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Zephaniah

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Zephaniah
 
Zephaniah ministered during the reign of Josiah (1.1). The fact that pagan worship was yet practiced in Judah may indicate that Zephaniah’s prophecy was given just before Josiah’s more prominent reforms (1.4-5; cf. 2 Ch 34.29ff.). As a member of the royal family, Zephaniah enjoyed a place of prominence amongst the competing voices of the land; he and Josiah were distant cousins, both tracing their ancestry to King Hezekiah (1.1). Like Amos before him (5.18, 20), Zephaniah zealously exhorted God’s people to prepare for the coming Day of the LORD:
  1. The Day of the LORD would bring judgment (ch 1). Zephaniah’s words remind the reader of the earlier declaration of the LORD, when He told Noah to prepare for the flood (cf. Gen 6-8). But the prophet announced a destruction that would come upon Judah: “I will cut off from this place every vestige of Baal, the names of the pagan priests; those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the heavenly host; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the LORD but also pledge loyalty to Milcom” (vv. 4b-5). Zephaniah even confronted the nobility for not taking God’s warnings seriously (vv. 8-9). Although Manasseh’s reign had left Jerusalem in a financially prosperous state, their wealth would be nothing on the Day of the LORD; “their silver and gold will not be able to rescue them on the day of the LORD’s wrath” (v. 18), Zephaniah said
  2. The people of Judah should repent before the Day of the LORD (2.1-3.8). In the prophet’s mind, there was yet precious little time to reform their ways before that Day would arrive—as evidenced by the staccato of before: “Gather yourselves together…before the decree takes effect and the day passes like chaff, before the burning of the LORD’s anger overtakes you, before the day of the LORD’s anger overtakes you” (2.1, 2). While he exhorted the humble in Judah to seek righteousness, Zephaniah also confronted the Philistine nations, the Ammonites, Moabites, and the Assyrians—all of whom should repent of taunting “the people of the LORD of Hosts” (2.10). The LORD vowed to give their land to His people; even the great city of Nineveh would be destroyed (cf. Nahum 1.7-8). But first Jerusalem would experience God’s justice for the wrongs she had committed against the LORD (3.1-8)
  3. The Day of the LORD would bring restoration for the remnant (3.9-20). Zephaniah persuaded the people of Judah to turn to God and receive His kindness—even though they would be dispersed before they were restored (vv. 9-11). Speaking of that later time, the LORD promised: “I will remove your boastful braggarts from among you, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain. I will leave a meek and humble people among you, and they will trust in the name of Yahweh” (vv. 11-12). On that day the LORD promised to rejoice over His people with gladness, quiet them with His love, delight in them with joy (v. 17), and restore their fortunes before their eyes (v. 20)!
 
Zephaniah emphasized the sovereignty of God—and how His people should respond to His word. He exhorted Judah to repent and seek the LORD’s favor before He banished them in exile. Consistent with the prophets, Zephaniah also spoke of a day of future deliverance; the Day of the LORD designated a time of judgment for the unfaithful, of Judah and the nations, and also a day of salvation for the remnant. In 1.14-18 the prophet announced the coming destruction of Judah: “The great Day of the LORD is near; near and rapidly approaching. Listen, the Day of the LORD—there the warrior’s cry is bitter” (1.14; cf. Amos 5.18-20). Like Isaiah, Zephaniah declared that the Day of the LORD would also bring destruction upon the nations (2.4ff; cf. Is 2.6-22; 24.1-23). When the LORD exercised His wrath on these nations, Zephaniah prophesied that He would exalt Judah. In 2.9 Zephaniah spoke the LORD’s promise of a future day of Judean prominence over their enemies, saying, “The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them,” and in 3.13 he prophesied the future salvation of “the remnant of Israel,” saying, “they will pasture and lie down, with nothing to make them afraid.” Indeed, the LORD’s nearness would be the cause of their peace and security (3.16-17). These themes are significant for the storyline of Scripture, viewed by the writers of the New Testament in light of Christ’s first and second coming. The writers of the New Testament understood the day of the Lord differently; in their minds it was a time of vindication for the people of Christ, and destruction for those who opposed Him and His church. Never did they describe it as a time when believers would be on the receiving end of His wrath (cf. 1 Thess 4.16-17; Rev 19.11-20.14); their sharp demarcation from the words of the prophets was due to the fact that Christ had come and borne the sins of His people entirely. In their minds, there was no longer a cause for God’s wrath in the same way it was necessitated upon the situation of Israel and Judah—as the author to the Hebrews wrote: “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all” (10.10).
 
 
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