Minor Prophets: Zepheniah Judgment to blessings
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Introduction to book
Introduction to book
We start now into 3 prophets who are focused on Judah. Zepheniah in the time of a great reform in actions by Josiah, but Judah, much like Israel lacked heart and the reform actions did not take.
So the background:
Zephaniah means “Jehovah hides”
Zephaniah is great-great grandson of Hezekiah (Zep1:1) a great king.
After the great Hezekiah there was
Evil Manasseh
and wicked Ammon
Zephaniah’s message came in days of Josiah, the king of Judah
Josiah reigned from 640-609 B.C.
He was a good king, a good reformer and you can read about that in 2Chr34-35.
His reforms were short-lived, the nation soon returned to apostasy after his death.
Application here: Don’t let your spiritual growth be tied to any one person be rooted in Christ Jesus not some preacher or teacher. Let the Bible be your focus not a man.
Zephaniah’s message was to Judah and concerning the coming “day of the Lord.” (Zep1:7)
7 Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
A day of the Lord is a day of judgment, now just in this book you will see
Day of the Lord 1:7, 8, 14 and 2:2
On that Day 1:10
At that time 1:12
Day of wrath 1:15, 18
You will see in great vividness the descriptions of the day of the Lord. George Adam Smith stated “No hotter book lies in all the Old Testament.”
Though we will find some hope as it ends with an encouraging note concerning the future blessings.
So, this morning we will take a glance at:
The look within (Zep1:1-2:3)
The look around (Zep2:4-3:7)
The look beyond (Zep3:8-20)
So, now in our normal fashion in our survey of the minor prophets we will read some text. Pull a few things, look for some current application before moving on. We will break things down within the sections.
The Look within
The Look within
If we ever want to identify a problem, truly, we need to start by looking within. And it was because of what was going on within Judah that this judgment was going to come.
The Lord is bringing the judgment (Zep1:1-6)
1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah: 2 “I will completely remove all things From the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
Hold on stop here just for a moment, what did the Word of the Lord promise was going to happen (v.2)?
3 “I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 4 “So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests.
Can you see the totality of the judgment coming against man, beast, birds, fish (v.3)?
Who is bringing this judgment (v.4) and against who?
It is the Lord bringing it against Judah, Jerusalem and the idolatrous priests and the priests.
5 “And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, 6 And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”
Wait there is more, those who bow down, those who swear by the Lord yet swear by Milcom (an idol) too. Those who turned back from the Lord and following the Lord.
Do you know people who once walked with the Lord who have left the faith and returned to the world? They stopped following, stopped seeking the Lord.
This judgment, day of the Lord is at hand (Zep1:7-18)
This one is a little longer I will read this one
7 Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests. 8 “Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
9 “And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit. 10 “On that day,” declares the Lord, “There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, A wail from the Second Quarter, And a loud crash from the hills.
11 “Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar, For all the people of Canaan will be silenced; All who weigh out silver will be cut off. 12 “It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil!’
13 “Moreover, their wealth will become plunder And their houses desolate; Yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”
OK, lets stop just for a quick pit stop.
This is going to impact Judah and Jerusalem
Who is the punishment going to be against (v.8-9)?
The princes, the kings son’s all who clothe themselves with foreign garments, those who leap on the temple threshold, whose homes are filled with violence and deceit
Listen, what sounds do you hear (see) in (vv.10-11)?
Sound of a cry, a wail, a loud crash, then there will be a silence
God at about that time will search with lamps (lamps that show the heart of man) and will punish the men.
They will be punished for saying the Lord will not do good or evil (v.12) - - - So they are looking at God as standoffish and not active or not able to do anything. Not a good place to be.
14 Near is the great day of the Lord, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. 15 A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord’s wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
What can we tell about the day of the Lord when you look at (v.14)?
It is near, it is coming quickly
What do you learn about the day (vv.15-16)?
It is a day of wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness, gloom, clouds and thick darkness, the sound of the trumpet, the battle cry will sound.
He is going to bring distress, they will walk like blind, their blood will be poured out, flesh like dung (v.17) they cannot buy their way out with their silver and gold. (v.18)
A call for national repentance is given (Zep2:1-3)
1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, 2 Before the decree takes effect— The day passes like the chaff— Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.
Pay attention to this warning “before the” x 3 in (v.2). Before the day of the Lord comes.
3 Seek the Lord, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.
What are they called to do before the day comes (v.3)?
Seek the Lord, seek righteousness, humility and maybe you will be hidden from the Lord’s anger.
(Transition) so they have been told to look within so they can see, maybe understand, turn and repent when they see within
Look Around
Look Around
So the problem is found within, judgment is coming within, but it is also going to come around. Around the surrounding nations. But then focuses back on Jerusalem.
God’s wrath, judgment on Philistia (vv.4-7)
4 For Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted. 5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; And I will destroy you So that there will be no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will be pastures, With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast will be For the remnant of the house of Judah, They will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the Lord their God will care for them And restore their fortune.
What will happen to the cities (v.4)
They will be abandon, left in desolation, will be uprooted.
You can see the totality, the severity (v.5-7)
They will be destroyed, there will be no inhabitants
It will be a place for the remnant after the judgment; remnant of Jerusalem (v.7)
God’s wrath, judgment on Moab and Ammon (vv.8-11)
8 “I have heard the taunting of Moab And the revilings of the sons of Ammon, With which they have taunted My people And become arrogant against their territory. 9 “Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts, The God of Israel, “Surely Moab will be like Sodom And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah— A place possessed by nettles and salt pits, And a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.”
10 This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts. 11 The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place.
Stop listen closely to the taunting, the reviling in Ammon (v.8)
Can you see God’s judgment in (v.9) what is it compared to?
Sodom and Gomorrah
It will be like a salt pit, a place of perpetual desolation
This too will be a place for the remnant when this is over
(v.10) you see more about the taunting because of they became arrogant against the people of God but they were not alone
God’s wrath, judgment on Ethiopia (v.12)
12 “You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.”
God’s wrath, judgment on Assyria (vv.13-15)
13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north And destroy Assyria, And He will make Nineveh a desolation, Parched like the wilderness. 14 Flocks will lie down in her midst, All beasts which range in herds; Both the pelican and the hedgehog Will lodge in the tops of her pillars; Birds will sing in the window, Desolation will be on the threshold; For He has laid bare the cedar work.
15 This is the exultant city Which dwells securely, Who says in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” How she has become a desolation, A resting place for beasts! Everyone who passes by her will hiss And wave his hand in contempt.
What is the promised judgment against Assyria and Nineveh it’s capital (v.13-15)
This one maybe a little harder, let me help
Destroy Assyria, make Nineveh a desolation
The desolation will be on the threshold, so that means right before them. This is because of their arrogance (v.15) it will become the desolation a place for the beasts and everyone will come by and wave in contempt.
Then back to the woe to Jerusalem (Zep3:1-5)
1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city! 2 She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, She did not draw near to her God.
3 Her princes within her are roaring lions, Her judges are wolves at evening; They leave nothing for the morning. 4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
5 The Lord is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust knows no shame.
They have rebelled against the Lord (v.1); they did not listen (v.2)
The princes, the judges , the prophets, the priests are like lions, wolves, they are reckless and treacherous, they profane the sanctuary, they have done violence and they have no shame.
One more point, don’t ignore what is going on around you (vv.6-7)
6 “I have cut off nations; Their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets desolate, With no one passing by; Their cities are laid waste, Without a man, without an inhabitant. 7 “I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me, Accept instruction.’ So her dwelling will not be cut off According to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
Look at the descriptive words used (v.6)? Go ahead, pick them out.
Cut off, made ruins, made desolate, laid waste, without inhabitant.
Look at (v.7); there is a call, what is it?
A call to accept instruction, so not to be cut off
But still nothing, the people corrupted all their deeds.
(Transition) - God always keeps a remnant, so, don’t despair though they may go through some suffering the is a message of hope given
Look Beyond
Look Beyond
I know the time is limited, so, let’s not delay a quick glance at this last section as the Lord calls for them to look beyond.
8 “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.
Wait for the Lord!
Even when we looked at Micah it finished that way (Mic7:7-9)
9 “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder. 10 “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, Will bring My offerings.
11 “In that day you will feel no shame Because of all your deeds By which you have rebelled against Me; For then I will remove from your midst Your proud, exulting ones, And you will never again be haughty On My holy mountain. 12 “But I will leave among you A humble and lowly people, And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong And tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie down With no one to make them tremble.”
God will restore his people
14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more.
16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. 17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
Lord will remove their judgments and enemies
Lord will be in their midst, giving them reason for gladness, love and singing
18 “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts— They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them. 19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth.
20 “At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” Says the Lord.
God will give them a great assurance
Trying to wrap this up in 2-minutes or less now. There was a problem within that they needed to address, needed to repent from, and judgment was coming, it was a day of the Lord event coming upon them. There was a promised blessing in the future for the remnant and that was see fulfilled in the days of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah.
There is a day of the Lord coming when Jesus is going to return with his angels with flaming fire, we want to be prepared as the remnant! You can look up 2Pt3:7-14, a great reminder to us to stay faithful to the end.
(Pray) (Exit)