Zephaniah 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice,that I will punish the princes,and the king’s children,and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
The leaders will be punished,because they are held accountable for their obedience or lack of obedience toward God. The last king of Judah was Zedekiah who was put into power by Nebuchadnezzar,king of Babylon. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and the city of Jerusalem was then besieged by Babylon. After a while,Zedekiah tried to escape Jerusalem and the Babylonian army even though God,through the prophet Jeremiah,warned him against doing. Zedekiah and his family was captured and his family was killed and Zedekiah’s eyes were put out (2 Kings 24,25). The reference to strange apparel in Zephaniah 1:8 points to the Israelites’wearing clothing other than what God had appointed to them. In Numbers 15:38,God has told the Israelites to wear a blue band and fringe on their garment for a specific reason. Numbers 15:38-40 Speak unto the children of Israel,and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations,and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue:(39) And it shall be unto you for a fringe,that ye may look upon it,and remember all the commandments of the LORD,and do them;and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes,after which ye use to go a whoring:(40) That ye may remember,and do all my commandments,and be holy unto your God.
The strange apparel of Zephaniah 1:8 is referring to clothing that dishonors God. Remember when Aaron’s sons,Nadab and Abihu,offered up strange fire before God at the Tabernacle (Leviticus 10)? God struck them down for their disobedience.
Leviticus 10:1-2 And Nadab and Abihu,the sons of Aaron,took either of them his censer,and put fire therein,and put incense thereon,and offered strange fire before the LORD,which he commanded them not. (2) And there went out fire from the LORD,and devoured them,and they died before the LORD.
The action of taking a censer and placing the incense on it was not necessarily wrong,but the action was not done as God had commanded,or was the wrong time for it which is still against God’s commands. Regardless,it was considered strange fire and it was in disobedience to God. Strange apparel can mean clothing that goes against the commands of God – clothing that is worldly or brings attention to the wrong parts of the body. The reference to strange apparel could be pointing toward the wearing of clothing similar to the clothing of the pagan worshipers. Remember,in Zephaniah 1:5,the Israelites were worshiping Molech and Baal,as well as going to the Temple to worship Jehovah. Our worship of God should include all facets of our lives. A believer should not separate the worship of God to just their home and live differently everywhere else.
When a person is saved,they have become a new creation and will one day be clothed in Heaven in robes of righteousness. In the mean time,we are to put off the old man – much like removing the tattered rags we wore as lost sinners,and put on the new clothes provided by Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:22-24 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;(23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;(24) And that ye put on the new man,which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Therefore,the believer should act like a new man or woman,and should be visibly different from the lost. The believer is not to take worldly actions,clothing,or forms of entertainment and try to clean them up – they will not seem any different to the lost.
The problem for the Nation of Israel is that they became just like everyone around them and lost sight of God because of it. The same is rapidly happening in America and will continue unless,believers are willing to stand up and declare,“Thus saith the Lord!” Each of us need to humble ourselves before God and have a renewed mind and obedience toward Him.