Intro to Zephaniah

3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; 

Zephaniah 2:3a 

King Josiah is considered to be the last “good” king to reign over Judah. Although only eight years old when he began his 31-year reign, God used him to reform and remove the idols from the land. It is probably at the beginning of Josiah’s reigns when Zephaniah begins his prophetic ministry as recorded in the book of Zephaniah. Some of his contemporaries were Jeremiah, Nahum, and Habakkuk (check out those articles to learn more). The book of Zephaniah can be neatly divided into three sections that are nearly across each of the three chapters in the book; 1) Judgments pronounced on Judah (1:1-2:3), Judgments pronounced on the nations (2:4-15), and finally future hope (3). Which, perhaps, comes as no surprise to you seeing as that is the typical formula that you find in the rest of the prophetic writings.

Similar to the other prophetic books, the theme of God’s sovereignty over all nations is present here as well. Additionally, the coming Day of the Lord is prophesied as a day which will be inescapable for the wicked. The message that Zephaniah delivers reminds the people that God is not powerless or uninvolved with His creation and he instructs the people to humble themselves and to return to the Lord. This is an incredibly important message for the people to hear as Josiah would begin reforming the land. Lest the people think that a Godly leader and religiosity is what God desires, Zephaniah makes it very clear that what God desires is for the people to return to Him truly from the heart. They were not merely to physically turn from the idols and from the deceit and wicked acts they were performing. They were to live righteously lest they be found wanting on the day of the Lord.

And this message has a promise of hope for all who do repent, hope and presence. Hope, they will be liberated from their enemies. But also, that the presence of the Lord would be in their midst. And this message that Zephaniah records is a sure one. The very first five words reveals that it is “the word of the Lord” (1:1) and the concluding three words, “says the Lord”, is a sure reminder to them that this is God’s word being proclaimed to them. His word has never and will never fail, and so the people can sing, rejoice, and cry out from their hearts (3:14) for the deliverance that they will receive from the One true God. We also can rejoice, even in the midst of trials, because we know that our Lord reigns and that His word is sure. Let us trust Him in the midst of our waiting, for the Lord is “in our midst, a mighty one who will save” (3:17).

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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