Zephaniah
The introduction to the book of Zephaniah makes it clear that Zephaniah was the great-great grandson of King Hezekiah, and he served during the reign of Josiah of Judah, but it is less certain whether he served before or after the reformation of Josiah in 621 B.C. However, judging from his relentless attacks on idolatry, it is likely that the reform had yet to begin and Judah was still struggling from the godless legacy of Manasseh. If such is the case, Zephaniah’s message would have made an impact on Josiah and contributed to his effort of reform. The name of Zephaniah means the Lord has hidden or protected. The theme of the book is clearly the “Day of the Lord” which appears to point both to punishment of Judah in the not too distant future and the End-time when God will gather them home and severely deal with their enemies.
1:1—The Introduction
(1) What is the relationship between Zephaniah and Josiah? (see 2 Ki. 21-22)
(2) What advantage might he have in the spreading of his message from the Lord?
1:2-6—Declaring World-wide Judgment
(3) Who and what will be affected in the coming judgment of the Lord? (vv. 2-3)
(4) Why does the Lord have to sweep away all living things for the sins of mankind?
(5) The sins of Judah (vv. 4-6)
a. What sinful legacy did Josiah have to deal with
- From his grandfather Manasseh? (2 Ki. 21:3-7)
- From his father Amon? (2 Ki. 21:20-21)
b. How will the Lord deal with these sinful practices one by one? (vv. 4-5; note the worship of Molech included the sacrifice of children in the fire)
c. Why would the Lord even destroy those who bow down and swear by Him? (v. 5)
1:7-13—The Day of the Lord—the Day of the Lord’s Sacrifice
(6) The day of sacrifice (v. 7)
a. Why should the people be silent as the Day of the Lord is near? (v. 7)
b. Why does He call His judgment a “sacrifice”? (a sacrifice is primarily meant to appease the wrath of God)
c. Why does He refer to those He is to judge as being “consecrated”?
(7) Those He has invited (vv. 8-9)
a. Why would He punish the officials and the king’s sons? (v. 8; the king’s sons likely refer to the sons of Manasseh and Amon)
b. Why would He punish those who are clad in foreign clothes? (v. 8b; see 2 Ki. 10:22)
c. Who are those who avoid stepping on the threshold of their gods? (v. 9a, see 1 Sam. 5:5)
d. Who else will God punish? (v. 9b)
(8) The Wailing Over the Judgment (1:10-13)
a. What will the judgment bring to the city of Jerusalem? (v. 10; it appears these locations mentioned all point to the north side of the city)
b. Why will all her merchants wail? (v. 11)
c. “The complacent” (v. 12)
- Why would the Lord punish the complacent?
- In what ways does the church in Laodicea which is rebuked by the Lord (in Revelation) resemble the complacent? (see Rev. 3:15)
- Why does the Lord use the imagery of searching with lamps to find out who are complacent?
d. How does the combined reference to merchants, wealth and complacency reveal the spiritual condition of the people of Judah?
(9) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’.” (Zeph. 1:12)
“Unlike Diogenes, the pre-Christian Greek philosopher who was searching for an honest man, Yahweh in this context does not seek righteousness but sin to punish and eradicate…In this case the sin is not of commission (cf. vv. 4-11) but of omission. The men who will be punished are described by using a metaphor which draws on part of the fermentation process of wine. When wine sits quietly, the heavier solid particles settle, leaving the dregs at the bottom of the cask or bottle. This can lead to thickening or coagulation if the wine is left too long…Rather than being of use like fine aged wine (cf. Is. 25:6), the rich and influential of Jerusalem, those with wealth…houses, vineyards and wine, will stagnate in indifference and quietism. G. A. Smith clearly expressed the problem when he wrote: ‘The great causes of God and Humanity are not defeated by the hot assaults of the Devil, but by the slow, crushing, glacier-like mass of thousands and thousands of indifferent nobodies. God’s causes are never destroyed by being blown up, but by being sat upon.'
“Rather than condemning the use of alcohol, as the passage could be understood (NEB), Zephaniah condemns apathy. This is exacerbated by the practical atheism of the people. While not necessarily denying the existence of Yahweh on a theoretical level, they deny His activity on a pragmatic level, either good or bad. Blessing or grief do not issue [sic] Him.
“This view of the non-involvement of God in national life is a serious heresy for Israel, flying in the face of the Israelite view of God as continually and actively involved in history, from the creation through the call of Abraham, the Exodus, His meeting with Israel at Sinai, the Conquest, and His constant attention to the affairs of the Israelite state. The lack of an actual historical intervention of God in the events of the world for blessing and punishment would render their faith as meaningless as the Christian faith would be if Jesus had not actually, historically risen from the dead.
“Zephaniah shows that this irresponsible theology is just as evil as an outright revolt against God. It will issue in the destruction and confiscation of the very sources of the power belonging to those who refuse to stir themselves to use it for good (cf. Dt. 28:30-43; Am. 5:11; Mi. 6:15).”
(TOTC, Zephaniah, 98-99)
The theme of the Day of the Lord continues which appears to extend beyond Judah to the whole earth.
1:14-16—The Great Day of the Lord
(1) How does the Lord reinforce the urgency of the situation? (v. 14)
(2) We know that Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. Do you think the people of Judah realize the nearness of their destruction?
(3) What will that day be like (vv. 15-16): Imagine you are one of the first audience and you hear the following description like rapid fire, one after another:
a. The cry is bitter
b. The battle cry of a mighty warrior
c. A day of wrath, distress, anguish
d. A day of trouble and ruin
e. A day of darkness and gloom
f. A day of clouds and blackness
g. A day of trumpet and battle cry!
Will you be shaken? Why or why not?
What then is the meaning of “the Great Day of the Lord”?
1:17-18—A Day of Wrath on All People
(4) How widespread will the distress be?
(5) This distress will cause the people in the world to grope like the blind:
a. What does it mean?
b. What is the reason given?
c. What then will the people of the world be like as they face the wrath of God at the End-time?
(6) How does the Lord depict the scene of death and destruction in v. 17b?
(7) On what do people normally depend for their sense of security? (v. 18a)
(8) Is it of any use on the Day of the Lord?
(9) How does v. 18b sum up this Day of the Lord?
2:1-3—A Call to Repentance
(10) What does the Lord call the nation of Israel? Why?
(11) Why does the Lord call them to gather themselves together?
(12) How should they repent? (v. 3a)
(13) While the Day of the Lord will still come, what might their repentance bring? (v. 3b)
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The great day of the Lord is near—near and coming quickly.” (Zeph. 1:14)
We read about the nearness of the second coming of the Lord all the time, and there are times we do sense the nearness of His coming, especially after listening to an inspiring sermon on the subject. But it is just for a moment or two, and then we get back to our lives as usual.
I suspect that was the case of the people of Judah before the destruction of Jerusalem. By the time of Zephaniah, many prophets had already risen up to warn them of the coming judgment of the Lord, especially through the prophet of Isaiah. Presumably, even if the people believed that the judgment would eventually come, they did not sense the urgency, and their lives went on as usual.
Out of His mercy, the Lord sent Zephaniah to them again during the reign of Josiah. Even if these prophetic words of Zephaniah were preached before Josiah’s reformation of 621 B.C., the eventual fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. was only 35 years away. Frankly, it could have happened even earlier had the people not responded to Josiah’s reformation and repented, likely with the influence of the vivid warning of Zephaniah of distress, anguish, trouble, ruin, darkness, gloom, clouds, darkness and battle cries like rapid fire (1:15-16).
I wonder how long we will have to wait for the Lord’s return on that Great Day of the Lord. It is a “Great” day because as Zephaniah sums up in 1:18
- It will be like a consuming fire of God’s jealousy which cannot be put out;
- It will consume the whole world, indeed as one global village,
- It will be sudden, totally unexpected; and
- God’s wrath will fall on “all who live in the earth”— no one can run from it!
Even if the Lord does not return tomorrow, what if, like the time of Josiah, He comes within 35 years. How then should we live?