Zephaniah

Book of Zephaniah

Notes.. .

. ..Introduction. By Zephaniah to shake the people of Judah out of their complacency and urge them to return to God. People include Zephaniah, the Judeans and the people of all nations. The place is Jerusalem.
. ..Themes. The Day of Judgement, Indifference to God, and the Day of Cheer.
. ..Outline. “How much wickedness will God tolerate before He brings judgement?” (William Seay 2019, L14 33:29–33:35).
. ..Application. “Two major emphases highlight Zephaniah’s message: (i) Judgement of the wicked and (ii) hope for the faithful” (Seay 2019, L14 39:23– 39:33).
. ..Timeline. Zephaniah becomes a prophet and Josiah becomes king of Judah in 640. Jeremiah becomes a prophet in 627. The book of the law is found in 622. Zephaniah’s ministry ends in 621.

Introduction. 31:35 – The purpose was to shake the people of Judah out of their complacency and urge them to return to God. The author was Zephaniah. It was written to Judah and all nations. The key people are Zephaniah, Judeans, and the people of all nations. The key place is Jerusalem.

Themes. 32:05 – There are three major theological themes. (i) The Day of Judgement. Destruction was coming because Judah had forsaken the Lord. The people worshiped Baal, Moloch, and nature. Even the priests mixed pagan practices with faith in God. God’s punishment for sin was on the way. (ii) Indifference to God. Although there had been occasional attempts at renewal, Judah had no sorrow for her sins. The people were prosperous and no longer cared about God. God’s demand for righteous living seemed irrelevant to Judah whose security and wealth made them complacent. (iii) The Day of Cheer. The Day of Judgement will also be a Day of Cheer. God will judge all those who mistreat His people. He will purify His people, purging away all sins and evil. God will restore His people and give them hope.

Outline. 33:25 – How much wickedness will God tolerate before He brings judgement? In Zephaniah’s day, people had reason to ask this question. After the death of king Hezekiah, his son Manasseh quickly abandoned the godly ways of his father. Manasseh rebuilt the idolatrous high places that his father had destroyed. He killed many innocent people and sacrifices his own son to one of the gods. His son Amon followed Manasseh’s policies during his brief reign. Amon was succeeded by his 8-year-old son Josiah. After finding the Book of the Law in the temple in c. 622 BC, Josiah instituted religious reform. Josiah was personally faithful to God, but his people did not really return to God in their hearts. Judah had been under Assyrian control since c. 701 BC when king [ ] devastated the land in a military campaign. Judah was allowed to have its own kings as long as they cooperated with Assyria. With the death of Ashurbanipal, the Assyrian empire quickly disintegrated under a succession of weak kings and fell to a coalition of nations headed by Babylonians.

God had been patient with His rebellious people. He had sent many prophets over a long period of time to warn them of coming judgement. Now, the day of reckoning, the Day of the Lord was drawing near. So, God raised up the prophet Zephaniah to warn the people with some of the severest language found in the Scriptures. The judgement was fast approaching. No nation would escape that judgement, including Judah.

The prophetic ministry of Zephaniah occurred during the reign of Josiah. It probably began around c. 625 BC as the idolatrous practices which he condemned which Josiah abolished after c. 622 BC was still openly taking place. Actually, little is known about the prophet Zephaniah. He name means “the Lord hides.” He may have been a member of the royal family as his genealogy has been traced to Hezekiah. He is considered by many to be king Hezekiah. His contemporaries include Nahum, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah. No prophet portrays the religious or moral situation in Judah more clearly than Zephaniah. He understood that Judah would have to learn by bitter experience that though God is patient, His patience has an end. Neither their foreign gods nor political alliances could save them now. Only the meek and humble who trust in the Name of the Lord would experience the joy of God’s deliverance.

Zephaniahs’s message of judgement and encouragement has three major doctrines: (i) God is sovereign over all nations. (ii) The wicked will be punished, and the righteous will be vindicated on the day of judgement. (iii) God blesses those who repent and trust in Him. Zephaniah had the courage to speak bluntly because he knew he was proclaiming the Word of the Lord. His begins with the “Word of the Lord” and ends with “says the Lord.” He knew that many gods the people worshiped or even the might of the Assyrian army could not save them. God is gracious and compassionate but when all his warnings are ignored, judgement can be expected. Zephaniah understood that God’s sovereignty includes all nations. God can judge the peoples of all nations because He is their Creator and sovereign Lord. God’s said judgement is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures. The prophet called it the Day of the Lord. This refers to various events which followed the fall of Jerusalem as manifestations of God’s day each of which pointed to the ultimate day of the Lord. This ultimate day of the Lord is to be of a time solely determined by God when He will personally intervene to bring this age to an end and judge the nations. It will be a day of punishment for those who have afflicted God’s people and a day of vindication for the faithful remnant who have trusted God. Although he principal emphasis is the prophet’s judgment on that day it will also be a time of joy and blessing for the faithful. The same God who announced His judgement also announced hope. The messages are not contradictory. The Cross also proclaims both judgement and hope. Judgement for those who reject God’s son who died on the Cross and hope for those who accept Him.

Application. 39:20 – Two major emphases highlight Zephaniah’s message: (i) Judgement of the wicked and (ii) hope for the faithful. With a few adjustments to names and situations, this prophet of [ ] could stand with us today and deliver the same message. Zephaniah reminds us that God is offended by the moral and religious sins of His people and God’s people will not escape punishment when they sin willfully. Punishment may be painful, but its purpose may be redemptive rather than punitive. The inevitability of the punishment of the wicked gives comfort in a time when evil seems unbridled and victorious. A person has the freedom to disobey God but the freedom to escape the consequences of disobedience. Those who are faithful to God may be relatively few, but He does not forget them. They will rejoice in His salvation and in His blessing.

Timeline. 40:45 – Zephaniah becomes a prophet and Josiah becomes king of Judah in c. 640 BC. Jeremiah becomes a prophet in c. 627 BC. The book of the law is found in the temple in c. 622 BC. Zephaniah’s ministry ends in c. 621 BC.

Ref.

Seay, William. 2019. Old Testament Theology [MP3]. Andersonville Theological Seminary (ATS). Camilla, GA: ATS

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

Agere Sequitur Esse