Zephaniah's Ministry

Background:

The Book of Zephaniah, a prophecy, was written around 640-620 B.C., during King Josiah's rule: 640-609 B.C.

King Josiah of Judah sought to reverse the evil trends brought by the two previous kings of Judah--Manasseh and Amon. There was no world super power at the time, so Josiah had influence among the nations. He was able to institute religious reforms. Zephaniah's prophecy may have motivated those reforms.

Zephaniah 1:2-3
"I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth", declares the Lord. 
"I will sweep away both men and animals; 
I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. 
The wicked will have only heaps of rubble 
when I cut off man from the face of the earth", declares the Lord.


If we only read the New Testament, and if we skip the Book of Revelation, we don't get an accurate picture of God's nature. He is Holy and he cannot tolerate sin. His wrath and anger are as awesome as his mercy and love. If our picture of his character is a warm and fuzzy New Testament one only, we're in trouble, because we won't fear him. We won't obey.


And idols? Oh, how they ignite his anger. Don't think just Baal and Molech. Think power, prestige, image, careers, sports, money, possessions...anything that takes our time away from God. Our God? He is jealous, indeed. Think you don't have time for Him? Think again. God's jealous heart desires that we make time.

Zephaniah 1:4-6
⁴ “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place,
the very names of the idolatrous priests —
those who bow down on the roofs
to worship the starry host,
those who bow down and swear by the Lord
and who also swear by Molech,
those who turn back from following the Lord
and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.”

Josiah's reforms changed things a bit, but not for long. The people were too far from God to heed any correction. Their hearts had hardened and judgement did come, via the Babylonians, within twenty years of Zephaniah's ministry.

Zephaniah 2:1-3 (emphasis mine)

2 Gather together, gather yourselves together,
you shameful nation,
before the decree takes effect
and that day passes like windblown chaff,
before the Lord’s fierce anger
comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath
comes upon you.
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Judgement is coming to us, too. We will be judged for our sins, for any indifference to God. But if we remain faithful to God, he will show us mercy. 

From these verses, we hear again how much the Lord loves humility. He sent his Son as a babe, who grew into a humble man, who died a humble death. "Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land. Seek righteousness, seek humility." 

If we get nothing else from Zephaniah, we will hopefully get this: The Lord loves a humble heart.

More on the hate God has for haughtiness in these next verses (emphasis mine):

Zephaniah 3:1-5

Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
she does not draw near to her God.
Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her rulers are evening wolves,
who leave nothing for the morning.
Her prophets are unprincipled;
they are treacherous people.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.
The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame.

Do we accept correction from the Lord? Do we confess our sins, humbling ourselves enough to do so even among loved ones? Do we pray and read the Word regularly, knowing that this makes our own hearts known to us? The Word of God exposes us for who we really are. We become haughty when we fail to understand our position before God. The more we crowd God out of our lives, the haughtier we become. Then our hearts? They harden, making it more difficult to see our own sin.

Zephaniah ends with hope, speaking of the Lord's faithfulness to the remnant. It's hard to read this without tears...it's so full of hope.

Zephaniah 3:9-17 (emphasis mine)

9 “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.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.
11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.
12 But I will leave within you
the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust in the name of the Lord.
13 They will do no wrong;
they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid. ”


14 Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 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.”

Conclusions:

The reforms in Judah were merely outward--not from the heart. They were simply going through the motions of faith. Their hearts remained far from God.

Since the day of our own salvation, what has happened in our hearts and lives? Is there real change, or do we still live for ourselves and pursue other Gods? 

The steps to true heart change? Humility, Faithfulness, Prayer 

If we are faithful to spend time with God, he will humble us; and as we continue in Him, we will remain humble. 

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.

He will take delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing

Prayer Time: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Zephaniah's ministry. Thank you for your Word, for the way it washes us clean. May we remain faithful to spend time with you. Humble us, Lord. May we receive your correction with glad hearts. May nothing take your place in our hearts and lives. May we live for you, replacing our will with yours.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

photo credit