Historical situation
“The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah.” 1:1
Under Josiah (640-609 BC), after Manasseh and Amon, two evil kings for over 50 years:
Manasseh rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, raised altars for Baal, made an Asherah pole, worshiped the entire host of heaven – even in the Lord’s temple! He sacrificed his son (probably to Moloch), practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. (2 Kings 21:3-6)
He led the people to do even more evil than the nations the Lord had driven out (2 Kings 21:9, 16).
One of the worst periods in Israel’s history. Manasseh’s sin makes exile inevitable (2 Kings 24:3-4, Jer 15:4).
The people sacrifice and worship idols (1:4-6). The leadership is corrupt and sick of power (3:3), the prophets tell lies, the priests break God’s law (3:4). A nation in spiritual crisis.
Josiah’s first reform, 628 AD (2 Chronicles 34:3-5)
“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.” (v.3, 632 BC)
“In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.” (vv. 4-5)
Josiah’s Second Reform, 622 AD (2 Kings 22-23)
Restoration of the temple leads to the discovery of a scroll of the law (probably Deuteronomy). The covenant curses shock him.
“The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts… He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah. Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the gateway at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which was on the left of the city gate…Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord.” (23:4-8, 24)
Zephaniah
“every remnant of Baal” (1:4) may mean that Zephaniah’s message was given in connection with one of Josiah’s reforms (628 and 622 BC).
Jeremiah also began his work in 627 BC, warning that Babylon will attack if they do not repent.
1:2 – 2:3 The day of the Lord is coming upon Jerusalem
2:4 — 3:8 Judgment against other nations and Jerusalem
3:9-20 The day of the Lord means salvation
The day of the Lord comes upon Jerusalem (1:2—2:3)
“I [Many “I”s: Focus on what God will do, both with the world and with Judah and Jerusalem.]will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. “I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea— and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” [ God will destroy everything from the earth, especially the people who are mentioned twice. Opposite order of creation in Genesis 1:20-28 (reversal). A description of God’s universal judgment.] “When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,” declares the Lord, “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests— those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molek, those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.” [Focus on Judah and Jerusalem. Reason: The idolatry Manasseh had introduced and which Josiah tore down. (Molek , the god to whom children were sacrificed, as Manasseh had also done.)] . (1:2-6)
“Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near [Near: Babylonians in 605, 597 and 586 BC]. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice [sacrifice = judgment]; he has consecrated those he has invited. “On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit [Reason: Violence and betrayal (and idolatry)]. “On that day,” declares the Lord, “a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be destroyed [Wealth will not save them.]. At that time I will search [No one escapes] 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.’ [When they believe that God never intervenes, they show that they are far away from God and the covenant blessings and curses of the Law of Moses.] Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. Though they build houses, they will not live in them; though they plant vineyards, they will not drink the wine.” [Almost verbatim from Deuteronomy 28:30.] (1:7-13)
“The great day of the Lord is near— near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry [The day of the Lord is terrifying. It will soon come as a surprise war.]. That day will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish [war], a day of trouble and ruin [war], a day of darkness [Genesis 1:2] and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness [God’s presence in Deuteronomy 4:11]— a day of trumpet and battle cry [war] against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. [6 days of creation continues] “I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold [They seem to trust in their wealth] will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.” In the fire [God’s wrath is symbolized by fire, because God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24). The image is used in 2 Peter 3, need not be literal. Fulfillment: Babylon’s first attack in 605 BC] of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth. [Returns to v. 2-3: “I tear everything away from the earth” and “I exterminate the people from the earth”. Back to Universal Judgment ].” (1:14-18)
Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. [Before: Triple parallelism , triple effect. The day will come soon and surely.] Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger. [Somewhat surprisingly, there is a rescue! The only thing that provides shelter from the burning wrath of the Lord that comes upon them: Seek the Lord — not other gods. Seek justice — not personal gain, violence or betrayal. Seek humility — bow before the Lord] . (2:1-3)
Structure
1:2 – 2:3 The day of the Lord is coming upon Jerusalem
2:4 – 3:8 Judgment against other nations and Jerusalem
3:9-20 The day of the Lord is salvation
Words of judgment against other nations and Jerusalem (2:4-3:8)
The Philistines
Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. Woe to you who live by the sea, you Kerethite people; the word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines. He says, “I will destroy you, and none will be left.” [The reason for the judgment is not given, but when this happens Judah should seek the Lord (v. 3)] The land by the sea will become pastures having wells for shepherds and pens for flocks. That land will belong to the remnant of the people of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. [Simultaneously salvation for some of Judah. First sign of hope. Houses = covenant blessing. Probably not meant literally because of verse 4.] The Lord their God will care for them; he will restore their fortunes. (2:4-7)
Fulfillment: Taken by Babylon in 604 BC. Then disappears from historical sources. They did not take over these cities after the exile. Pointing to a spiritual fulfillment for God’s people at Jesus’ return.
Moab and Ammon
“I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land [Reason: Mockery, mockery and arrogance against Israel and thus also of God (v. 10). The opposite of that which gives salvation.]. Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah [Descendants of Lot, who was rescued from Sodom.] — a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land [Again a glimmer of hope for Judah].” This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the Lord Almighty. The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands [Suddenly the two aspects of the Lord’s day. God will reach all peoples (Gen 12:3)]. “You Cushites [The Cushites = Egypt/Sudan (extremity of their world)], too, will be slain by my sword.” (2:8-12)
Fulfillment: Taken by Babylon in 582 BC. But here the horizons seem to mix.
Assyria
“He will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their hooting will echo through the windows, rubble will fill the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed. This is the city of revelry that lived in safety. She said to herself, “I am the one! And there is none besides me.” What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists.” (2:13-15)
Good news: The brutal world power will fall.
Reason: Pride, again the opposite of that which brings salvation on the day of the Lord.
Fulfillment: Fell to Babylon in 605 BC.
Nineveh is still only in ruins and is located in present-day Iraq, on the other side of the Tigris opposite the city of Mosul.
Jerusalem
“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 within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law [Here it is really bad.]. 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. “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed [The downfall of the other nations should have made them wake up. It was always possible to turn around.], nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger. [Again universal judgment as in chapter 1.]” (3:1-8)
The day of the Lord is salvation (3:9-20)
“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder [The Lord’s day also means salvation! All peoples can then call on the Lord’s name. ]. From beyond the rivers of Cush [Both judgment (2:12) and salvation will reach all the way to Cush.] my worshipers, my scattered people [God’s people are scattered all over the earth.], will bring me offerings. On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths [The humble will constitute God’s people after the judgment (2:3). Reasons for judgment to come (1:9, 2:3, 3:1-5, 7). Gets “a clean tongue” instead.]. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.” (3:9-13)
The prophets do not see everything, but see “Messiah” as one event. “The day of the Lord” (the day when God intervenes) is actually several days (historical, 1st coming, 2nd coming).
Fulfillment: Jesus’ 1st coming and the world mission in v. 9-10, Jesus’ 2nd coming in v. 11-15 (but slightly unclear distinctions).
“Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter 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. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes[e] before your very eyes,” says the Lord.” (3:14-20)
God’s spiritual people, the New Jerusalem, are encouraged to truly rejoice because they have been delivered from judgment, because the Lord is with them and because all evil is gone, as God himself truly rejoices over his people.
The book opened with “The word of the Lord” and 8 “I” statements about judgment, it ends with 9 “I” statements about salvation and “says the Lord”.
This is God’s word which confronts us with the two aspects of the “Day of the Lord”.
What does Zephaniah tell us?
The book gives us a complete picture of God, and it does something to both our image of God and our self-image.
“The beavers and the children did not know what to do or say when they saw him. People who have not been to Narnia often think that something cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had thought like that before, they no longer did so now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face, they caught only a glimpse of the golden mane and the brilliant, noble, serious, and strong eyes. And then they discovered that they could not look at him, and their legs trembled.” CS Lewis — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (the quote has been translated)
“I wonder if people who ask God to intervene openly and directly in our world really realize what it will be like when he does. When that happens, it’s the end of this world. When the author goes on stage, the play is over. God is indeed going to invade, but what good is it to say you are on his side then, when you see the whole natural universe melt away like a dream, and something else—something your head could never think of—comes picky in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; Something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible terror in any creature. It will be too late then to choose sides. It is no use saying that you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand upright. This will not be the time to choose: That will be the time when we discover which side we have really chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is the chance to choose the right side. God holds back to give us that chance. It won’t last forever. We have to take it or leave it.” CS Lewis — Mere Christianity (the quote has been translated).
Question
1. Do we rejoice in our salvation?
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” 1 Pet 1:3-6
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24
We are freed from judgment, God is with us and with us and we need not fear any evil.
2. Have you realized that God delights in you and rejoices over you?