Zephaniah
Book Outhne
Key theme: The coming day of the Lord
Key verses: ;
I. The Day of the Lord and the Jews ()
A. Pictures of that great day ()
1. Like a flood ()
2. Like a great sacrifice ()
3. Like a battle ()
B. Plea to seek the Lord ()
II. The Day of the Lord and the Gentiles ()
A. Philistia ()
B. Moab and Ammon ()
C. Ethiopia ()
D. Assyria ()
III. The Day of the Lord and the Kingdom ()
A. Jerusalem: God’s jealous anger ()
B. The Gentiles: graciousness and forgiveness (, )
C. The remnant: bounteous blessing ()
1. The sinners removed ()
2. The believers rejoicing ()
3. The land restored ()
Book Overview
When was the last time you sang a hymn about the future judgment of the world? Most modern hymnals don’t contain songs about the day of the Lord, and we certainly won’t find the phrase in the daily newspaper or weekly news magazine. Even if they do believe in God, most people don’t connect Him in any way with either current or future events. The closest we come to involving God in human events is when insurance policies mention “acts of God over which we have no control.” But that’s a far cry from Zephaniah’s day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord’s judgment is an important biblical concept that we must take seriously, because it tells us where things are going and how they’re going to end. During the day of the Lord, God will send tribulation to the world, judge the nations, save His people Israel, and then establish His righteous kingdom. God warns the world that judgment is coming, and for anybody to be unprepared would be foolish. The big question is “Where will you hide on that great day?” (See .)
If the Hezekiah named in is King Hezekiah (715–686 B.C.), then the prophet Zephaniah was his great-great-grandson. This prophet’s name means “Jehovah hides” or “Jehovah protects” and describes God’s ministry of protection for His faithful people when the day of his anger arrives ().
Zephaniah’s major theme is the day of the Lord, that period of time when God will judge the nations and usher in His righteous kingdom. This theme is found in almost all the prophets, but it is particularly evident in Joel and Zephaniah. “The great day of the Lord is near” ().
The Scriptures reveal very little about Zephaniah’s personal life. He ministered in Judah during the time of King Josiah (640–609 B.C.), who led the nation in a religious reformation triggered by the finding of the Book of the Law in the temple in the year 622 B.C. (). Zephaniah probably preached prior to this reformation, or he would have said something about it in his book. Jeremiah and Zephaniah were contemporaries.
Politically, the times were in ferment. Assyria was losing its power, the Scythians were invading from the north, and Babylon had become the leading empire. King Manasseh (697–642 B.C.) had led the people of Judah deeper and deeper into idolatry and the adoption of foreign ideas and customs, and Josiah had sought to reverse this trend. Alas, King Josiah died on the battlefield before his work was finished, and his successors on the throne allowed the people to return to their sinful ways.
“Be Transformed”
The “great day of the LORD” has not yet come, but it will. The challenge of continual transformation for each of us comes in the form of actions we take while waiting for that day to arrive. In words that express in his own style the message God extends to all of us, Zephaniah wrote: “Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger” (). Compare Zephaniah’s words with the words of Jesus that open the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (). Both Zephaniah and Jesus (along with the rest of the chorus of voices in God’s Word) tell us that favor with God is not based on the correct performance of a list of dos and don’ts but on the humble recognition that such performance is impossible for sinners and choosing instead to receive God’s gracious gift of salvation and forgiveness by faith. Obedience then follows out of gratitude, never to earn God’s protection or blessing. We trust, God transforms, and we obey.
1The word of the LORD which came to 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.
The Great Day of the LORD
From the face of the land,”
Says the LORD;
3“I will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the land,”
Says the LORD.
4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah,
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests—
5Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD,
But who also swear by Milcom;
And have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him.”
For the day of the LORD is at hand,
For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
He has invited His guests.
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 foreign apparel.
9In the same day I will punish
All those who leap over the threshold,
Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
10“And there shall be on that day,” says the LORD,
“The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate,
A wailing from the Second Quarter,
And a loud crashing from the hills.
11Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh!
For all the merchant people are cut down;
All those who handle money are cut off.
12“And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are settled in complacency,
Who say in their heart,
‘The LORD will not do good,
Nor will He do evil.’
And their houses a desolation;
They shall build houses, but not inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.”
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
15That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
17“I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the LORD;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse.”
18Neither their silver nor their gold
Shall be able to deliver them
In the day of the LORD’s wrath;
But the whole land shall be devoured
By the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land.
A Call to Repentance
O undesirable nation,
2Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you!
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’s anger.
Judgment on Nations
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.
5Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the LORD is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy you;
So there shall be no inhabitant.”
6The seacoast shall be pastures,
With shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah;
They shall feed their flocks there;
In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.
For the LORD their God will intervene for them,
And return their captives.
And the insults of the people of Ammon,
With which they have reproached My people,
And made arrogant threats against their borders.
9Therefore, as I live,”
Says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Surely Moab shall be like Sodom,
And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah—
Overrun with weeds and saltpits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The residue of My people shall plunder them,
And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”
10This they shall have for their pride,
Because they have reproached and made arrogant threats
Against the people of the LORD of hosts.
11The LORD will be awesome to them,
For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;
People shall worship Him,
Each one from his place,
Indeed all the shores of the nations.
12“You Ethiopians also,
You shall be slain by My sword.”
Destroy Assyria,
And make Nineveh a desolation,
As dry as the wilderness.
14The herds shall lie down in her midst,
Every beast of the nation.
Both the pelican and the bittern
Shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars;
Their voice shall sing in the windows;
Desolation shall be at the threshold;
For He will lay bare the cedar work.
15This is the rejoicing city
That dwelt securely,
That said in her heart,
“I am it, and there is none besides me.”
How has she become a desolation,
A place for beasts to lie down!
Everyone who passes by her
Shall hiss and shake his fist.
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
To the oppressing city!
2She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received correction;
She has not trusted in the LORD,
She has not drawn near to her God.
Her judges are evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
4Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have polluted the sanctuary,
They have done violence to the law.
He will do no unrighteousness.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But the unjust knows no shame.
Their fortresses are devastated;
I have made their streets desolate,
With none passing by.
Their cities are destroyed;
There is no one, no inhabitant.
7I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,
You will receive instruction’—
So that her dwelling would not be cut off,
Despite everything for which I punished her.
But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.
A Faithful Remnant
8“Therefore wait for Me,” says the LORD,
“Until the day I rise up for plunder;
My determination is to gather the nations
To My assembly of kingdoms,
To pour on them My indignation,
All My fierce anger;
All the earth shall be devoured
With the fire of My jealousy.
That they all may call on the name of the LORD,
To serve Him with one accord.
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain.
12I will leave in your midst
A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
13The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness
And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”
Joy in God’s Faithfulness
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
16In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
17The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
19Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the LORD.
Annotations for Zephaniah
God had shown Zephaniah that judgment would be coming upon Judah in the form of the Babylonian captivity, and the prophet had to share this message with the people. Babylon’s invasion of Judah, however, was but a feeble example of what would occur on that final day of the Lord, which would sweep over all the earth. Zephaniah opened his book by presenting three graphic pictures of the day of the Lord’s judgment.
, The first picture is of a devastating universal flood. The Hebrew word translated “consume” is repeated three times and pictures total devastation of all that God created. It probably refers to Noah’s flood. People, animals, birds, and fish would all be wiped out.
These idolaters may have claimed that they were still faithfully worshiping Jehovah, the true and living God, but Jehovah will not share worship or glory with any other god. In turning to idols, the people had turned away from the Lord and were not seeking Him or His blessing. They were guilty of sins of commission (worshiping idols) and omission (ignoring the Lord).
The second picture is of a great sacrifice. Since the Hebrew people were accustomed to attending communal sacrifices (.), this would have been a familiar image. But this sacrifice would be different, for God would be hosting the sacrifice. His guests would be the Babylonians; and the sacrifices to be offered would be the people of Judah! No wonder the prophet called for silence as he contemplated such an awesome event.
, We would expect the royal family and the religious leaders of the land to be the honored guests at God’s feast, but they would be the ones to be sacrificed! God would punish them because they had abandoned His Word and adopted foreign practices, including wearing foreign clothes and worshiping foreign gods.
The tragedy is that this invasion could have been avoided if the people had not been so complacent and indifferent toward what God was saying through His prophets. Judah was certain that the Lord was on their side because they were God’s covenant people. They were like wine that has settled on its dregs () and congeals because it isn’t poured from vessel to vessel to get rid of the bitter dregs. The worship of false gods had polluted the nation, and the pure wine had become bitter.
The prophet’s third picture of the day of the Lord is of a great battle. The description is vivid: we can hear the cries of the captives and the shouts of the warriors; we can see thunderclouds of judgment and flashes of lightning; we behold the victims’ blood poured out like cheap dust and bodies lying “like refuse” (v. ). What a scene of destruction and carnage, and all because the nation had refused to submit to the Word of the Lord. The fire of God’s jealous zeal would consume everything, and no one would escape. Even the wealthy would not be able to ransom their lives, and the enemy would take away their ill-gotten riches.
The prophet closed this message with a plea for the people to repent of their sins and turn to the Lord for His forgiveness. Like the prophet Joel (), He told them to call a solemn assembly and seek the Lord. Zephaniah especially called upon the godly remnant (“all you meek of the earth”) to pray and seek God’s face, perhaps referring to the promise in . But even if the majority of the nation followed false gods and turned away from the Lord, God would still protect His own precious remnant at the Day of Judgment ().
Zephaniah and Jeremiah ministered during the same period in history, and both of them begged the rulers to trust God and turn from sin. But the kings, officials, and priests refused to obey. God would have rescued the nation at the last minute, but the leaders were insensitive to God’s call and disobedient to His Word.
The Philistines were ancient enemies of the Israelites (; ). According to , they had taken Jewish people captive from cities in southern Judah and had sold them to other nations as slaves. But the time would come when their populous cities would be empty and their land left desolate, a place for shepherds to feed their flocks. Their coastal cities, made wealthy by vast shipping enterprises, would be destroyed by the enemy and left in ruins.
The Moabites and Ammonites originated from Lot’s incestuous union with his two daughters () and were hateful enemies of the Israelites (; ; ; ; ). But these two arrogant nations would end up like Sodom and Gomorrah, wiped off the face of the earth (; note the connection here with Lot).
Until the rise of Babylon, the dominant power had been Assyria, a ruthless people who were notorious for their pride and their cruelty to their enemies. A century and a half earlier, God had sent the prophet Jonah to Assyria’s capital city of Nineveh to warn them of God’s judgment, and the people had repented. But successive generations returned to the old pagan ways, and Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B.C. Within the next few years, the once great Assyrian Empire simply vanished from the face of the earth, and Zephaniah saw it coming.
Jerusalem is commonly called “the Holy City,” but in Zephaniah’s day, the city didn’t manifest much holiness! Isaiah (), Jeremiah (.), and Ezekiel (; ) gave the same assessment in their day. Even the Gentiles called Jerusalem the “rebellious and evil city” (, ), and they could cite proof for their statement.
, Instead of being holy, the city was filthy and polluted because of shameful sin; and instead of bringing peace (“Jerusalem” means “city of peace”), the city was guilty of rebellion and oppression. God gave His people the revelation of Himself in His Word and His mighty acts, yet they didn’t believe Him or seek Him.
Catalyst
We must note some practical truths that apply to believers today. First, God judges His people when they deliberately disobey His law. His people are to be different from the other nations and not imitate their ways or worship their gods (; ; ). “And do not be conformed to this world” is an admonition for all believers today (; see ).
Second, God’s promise to Abraham still stands: Those who bless Israel, God will bless; those who curse Israel, God will curse (). The nations that have sinned against God by mistreating the Jews can expect Him to judge them.
Finally, God’s Word is true and will be fulfilled in its time. God’s people can claim His promises and know that their God will be faithful, and God’s enemies can be sure that His words of warning carry costly penalties. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” ().
Go to the
, God expected the civil and religious leaders of the land to take His Word seriously and lead the people in the way of righteousness. Instead, the leaders acted like ravenous beasts in the way they oppressed the people and took what they wanted from them. The false prophets were unfaithful to the Lord and His Word and dealt treacherously with the people. They didn’t proclaim God’s truth; they only preached what the people wanted to hear. As for the priests, their very ministry was toxic and polluted the sanctuary. Instead of serving God for His glory, the priests twisted the law to please themselves and gain what they wanted.
God’s name was identified with the city and the temple (; ; ), yet both were cesspools of iniquity; therefore, He would have to act in judgment for His own name’s sake. The wicked officials met at the city gate morning after morning to transact their evil business, and the Lord was there to behold their deeds. How patiently He waited, but they would not repent and turn to Him for cleansing.
, The Lord reminded His people that He had judged the Gentiles and cut off nations, so He would be able to cut Judah off as well. In fact, the Jews were guiltier than the Gentiles because the Lord had given Israel more truth and more blessing. Surely God’s judgment of the other nations should have awakened the Jews to their peril, but they paid no attention. After all, they thought, because they were God’s covenant people, He would protect them from their enemies. They had forgotten that covenant privileges also involve covenant responsibilities.
Here God promised that the Gentiles would be converted. Instead of calling on their false gods, the Gentiles would call upon the true and living God and have their lips purified. Because “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (, ), cleansed lips indicate forgiven sin and a cleansed heart (). And, the Gentiles would do much more than call on the Lord and receive His cleansing; they would also serve the Lord as one people and no longer be divided.
Before our Lord’s death on the cross, a vast difference had existed in the relationship of Jews and Gentiles to each other and to the Lord. But the middle wall that had separated them has now been taken down (), and both can share in the spiritual blessings that come through faith in Christ. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved’ ” (, ). This miracle of God’s grace will be demonstrated in the kingdom age as the Gentile nations trust and worship the God of Israel.
When the terrible day of the Lord has concluded, Israel would be a new nation. The Jews would look by faith upon the Messiah whom they had crucified, believe in Him, and enter into a new life in the promised kingdom.
When the Jews see Christ, they will be ashamed of what they have done to the Lord and will mourn over their transgressions (). It will be a time of deep repentance and confession that will lead to salvation.
The Jews were supposed to magnify the Lord’s name before the Gentiles. Instead, they had imitated the pagan nations and disgraced God’s name (; ). The court of the Gentiles in the Jewish temple was supposed to be the place where Gentiles could talk with Jews about the true God and even pray to Him, but the religious leaders had converted that area into a market for selling sacrifices and exchanging money. What kind of testimony was that to the outsiders who were earnestly seeking the truth?
This is one of the most poignant passages in Scripture. It depicts the Lord as a loving mother, singing over her children and finding joy in their presence. The people of God sing and shout because of all that God has done for them. He has taken away their punishment, defeated their enemies, and come to dwell with them. Furthermore, He has guaranteed that the people of Israel will never again be afraid. Because the Lord is the King of Israel, His people have nothing to fear.
Zephaniah intimated that these festivals would be celebrated in the kingdom age, and seems to support this interpretation. The state of Israel was born on May 14, 1948, but that event, significant as it is, was not the fulfillment of God’s promise to regather His people and restore their fortunes. That promise will be fulfilled in the end times, after the Jews have experienced the day of the Lord and have been prepared to see their Messiah. But God’s promises will be fulfilled, and God’s people Israel will be restored and bring worldwide glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we come with a broken heart, confessing our sins, God will receive us the way a loving mother receives a disobedient child. He will love us and even sing to us! He will bring peace to our hearts and quiet us in His love. Yes, we suffer for our disobedience, and sometimes we carry the scars of that disobedience for the rest of our lives. But the Lord will forgive us (), forget our sins, and restore us into His loving fellowship.
Zephaniah 1
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1:3 Figurative of idols
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1:4 Hebrew chemarim
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1:5 Or Malcam, an Ammonite god, also called Molech (compare )
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1:7 Literally set apart, consecrated
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1:9 Compare
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1:11 Literally Mortar, a market district of Jerusalem
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1:12 Literally on their lees, that is, settled like the dregs of wine
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Zephaniah 2
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2:1 Or shameless
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2:6 Literally excavations, either underground huts or cisterns
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Zephaniah 3
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3:8 Septuagint and Syriac read for witness; Targum reads for the day of My revelation for judgment; Vulgate reads for the day of My resurrection that is to come.
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3:15 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, and Bomberg read see; Masoretic Text and Vulgate read fear.
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