Zephaniah Simplified

Title & Author

The First Verse of the Book Tells Us that a Little Bit About Zephaniah

Zephaniah 1:1 (NASB95)

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:

He was a Great, Great Grandson of King Hezekiah

And He Prophesied During the Days of His Distant Cousin Josiah, King of Judah

Zephaniah Means “Yahweh Has Hidden/Protected”

Zephaniah Brings This Meaning Out in His Book

Zephaniah 2:3 (NASB95)

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.

Besides Those Few Facts, We Don’t Know Much Else About Him

Date

We Know His Prophetic Ministry Takes Place During the Reign of Josiah

The Northern Kingdom of Israel Had Already Been Exiled By the Assyrians at This Point

So Whenever Israel is Referenced in this Book…

It’s Referring to the Southern Kingdom of Judah the Capital of Jerusalem

Josiah was a Good King Who Tried to Restore Proper Worship in Judah

His Great-Grandfather Hezekiah Did the Same Thing

But Since Then, Judah Had Fallen Back into Idolatry and Wickedness

So Zephaniah is Prophesying to a People Who are in Need of Repentance and Restoration

Purpose

Not Long Ago, Judah Saw Her Sister Israel Be Destroyed and Exiled Because of Wickedness

You’d Think that Judah Would Learn From Such a Horrible Devastation

But Now it’s Zephaniah’s Job to Warn God’s Coming Judgement

The Day of the Lord is Coming Upon Judah and Upon All the Other Nations

After the Scriptures Were Found and Read to King Josiah…

He Sent Men to a Prophetess Named Huldah

2 Kings 22:14–20 (NASB95)

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her.

15-16 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, thus says the Lord, “Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read.

17 “Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.” ’

18-19 “But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord.

20 “Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.

God Planned to Bring Evil/Destruction Upon Judah

But Because of Josiah’s Humility and Desire to Serve God…

He Wouldn’t Live to See the Day of Destruction God was Bringing

After Hearing This News, Josiah Goes On the Greatest Restoration Effort Israel Had Ever Seen

2 Kings 23:24–27 (NASB95)

Moreover, Josiah removed the mediums and the spiritists and the teraphim and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.

Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

However, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.

The Lord said, “I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’ ”

Even With Josiah’s Amazing Restoration of Judah…

God Had Already Determined to Punish Them

Zephaniah’s Purpose was to Warn Judah of this Certain Day of Destruction

As Well as to Warn All the Nations of Their Destruction as Well

Key Themes

The Ultimate Theme of Zephaniah is “The Day of the Lord”

As With All of the Days of the Lord…

This One Will Bring Destruction Upon the Wicked…

And Deliverance to the Faithful

The Day of the Lord Foreshadows the Final Day of the Lord

When All Evil Will Be Destroyed

And All the Faithful Will Be Delivered

Zephaniah in the New Testament

Because Zephaniah is So Heavily Focused On the Day of the Lord…

There are Several Passages in the NT that Deal With the Day of the Lord…

That Have Similar Language to Passages in Zephaniah

But We Won’t Take the Time to Look at All the Similar Passages

Outline

Judgement Coming Upon Judah (1:1-2:3)

Judgement Coming Upon the Nations (2:4-3:8)

Hope of Restoration (3:9-3:20)

Active Reading

(Map of Other Peoples and Nations Mentioned)