The Day of the LORD is at Hand: An Overview of the Book of Zephaniah
This week, we will continue our study of the Minor Prophets by looking at the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah. It is the ninth of the twelve “Minor Prophets.” Zephaniah is one of he least-known of the prophets as it is not directly quoted in the New Testament. As far as the content is concerned, it is closest to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament in that it is concerned with Divine judgment. This book as we shall see is well worth studying.
Introduction (Zephaniah 1:1)
Zephaniah’s name in English means “The One Whom the LORD protects.” This name has meaning in that what one needs in the day of judgment is to be protected from it. The judgments pronounced on both Judah and al nations will be devastating. Yet some will be protected from judgment.
Zephaniah’s genealogy is traced back to his great-great grandfather Hezekiah, who is probably the King Hezekiah mentioned in the Bible in several books. The introductory verse which may have been added later to describe Zephaniah’s prophecy makes him a contemporary of King Josiah, This would seem to make him a distant cousin to Zephaniah and a member of the royal family. The situation seems to indicate that he prophesied in the early part of Josiah’s reign before Josiah’s reformation caused by the discovery of the Book of the Law in the Temple. The dire conditions would not fit the conditions after Josiah thoroughly reformed the nation and the Temple service. As this happened around 622 BC, this would date Zephaniah from 628-622 BC. His contemporaries included the Prophets Jeremiah, Nahum, and Habakkuk. It is possible that Zephaniah was used by the LORD to cause the short-lived revival under Josiah which only lasted about twelve years.
Hezekiah was the last good king before Josiah. He, too, instituted a reform of Judah and its worship of Yahweh. The LORD had hearkened unto Hezekiah and saved Jerusalem when the Assyrian armies had encircled the city. Jerusalem was delivered because it had trusted in Yahweh rather than to sue for peace. But 2 Kings 20 also records that the LORD delivered Hezekiah from a terminal sickness and granted him 15 years more life. It is also stated that it might have been better if he had died. Hezekiah made a mistake in showing emissaries from the rising power of Babylon. It is implied that he was seeking to make a league with Babylon against the Assyrians. The LORD frowned upon such alliances and told Hezekiah that Judah would one day be taken into captivity in Babylon along with all the treasure he had shown them. An even bigger disaster was that if he had died, Manasseh would never have been born. He turned out to be the most evil of all the kings of Judah. He reigned 55 years. He was able to reign so long because he made peace with the Assyrians, a peace which came with strings attached. Part of this included admitting the gods of Assyria and the idols of their worship into the Temple itself. Even though 2 Chronicles records a repentance late in life, the damage was already done. And his son Amon who succeeded him followed in Manasseh’s evil ways.
So by the time Josiah took the throne, the government, the religion, and the life of the people was totally corrupt. The LORD was much provoked and determined to bring Judah into judgment fro their unfaithfulness. So the LORD raised up Zephaniah among others to pronounce severe judgment upon Judah.
Total Destruction is Coming (Zephaniah 1:2-6)
The beginning of the prophecy contains shocking words. It says that the LORD was going to totally destroy the land for its sins. Not only was he going to destroy the people but also the beasts, fishes, and the birds. The judgment is going to be apocalyptic. He was going to cleanse the land from all the wickedness. He was going to destroy the foreign gods like Baal, Chemosh, and Molech and all those who worshiped them. To the LORD, it would be better that Judah become a wasteland than have these gods pollute the land. Their priests and the reprobate people would also be destroyed.
The Day of the LORD hastens (Zephaniah 1:7-2:3)
The theme that best characterizes Zephaniah are the words “The day of the LORD.” These words are not unique to Zephaniah as they occur in other prophets like Amos, Nahum. Isaiah, and Joel, among others. Zephaniah’s description of “The day of the LORD” is very similar to Amos’ description as a day of “darkness and not light.” (Amos 5:18). Too often the concept of the “Day of the LORD” is one of deliverance rather than severe judgment. Amos reminds us “to what end is it for you.” Zephaniah’s portrayal of this day is one of apocalyptic judgment.
Zephaniah describes this day as being a day in which the sacrifice is prepared and the guests invited. But those who are invited will be the sacrifice. It is similar to when the LORD invites the vultures to feast on the slain in the Book of Revelation. This was to be no celebration. The LORD was going to search all of Jerusalem with candles. Every dark corner would be lit up and judged. There will be no place to hide. In Zephaniah’s context, the LORD would raise up the Babylonians to do this work which would happen in the near future. The final destruction of Jerusalem would come in 586 BC. Nehemiah’s description of Jerusalem over 100 years after the destruction under Nebuchadnezzar shows how total this destruction was. The reform of Josiah only delayed the execution of the LORD’s wrath. Nothing would save them from destruction including their gold and silver. The false gods would not deliver. The nation had committed apostacy.
The LORD goes on to call Judah “a nation not desired.” The Prophet Hosea had earlier called Judah and Israel “not my people.” The LORD had lavished love upon both Israel and Judah, a love which they rejected. What a tragedy it is to reject the LORD. But then the text goes on to give hope that those who repented and returned to Yahweh would be preserved from catastrophic judgment. They like Zephaniah would be those whom the LORD protects. The meek would seek righteousness and meekness and would be there to inherit the land as the wicked would be destroyed or carried away captive. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says the meek would be blessed because they would inherit the earth. And it would not just be the meek in Judah who would escape judgment.
The Judgment of the Nations (Zephaniah 2:4-3:7)
As with many of the prophets, the judgment of God will not fall exclusively on His people. Nations will be judged for their wickedness as well. Judgment will fall upon the cities of the Philistines. Their cities and coasts will be turned into pasture land and given to Judah after the Philistines were removed. This judgment offers a glimmer of hope to the people of Judah. They shall not always fall under the wrath of Yahweh. There will be a restoration in the end.
Moab and Ammon would also fall under the wrath of Yahweh. They were kin to Israel through Abraham’s nephew, Lot. The heads of the two nations were born of Lot’s daughters after the escape from Sodom and Gomorrah. But Yahweh curses the two nations, calling the one Sodom and the other Gomorrah. They would suffer a similar fate to those two cities. They had served as stumbling blocks to Israel and had led them into immorality and idolatry. They would return to the salt pits to which the king of Sodom sought to flee trying to escape from the confederacy of the Mesopotamian princes. It would not be those princes who would carry of the spoils of war. It would be Israel.
After briefly mentioning that the Ethiopians would suffer judgment, Zephaniah turns to the nation of Assyria. Zephaniah’s contemporary, Nahum, also prophesied of the destruction of Nineveh and the Assyrian empire. They would fall to the Babylonians in 612 BC in fulfillment of the prophecies of both prophets. Nineveh was a great city, but would be turned into uninhabited wilderness. Their punishment would be great because of what they had done to Israel and Judah. Passers by would hiss and wag their heads at the judgment.
It is hard to determine at the beginning of chapter 3 whether the LORD is still talking about Nineveh or is returning to his complaint against Jerusalem and Judah. We do know that Assyria had repented at the preaching of Jonah. They had believed the word of the LORD and was spared. We also know that Assyria soon returned to its evil ways. They carried the Northern Kingdom of Israel away into cruel captivity. Even though the LORD used them to punish Israel, He did not overlook this evil. Sennacherib mocked Yahweh while he was besieging Jerusalem. Hezekiah had reminded the LORD about this, and the LORD delivered Judah that very night. Nahum also lists the terrible crimes and idolatries they had committed, They had been shown grace but had trampled on it. Now they would be trampled.
But it is also possible that Zephaniah is referring to Jerusalem. Jerusalem had evil priests and had perverted judgment. Perhaps the prophet is referring to any nation who pervert justice and worshiped idols. So, either way it seves as a warning to us as well. All nations will come under the judgment of Yahweh.
The Restoration of Zion (Zephaniah 3:8-20)'
The LORD commands His people to wait upon Him while He pours out His wrath upon the nations. The LORD would restore a pure language to His people that they might call upon the LORD and serve Him with one consent. They would return from far places, even from beyond the rivers of the distant Ethiopia. The inhabitants of Zion would shout for joy in that day. There would be a return from captivity. In that day, his people would shine ang the nations.
What We can Learn
God has given us all of the Scriptures for our benefit, that we might learn from them. This includes the Book of Zephaniah, even though he is too little known in the churches today. One thing we need to understand is that God will judge sin, both at the national, church, and individual level. As much as the world wants to preach that God is love and love is God, the Scriptures do not bear out that God does not care about sin. Before, I mentioned the similarity of Zephaniah to the Book of Revelation which is a “New” Testament book. The judgment portrayed there is as catastrophic as the pronouncements of Zephaniah, only on a larger scale. God calls His people to repent. Those who humble themselves before Him will be protected from His wrath. The ultimate Day of the LORD is coming upon us.
We also need to realize that without Jesus, our judgment would be certain. The suffering of Jesus on the cross for our sin shows how serious God is about evil. The good news is that it also truly displays the love of God and His willingness to forgive those who believe on Jesus. The Gospel will either be the greatest news one has ever heard if one accepts it, or it will be the worst news ever if one rejects it. There is no middle ground. Jesus suffered a Day of the LORD event when He suffered judgment for our sins. For those who believe, the Day of the LORD is already past. Psalm 118 tells us that the day that Jesus hung on a cross. He was the One the builders rejected, whom God has raised. We can rejoice and be glad in it because it is Jesus who protects us. Let us never take this great forgiveness for granted.
Finally, we need to be the Zephaniahs, Habakkuks and Nahums of this generation, calling people to repent and believe the Gospel. It is likely the preaching of Zephaniah contributed to the repentance of Judah and the reforms under Josiah. Because of this, the Day of the LORD did not come in the days of Josiah. The Day of the LORD which will come at the end of the age and shake the universe to its foundations. We cannot decide for future generations. They might fall away. But perhaps the LORD will relent for a season that we might urge the people on Earth to repent. We must be like Joshua and the elders and say “As for me and my house, we shall serve the LORD. Let us be as the priests of Joel’s day and intercede between the porch and the altar and say: “Spare Thy People!” God is not willing any should perish. Neither should we. This does not mean that many will eternally perish into everlasting punishment, but we should not gloat when they get what is coming to them. After all, we have been saved only by the grace of God. Let us extend this grace to others and be bold proclaimers of the Truth to all nations.
We may go through very trying times. But if we remain steadfast, all will be well in the end.
