Some scholars call Zephaniah the Royal Prophet because he
wrote his genealogy in the very first verse of the book. He was a great-great-grandson of King
Hezekiah, one of Judah’s most righteous kings. It seems as if he was saying that he was a
person qualified to receive the word of God and deliver it to a sinful
world. As a matter of fact, he makes it
quite clear that what he was writing was a direct communication from God. He begins his prophecy with the words, “The
word of the Lord…,” and he ends his prophecy with the words, “…says the Lord.” So it would do us good to pay careful attention
to all that is written between these two verses:
The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi… (Zephaniah 1:1a)
“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 before
your very eyes,” says the Lord. (Zephaniah 3:20)
Zephaniah tells us that he wrote his prophecy in the days of
King Josiah, so that makes him a contemporary of Jeremiah, Nahum, and perhaps
Habakkuk. Scholars disagree about the
exact time of the writing of this book, but it is estimated to have been
between 625 and 635 B.C. King Josiah,
the last godly king of Judah, was a reformer, so God promised not to bring His
judgment against His people during Josiah’s lifetime. Josiah did his best to remove idol worship
from his kingdom, but it is obvious that he was not completely successful. It may have been relatively easy to remove
the idols and the temples dedicated to them, and Josiah could outlaw the
practice of child sacrifice to the idol Malcham (Molech/Moloch/Milcam), but he
was not able to change the hearts of his people and turn them back to a
singular worship of Jehovah, Holy God.
The prophet was clear about the four reasons God was sending
His judgment against Jerusalem and His people:
She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not
trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. (Zephaniah 3:2)
Zephaniah’s prophecy was two-fold. Reminiscent of the flood during Noah’s time,
God warns His people of a coming time of complete and utter destruction of all
creation:
“I will sweep away everything from the face of the
earth,” declares the Lord. (Zephaniah 1:2)
Obviously, that total destruction, the second wave of
Zephaniah’s prophecy, has not occurred, yet.
But the first judgment, the judgment against Judah, to whom Zephaniah
was preaching, did occur when they were taken captive by Babylon in 606 B.C.,
only some 20 – 30 years later. As a
matter of fact, the prophecy against the specific nations mentioned in chapter
two has also been fulfilled in minute detail.
The entire area in what we now know as The Middle East, all the nations
mentioned in Zechariah 2:4-15, were eventually conquered by other empires. The Babylonians were conquered by the
Persians; the Persians were conquered by the Greeks; the Greeks fell to the
Romans; after Rome fell, the Arab empire arose; the Arab Empire fell to the
Ottomans; and by 1918 the British and French ruled what had been the Ottoman
Empire. Can any doubt remain that God’s
judgment of Judah and her captives was complete?
So, if God’s judgment against Judah has been completely
fulfilled, what about the second wave of Zephaniah’s prophecy?
It does not take any stretch of the imagination to see that
the words God spoke to Judah through Zephaniah He is also speaking to us
today. Our world, our nation
particularly, has become pluralistic. We
worship at the feet of an idol we call “Tolerance.” We offer our children up to an idol we call “Choice.” Our world does not obey the voice of God,
even though His voice is more easily heard today than it has ever been. His voice is on radio, television, print, and
the internet, but the world refuses to hear.
Our world refuses to acknowledge His correction. Our world trusts in its own intellect, its
own power, and its own wealth instead of trusting in God. We refuse to draw near to Him. Even some of us who call ourselves Christ
followers can be just as guilty as we try to live with one foot in the Kingdom
of God and one foot in the world, not giving ourselves completely to Him. Are we better than Judah who claimed to be
God’s children but, at the same time, conformed to the world’s paganism?
As you watch the world news unfolding every day, notice the
names of the countries mentioned in the turmoil of the Middle East and compare
those nations to the ones mentioned in Zephaniah’s prophecy: Gaza (Palestine & Hamas), Ashkelon,
Ashdod, and Ekron (cities in Palestine), The nation of the Cherethites
(Palestine & Crete), Canaan, land of the Philistines (Palestine), Moab and
Ammon (Jordon), Ethiopians and Cush (Sudan), Assyria (Iraq, Syria, Turkey), and
Nineveh (a city in Iraq, near Mosul).
Can there be any doubt that the words God gave to Zephaniah are relevant
to us today?
It would be very easy for us to become frightened,
depressed, and perhaps even angry with God if it were not for the third chapter
of Zephaniah’s prophecy. For you see,
here God tells us once again, of His grace and His mercy:
“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 . . .
But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will
trust in the name of the Lord.” (Zephaniah 3:9, 12)
“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.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
How will He purify the people of the world? How will we serve Him together? Who is this
Mighty Warrior who saves?
How much more, then, will the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the
living God! (Hebrews 9:14)
“She will give birth to a Son, and you are
to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
(Matthew 1:21)
Just as God fulfilled the immediate
prophesy of Zephaniah when He judged Judah over 2600 years ago, we can be sure
that He will fulfill the balance of that prophecy. Every day we are closer to that day when we
will see The Mighty Warrior Who Saves coming in the clouds to establish His
kingdom on Mt. Zion to rule in justice and peace for eternity.
For He has set a day when He will judge the
world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to
everyone by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11-16)
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and They shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." (Revelation 21:1-5)
My prayer this week is that you and I will follow God, not half-heartedly, but with total abandon; that we will do away with any idol that is sapping our spiritual enthusiasm and strength; that God will expose to each of us any tradition or habit that is standing in the way of us being completely and absolutely obedient to Him. I pray that we can sing and shout, just as Zephaniah did in chapter 3, verses 14-15:
(I) sing and shout aloud! (I will) be glad and rejoice with all (my) heart! The Lord has taken away (my) punishment! He has turned back (my) enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with (me); never again will (I) fear any harm.
All scripture is from the New International
Version.
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