Outline
Introduction – The prophet’s lineage, times, and style
Discussion
The Message of the Prophet
__A. Zephaniah warns the nations of their impending doom (Chs. 1-2)
____1. Jerusalem and Judah are the first denounced (1:2-6)
____2. Certain classes are pointed out and denounced: the royalty, the nobility, the tradesmen, the indifferent, the obstinate
____3. Swift and certain doom is soon to be visited upon Jerusalem (1:14-18)
____4. The prophet pleads for repentance (2:1-3).
____5. The nations around are doomed: Canaan and Philistia (2:4-7), Moab and Ammon (2:8-11), Ethiopia and Assyria (2:12-15)
__B. The prophet foretells the captivity and deliverance of Jerusalem (Ch. 3)
____1. The obstinacy of Jerusalem is deplored (3:1-7)
____2. The prophet pleads with God’s people to repent (3:8)
____3. Purification and deliverance will finally come (3:9-11)
____4. A few of the very poor were left in the land to till the soil (3:12-13)
____5. God’s blessings are to come upon His restored people (3:14-20)
Conclusion – Lessons for us today
A. God’s attitude towards sin is always the same
B. Preachers must boldly speak out against all forms of wickedness
C. We must not allow anything to blind us to sin
D. The wicked need to repent – otherwise they will perish
Introduction – The Prophet
His Lineage
Zephaniah is listed ninth in the order of the minor prophets. He prophesied against Jerusalem, Judah, and the bordering nations. Most authorities agree that Zephaniah lived and wrote sometime between the years 642 and 611 B.C. “About 630” is the time most usually fixed by Bible students. The prophet introduces himself as “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” (1:1). Some prophets name their fathers; a few their grandfathers. But only Zephaniah goes back four generations. Some suppose that Zephaniah traced his lineage back to Hezekiah in order to establish his royal ancestry (2 Kings 18:1). Thus, he had sufficient grounds for speaking out against “the princes, and the king’s sons” (1:8).
His Times
Josiah was one of the good kings of Judah. He reigned for 30 years. In the 12th year of his reign he began a vigorous reformation by destroying all the idols in Judah. We could hardly expect any reformation to be so thorough, however, that a few idolaters might not hide away and conceal their images of Baal. It is probable that Zephaniah began his prophecies before Josiah’s reformation. He may have influenced the young king to some extent in his vigorous reforms. It is quite evident that Zephaniah prophesied before the destruction of Nineveh (2:12), the Assyrian city, which was destroyed about 625 B.C. Zephaniah was probably a contemporary of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, at least for a period of time. Jeremiah’s labors extended up to, and even beyond, the beginning of the captivity.
His Style
The style of the prophet’s writing is not of the classical nature of Isaiah. Neither is it as vigorous and pungent as that of Amos. But it is not commonplace, uninteresting, or heavy. Its flow is easy and forceful, yet kindly and intriguing.
Discussion
Message of the Prophet
The Book of Zephaniah has been divided into three chapters, yet it deals with a number of matters. Very naturally, any divisions that any of us make are more or less arbitrary. The purpose of the sharp reproofs and exhortations of Zephaniah is to warn Judah, and Jerusalem in particular, of God’s severe judgment concerning their evil doings and urge them to a speedy reformation.
Zephaniah warns the nations of their impending doom. Chapters one and two consist primarily of warnings and threats against Jerusalem and the surrounding nations. These are singled out with specific denunciations being leveled against each one.
Jerusalem and Judah are the first denounced (1:2-6). The prophet declared: “I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land” (1:2). He seems to have appropriated the terms which God used with reference to the complete destruction of all life by the flood (Genesis 6:7). However, in the first instance the language was to be understood literally; here it is figurative. It may mean no more than that God intended to recall all the blessings He had bestowed upon His people and then take them all away. The prophet continues: “‘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” (1:3). This is likewise figurative, and perhaps comprehends the high and the low, the strong and the weak, the exalted and the commonplace. The prophet then specifically mentions “the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” and the “Chemarim” – the black robed priest of Baal. To this list he adds those who worship Jehovah in pretense. All such were to be “consumed” (1:1). They were to be “cut off” from the land and taken away into captivity. Hence, “consumed.”
Certain classes are definitely pointed out, and condemned (1:8-13). They would be consumed, or taken away. These fall into five different classes:
- the royalty, “the princes and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel” (1:8). Their royal birth would not keep them from being taken captive by the Babylonians;
- the nobility, of whom God said, “I will punish all those that leap over the threshold,” those who do not hesitate to force themselves into the homes of others and take over. They are the privileged class. The poor are driven out, and the nobility take what they want. These, too, are to be taken into captivity;
- the tradesmen, “inhabitants of Maktesh”; those who dwell in that section of the city where merchandising is the chief business. These deal in wearing apparel, goods, jewelry, silver, and other such articles. “All those who handle money are cut off” (1:11);
- the indifferent, those who are complacently “settled in their lees” (1:12). They feel that things will go on indefinitely as they are. Jehovah will do them neither good nor evil;
- the obstinate, those who hoarded wealth, build houses, plant vineyards, and feel perfectly secure. They are not susceptible to any improvement.
Swift and certain doom is soon to be visited upon Jerusalem (1:14-18). As God’s prophet, Zephaniah boldly warned the people of the city of the punishment to be visited upon them: “It is near and hastens quickly” (1:14). In that day there will be a bitter cry, a day of trouble and distress, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of trumpet and alarm. In that day people will “walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse” (1:17). Not all of the gold and silver which had been hoarded by the avaricious and rebellious Jews could deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s wrath. Instead, the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy. As surely as they continue to ignore the admonitions of Jehovah, so surely will God’s judgment overtake them.
On three occasions the Babylonian armies descended upon Jerusalem and carried away great numbers. First, in 609 B.C. (according to Usher’s chronology), Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and a host of other young men were taken into captivity and held as hostages. In 599 B.C. the Babylonians took away many more, thinking this would be sufficient to cause the people to desist from their haughty and rebellious attitude. Zedekiah was then made a puppet governor by Nebuchadnezzar to rule over those who were left in Judah. But they continued in their perverseness. To break this resistance, Babylonian armies, in 587 B.C., besieged Jerusalem, broke down its walls, and destroyed it with fire. All of the inhabitants, except a few of the very poorest who were left to till the land, were then taken into captivity. The entire period of this captivity, which began in 606, continued for 70 years, until 536, when the first return under Ezra was made after the fall of Babylon, during the reign of Cyrus.
The prophet pleads for repentance (2:1-3). Zephaniah calls on all who will to “seek righteousness, seek humility” (2:3). By so doing “it may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger” (2:3). Indeed, to all the nations round about he pleads, “Gather yourselves together” (2:1). This they were to do in thoughtful meditation and genuine repentance. When the Ninevites turned from their evil ways and called upon God to save them, He changed His mind and spared them (Jonah 3:10). Thus, Zephaniah held out hope for Judah and the surrounding nations if they, like Nineveh, would turn to God.
The surrounding nations are specifically denounced (2:1-15). Zephaniah wants the heathen nations to know that they too will suffer God’s vengeance when He comes to punish His people. They cannot escape His wrath. The fact that they engaged in war with Judah through the centuries did not make them righteous. The prophet mentioned six nations in particular and points them out two at a time, specifically mentioning a few of the more wicked cities. These were all swept away by the Babylonian armies.
Canaan and Philistia (2:4-7). The prophet first turns his attention to Canaan, which stretches along the coastline of the northwest. Then he speaks of the land of the Philistines, and specifically points out: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron. The Canaanites and the Philistines were very stubborn people. The Jews had never been able to drive them out of the land. For nearly eight centuries they had been a formidable foe. But when Nebuchadnezzar swept over the land, he made a clean sweep of it. The bordering countries of Judah were all victims of his overpowering armies.
Moab and Ammon (2:8-11). The descendants of both of these countries spring from Lot and his two daughters. They had little reason to be proud of their ancestry, which began in incest. The Moabites and the Ammonites had reproached God’s people. They had magnified their strength and had been sources of much trouble. God had shown His displeasure with some of the wicked cities, as Sodom and Gomorrah, which He utterly destroyed. Now Moab and Ammon were to be completely destroyed. Because they had not been moved by these examples, they were to become a possession of “weeds, and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation” (2:9). Their posterity would be cut off because “they have reproached and made arrogant threats against the people of the Lord of hosts” (2:10). All of their idols and places of worship were soon to be destroyed and their land laid waste. Although the inhabitants of these nations were Abraham’s seed, they were idolatrous, immoral, and wicked. They had vaunted themselves against God and against His people. Now they must pay for their folly.
Ethiopia and Assyria (2:12-15). The Ethiopians were to be “slain by My sword” (2:12). Assyria was to be made “a desolation as dry as the wilderness” (2:13). Within a decade Nineveh was so completely destroyed that, until a very few years ago – when its location was rediscovered after years of excavation and careful search – many unbelievers denied that such a city ever existed. Nineveh was called “the rejoicing city that dwelt securely” (2:15). The city that had said, “I am it, and there is none beside me” (2:15). So complete would be its destruction that “everyone who passes by her shall hiss and shake his fist” (2:15). So accurate were the prophets of God and the things which they foretold that all who have made a careful study of their works have been compelled to recognize their inspiration.
The prophet foretells the captivity and deliverance of Jerusalem (Ch. 3). After specifically pointing out the surrounding nations and denouncing them, Zephaniah turns again to Jerusalem and points to its wickedness and pleads for repentance and a return to God. But realizing the obstinacy of God’s people, the prophet goes on to predict their captivity, their humiliation and purification in captivity, followed by their repentance and final deliverance, after which God would richly bless them.
The obstinacy of Jerusalem is deplored (3:1-7). If we wonder how the heathen nations around could become so depraved, we are more confounded by the obstinacy, the shame, and the rebellion of Jerusalem. This was the city where the temple was located; where sacrifices were offered; where the priests dwelt; and where the word of God should have been taught and revered. Jerusalem’s obstinacy is denounced in several terms: “She 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” (3:2). Her princes are “roaring lions” and her judges “evening wolves” (3:3). They are so avaricious that they leave nothing for tomorrow. They descend upon whatever they want and take it. “Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law” (2:4). This was a scathing rebuke and an awful denunciation of the wickedness of the upper echelons.
The prophet pleas with the people (3:8). God sought to save His people, yet they rebelled more and more. God is righteous; He is never guilty of iniquity. But He also is a just God and never fails to reward the good while punishing the bad. God’s people should have known this. They had seen cities destroyed, nations cut off, and many other demonstrations of God’s wrath against evil. Nevertheless, they continued in their perversity and refused all corrections. Still, God pleads for obedience and correction (3:2), but they refuse. Indeed, “they rose early and corrupted all their deeds” (3:7). So universally wicked had they become that it might well be said of them, “There is none that does good, no, not so much as one” (Psalms 14:3; Romans 3:12). The prophet had said, “For the day of the Lord is at hand” (1:7). “It is near and hastens quickly” (1:14). Pointing again to this day, he declares, “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” (3:8). This prophecy looked to the destruction of Jerusalem and the nations around it. It looked to the day when the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed by fire and her walls broken down. In view of such impending doom, the prophet continues to plead for repentance.
Purification and deliverance will finally come (3:9-11). Naturally, after 70 years not many of those would be alive who were originally taken captive. Perhaps Daniel and a very few others survived that long span of years. But since the majority were taken in the final destruction of the city (587 B.C.), actually only 51 years elapsed between the final destruction of Jerusalem in the first return under Ezra. Some in this number remembered when their former temple still stood in all its glory. So that when the second temple was built, they wept because its glory was inferior to the first. Others who could not remember the glory of the first temple rejoiced because of the grandeur of the second. So mingled were the shouts of joy and the cries of sadness when the temple was rebuilt and dedicated that the sounds of gladness could not be distinguished from the sounds of sorrow (3:11-13).
The Babylonians taunted the Jews while they were in captivity. urging them to sing their songs of rejoicing as in former years. This they could not do in a strange land and a strange tongue. Instead,
“By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
We hung our harps
Upon the willows in the midst of it.
For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
And those who plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’
How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?”
(Psalms 137:1-4).
The mournful condition that existed throughout the period of captivity was not to continue forever. The day would come when all the people would mourn over their sins, repent of their deeds, and be purified by their repentance. They would then turn to God for deliverance. After this change, they would be permitted to return to their own land with rejoicing and gladness.
A few of the very poor were left in the land to till the soil (3:12-13). Those who returned from captivity were no longer lifted up with pride. Now reduced to the lowest degree of poverty, they could not and would not oppress the poor who were left behind. Refined, purified and made holy, they now rejoiced to rejoin these lowly tillers of the soil. It was truly a day of gladness when they returned. They shall “speak no lies nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth” (3:13).
God’s blessings are to come upon His restored people (3:14-20). When God’s purified and humbled people return from captivity, they would praise Him who had delivered them. They would be glad and rejoice with all their heart. He said, “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save . . . 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” (3:16 and 19).
All of this occurred when the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah returned from Babylonian captivity. It is clearly stated, “‘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” (3:20). We do not look to any future fulfillment of this prophecy.
Conclusion — Lessons for Us Today
God’s attitude towards sin is always the same. His righteousness has never allowed sin to go unpunished indefinitely. This is true with both individuals and nations. Long before the time of Zephaniah, the psalmist declared: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalms 9:17). Solomon said: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). The wicked may prosper for a season, but in God’s own time He will call all such to account. Well did David sing: “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found” (Psalms 37:35-36).
Preachers must boldly speak out against all forms of wickedness. As God’s prophets (God’s spokesmen) we must warn people against sin today, just as God’s prophets did in ancient times. We do not foretell events by the inspiration of God; however, the term “prophet” does not necessarily imply this. It rather signifies one who declares God’s message. We have God’s divine message revealed to us in His word. It is our business to declare this message faithfully and persistently throughout the land – over and over again. We cannot be true servants of God and not do so.
We must not allow anything to blind us to sin. Wealth, prestige, nor anything else should blind us to sin and its terrible consequences. The priest and most of the teachers of Zephaniah’s day were blinded to many sins committed by the people. When all became corrupt from the royal family to the most lowly, it was unpopular to speak out against sin, or to express any fear of punishment. Today, it is likewise unpopular to denounce many of the sins of our time, or to intimate that God might be displeased with some of the things being practiced by the more influential of this “enlightened” age.
The wicked need to repent – otherwise they will perish. All who are in sin should repent and turn to God. Unless they do, they must pay the full penalty for their sins. No one can escape retribution for wrongdoing, except by turning away from the wrong and becoming submissive to do the will of God. As long as one remains in rebellion to God, one cannot plead His grace, without which there can be no salvation.
Questions for Class Discussion
- Who was Zephaniah?
- In what order is he listed among the prophets?
- How many chapters are in the book of Zephaniah?
- Against whom did he prophesy? Give the classes mentioned and give the nations mentioned.
- Give the location of these nations.
- How did God punish the people of Jerusalem?
- How did He punish the surrounding nations?
- What did Zephaniah plead with God’s people to do?
- When were they taken into captivity?
- How long did they remain in captivity?
- What change took place in their lives while in captivity?
- What did God do for His people when He brought them out of captivity?
- Have Zephaniah’s predictions been fulfilled?
- What lessons for today are we to get from the book of Zephaniah?