Intro to the Prophets: Zephaniah (Palm Sunday)

Introduction

This week is a little different in our series overview of the prophets. We’ll be skipping Habakkuk (for now), and instead looking at Zephaniah. This is twofold: I want to spend some extra time on Habakkuk and the questions he asks. But I also want to be respectful of today: Palm Sunday. And as it so happens, I think Zephaniah connects to Palm Sunday quite nicely, so I want to spend some time looking at that.

Background to Zephaniah

The opening verse says that Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah of Judah (the southern kingdom), and thus the prophecy is against that kingdom.

Based on this and some other comments in the book, Zeph probably prophesied between 640-609 BC, the reign of Josiah. But it probably happened earlier in that time span because...

Josiah is known as the “reform king”. He rediscovered the Book of the Law and attempted to turn the people back to the Lord. But as one can see from Zephaniah, idolatry was still rampant during his prophecy.

Zephaniah would have been a contemporary of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah.

The Kingdom of Judah was living in uncertain times when Zeph prophesied. Josiah had become king at 8 (!) years old. His grandfather Manasseh had reigned for a very long time (55 years), but was extremely wicked, turning the people to idolatry. Josiah’s father, Amon, who was also wicked, only lasted 2 years on the throne before being assassinated. In anger, the people killed the assassins and placed Amon’s son on the throne. All of these events can be read in 2 Kings 21-22.

Josiah’s great-grandfather, Hezekiah, was also a reformer (sort of). His son Manasseh overturned all the progress he had made. This connection is important though because Zephaniah opens with an interested genealogy of the prophet.

Zephaniah 1:1 “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.”

Now there were other Hezekiahs for sure, but this is the longest family tree we get of any prophets, which makes it kind of strange and seems to indicate that Zeph himself was also descended from King Hezekiah. If that’s true, it would make him and King Josiah distant relatives.

The prophet seems to have pretty first-hand knowledge of the geography and people of the Jerusalem, indicating that he lived there, which would make sense for a distant royal.

Zephaniah means “The Lord (Yahweh) has hidden/protected”.

Zeph overall theme deals exclusively with “the day of the Lord”. That’s a theme we’ve seen in a couple of other prophets, but it really encapsulates this entire book (Amos, Isaiah, Joel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel).

For Zeph, the Day of the Lord is two sided: it will mean judgement, and also blessing. This is unique to him, as the other prophets tended to focus on one aspect or the other.

For Zeph, it is the idolatry of the people (both Judah and the entire world) that will bring about this Day.

What to expect when reading Zephaniah

Zeph’s focus is at first the impending judgement that is coming upon Judah. Israel (the Northern Kingdom) had already been destroyed by Assyria nearly a century before (722 BC), but now Zeph sees Judah’s own destruction coming as well.

Zeph 1:2-6 speaks of the Lord 'cutting off’ everything, but with one clear intent: to destroy idolatry.

This leads Zephaniah to think more deeply about the ultimate Day of the Lord, which is what the rest of his book deals with. This future event is described in terms relating Zephaniah’s current situation.

The end of chapter 1 describes what this day will be like and sums up in Zephaniah 1:14–16 “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.”

While that first part focuses on the effects of the Day of the Lord on Judah, chapter 2 switches the focus to the other nations of the world (depicted by the surrounding nations of Judah).

The Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Cushites (Egypt/Ethopia), and Assyria are all called out here. This judgement of Assyria let’s us know that this prophecy was written before 612 BC (when Nineveh was destroyed).

These were all enemies of the people at the time, and so they symbolize God’s judgement on his enemies.

And yet in the midst of these judgement, the Lord tells us exactly what we can do to be saved: Zephaniah 2:3 “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.”

The final chapter begins with a mixed judgement against both Jerusalem and the nations.

Here we get insight into the sins that were taking place that offended the Lord so much. Zephaniah 3:3–4 “Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.”

But the book does not end in anger. Zephaniah sees the Day of the Lord ending with the “conversion of the nations”, and the restoration of the true Israel.

Zephaniah 3:9–10 ““For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.”

Zephaniah 3:14–17 “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

What does this mean for us?

I often talk of finding the “spiritual meaning” of the text, or its “ultimate fulfilment” in Christ and the Church. Zephaniah is no different. I want to key in on a couple of these verses to demonstrate this.

First Zephaniah 2:11 says,

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

The LORD will be terrifying to them

when he starves all the gods of the earth.

Then all the distant coasts and islands of the nations

will bow in worship to him,

each in its own place.

I like what St. Jerome has to say about this verse:

Old Testament XIV: The Twelve Prophets Islands Are a Type of the Gentiles

Let us, however, speak also of the churches as islands. Moreover, Scripture says in another place, “Many islands are converted to me.” Would you know that churches are called islands? The prophet Isaiah says in the name of the Lord, “Speak to the inhabitants of this isle.”6 “Let the many isles be glad.” Even as islands have been set in the midst of the sea, churches have been established in the midst of this world, and they are beaten and buffeted by different waves of persecution. Truly these islands are lashed by waves every day, but they are not submerged. They are in the midst of the sea, to be sure, but they have Christ as their foundation, Christ who cannot be moved.

3. Then we also have Zephaniah 3:9-10, that we read above. The changing of speech to pure speech and the “daughter of my dispersed ones” found its fulfilment at Pentecost, when the good news was proclaimed in many different tongues (and still is!), purifying our speech. But this ultimately led to the inclusion of the Gentiles - symbolized by those “beyond the rivers of Cush” - into the Kingdom of God who are now “worshippers...who bring my offering”.

4. And finally, Zeph 3:14-17. These verses for celebration, are our celebration. The Lord has “taken away the judgments against us.” He has “cleared away your enemies” (sin and death”. But most importantly, “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

a. I think Cyril of Alexandria explained this passage perfectly and beautifully in his Commentaryh on Zephaniah:

Old Testament XIV: The Twelve Prophets Rejoice in Salvation through Christ

As far as the deeper meaning of the passage is concerned, it clearly commands Jerusalem to rejoice exceedingly, to be especially glad, to cheer up wholeheartedly as its trespasses are wiped out, evidently through Christ. The spiritual and holy Zion—that is, the church, the holy multitude of the believers—is justified in Christ and only in him. By him and through him we are also saved as we escape from the harm of the invisible enemies, for we have a Mediator who was incarnated in our form, the king of all, that is, the Word of God the Father. Thanks to him, we do not see evil anymore, for we have been delivered from the powers of evil. He [the Word] is the armor of good will, the peace, the wall, the one who bestows incorruption, the arbiter of the crowns, who shut down the war of the incorporeal Assyrians and made void the schemes of the demons.

The King of Israel is in our Midst

So how does this all connect to Palm Sunday? Well, if it hasn’t been clear already, the Lord Jesus IS the King of Israel who dwells in our midst!

On that first Palm Sunday, many of the people recognized this. They knew the King was finally there with them. They laid down Palm branches in celebration and shouted, Mark 11:10–11 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

But not everyone recognized this, and the Lord Jesus event wept over it in Luke 19:41–44 “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes...because you did not know the time of your visitation.””

Zephaniah’s prophecy sums up the plan God has always had for humanity: he has wanted to dwell among us. And in Christ he finally did just that.

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

And this is His plan for eternity. Through the Holy Spirit, God dwells in us now, but on that Day (of the Lord), we will finally see Him face to face once again, and the words of John will come true in Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

Conclusion

It turns out the little book of Zephaniah contains quite a bit! As we begin Holy Week and move towards Good Friday and ultimately Easter Sunday, I want to encourage you to meditate on the beauty and importance of the Incarnation - God taking on flesh and dwelling among us. Think about how the Day of the Lord and every it encapsulates was, is, and will be fulfilled in Christ our Lord. And then finally rejoice. Rejoice that Christ has conquered sin and death and rescued us. Zephaniah 3:14–15 “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.”