Zephaniah 1 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence
The prophet Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah and denounced the ubiquitous idolatry of the people in the city of Jerusalem during the early years of King Josiah’s reign in Jerusalem (640-609 BC) prior to the young king’s reformation/restoration in 622-621 BC as depicted in 2 Chronicles 34:3. Because of the great religious and moral corruption of God’s people arrogantly bowing down to Baal even in God’s own sanctuary, the prophet announces a message of impending judgment, saying “The great Day of the Lord is near.” That same language is also used elsewhere by the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Joel and Malachi, but Zephaniah provides more elaboration on the theme than anyone else addressing it seventeen times between 1:7 and 2:3 in this short prophecy. This weighty pronouncement of judgment magnified in vv.15-16 of the first chapter would later serve to inspire the medieval Catholic hymn “Dies Irae,” or “The Wrath of God” made popular in Mozart’s requiem.
Although it is a prominent theme, especially in the first chapter, the coming wrath of God is not the primary theme in the book of Zephaniah. The name Zephaniah means “the Lord hides,” and this seems to be the main thrust of the prophet’s message. Speaking to the humble in the land in 2:3, he says to them, “Seek the Lord…seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.” And in 3:12-13 it is evident that the Lord would hide a remnant of God’s people from the destruction to come. Thus a simple outline of the book of Zephaniah might look like this:
- God’s Wrath and Judgment against Judah and Jerusalem (1)
- God’s Judgment against the Nations (2:1-3:8)
III. God’s Redemption of the Hidden Remnant (3:9-21)
In this first chapter, Zephaniah brings an oracle against Judah and Jerusalem in particular but in the first and last few verses of the chapter he frames this day of wrath with the language of the flood narrative in Genesis 6-8 describing God’s judgment upon all the world. Notice the three-fold repetition of “I will sweep away” in vv.2-3 reminiscent of the great flood describing a complete and utter reversal of creation removing man and beast from the sixth day of creation, then birds and fish from the fifth day. Then, in v.17, he foretells a distress upon all mankind with all the earth being consumed and all its inhabitants coming to a full and sudden end. At this time, Zephaniah is not actually foretelling the destruction of the earth, but merely describing the destruction of Jerusalem in cosmic proportions.
In vv.3-9 he describes the particular sins of the Jews in their syncretistic worship practices and in their unrighteous deeds of violence and fraud. Then, in vv.10-13 he describes the reaction of the Jews to God’s judgment in their wailing over the homes being destroyed and their economic livelihood being stricken. But it is in vv.14-18 where Zephaniah elaborates upon the nature of the Day of the Lord itself. It is a very bitter day in which even the mighty men of the earth cry out in anguish. It is a day of great distress for every man, woman and child. It is a day of utter “ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.” Then, on top of all of these frightening and harrowing images, the prophet describes the blood of the wicked being poured out like dust and their flesh like dung, promising all who had ears to hear that neither silver nor gold would be able to deliver them from this day of judgment, for the Lord in his jealousy over Israel would consume all her impurities and all the impure ones with no distinction. He thus is preparing God’s people to turn back to the Lord in repentance and to seek the Lord as a refuge from the coming destruction, for He alone can hide them from the Day of His Wrath.
Although that particular day of wrath has already come and gone, it is certainly typical of the Final Day of the Lord, so it is still worthy of our consideration and meditation. It is a very fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God in the midst of his wrath. The only comfort that can be given to any sinner reading about such judgments is the assurance of the gospel in Jesus Christ that those who flee to him for refuge will assuredly be hidden under the shadow of his wings. As the hymnist Augustus Toplady once prayed, so we too pray, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.”