Zephaniah 1

1:1Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah king of Judah (640-609 B.C.). Josiah followed God, and during his reign the Book of the Law was discovered in the Temple. After reading it, Josiah began a great religious revival in Judah (2 Kings 22:1— 23:25). Zephaniah helped fan the revival by warning the people that judgment would come if they did not turn from their sins. Although this great revival turned the nation back to God, it did Not fully eliminate idolatry and lasted only a short time. Just four years after Josiah’s death, Nebuchadnezzar swept into Palestine and took the first wave of Israelite captives into exile.

1:2ffThe people of Judah were clearly warned by the highest authority of all—God. They refused to listen, either because they doubted God's prophet and thus did not believe that the message was from God, or because they doubted God himself and thus did not believe that he would do what he said. If we refuse to listen to God's Word, the Bible, we are as shortsighted as the people of Judah, and like them, we will be punished.

1:4When the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, God had commanded that they completely rid the land of its pagan inhabitants who worshiped idols. But the Israelites failed to do so, and gradually they began to worship the Canaanites’ gods.

1:7Aday of judgment and great slaughter occurred during the lifetime of these people when Babylon invaded the land. The prophet saw these prophecies as future events, but he could not see when or in what order these events would take place. Many think that these prophecies have a doubie fulfiliment—one for the near future (soon after the prophecy was made) and another for the distant future (possibly during the end times). Some scholars believe that these prophecies of judgment refer to events entirely in the future.

1:8,9Following pagan customs involved not only imitating foreign ways but also worshiping foreign gods. Leaders who should have been good examples to the people were adopting foreign practices and thus showing their contempt for the LORD by ignoring his commands against adopting the pagan culture.

1:12God would search the city with lanterns and punish those who deserved punishment. Because they did not search their own hearts and because they were content with the moral chaos around them and indifferent to God, God would use the Babylonians to judge them. Within 20 years, the Babylonians would enter Jerusalem, drag people out of hiding, and take them captive or kill them. No one would escape God’s judgment; there would be no place to hide.

1:12-14Some people think of God as an indulgent heavenly grandfather, nice to have around but not a real force in shaping modern life. They don’t believe in his power or his coming judgment, But God is holy, and therefore he will actively judge and justly punish everyone who is content to live in sin, indifferent to him, or unconcerned about justice. When people are indifferent to God, they tend to think that he is indifferent to them and their sin. They will be surprised to find that the “terrible day of the LORD is near.”

1:14-18The day of the LORD was near; the Babylonians would soon come and destroy Jerusalem. The day of the LORD is also near for us. God promises a final judgment, a day of worldwide destruction (Revelation 20:12-15). The Babylonian conquest occurred just as surely and horribly as Zephaniah had predicted. And God’s final day of judgment is also sure—but so is his ability to save. To be spared from judgment, recognize that you have sinned, that your sin will bring judgment, that you cannot save yourself, and that God alone can save you.

1:18Money is not evil in itself, but it is useless to save us. In this life, money can warp our perspective, giving us feelings of security and power. Just as the Israelites’ wealth could not save them from the Babylonian invasion, so at the final judgment, our riches will be worthless. Only Christ's redemptive work on our behalf matters for eternity. Christ alone will ransom us if we believe in him. Don’t trust money; trust Christ.