Continuing our series on the Minor Prophets, we come to the short book of Zephaniah, which means “the Lord hides.” As one great Bible commentator puts it, there is no hotter book in all the Old Testament. Zephaniah was a man that burned with the Spirit of God. Zephaniah was a prophet of the great day of wrath which was coming for all the nations of the world. He had a timeless and original insight into the nature and meaning of sin. And it was this sin that would bring down the judgement of God upon the chosen people and the heathen peoples of Zephaniah’s time. And it is for that insight into sin that we might best remember Zephaniah. And the edition of the book which comes to us expands the typical narrow nationalistic view of salvation, as we will see when we come to chapter 3.
First let us discuss who Zephaniah was and when his prophecies were made. His genealogy is listed back for four generations, which is unusual for a prophet. And in this list is the name Hezekiah, which could be the same man that was king in the time of Isaiah and Micah. This connection leads many to call Zephaniah the royal prophet. He began his work during the reign of Josiah, who was a good and ethical king, guided by good priests and religious leaders. But things did not remain well in the eyes of the Lord. The nation after Josiah’s death reverted to its idolatry and sin.
Zephaniah’s work is a warning. It is directed to the complacent chosen people, who sit about waiting for something to happen, waiting for God to act. In all of Zephaniah’s words about the coming day of the Lord, there is little spared. The message is all-consuming and universal. There is no escape from what God has intended to do. And there are only two sides which you can come out on, either the side of the Lord or the side of his enemies. There is no place to hedge your bets, no place to sit and figure out what to do, no place to watch the battle from the sidelines. The day of the Lord is a Day of Judgment upon you and upon me.
When Zephaniah begins his description of the sin-filled world in which he lived, like the rest of the prophets he does not hold back. And sin becomes far more than a personal thing. Sin is not relegated to the individual soul. It is a cosmic event. It is the force that rips us from our place at God’s hand, it destroys our relationships with one another, it causes the creation itself to fight against life. And because of the cosmic nature of sin, because it is so all-encompassing, then judgement as well has a cosmic extent. The pictures of judgment in the prophets
Listing the sins
Pride
Disobedience & revolt
Dishonesty
Lack of faith and love
Zephaniah’s insight into the nature of sin does not lead him to simply put his hands up in air. Sin is not a concept that sits out there, for theologians to talk about, for preachers to complain about, for everyone else to forget about. Sin necessitates a response, and Zephaniah proceeds to show that response, both the response from God and the response from ourselves.
Beginning with God’s response, Zephaniah speaks the words of judgement which are a constant theme of prophetic books. These words of judgement are directed to a society which, as we have seen has lost its sense of who God is, what God has done, and where God will lead those who are his people. Zephaniah begins his description of judgement in the neighbouring peoples. He details the judgment on the Philistines, on the Ethiopians, the Assyrians, the Moabites, and the Ammonites. God will judge the enemies of his people Israel. That was a common theme in prophetic books. It was an easy theme to speak, and it was easy for the people to hear. Who does not want to hear about the downfall of their enemies? These are the parts of Scripture readily gobbled up by short-sighted believers who want proof that God will destroy all that stands in their path.
But Zephaniah’s vision of judgement does not stop at the border. Zephaniah’s’ judgement is as all-encompassing and cosmic as the fact of human sin. If sin is the destructive force in human life, then how can we say that judgement is held back from some, just because of their nationality, their color, their religious beliefs, the church they worship in on Sunday.
So, Zephaniah’s judgement turns inward. The chosen people are not spared. Jerusalem, the city of God, has become a city of corruption. Hear what Zephaniah says about the home of the temple in the beginning of chapter 3. “Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.” There is no hotter book in the Old Testament.
Now this scathing condemnation of Jerusalem, and of ourselves if we want to be truthful about it, is enough fodder for a sermon on its own. But as I only want to give an overview of the chapter, let me suffice to say that no one is spared in this chapter. And we must be particularly concerned about the condemnation of the religious leaders in Zephaniah’s time. “Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.” God’s word is not protected in this time. It is tread upon by those who would destroy it by human manipulation. God’s worship is not sanctified. All that is truly Christian and holy becomes an object of ridicule. So, I tell you I will stand up here and be an object of ridicule. I will talk about piety and devotion. I will talk about reading the Bible daily. I will talk about prayer as a constant companion. I will talk about the need for conversion and repentance, not just today but every day.
After the words of judgment, Zephaniah turns to a different tack. He begins to talk about a restoration. And this restoration is not the simple localized return of exiles as we find in the other prophetic books. Zephaniah projects a broad group of peoples, of dispersed peoples, returning to the temple in Jerusalem. And what God begins with is a return to proper worship. “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings.” (Zeph 3:9-10). Remember the first sin in the Garden, “we will be like Gods.” A return to the proper worship of God, that is the beginning of repentance. God restores a pure language, and proper offerings.
There is a sense in Zephaniah that the new people of God are a very separate and holy people. That is in fact what the word holy means, separate. And that becomes a very difficult concept in our world, where we all seek to fit in. Where we seek to be as similar to everyone else as is possible. But Zephaniah speaks of the wall of division that God will bring down, ejecting the proud and rising up the humble and meek. “On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.”
The church has obliterated the line of separation that exists between righteousness and unrighteousness. No longer do we have higher moral expectations for our clergy. We no longer expect Christians to act and speak any differently from their neighbors. They watch the same TV programs, listen to the same music, go to the same movies. We have a higher calling. We are called to be holy and separate not out of negativity. Not because we are against the world, but because we are for our God. It is to God that we make our first priority. It is to God that we pledge our lives in this fellowship.
Zephaniah’s closing description answers the important question. “What makes us different?” Or at least, what should make us different. “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.” If we truly believe we have something to share, then we cannot be quiet Christians. “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
This life is far more exciting than any picture we may have of Christianity. Some people have just enough religion to endure. Thank God for those who are enjoying it. That is what Zephaniah sees in the future. There will be joy in Jerusalem. Sorrow will be removed. Sin will be destroyed. Oppressors will be cast down. And the meek and lame and the scattered and the outcast will all be gathered together. In Luke we see the great feast of the Lord. The feast where the invited guests do not come, so the places are filled by those who were outside. The world may like our conventional, unhelpful, unthreatening Christianity. They may see that as their ticket to salvation. But those who were put to shame, they will be given praise and honor. Those who were righteous in times of unrighteousness. Those who spoke of God in the halls of knowledge. Those who think that a government must be judged by its surplus or deficit of compassion. We have been worldly Christians in our secular age for too long. We must raise our voices, in joy, in song, in praise, saying glory to God, Glory to the God who restores his people. Glory to the Christ who calls the outcast. Glory to the Spirit that lifts us up. Glory indeed.
Zephaniah is a prophet who begins a new step in Biblical thought. His call for conversion is one that we find echoed throughout the pages of the New Testament. A call on the lips of Jesus himself, and a call that comes to us through these words of Peter in Acts, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” (Ac 3:19-21) REPENT AND BE CONVERTED.
