Zephaniah
Notes
Transcript
Setting and Background
Setting and Background
We always start with a background in a new book and Zeph is short so we don't want to take up a quarter of the book talking about the lead up so I'll compact this as much as I can. My favorite part is finding out what the prophet's name means. In this case Zephaniah means “the Lord hides" Not that the Lord is hidding but doing the hidding. So I guess you could also say it means “Hidden by God" but that English sounds past tense and something completed, so I like the Lord hides as an active ongoing work of the Lord. Most of you after having persevered through my teaching have been brought up to speed on the history of Israel during the time period of the minor prophets. We are here right in the middle of that time period again. This is during Josiah's reign as clearly seen in the first verse. Like we talked about in Habakkuk during Josiah's time the law was found in the temple and when Josiah read it he instituted a reform across the country. The reforms did not last unfortunately but it was a reprieve for those that stayed faithful.
Zephaniah has a 4 deep genealogy. Possibly because he is part of the royal line with Hezekiah making him a distant cousin to Josiah. Or it might have been because he didn’t anyone to confuse him for a Cushite with a father named Cushi. Or maybe both… Let’s read it.
The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
This feels very familiar to lots of the books we’ve read already with an introduction to the prophet that he has a word from the Lord and a time frame.
Our first section is the great judgment that we jump immediately into.
“I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
“I will sweep away man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the heavens
and the fish of the sea,
and the rubble with the wicked.
I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
What does this immediately make you think of? To me it’s the declaration that God will end all life on earth with a flood. It certainly sets a theme for our first section of massive destruction. If you remember our previous conversations about undoing creation in judgment you might pick up on that theme here. The list of destruction goes in the opposite order of creation. This isn’t an accident. This takes us back to Genesis and the fact that Zeph says it’s coming is a reminder not to be fooled by the promise of the rainbow as a promise not to judge the earth again, or even not to destroy the earth, but that it would not be judged by a flood, that is all. Everything else is still on the table, judgment and all. These declares the Lord make these destruction prophecies more emphatic as to their certainty. The flood only took out the land creatures not birds and fish!
“I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal
and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of the heavens,
those who bow down and swear to the Lord
and yet swear by Milcom,
those who have turned back from following the Lord,
who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”
The hand of God is powerful and will work to accomplish all that God desires accomplished. It’s upsetting to God to be rejected and the people turn to other Gods. It seems more upsetting however that God would be mixed in with them, as if he were just like them. Like cheating on someone you’re dating instead of just dumping them and going out with that other person. Maintaining that relationship seems extra gross. There is another option here too though. Those who just walk away from God, not to seek another god just to turn away. You don’t have to cheat on someone, or dump them suddenly to break their heart. It might be that you have just grown distant and eventually aren’t together, no big break up just a slow walking away.
Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
and consecrated his guests.
The day of the Lord is NEAR! The Lord does all the work. Not only does he do the sacrifice he also makes clean the guests who are to attend him and partake. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot do anything to be part of his plans. He calls us and brings us in and cleans us. This points to that clear sovereignty of God in all things. There have been many “day of the Lord”s in the past and there is an ultimate one yet coming. The one that came for these people happened in the Babylonian captivity that we talked about as coming soon in the last book Habakkuk.
And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—
“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons
and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
On that day I will punish
everyone who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master’s house
with violence and fraud.
“On that day,” declares the Lord,
“a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
a loud crash from the hills.
Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!
For all the traders are no more;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.
At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men
who are complacent,
those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
nor will he do ill.’
Their goods shall be plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
they shall not drink wine from them.”
On that day… now we really deal with this day of the Lord. This is directed to the officials and royalty who were perpetrating evil. The whole city will wail and the guilty will be punished. Look at who that’s talking about though. Like we addressed earlier it’s not just the adulterers that are the problem it’s the quiet quitters in the kingdom. The complacent ‘meh’ folks are the ones hunted down. The lukewarm are the big problem here.
The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
I will bring distress on mankind,
so that they shall walk like the blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord;
their blood shall be poured out like dust,
and their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them
on the day of the wrath of the Lord.
In the fire of his jealousy,
all the earth shall be consumed;
for a full and sudden end
he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Near and hastening fast are clues this isn’t some vague threat of the future. Destruction, ruin, distress and many other dark words are used to make you really get how bleak this day of the Lord is. Everything man has put trust in will fail him. They will walk around like they’re blind… War is the usual destruction that God brings in the minor prophets. That seems to be no exception here as we know from history but also the language of trumpets points us to military conflict.
This should lead them, and us in remembering God’s wrath to a day of repentance. We’ll end with the first 3 verses of chapter 2 so that we have some hope to look toward.
Gather together, yes, gather,
O shameless nation,
before the decree takes effect
—before the day passes away like chaff—
before there comes upon you
the burning anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
the day of the anger of the Lord.
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;
seek righteousness; seek humility;
perhaps you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.
Here the call to repentance is for all. There is certainly some needling going on calling out the shameless nation. Don’t be the worthless chaff that needs to be burned off.
Seek righteousness
Seek humility
-Perhaps you may be hidden. - Like his name it a theme, hide me Lord from the evil of the world as I seek your good.