifically, hardship, worship):--appointed time, (+) army, (+) battle, company, host, service, soldiers, waiting upon, war(-fare).]




No comments: