Zephaniah

LeRoy Eims

Zephaniah was a prince of the royal house of Judah, the great, great grandson of Hezekiah the king. He prophesied about the time that the ministry of Jeremiah began. He spoke of the impending day of wrath. His prophecy was given only a few years before the day of doom struck for Judah.

He began his ministry as a prophet in the early days of the reign of King Josiah. Two wicked and idol-worshipping kings had preceded Josiah and the land was overrun with evil practices of every kind. Social injustice and moral corruption was on every hand. The rich had amassed great fortunes by grinding the poor into the dust.

The situation was at its worst when King Josiah who was only 16 years old, began to lead the people in a religious revival. He became one of the most beloved kings of Judah. He took a hatchet and cut down the altars and images. No doubt it was of great encouragement to the young king to have the prophet Zephaniah by his side.

As you start reading this book you are amazed by its contents. There seems to be nothing but fierce denunciation of sins, dire threats and wrath. The book begins with sorrow but ends with singing. The first part of the book is full of sadness and gloom, but the last contains one of the sweetest songs of love in the Old Testament.

The "day of the Lord" is mentioned seven times in this prophecy. Almost without exception, when "day" is used it means what we know it to mean today. If a number is used before it, like 40 days or 3 days, then it is a day of twenty‑four hours. When you use "day" alone, it means something else.

If I refer to my father's day or the day of the great sailing ships, it refers to that period of time, the time in which my father lived or the time when the great sailing ships sailed the seas. So when the Bible speaks of the day of the Lord, it means a time of the Lord's special working.

To the Jews of Zephaniah's day it meant the time when God would deal with His people in punishment and captivity. The Day of the Lord was coming and there would be a day of reckoning. In great earnest and in the most forcible and pointed manner, the prophet draws the lessons from the existing state of things heading for a great crisis.

The sinful nations will not escape the blow that is about to fall. If it is true of pagan nations, how much more will it be of Judah who knows God? Judah has seen numerous expressions of His powers and goodness and yet has so sinfully and persistently forsaken Him for other gods.

He points out that the chosen people rather than escaping the judgment of God, because they are His people, will on that very account be severely punished. If God will not spare those to whom He has not fully revealed Himself, how much more surely will He chasten those who have greater light, who know the way of truth and refuse to walk in it.

He calls upon Judah to respond to the offer God is making. Get right with the Lord and avert the ruin with which she is threatened. The same lesson is valid for us today. Our disobedience to God can only lead to one thing.

However, in order to obey the Word of God, we must know the Word of God. May God bless you as you study His word.