Bible Commentaries
Zephaniah

Zephaniah

“Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted!”

Zephaniah 3:1

Prophet and Date of Writing

Zephaniah was of a kingly bloodline. He begins his prophecy by tracing his heritage back to Hezekiah king of Judah. The date of Zephaniah’s prophecy is given as “in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah” (Zephaniah 1:1). Josiah reigned from 639 to 608 BC. Josiah came to power in Judah at the age of 8 and at the age of 16 he began to seek after Jehovah (2 Chronicles 34:1-3). During Josiah’s day Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah prophesied against Judah. Josiah saw to it that many religious reforms took place; however, nothing could detour God’s purpose of punishing His wicked people for their sins (cf. 2 Kings 21:10-15).

Theme of Zephaniah

Zephaniah’s primary objective is to awaken Judah out of spiritual slumber. Judah was guilty of sin and thereby due God’s condemning judgment of fierce anger and wrath (Zephaniah 1:17). Zephaniah refers to this time as the “Great Day of Judgment” (Zephaniah 1:14-16; Zephaniah 2:2; Zephaniah 3:8).

Judah’s Sin

To look upon Judah was to look upon the world of heathens. Judah was clothed with “foreign apparel” and thereby the Lord could not distinguish them from other sinful peoples (Zephaniah 1:8). Judah practiced idolatry (Zephaniah 1:4), was rebellious, polluted, disobedient, and would not receive correction (Zephaniah 3:1). Judah had no shame in committing sin (Zephaniah 2:1). Every aspect of society was perverted. The general populace had a divided allegiance between their king, wealth, and God (Zephaniah 1:5; Zephaniah 1:13). The people were ignorantly content in their ungodliness all the while thinking that God would not do them harm or good (Zephaniah 1:12). Servants displayed disrespect toward their masters (Zephaniah 1:9). Judah’s princes, judges, prophets, and priests were perverted as well (Zephaniah 3:3-4).

The Remedy for Judah and the ungodly of all Times

God’s desired character in His people is spiritual meekness (cf. Zephaniah 2:3). Said people will fear God and receive the correction He administers (Zephaniah 3:7). Those who wait (trust) in Jehovah will not be disappointed (Zephaniah 3:8). The Lord requires nothing less today. God desires His disciples to be meek (Matthew 5:5), God fearing (1 Peter 2:17), and willing to receive the Lord’s correction through His word (Hebrews 12:9). So many today, like those of Judah, are corrected by God’s word yet in a spirit of rebellion reject all help.

What is at Stake?

There is much at stake when contemplating rebellion or acting with a spirit of humility and meekness when sin occurs. Zephaniah reveals forgiveness of sins as the first thing at stake (cf. Zephaniah 3:11). To live with the guilt of sin is more that the human soul can bear. When we sin against Jehovah God it generally bothers us a great deal. Our hands may hang low in a disheartened state (cf. Zephaniah 3:16-18). The second thing that Zephaniah reveals to be at stake is one’s level of happiness and contentment. Real happiness and rejoicing ought to come from the concept of being forgiven of our sins (Zephaniah 3:14). The rebellious can fabricate happiness, through ignorance of sin and its consequences, yet true happiness is found in the Lord (cf. Zephaniah 1:12).

The Christian today has the word of God that exposes sin (Romans 3:20; Romans 7:7). The expected outcome of sin in the Christian’s life is great sorrow of heart (2 Corinthians 7:10). The remedy for the Christian’s sin and guilt is humble repentance (Acts 17:30) and prayer (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9). God continues to supply our every spiritual need!

A Messenger of Judgment Day

The book of Zephaniah was written by a prophet who was burdened with the terrible thought that doom was about to come upon the wicked world in which he lived.

About the Author

It is "the word of Jehovah which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi..." (Zephaniah 1:1). His name means, "he whom Jehovah has hidden or protected." His father’s name was Cushi, which literally means "Ethiopic." From this, some have speculated that his father was an Ethiopian but such a conclusion is unwarranted. Zephaniah was a member of the royal or Davidic family. He traces his genealogy back four generations to King Hezekiah (Zephaniah 1:1). This deduction is disputed by some, but why else would he alone of the prophets trace his pedigree that far? This would make Zephaniah a distant cousin to Josiah, King of Judah.

The prophet was likely a resident of Jerusalem. This is reflected in his exceptional knowledge of the city. He mentions the fish gate, the second quarter and the Maktesh (a deep valley, possibly the Kidron valley) (Zephaniah 1:10-11). James Hastings observes that "in the first few verses of Zephaniah we see almost as much of Jerusalem as in the whole book of either Isaiah or Jeremiah." As a member of the royal family and a citizen of Jerusalem, the prophet had adequate opportunity to observe firsthand the crimes of his people.

Zephaniah was thoroughly familiar with the Law of Moses and the earlier prophets. He was a fiery preacher who spoke with fury and effectiveness. His burning message rebuked a people who were rapidly losing the power to respond to a serious challenge. His austere nature has gained for him the label of "the puritan or the protestant preacher." After reading his book, many sinners have called him fanatical.

Zephaniah did his work "in the days of Josiah, son of Amon, king Judah" (Zephaniah 1:1). Josiah reigned from 639-608 B.C. The prophet’s labors were done in Judah before and during the time of Josiah’s great reformation which began c.a. 621 B.C. Since the evils which Josiah abolished were yet present when he wrote, we would date Zephaniah prior to 620 B.C.

Contemporary with Zephaniah were Jeremiah, Nahum, Huldah the prophetess and possibly Habakkuk. Josiah, Zephaniah and Jeremiah were all young men in their early twenties when the great reform began. (Compare Jeremiah 1:6; 2 Kings 22:3). Our subject was almost certainly one of those prophets who aided the young king’s efforts to purge Judah of idolatry and restore the proper worship of Jehovah (2 Kings 23:2).

The one consuming thought of Zephaniah’s message was the coming day of Jehovah’s judgment (Zephaniah 1:7). He saw that judgment was God’s method of purifying the remnant of Israel and rewarding the wicked nations of the world. Nahum, his contemporary, saw judgment coming upon Nineveh alone, but Zephaniah saw it as universal, beginning with Jerusalem. No other prophet painted the day of Jehovah with more vivid and fearful images. The idea of an imminent invasion, of an extraordinarily devastating nature, underlies his description of the day of the Lord. It is generally conceded that the invasion of the fierce Scythians about this time in history prompted his message.

Zephaniah offered no hope of averting the threatened punishment, only that the remnant might be spared (2:3). He foresaw a faithful remnant of battered survivors of the coming judgment; a handful of meek, righteous souls saved by the mercy of God (Zephaniah 3:5-20).

The prophet predicted a coming day when all nations would worship Jehovah (Zephaniah 2:11). Also, he prophesied of a time when true worshipers would worship God wherever they dwelled and not just in Jerusalem (Zephaniah 2:11); (Compare John 4:20-24).

Zephaniah did not dwell on the social sins of his people, rather he thundered out against the idolatry and corruption of God’s worship (Zephaniah 1:4-6).

The Historical Background

Zephaniah lived in a time of moral and spiritual decay. The world order was rapidly changing. The great Assyrian Empire that had dominated the Middle East for 150 years was in a state of disintegration and decay. Assurbanipal was their last great king. Savage Scythian hordes were sweeping all across the land. They poured out of southern Russia and plagued the Middle East for

some 28 years. They invaded Egypt but were bought offby Pharaoh Psamiticus I. On their return north, they plundered the Philistine’s temple of Aphrodite in Ashkelon. This fearsome invasion may have provoked Zephaniah’s message. The Scythians evidently bypassed Jerusalem. The prophet had urged repentance so the Hebrews might be "hid in the day of Jehovah’s anger" (2:3). The powerful Babylonian kingdom under Nabopolassar was set to crush under his feet the entire region.

Josiah, a young man of only 23 years, ruled Judah following the deaths of Manasseh and Amon, two of the nation’s worst kings. Under the reigns of these two wicked rulers, Judah was largely converted to heathenism. True worshipers of Jehovah and his faithful prophets were persecuted and driven out. Princes and judges were so corrupt that justice was impossible. Oppression, violence, and injustice were the order of the day in Jerusalem. The entire life of the royal court was at odds with the kind of preaching God’s prophet would deliver. The people had been so stimulated by false things that they had grown calloused and hardened.

Zephaniah depicts his people as unreachable, the rulers as predators, the courts as merciless, the prophets as traitors and the priests as profane. It was a dark day for the nation of Judah. For background reading one should see 2 Chronicles 33:1 to 2 Chronicles 35:27 : and 2 Kings 21:1 to 2 Kings 23:30.

Josiah’s Reformation

Josiah came to the throne of Judah in 639 B.C., when only eight years old. His regent was the godly high priest, Hilkiah. In his sixteenth year, the young king began to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 34:1-3). When twenty, he moved to suppress idolatry and unlawful worship (2 Chronicles 34:3-7). At age twenty-six he launched a renovation of Jehovah’s temple which had fallen into disrepair (2 Chronicles 34:8-13). The book of God’s law was discovered by the repairmen (2 Chronicles 34:14-28). Upon hearing the solemn warnings of God’s Word, the young king was deeply moved. It is likely that the threatened judgments of Deuteronomy 28-30 were the part that so deeply moved him. The young ruler called the nation’s leaders together and read to them the divine book (2 Chronicles 34:29-33). Following his leadership, they covenanted together to restore God’s ways and walk in them. The purge of idolatry was extended nationwide as the king sought to stamp out that evil. A great Passover feast was observed by the nation. Such had not been done in generations (2 Kings 23:1-25).

In the thirty-ninth year of Josiah, Pharaoh Necho of Egypt passed through Palestine en route to attack the declining Assyrians. When Josiah and his troops sought to block the Egyptians’ advance, the king was struck by an arrow and mortally wounded (2 Kings 23:29-30). At his untimely death, his reform movement faltered and the nation soon reverted to her former wickedness. Within thirty-four years, the Hebrew state was swept away by the triumphant Babylonians.

About the Book

The book bears the name of its inspired writer. Our English word Zephaniah derives from the Hebrew. In Greek and Latin Bibles it is Sophenias.

Zephaniah’s prophecy was addressed to the people of Judah to warn them of an impending day of judgment from the Lord.

The author’s purpose was to awaken the Hebrews from their lethargy and complacency and turn them back to God’s ways. His message offered consolation and hope to the faithful remnant, but struck fear in the hearts of the wicked.

The literary style of the book is that of a solemn dirge-like poem. It is written in a very forceful manner with a tone that is stern and rugged. His use of the language is fresh, lively and pure. The writer leans heavily on the words and concepts of his predecessors, especially Isaiah and Amos.

As is commonly the case, self-appointed liberal critics challenge the integrity of this portion of Scripture. While virtually every one of them has a different view, in general they challenge the authenticity of part of chapter one and most, if not all of chapters two and three. For a good review and refutation of this criticism, see the Books of Nahum and Zephaniah by T. Miles Bennett in the Shield Bible Study Series.

No quotes from Zephaniah are found in the New Testament. His term, "day of wrath," is reflected in Romans 2:5 and Revelation 12:1.

Some Miscellaneous Facts about the Book

(1) Zephaniah’s message inspired Thomas of Celano, a medieval monk, to write the famous hymn, "Dies Irae, Dies Illa," which has been called the greatest Latin hymn.

(2) From Zephaniah 1:12, artists of the Middle Ages depicted Zephaniah as a man with a lamp searching the city for sinners.

(3) The Hebrew text of Zephaniah has been quite well preserved (R.H. Harrison).

(4) Zephaniah has no prediction of a personal Messiah, although Zephaniah 2:11 and Zephaniah 3:9 seem to speak of Messiah’s age.

(5) Syncretism was a fundamental religious error of the prophet’s day. That was the practice of blending two or more religions in ones life and worship. He charged that the people "swear by Malcom and Jehovah" (Zephaniah 1:5).

Men of letters have been impressed by Zephaniah. George A. Smith said, "no hotter book lies in all the Old Testament. Neither dew nor grass nor tree nor any blossoms live in it, but everywhere, fire, smoke, and darkness, drifting, chaff, ruins, nettles, salt pits, and owls and ravens looking from the windows of desolate palaces." James Hastings calls him, "the fiercest of all the prophets." A.B. Davidson wrote, "The book provides us a valuable insight into the religious, social conditions in Israel prior to the exile..." "It is valuable for its comprehensive view of history. The history of the nations is but another name for the operation of Jehovah among them....Zephaniah has been styled, "the classical pronouncement of divine judgment in the Old Testament."

Keys That Unlock the Prophet’s Message

Two key verses capture the main thoughts of the book:

Zephaniah 1:14; "The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly... "

Zephaniah 3:13; "The remnant of Israel... shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid."

The Key words are "jealousy" (Zephaniah 1:18; Zephaniah 3:8) and "remnant" (Zephaniah 2:7; Zephaniah 2:9; Zephaniah 3:13).

The Key concepts are "day of the Lord," used seven times and "Jehovah in the midst" for judgment (Zephaniah 3:5) and for salvation (Zephaniah 3:17).

Simple Summaries of Zephaniah

I. Judgment Upon Judah (Zephaniah 1:1-18).

II. Judgment Upon All Nations (Zephaniah 2:1 to Zephaniah 3:8).

III. Deliverance For the Faithful Remnant (Zephaniah 3:9-20).

Another way to analyze the book is as follows;

I. The Lord in the Midst for Judgment (Zephaniah 1:1 to Zephaniah 3:8).

II. The Lord in the Midst for Salvation (Zephaniah 3:9-20).

Exposition of the Text

"The 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" (Zephaniah 1:1). In these lines we have the prophet’s family lineage. That he traces his ancestry to Hezekiah, shows that he was of the"seed royal," i.e., the house of David. He dates his book by telling us it was produced "in the days of Josiah" the king of Judah. Josiah reigned from 639-608 B. C.

The Sins of Judah Delineated (Zephaniah 1:2-18).

"I will utterly consume all things from off the face of the ground, saith Jehovah. I 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 the face of the ground, saith Jehovah" (Zephaniah 1:2-3). Zephaniah gets right to the point, God is going to judge the earth! The destructiveness will be comparable to that of Noah’s day. None will escape and many will perish! In the ravages of war, all creatures suffer. Soldiers lived off the ground they occupied. All things eatable were taken. More particularly, he mentions beasts, birds and fish to emphasize that nothing will escape the horrors of the coming day of God’s judgment. The word "stumblingblocks" is derived from a Hebrew term that mean "ruins." It is rendered "heaps of rubble" in the NIV. He evidently uses the term metaphorically to describe the ruined state of affairs in the nation. They had ruined personal integrity, the sacredness of marriage, God’s religion and government. It would certainly include the idolatry that was rampant in the land. He hastens to add thus "saith Jehovah." His message was not of his own making, it was indeed, God given.

"And 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; and them that worship the hosts of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam; and them that are turned back from following Jehovah; and those that have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired after him" (Zephaniah 1:4-6). God announces that he will personally take charge of the coming judgment. The primary purpose of the judgment will be to purge the nation of Judah of the corrupting idolatry into which they had fallen. Specifically he mentions:

1. "The remnant of Baal." Baal was the chief god of the Canaanites whom the Hebrews displaced. He was the sun god and thought to be the god of procreation and good harvests. He was worshiped with vile rites of gluttony, drunkenness and ritual fornication. Baal worship was pure idolatry and strictly forbidden (Exodus 20:4-6).

2. "The name of the Chemarim with the priests." The word "chemarim" means "priest." That which is condemned are the unlawful priests who were looked to by the people. Some were priests of Baal and other heathen deities and some were the unapproved priests such as Jereboam I installed in Israel (1 Kings 12:31).

3. "Them that worship the host of heaven." Sinful man has always been allured by the sun, moon and stars. While rejecting the God who made them, they adore the creation and think that the heavenly orbs can somehow affect their lives. God strictly forbade the Hebrews from engaging in such worship (Deuteronomy 4:19). Even in this well-educated scientific age, multitudes are still consulting their horoscopes.

4. "Them that swear by to Jehovah and...Malcam." Malcam, sometimes called Milcom or Molech was the chief god of the wicked Ammonites. To him human sacrifices were offered (Jeremiah 32:35). In this verse he condemns their attempt to hold both the worship of Jehovah and that of Malcam. The blending of diverse and even contradictory religions is called "syncretism." The surviving members of the Northern Kingdom intermarried with the idolatrous Gentiles sent there by the king of Assyria. "They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods" (2 Kings 17:33). Elijah confronted this same problem. He challenged the people "If Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him" (1 Kings 18:21). The New Age religion of our day is thoroughly syncrestic.

5. Godless apostates among the Hebrews are "turned back from following Jehovah."

"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand: for Jehovah bath prepared a sacrifice, he hath consecrated his guests. And 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. And in that day I will punish all those that leap over the threshold, that fill their master’s house with violence and deceit" (Zephaniah 1:7-9). In the presence of Almighty God, sinful men are expected to hold their peace and be silent (Habakkuk 2:20). There is no questioning God’s decision, no arguing their case. Their only choice was to listen to His decree and accept it as just.

A sacrifice always involved the death of an animal. A portion of the sacrifice was consumed on the altar and the rest eaten by the priest and the one offering the sacrifice. As used by the prophet, God is going to sacrifice the wicked among his people Judah. He cites those with whom he has a just grievance.

1.    Princes and king’s sons and all who are clothed with foreign apparel. These were men who held high positions in government. To help his people remember that they belonged to Jehovah, God had prescribed that their apparel be marked with fringes of blue (Numbers 15:38). The worldly among them chaffed at having to display the insignia of their religion, preferring the latest styles and fashions of the Gentile world. Many Christians have this same problem. They cast aside the modest apparel prescribed by Paul for the suggestive fashions of worldly designers.

1.    Those who leap over the threshold. This alludes to a pagan superstition borrowed from the Philistines (1 Samuel 5:5). From the day that their god Dagon fell before the ark of Jehovah, "neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon..." (1 Samuel 5:5). It was a silly superstition borrowed from their pagan neighbors.

2.    Those who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit. This refers to those agents of the king or perhaps of other powerful men, who used violence and deceit to extort the wealth and possessions of the common folks for their masters. All of those mentioned above are on God’s list of transgressors deserving special attention when he comes to judge the world.

"And in that day, saith Jehovah, there shall he the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills. Wail, ye inhabitants of Maktesh; for all the people of Canaan are undone; all they that were laden with silver are cut off’” (Zephaniah 1:10-11). "That day" is the day of the Lord when the invading army appears. "The fish gate" was located in the northern wall of the city (2 Chronicles 33:14). It would be where the fish merchants would sell their goods. The "cry" would be of alarm at the approach of the destroying army. "The second quarter" was the more recent extension to the city. It enlarged the walls to the north and west. From the new quarter of the city the citizens would see and hear the approach of the invading horde. "The Maktesh" was the likely the bazaar where the merchants who were laden with silver did their business. Maktesh literally means "mortar" but that does not help us in identifying the place. Sarcastically, he call the merchants "the people of Canaan." The word canaanite means "merchant." Canaanites would not likely have been allow to set up shop in the holy city. But the Jewish merchants were not much different than those of their Canaanite neighbors. We can imagine the fear and consternation that would sweep through the city’s population when they learned that an attack was imminent.

"And 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. And 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” (Zephaniah 1:12-13). God forewarns the people that none can escape the coming judgment for he himself will "search Jerusalem with lamps," finding and routing the wicked from their hiding places. This reminds us of Diogenes of Sinopes who walked through Athens with a lamp in hand. When asked what he was doing, he said he was looking for an honest man. God promises he will punish those who "are settled on their lees..." i.e., congealed in their wickedness. Lees are the solid particles in the wine that settles to the bottom of the container. The wine was left on the lees to improve its flavor. If left too long it caused the wine to sour. When the wine was to be used, it was strained to remove the lees. The people of Judah had tolerated sin and vice in their lives and it had corrupted the whole of their society. It had also hardened their hearts causing them to deny that God had any interest in their lives, be they good or evil, nor would he reward the good or punish the evil. This is a kind of "practical atheism" that manifests itself in the attitude of many who call themselves Christians. Zephaniah warns that their wealth will be taken as spoil by the invading soldiers. The fine homes they had built while ignoring God, they would not live to enjoy. Nor would they live to enjoy the wine their vineyards had produced.

"The 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. That 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, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements" (Zephaniah 1:14-16). For the righteous, the day of the Lord is a day of joy and happiness, a day of blessings and receiving rewards but for the wicked of Zephaniah’s day it was the opposite. With poetic flourish he paints a dreary scene of a city overrun by a cruel enemy. God’s wrath is poured upon them by the hands of the Babylonian army. The defending army will be routed. The civilians will be fleeing in terror. The city will be burning, the clouds of smoke ascending to the heavens. Amid the screams and chaos he hears the war trumpet signaling and directing the troops. It is indeed a mournful and pathetic picture he paints. The defensive walls and battlements had not been sufficient to withstand the punishment God had imposed on them.

"And 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. Neither 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" (Zephaniah 1:17-18). Their disaster is God’s doing. In such chaos and confusion, a blind person cannot tell where he is or where he is going. He wanders aimlessly and so will the citizens of Jerusalem. Because of their great burden of sin, they will pay a fearful price. Violent death will overtake many of them. They will be slaughtered without pity by enemy soldiers. Their dead bodies will be left to rot like the dung heaps in a pasture. In their acquisition of wealth they had forgotten God. When the day of reckoning comes their gold and silver will not save them. They had ignored, despised and insulted their God and now "a terrible end" will overtake them.

Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations (Zephaniah 2:1 to Zephaniah 3:7)

"Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, 0 nation that hath no shame; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah’s anger come upon you" (Zephaniah 2:1-2). God is offering his people one final chance for repentance before their awful judgment strikes. Their sinfulness as a nation calls for national repentance. There once was a time when the leaders of our nation had sufficient faith in God and the Bible that they called for days of national fasting and prayer and seeking the blessings of Jehovah. Sadly such is no more.

Notice God refers to the inhabitants of Judah as a "nation that hath no shame." The term "nation" is most often used to refer to heathen nations. At this point in their history, the Hebrews had sunken to the level of their heathen neighbors. They were shameless in their conduct and in their neglect of God’s will. Their time for repentance was short. We estimate that Zephaniah delivered his message about 620 B. C. The first Babylonian invasion occurred in 606/605 B. C. Puppet rulers were installed to do the bidding of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In two additional raids (597 and 587/586), the nation and God’s temple were destroyed. Her people were deported to Babylon. Without genuine repentance, they would be as helpless before the coming judgment as chaff is to wind. Like the Assyrians, the Babylonians were instruments of judgment in God’s hands (Isaiah 10:5-12).

"Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah’s anger" (Zephaniah 2:3). In the midst of that rebellious population there were a few whom he describes as the meek of the earth. In other places they are called the "remnant" (Romans 9:27). By remaining faithful through this tumultuous period, God would provide them a hiding place where they would be safe and spared.

Their Gentile Neighbors Will Suffer Along

With Judah in the Coming Judgment (Zephaniah 2:4-15).

"For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Askelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, 0 Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea-coast shall be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their flocks thereupon; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for Jehovah their God will visit them and bring back their captivity" (Zephaniah 2:4-7). Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod and Ekron along with Gath were city states that had formed the Philistine League. They were hostile neighbors that for generations had been a thorn in the flesh of the Hebrews. David had subdued them so they were not a threat to the Hebrews in Zephaniah’s day. Cherethites is another word identifying the Philistines (1 Samuel 30:14; Ezekiel 25:16). Part of David’s body guard was staffed with Cherethites (2 Samuel 8:18). His point in mentioning them is that Philistines to the west of Judea, Moabites and Ammonites to the east, Ethiopians to the South and Assyria to the north would all feel the chastening hand of God in the coming day of judgment. These heathen nations would be destroyed and not recover, whereas the Hebrews would survive their captivity and return to reclaim their land. This occurred in 536 when Cyrus, king of Persia decreed that all captive people in his nation could return to their homelands (Ezra 1:1-4).

"I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached mypeople, and magnified themselves against their borders. Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possesssion of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them. This shall they have fortheir pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts. Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the nations" (Zephaniah 2:8-11). The Moabites and Ammonites were descended from Lot by his two daughters. Their hostility toward the Hebrews burned incessantly. They were a wicked and aggressive people who tried repeatedly to encroach upon the territory of the Jews. He predicted that their judgment would be complete and final like that of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their homelands would become uninhabitable. When these heathen people reproached God’s people, they reproached Him and thus he avenges himself upon them.

Notice that this section ends with a remarkable prediction that in coming days, men of all nations will worship Jehovah from their place. In that day, there will be no more holy city, material temple or pilgrimages thereto. Jesus explained this truth to the woman of Samaria (John 4:19-26). In His Great Commission, he sent his Apostles to fulfill this prediction (Matthew 28:19).

"Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness. And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice shall sing in the window; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar work. This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! Everyone that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand" (2:12-15). Far to the south, in the heart of Africa was Ethiopia. At this point in time, the Ethiopians controlled and ruled all of Egypt. So Egypt is included in this prediction. The first judgment on the Ethiopian/Egyptian kingdom was at the hands of Assyrian kings. Esarhaddon defeated Egypt in 672 B. C. In 664-663, Ashurbanipal returned to plunder the land. At that time No-Amon, better known as Thebes, was taken and looted. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Egypt in 572 and again in 569/568 B.C. Ezekiel made a similar prediction about Nebuchadnezzar’s punishment of Egypt (Ezekiel 30:10).

The prophet now turns his attention to the north to the great Assyrian Empire whose capital was Nineveh. She would be utterly destroyed and flocks would graze where she once stood. The BabylZerr: Zephaniah 1:6. Cut off is still the verb that tells what is to happen to certain evil characters. Turned back from the Lord means those who proved unfaithful to Him and directed their attention to idols. These persons did not seek information from the Lord nor even make any inquiry after Him.onians, Medes and Scythians united to defeat and destroy Nineveh in 612 B. C. Its scattered ruins can still be seen in the land of Iraq, across the Tigris from the city of Mosul. The word rendered pelican is obscure in the Hebrew text. The RSV renders the passage, "the vulture and the hedgehog shall lodge in her capitals; the owl shall hoot in the window, the raven croak on the threshold." The NIV renders it, "The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows." Either of these makes more sense to the reader. Visitors who view the utter desolation of the city which formerly ruled the Middle-East, will sigh and wave their hands in dismay.

"Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God. Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law" (Zephaniah 3:1-4). Zephaniah now turns his attention specifically to Jerusalem and her inhabitants. Like a prosecutor in a court, he lists the charges brought against her citizens.

(1) They were rebellious which is worse than witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). Moses told the Hebrews of his day, "Ye have been rebellious against Jehovah from the day that I knew you" (Deuteronomy 9:24).

(2) They were polluted, defiled by their sins, thus unable to stand before their God (Jeremiah 3:2).

(3) They oppressed those who were weak and unable to defend themselves. This their law specifically forbade (Deuteronomy 24:14).

(4) They would not hear the voice of God delivered through His Word, his faithful prophets and priests.

(5) They would not accept correction.

(6) They trusted not Jehovah.

(7) They would not draw near to God. (See James 4:8).

(8) They were shameless (Zephaniah 3:5).

These sins are not just relics of the ancient past. They flourish in our society today.

He then turns his attention to the leaders of the nation who had likewise miserably failed in their duties and responsibilities.

(1) Her princes (the ruling class) "are roaring lions." They were fierce predators who preyed on those they should have protected.

(2) Her judges were like evening wolves, who under cover of darkness seek their victims.

(3) Her prophets were light and treacherous persons. They were silly and irreverent in handling God’s Word.

(4) Her priests profaned God’s sanctuary and did violence to the law. They neglected or took liberties in the observance of the rites of worship ordained by Jehovah. They failed to teach all of God’s will to the people or perhaps they added to it. They might have sought to soften or explain away its intended meaning.

"Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; every mourning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame"(Zephaniah 3:5). Jehovah was fully aware of their many sins for he was "in the midst of her." Unlike her judges, he "is righteous." "He will not do iniquity." God is as dependable as the sun which never fails to appear. He will make the world to see and understand his righteous judgments.

"I have cut off nations; their battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant. I said, Only fear thou me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings" (Zephaniah 3:6-7). God then reminds the Hebrews what he had done for them. He had broken the power of Egypt to free them from bondage. He gave them victory over the Canaanite tribes and gave them their land. His only stipulation was that they "fear" Him and "receive correction." If that they would do they would never be driven from their land. He had made it clear that if they took up the wicked practices of the Canaanites, the land would vomit them out as it had done the heathen before them (Leviticus 18:24-30). Rather than show their gratitude for God’s rich blessings, "they rose early" to indulge themselves in sin and rebellion.

A Promise of Future Blessings (Zephaniah 3:8-20).

Note: Passages such as the following have an immediate fulfillment in the restoration of the Hebrews from their captivity in Babylon. However, we can also see a glimmer of a greater, grander fulfillment that would be realized in the heavenly kingdom of Messiah which was to come hundreds of years later.

"Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy" (Zephaniah 3:8). The word "therefore" connects this section with the foregoing. Having identified the many sins of the Hebrews that were deserving of God’s punishment, he now turns his attention to the righteous remnant among them. They are urged to "wait...for me, saith Jehovah." While they could not escape the turmoil that the day of the Lord would bring, they should not despair, rather, they should trust Him and be patient as He did his work of purifying their nation. This exhortation is yet valid for Christians in our troubled age of degeneracy and violence. Isaiah also knew the value of waiting for the Lord. "They that wait for (God) shall not be put to shame" (Isaiah 49:23). "They that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31). "The prey" which God will take are the wicked nations upon whom he will pour his indignation and fierce anger. "All the earth" is not to be taken literally. It is a metonymy, the whole standing for a part. He speaks of all those nations under consideration, those already mentioned in chapter two.

Our God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). God’s jealousy is not to be confused with the petty jealousy common to man. We are often jealous when there is no good reason to be so. In our ignorance and vanity we imagine that our loved one or friend is turning away from us, when in reality they are not. God is omniscient. He knows every detail of their hearts and ours. His jealousy stirred when his people turned to other gods, when their affections turned from Him to other people or things. His jealousy is aroused when human beings, whom he created to honor his name, dishonor it; when they abuse and misuse the things he created. He is jealous when evil people seek to harm his saints. In this passage hostile nations had laid violent hands upon his people and God’s jealousy is stirred to avenge them.

"For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent" (Zephaniah 3:9). The prophet does not have in mind a particular language such as Greek or Latin. He means that following the refinement of the coming judgment, their speech will be pure; forgiven and cleansed of all haughtiness (Zephaniah 3:11) lies and deceit (Zephaniah 3:13). "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples" (NIV). The ultimate goal is that "they all may call upon the name of Jehovah...with one consent."

"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain" (Zephaniah 3:10-11). He continues the promise of the good things to come after the day of the Lord, which in this case was the coming Babylonian Captivity (606-536 B. C.). He sees his fellow-Hebrews, who had been scattered far and wide by war or sold as slaves, returning to the holy land as faithful "suppliants," worshiping God and bringing their offerings to Him. In Zephaniah’s day, Ethiopia was the end of the earth as far as human knowledge was concerned. They knew not what lay beyond its southern border. His point is, no matter how far God’s people had been scattered, the day would come when they would be free to come home and they would desire to do so. Their sins, such as pride, that had brought God’s judgment upon them, will have been purged and forgiven. Now with new-found humility they will come and worship him.

"But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid" (Zephaniah 3:12-13). The haughty ones mentioned in vs. 11, will have been purged out, but left in God’s kingdom will be those "afflicted and poor people...(who) take refuge in the name of Jehovah." Because all deceit and lies have been purged from their hearts, they will be a people of pure speech. They are his righteous remnant. There was never a time when all of Abraham’s descendants were faithful to God, but there was always a faithful remnant who served Him. This theme is found scattered though the pages of Scripture. "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). Thus Paul concluded, "If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved" (Romans 9:27). (For an extended discussion on God’s Remnant, see the Appendix at the end of Zephaniah. To understand "they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid," think of a flock of sheep who are cared for by a good shepherd. Jehovah was their shepherd, Jesus is ours (John 10:9).

"Sing, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, 0 daughter of Jerusalem. Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. “ (Zephaniah 3:14-15). In view of these wonderful promises of a blessed future, the prophet exhorts them to celebrate their deliverance and blessings. In Zephaniah 3:12 we see a good illustration of the parallelism common in Hebrew poetry:

"Sing, 0 daughter of Zion

Shout, 0 Israel,

Be glad and rejoice...0 daughter of Jerusalem"

This example is called a synonymous parallel. In each line the people are told to rejoice. Zion, Israel and daughter of Jerusalem all refer to the citizens of Jerusalem. Until the student has some knowledge of the use of parallelisms by the Hebrew writers, he will be hard-pressed to fully understand their poetry. (Those wishing to study the subject more will profit from the book Hermeneutics by D. R. Dungan, Gospel Light Pub. Co.). They were to rejoice because their God had removed their judgment by casting out their enemy. In this case he speaks of the Babylonians who had decimated their land. When they would return after their captivity, God would be "in the midst" of them as in the days of old. God’s presence was in their midst, in the holy of holies of their temple (Psalms 46:4-5). Today, our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us (1 Corinthians 6:18-19). This should fill us with overflowing joy.

"In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; 0 Zion, let not thy hands be slack. Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing" (Zephaniah 3:16-17). The exhortation to Jerusalem, "let not thy hands be slack" is meant to encourage those who returned from captivity to devote themselves to rebuilding Jerusalem and the holy temple. The history of that era can be found in Ezra and Nehemiah. Haggai, the prophet, devoted himself to seeing God’s temple rebuilt. It is remarkable that Zephaniah depicts God as singing over his blessed people with joy and love. This reminds us of a loving parent doting over their child.

"I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon her was a reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth" (Zephaniah 3:18-19). With the decree of king Cyrus that the captives could return to their homeland (Ezra 1:1-2), a steady stream of those Jews who had been scattered to the four winds began making their way back to their homeland. As in our day, some no doubt went home from reasons of love and loyalty to God and the land of their fathers. Others fled there for sanctuary because of their enemies. God again is pictured as the good shepherd calling them, guiding them, protecting them from their oppressors. We see him gently caring for the lame. That they were people who "sorrow for the solemn assembly," tells us they longed to be able to go to Jerusalem to celebration the solemn assembly of Atonement and those joyful days of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. That such was in their hearts demonstrates that they were of God’s righteous remnant. God promises to take care of their enemies who might try to hinder or harm them. As a defeated and enslaved people, they had been subjected to shame and ridicule. Restored to their homeland, people would be forced to see them as a people blessed by their God.

"At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah" (Zephaniah 3:20). In this closing verse, the prophet makes it crystal clear that God was promising the righteous within the Hebrew nation, that after the captivity which he had promised, He would bring them back safely to their homeland. This provided consolation for those who would live to experience the awful judgments of the coming day of the Lord.

LESSONS TO REMEMBER

(1) There are two sides to the personality of God: mercy and goodness for those who submit to him and strict justice and terrible judgment against those who rebel against him (Romans 11:22).

(2) A man’s belief about God will greatly influence his conduct (Proverbs 23:7).

(3) It is universally true that one tends to become like the God he worships.

(4) The wrath of God is a terrible thing when it is unleashed against a sinful people.

(5) Earnest, daily warning is sorely needed to draw us back to the paths of God (Amos 4:12).

(6) The day of Jehovah is inevitable for all men of every race, nation and station of life.

(7) God’s eternal plan was that salvation be offered to every person in every nation of the earth.

(8) Those who malign and fight against God’s people shall suffer the wrath of God.

(9) The great causes of God and humanity are not defeated by frontal attacks by Satan, but by the crushing indifference of the masses of people.

(10) God’s ministers should put strong emphasis upon the spiritual nature of God’s kingdom.

(11) God gives assurance that the humble ones who seek him will be safe in his presence in the day of judgment (2:3).

(12) The promise that joy will displace mourning and that tranquility will follow the storm, should bring encouragement to the righteous.

(13) The wicked cannot hope to hide or escape the day of Jehovah (Psalms 139:7-12 ).

(14) Neither riches, wealth nor honor will save one in the day of judgment.

(15) God’s purpose is not to wreak vengeance and destroy, but to cleanse and refine and saved those who will allow him to save them (2 Peter 3:9).

(16) You should not procrastinate, but flee now to the place of refuge, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes.

GOD’S REMNANT

A central theme of the Scriptures is that God has always had a faithful few in the earth who serve him. This small group is frequently described as the remnant. Paul wrote that, "If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved" (Romans 9:27). The word remnant means, "a small fragment: an end of a roll of cloth; of good quality but small; a surviving trace." This aptly describes God’s faithful people.

I. In ancient times, God always had his remnant. In Noah’s generation the remnant numbered only eight souls (Genesis 6:5-10). In the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, only Lot and his family composed the remnant (2 Peter 2:6-7). Among the two-three million Hebrews who exited Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb of the men of war were faithful to God (Numbers 14:29-30)

II. The prophet’s hope for the future of Israel was in the remnant. Elijah was made to understand that in Israel’s darkest day God yet had seven thousand faithful servants (1 Kings 13:18). Isaiah thanked God for saving a very small remnant (Isaiah 1:9). The Lord promised Jeremiah that a remnant would be saved from Babylon and restored to the homeland (Jeremiah 23:3). Ezekiel consoled the refugees in captivity with word that a remnant would survive to carry the faith onward (Ezekiel 6:8). Amos assured his brethren that God would "be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph" (Amos 5:15

III. Jesus taught that only a remnant would be saved in the Day of Judgment. "Many are called, but few chosen," said he (Matthew 22:14). "For narrow is the gate, and straightened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it" (Matthew 7:14). On one occasion He said to his followers, "Fear not, little flock: for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

IV. Paul saw the concept of the remnant as a logical explanation of why the majority of the Jews were rejecting the gospel. He argued, "But it is not as though the word of God hath come to naught for they are not all Israel that are of Israel: neither, because they are Abraham’s seed, they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God: but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed" (Romans 9:6-8). Of Abraham’s fourteen children only Isaac was "of the promise." Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Romans 11:15).

V. What does the doctrine of the remnant mean for us today?

A. We must not expect everyone to follow Jesus. They never have. God does not expect it. Thus we must not allow ourselves to become discouraged when folks reject the gospel. A small congregation is not proof of failure. It may well be the faithful remnant at work for the Master.

B. We should not expect everyone who makes a public confession to be wholly committed to Christ till death. There will always be backsliders and deserters. Our converts will suffer a similar attrition even as Paul’s did (2 Timothy 4:10). Of course, we try to salvage all of them. Never would we push a soul away, but when the disappointment comes we must not be overwhelmed.

C. It is the faithful few who always have and always will carry the cause forward. Some preachers complain that 15% of their flock do 90% of the work and give the bulk of the contributions. Thank God for that faithful few. They are God’s remnant. They are the hope of the world.

D. No one is predestined or programmed to be a part of the remnant. It is a matter of personal conviction based on teaching and guidance. We cannot make a new convert "long for the spiritual milk....that (they) may grow thereby unto salvation" (1 Peter 2:2). We can only teach them to observe all things that Christ commanded (Matthew 28:20). While we must try to restore those who fall (Galatians 6:1), it is they themselves who must "give the more diligence to make their calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10).

E. In many cases, only God knows if a brother or sister is part of the remnant. We can only look at the outward man; God looks into the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He can discern both the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). A faithful sister became a serious troublemaker in her family and the congregation. To us it looked as if she had become unfaithful. A few months later she died with a brain tumor. She had not been responsible for her actions. We must not make the mistake of judging our brother (James 4:11-12). If he meets those basic requirements for fellowship we must accept him and let the all-wise Judge decide his destiny.

F. Each Christian should daily examine himself to be sure of his own standing with God (2 Corinthians 13:5). Never take your own faithfulness for granted (1 Corinthians 11:28). Even a great saint like Paul knew he could be rejected if he neglected his spiritual life (1 Corinthians 9:27). "Unto death" is the Biblical requirement for faithfulness (Revelation 2:10).

The church in Sardis was woefully dead. Yet there were a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with Jesus in white; for they are worthy (Revelation 3:4). Let it be our continual goal and concern to be a part of God’s faithful few who serve him now and who will be with him in heaven.

All Will Be Swept Away (Zephaniah 1:1-3)

At about the same time that Habakkuk was proclaiming the warnings and teachings that God had given him, the faithful Zephaniah was also carrying out a ministry of prophecy. It was a time of great spiritual danger for Judah, and so God sent not only these two prophets, but also the great prophet Jeremiah, at about the same time. Zephaniah’s role was to bring the people some lessons different from those of Habakkuk, and more finely focused than those of Jeremiah. God spoke in these ways so that no person of spiritual discernment would be caught unaware by events.

Zephaniah’s ministry came during the reign of Josiah, the great reformer king (Zephaniah 1:1). Josiah instituted the most sweeping changes Judah had yet experienced, but they were not enough to change the hearts of the people. Thus God sent these prophets to them, to reiterate the need for a sincere and lasting repentance. But God ultimately allows each of us to decide individually whether to seek him. Salvation is not a matter of finding great spiritual rulers and teachers. God calls each of us, individually, to seek him from the heart.

The opening verses of the book concisely state the first of Zephaniah’s main points (Zephaniah 1:2-3). The coming destruction of Judah will not be a punishment for the sake of punishment. Instead, the desolate state to which Judah will be reduced is simply a visible parallel to the spiritual desolation they have long been in. They have long desired to fit in with the world, to be accepted and popular, rather than being different. When the Babylonians invade, Judah will finally become "like the other nations", and they will learn what it really means.

The images in these verses will not be fulfilled literally. The Babylonians will destroy Judah and Jerusalem (as Jeremiah and Habakkuk had also foreseen), and the devastation will be severe. But, as Zephaniah will explain later, this is a beginning, not an end. God will preserve a remnant of his people, and years later, they will return and rebuild, both spiritually and physically.

As the prophet continues, he will make clear the reasons for the coming invasion (Zephaniah 1:4-13); and he will warn that the "day of the Lord", for which many are hoping, will for most be a day of reckoning and tumult (Zephaniah 1:14 to Zephaniah 2:3). Nor will the surrounding nations be immune to harm, for they have played their own disreputable part in bringing things to this state (Zephaniah 2:4-15). But it is Jerusalem and Judah that will receive the brunt of the coming destruction (Zephaniah 3:1-8).

Nevertheless, the object of this harsh discipline is not punishment, but rather purification and healing (Zephaniah 3:9-13). Afterwards, the remnant of God’s people will be closer to him than ever, and they will feel his joy and compassion as never before (Zephaniah 3:14-20).

All of this reminds us how important it is to look to God’s nature and character, not to our own expectations and agendas, if we wish to understand the role that God plays in our lives. To us, life always seems to be about our activities, our ideas, and our desires. But God’s will for our lives is based on none of these things. Like so many of the prophets, Zephaniah calls us to humble ourselves before God, and in faith to put everything in his hands.

- Mark Garner, 2009

I Will Search Jerusalem (Zephaniah 1:4-13)

After Zephaniah’s warning in verses 2-3, he now explains why Judah will be disciplined by the pagan Babylonians. God is not merely exacting vengeance - punishment for punishment’s sake is a worldly practice. God will merely give Judah what it has desired. The people have become fond of pagan habits, pagan entertainments, and even pagan gods. Their hearts are in the pagan world. So God will simply allow them to see the true nature of this world’s masters and rulers.

It is bad enough that the residents of Judah are worshiping pagan idols (Zephaniah 1:4-6). The ’worship’ of the idols that Zephaniah mentions involved practices such as ritualized immorality and gory human sacrifices. These idols were deliberately created so as to allow their followers to indulge the very worst of their fleshly desires under the guise of worship. Today’s religious practices may not be quite so blatant, but many of them are still spiritually unhealthy.

Even Christians today often ’worship’ God in ways that do not truly honor God, but that merely rationalize our own fleshly opinions and desires. When we use Scripture or Christianity to promote partisan political beliefs, when we use the excuse of ’celebrating God’ to indulge in sensual entertainment, or when we claim to want ’justice’ when we really want to inflict revenge or punishment on others, then we are no better than the worshipers of Baal or Molech. At least those ancient idolaters worshiped ’gods’ that were obviously false, rather than blaspheming the name of the living God (and confusing those who wish to seek him).

Idolaters often enjoy their sinful practices for a time, but they will inevitably be called to a reckoning (Zephaniah 1:7-9). From God’s perspective, the day of the Lord is always near, even if to mortal humans he seems to delay. All those who worship false gods, whether tangible idols created by artisans or intangible idols created by their own minds, will ultimately realize their folly. Whether we are idolaters who revel in the present at the expense of our future, or whether we are faithful believers discouraged by the sins of others, we should focus on the inevitability of God’s judgment, not on his timing.

Zephaniah 1:7 contains the first of several references by Zephaniah to "the day of the Lord" (elsewhere he may also say "on that day" or "the great day"). This does not refer to the coming of Jesus, for this expression in the prophets refers simply to any day on which God would intervene in a decisive fashion. Our human tendency is to wish fervently for a ’day of the Lord’ in which he will change everything in the ways we wish him to do; but when he does act, after days or years of patience, it will be for spiritual ends, not worldly purposes.

Through the prophet, God speaks of searching through Jerusalem to look into the hearts of his people (Zephaniah 1:10-13). Although the coming invasions will affect everyone, they will be especially devastating for those whose hearts had strayed from God. Those who had remained faithful will struggle too, but they will become part of the remnant through which God will rebuild. The faithless never have anything that is not temporary; but the faithful can always be assured that, no matter how bleak the present may seem, they can have great and godly hope for the future.

- Mark Garner, 2009

Near & Coming Quickly (Zephaniah 1:14 to Zephaniah 2:3)

It is an unfortunate feature of human nature that we generally take patient persons for granted, and we then patronize or ignore them when they need us. This is even more true in our relationship with God - his patience with our sin and folly far surpasses what even the saintliest of humans can muster, and yet we so often repay God’s patience with spiritual complacency, or even with disregard for his authority. Thus the prophet Zephaniah makes great efforts to remind his hearers that the time may be near when God will no longer refrain from action.

As was illustrated in the book of Habakkuk, the longing for God to act, the urge for God’s ’day’ to come, is a common one; yet it is dangerous to assume too much about what the ’day of the Lord’ will be like (Zephaniah 1:14-17). We all have a self-centered tendency to expect that God’s focus should be on addressing the things that most affect our own self-interest. Too many believers assume that when God comes it will be to punish those who have offended us - but when God comes, when it is time for him to act decisively, it will be equally frightening and equally humbling for us all. This is equally true of the final Day when God will render judgment on the whole world, as it is of any time before then when God must choose to intervene in our affairs.

Therefore we should not crave punishment for wrongdoers, nor should we drool at the thought of God rendering judgment upon them. We must learn to live in humble awareness of our own sin and dependence on God, and we must learn to hope that wrongdoers will find mercy. "For at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things" (Romans 2:1).

Like Zephaniah’s generation, we too often count on worldly things to protect us in times of distress (Zephaniah 1:18) . When it is time for judgment, neither silver nor gold nor any material things will help us in the slightest way; if anything, they will weigh us down. Nor will fame, popularity, or earthly power matter at all to God, for God has no interest in what other humans think of us - a perspective we would do well to adopt ourselves. "What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight" (Luke 16:15).

Instead of such folly, we should turn to God in humility and in true, godly righteousness (Zephaniah 2:1-3). Only full humility and a genuine trust in the blood of Jesus can save us from judgment. Too often, believers praise God’s grace with their lips but refuse to learn what it really means. We are dependent on his grace for everything in this life, and we shall remain dependent on his grace for everything in the next. The church will never understand this unless we cure ourselves of our foolish preoccupation with trendy methods, pop psychology, and ’motivational’ speakers.

God’s grace is not merely a motivational tool, nor is it an excuse not to seek God seriously and soberly. It is a constant call to live our lives in true worship of him, not depending on other humans or on any worldly things, but taking heart in the assurance that he knows what we need.

- Mark Garner, 2009

No One Is Immune (Zephaniah 2:4-15)

Judah is the main target of the coming invasion, but its pagan neighbors have no cause for relief - they too are in the path of the rampaging Babylonians. God’s judgment is equally frightening to believers and unbelievers alike. So too, we ought to remember today that both we and those around us will soon find ourselves kneeling before God’s throne. Let us be humbly conscious of our own dependence on God’s grace, and somberly aware of the spiritual peril of the lost.

Philistia was the long-time foe and frequent oppressor of the Israelites, but now they will face exactly the same disasters that soon will befall Judah (Zephaniah 2:4-7). It may offend our fleshly conceptions of ’justice’ for the tormented and the tormentor to face the same judgment, but it should impress upon us that God’s standards of justice do not conform to ours, nor do they have to. "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"; and only by grace can we stand before God, regardless of whether we may be ’righteous’ or ’unrighteous’ in the eyes of the world.

But there is an important difference (Zephaniah 2:7). Philistia and most of the other nations mentioned in this chapter fell, never to return or rebuild, but there is always a future for those who love God. Believers are no more righteous, in any meaningful sense, than unbelievers, and thus we are just as subject to discipline and judgment as they are. But we can always have the hope, even in the midst of the worst disasters, of rebuilding - maybe in a different time or a different place, but still somewhere and someday - and we always have a future with God.

Two of Israel’s other ancient neighbors, Moab and Ammon, also face the same fate (Zephaniah 2:8-11). Even the distant nation of Cush (whose territory roughly corresponded to that of the present-day nation of Ethiopia) is warned (Zephaniah 2:12). We ought not to limit our awareness to those close at hand, for in one glance God’s eyes can take in everything on our entire earth. The warnings here should remind us of the spiritual burdens and spiritual dangers that exist everywhere; and they are a rebuke to our complacency and self-centeredness.

Note also how the prophet specifically foresees the destruction of the false gods on which these nations rely (Zephaniah 2:10-11). They will not be excused for merely following in the ways they were taught by their society or their ancestors - nor shall we be excused if we seek to blame others for our own spiritual weaknesses or errors.

Even the great Assyrian Empire is told that it, too, is ultimately doomed (Zephaniah 2:13-15) . It is another chronic failing of human nature that we persistently think that today’s conditions cannot easily change. We persist in fixating on present conditions despite an overwhelming number of reminders that they have little if any permanence, and even less spiritual importance.

We would do well to stop fussing and worrying about short-term concerns, both in the world and in the church of Christ. We should discard our fleshly desires for pleasure or adventure, so that we can fully grasp the spiritual realities that God teaches us.

- Mark Garner, 2009

Morning By Morning (Zephaniah 3:1-8)

Zephaniah has warned both Judah and its unbelieving neighbors about the Babylonian invasion that will soon throw all of them into turmoil. Yet they still fail to grasp the full power and righteousness of God. As the prophet warns his complacent generation about the spiritual truths they have ignored, he speaks to us as well. Today’s church is also fixated on the fleshly and the temporary, and it too needs to change its focus to become more humble and truly reverent.

Sadly, Judah’s own leaders, both secular and spiritual, are leading the people even farther astray (Zephaniah 3:1-4). Human nature causes those in positions of responsibility - whether in the church or in the world - to use their positions to further their own agendas. Even those who resist corruption and egomania inevitably confuse their personal focus and dreams with the real needs of others. This is aggravated by another human tendency - the eagerness with which we allow experts or authorities to take responsibility for our well-being. We blame them when we have problems, and we accept it as our due when they help us. Both attitudes are spiritually dangerous.

It is not possible for human leaders never to indulge themselves at the expense of others, for we are all equally weak and error-prone before God. Instead of looking for worldly magic fixes, we ought simply to accept personal responsibility for our spiritual condition. As far as our financial well-being, our physical health, our earthly position or reputation, we are often helpless before the rampant corruption and folly of this world. We often suffer injustice, loss, or deprivation through no fault of our own. But we can and should accept responsibility for our relationship with God.

God desires to live in us and to have us live in his presence; so if we desire these things too, then he himself will make it possible. If our hearts are set on knowing God and on being in his presence, then nothing can stop us: not false teachings, not church problems, not earthly crises, not even our own suffering.

Although God has extraordinary patience, he is never unaware of his people’s spiritual condition, whether good or bad (Zephaniah 3:5). Morning by morning, indeed moment by moment, he looks into our souls. Morning by morning, moment by moment, he seeks out those who love and trust him. While he may or may not choose to attend to their earthly needs, he always provides what they need to know him and to remain in him. Morning by morning, moment by moment, he sees those whose hearts are focused on loving themselves. He may or may not punish them now for their selfishness, for they live in a peril far greater than that of any earthly punishment.

God’s patience and eternal perspective challenge believers and unbelievers alike; they challenge the long-suffering and the self-indulgent equally (Zephaniah 3:6-8) . The patient must wait for their ultimate reward, while seeing the impatient and selfish thrive in this life - sometimes even in the church. The restless and the self-righteous must learn to humble themselves before God while there is still time. God can uproot mountains and overthrow entire nations if he wishes to, but his true concern is to lead all of us, whatever it takes, to a quiet and humble acknowledgement of him.

- Mark Garner, 2009

A Purified Remnant (Zephaniah 3:9-13)

After the harsh discipline at the hands of Babylon has ended, a smaller but stronger fraction of the Judeans will survive and move forward: God’s remnant. Zephaniah joins Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other prophets in his teaching about the remnant and its importance in God’s plans. Steeped as we sadly are in the fleshly thinking and false wisdom of the worldly, we erroneously think that bigger must be better; but God cares about the hearts of his people, not about how many of them there are. We think in terms of outward results that ’prove God is working’, but God’s most precious works are often invisible to most of us.

The prophet has told Judah of the harrowing discipline that is coming soon, but now he promises that afterwards God will compassionately gather together those hearts have stayed true to him (Zephaniah 3:9-10). God always longs to have those who love him be close to him and close to each other. He never prevents this - it is our sins that separate us from one another and from him.

Even in today’s world, when so many persons call themselves ’Christians’, there are not many whose love for God himself is greater than their love of the things God has given them. Far too many persons follow Jesus in search of personal rewards or fleshly excitement, while too few seek him with the deep humility that God asks us to have.

The remnant will not consist of the strongest or the most popular, or even of the most zealous, but rather will be those who are the meekest and most humble before their God (Zephaniah 3:11-12). This runs contrary to our fleshly logic, but it is true to God’s character. It contradicts many popular teachings in the world and even in the church, but "let God be true, and every man a liar" (Romans 3:4). It is not we who are to be celebrated and praised for what we do for God - it is God who should be praised and loved for his mercy and for his gracious presence among us.

A lack of humility compromises all other spiritual virtues. Human pride quickly corrodes even the finest spiritual fruit. Moreover, pride causes us to lead others astray. There are many weak sheep who need others patiently to teach them to trust in God and in God alone; but the prideful teach them to trust in human methods or wisdom. It may not make us ’feel good about ourselves’ to remain aware of our weakness and our errors, yet it is spiritually important for us to do so.

And genuine humility, besides bearing spiritual fruit in itself, works positively in other ways. It allows God to use even the most microscopic of our abilities, and it allows him to bless even the most halting and uncertain of our efforts to serve him and to share his light with others.

God desires to purify his remnant of sin and also to rid their hearts of fear (Zephaniah 3:13). Yet we can only experience these blessings if we rid ourselves of any thought that we humans can cure ourselves or can cure others. The best that any of us can do, truly to help anyone, is to keep pointing everyone - ourselves and those around us - to God; for in God alone lie the grace, peace, and hope that we all need.

- Mark Garner, 2009

I Will Gather You (Zephaniah 3:14-20)

The book of Zephaniah concludes with a series of memorable images of the comfort and compassion that God longs to show to his people. His stern warnings in the rest of the book are not given out of rage, but out of sadness for the stubbornness and hard-hearted attitudes that prevent even believers from living in God’s gracious care. Only when we are willing to let God humble us, regardless of the cost, can we truly appreciate God’s grace and compassion.

The grace of God is complete, and it takes away all guilt and all need for fear (Zephaniah 3:14-16). It thus takes away also any desire for personal privilege or selfish advancement. It automatically cures us of any need to take revenge or to see others punished for their sins. It brings us to accept everything that the Scriptures teach us about God’s nature and his character, not merely those qualities of God that fit our ’personal beliefs’ or that please our flesh.

Accepting God’s grace encompasses so much more than we realize, and it allows us to see all things more clearly. There are many persons who can accept God’s righteousness and who accept the certainty that our loving God will nevertheless sentence many souls to permanent damnation. And there are many other persons who accept God’s love and compassion, and who accept the certainty that God will allow into heaven many persons rejected or hated in this world. But we must accept both, for both are true, and both will affect our relationship with him.

Grace allows us not only to accept these two aspects of God’s character, but also to see that they are not at all in conflict with one another. To understand the glory of grace, we must also grasp the loathsome nature of sin - even sins that seem almost harmless to our fleshly minds. To understand grace, we must reject all comparisons between human souls, and we must see that many of our ideas about spiritual growth, faith, and ministry are worldly and misguided.

When we humbly accept his grace, God is then able to show us the full extent of his love for us (Zephaniah 3:17). The vivid imagery in this verse reminds us what great joy the humble and faithful bring to God. When we humbly and gratefully receive his grace, all barriers between God and us are swept away. This is a great blessing to us, of course, but we often do not consider what great joy it brings to God.

Zephaniah closes his book of prophecy with another reminder of God’s eagerness to gather together all those who love him (Zephaniah 3:18-20). As the prophet had told us earlier (see Zephaniah 3:9-10), it is not God who stands in the way of this happening. He has made billions of human souls, only to see most of them reject him or ignore him. So when even one soul turns from self and embraces God’s love and grace, to God it makes all of his patience and disappointment suddenly worthwhile. And when many of us together turn away from our human wisdom and fleshly methods, so that we can seek and love God himself, it brings him great joy indeed.

- Mark Garner, 2009

Days of Wrath and Hope - Zephaniah 1:1 to Zephaniah 3:20

Open It

1. In what way do you tend to be a pessimist or an optimist?

2. What future event are you either dreading or anticipating?

3. What in your life brings you the most joy?

Explore It

4. Who was Zephaniah? (Zephaniah 1:1)

5. What was prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem? (Zephaniah 1:2-18)

6. Who were the objects of judgment? (Zephaniah 1:4-13)

7. What was the description of judgment? (Zephaniah 1:14-18)

8. What did the prophet summon the people to do? (Zephaniah 2:1-3)

9. What were the judgments on neighboring nations? (Zephaniah 2:4-15)

10. What did Zephaniah say about Jerusalem’s doom? (Zephaniah 3:1-7)

11. What universal judgment did the prophet foretell? (Zephaniah 3:8)

12. How would the nations be renewed? (Zephaniah 3:9-10)

13. What future blessings for God’s people did Zephaniah describe? (Zephaniah 3:11-20)

14. How would God remove sorrow from His people? (Zephaniah 3:18-20)

Get It

15. How does God bring judgment on rebellious nations today?

16. What sin patterns are prevalent among Christians in our culture?

17. How do we practice Israel’s crimes of idolatry, violence, and fraud today?

18. What significance does "the day of the Lord" have for us?

19. When have you experienced restoration and rejoicing after a period of rebellion?

20. When has the Lord brought you out of sorrow and into joy?

21. In what way are you blessed right now?

22. In what way might you be a blessing to others?

23. How can looking forward to future blessings in Christ provide hope and enthusiasm for our spiritual journey with Him?

24. In your life as a Christian, what do you look forward to most?

Apply It

25. In what areas of your life do you want to be more sensitive to God’s desires for you and less resistant of what He wants?

26. What sad memories do you want to let go of in order to experience the joy of the Lord?

27. How can you remind yourself (or others) this week of the future hope that God has planned for His people?