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NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

3 What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime! 2 No one can tell it anything; or draw near to its God. 3 Its leaders are like roaring lions who by dawn have left no trace of their prey. 4 Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain. Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions. 5 But the LORD is still there in the city, But the wicked know no shame. 6 “I have wiped out many nations, none at all. 7 I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now! to continue their evil deeds. 8 Therefore, be patient,” says the LORD. by the fire of my jealousy. 9 “Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the LORD together. 10 My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia will come to present their offerings. 11 On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain. 12 Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the LORD. 13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; and no one will make them afraid.” 14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and you will never again fear disaster. 16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! 17 For the LORD your God is living among you. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” 18 “I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more. 19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. wherever they have been mocked and shamed. 20 On that day I will gather you together I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Introduction to Zephaniah

Background of Zephaniah

What Is the Book of Zephaniah About?

Time: 4 Minutes

The Bible is a very complex book. There’s a reason people dedicate their entire lives to trying to understand it.

And yet, when all is said and done, the Bible simply presents us with two choices: Turn to God in faith, repenting of our sins and be saved, or remain in our sins and suffer God’s wrath.

The prophet Zephaniah presents us with this same option (Zephaniah 1:7). He warns us that God’s judgment is coming: “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:7). Judgment is certain, so Zephaniah asks us: What will you do?

God’s judgment will be total. God tells Zephaniah he will “utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth . . . I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth” (Zephaniah 1:3). The keen Bible reader will notice the allusions to the worldwide flood in Genesis 6-7, which tells a story of God’s judgment and a reversal of creation. God is saying in Zephaniah that his coming judgment will be so total that it will undo all of creation again. Jerusalem will be like the world at the beginning of creation: “without form and void” (Genesis 1:2).

Zephaniah is one of the few prophets who prophesies to the nations, not just to Israel. Thus, his warning of judgment is for everyone.

For the sinful nations surrounding Israel had declared themselves to be God, setting up their own authority over God: “This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else’” (Zephaniah 2:15). Notice yet another Old Testament allusion here. In Exodus 3:14, God reveals his name to be “I am.” Zephaniah, then, says that these foreign nations, in their pride, have attempted to place themselves above God, taking his name.

And this is the essence of all sin—yours, mine, and these nations. We rebel against God, attempting to set ourselves above him and his authority, though we are his own creation (Romans 1:18-23). This is what kindles God’s rage. And therefore, his judgment is coming.

What will you do?

There is nothing you can do: “For in the fire of [the Lord’s] jealousy all the earth shall be consumed” (Zephaniah 3:8). There is nowhere to hide from God’s all-consuming wrath…

But God, being rich in mercy, offers a way for us to be saved. You’ll notice a significant change in the tone of Zephaniah, transitioning from doom to hope, almost like sunlight breaking through dark clouds. God says in Zephaniah, “For at that time [of judgment] I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9).

Zephaniah explains to us that for some, the “fire” of God’s wrath doesn’t destroy but purifies, making them able to rightly worship God, not setting themselves above God, but being “a people humble and lowly” (Zephaniah 3:12).

Zephaniah prophesies that God will show mercy to some people, not pouring out his wrath on them, but choosing to shape them into new people who can live forever with him.

We find out how God has shown this mercy when we open the New Testament.

In Zephaniah we notice two themes—judgment and salvation—which point us to what God has done for us in Jesus. God brought about our salvation through Jesus. In order to save us, Jesus had to bear God’s judgment and wrath for our sins.

As the New Testament teaches us, God’s own Son Jesus Christ stands in our place, taking God’s wrath for our sins upon himself on the cross, so that we may be saved from God’s consuming fire. The “fire” of God’s judgment fell upon Christ. God can purify, save, and provide refuge for all who trust in his Son, Jesus.

God’s judgment is coming—What will you do?

You can turn to Jesus, who took God’s judgment for your sins upon himself, and you can be saved from God’s wrath. Then you will enjoy the greatest blessing possible: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). The Lord can be your God. Will you turn from your sins and be saved from the coming judgment?

Call out to the Lord today, and ask him to grant you his salvation! For, “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

What Is the Background of Zephaniah?

Time: 15 Minutes

Background of Zephaniah

1

Author and Date

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah (640–609 BC), a Judean king who sought to reestablish acceptable worship practices (2 Kings 22:1–23:30).

2

Theme

The theme of Zephaniah is the approaching “day of the Lord.” This “day” is one of judgment against those who sin against God, and one of blessing for those who follow him.

3

Purpose and Background

In spite of having seen the destruction and exile of Israel (the northern kingdom), Judah (the southern kingdom) refuses to keep its covenant obligations to God. If Judah repents and abandons its evil ways, “perhaps” God will forgive (Zephaniah 2:3). Regardless, God’s judgment will lead to renewal for Judah and other peoples (Zephaniah 3:9–20).

The book declares judgment on many nations, all of which opposed God through opposition to his people. The last nation warned is Judah herself (Zephaniah 3:1–7). God is displeased with those who claimed to be his own people.

4

Key Themes

1. God will judge the whole earth (Zephaniah 1:2–3, 17–18; 3:8), including Judah (Zephaniah 1:4–16; 3:1–7) and her pagan neighbors (Zephaniah 2:4–15) alike.

2. God will bless his people when they return to their covenant relationship with him (Zephaniah 3:11–20).

3. God extends blessing and grace to all peoples and nations (Zephaniah 3:9–10).

4. Judgment and blessing occur both in the near future for the prophet and his audience (Zephaniah 1:4–18; 2:3) and also in the more distant future (Zephaniah 3:8–9, 11, 13–17).

5. There is no such thing as a second-generation child of God. Every generation must accept God’s covenant, rather than relying on the faith of a previous generation.

5

Outline

I. Heading (1:1)

II. Judgment Coming against Judah (1:2–6)

III. The Day of the Lord (1:7–3:20)
A. Day of sacrifice and punishment (1:7–9)
B. The coming wrath (1:10–18)
C. Repentance is still possible (2:1–3)
D. Nations warned (2:4–3:8)
E. Anticipation of hope (3:9–20)

6

The Near East at the Time of Zephaniah

Background of Zephaniah

The Global Message of Zephaniah

The message of Zephaniah to the global church of the twenty-first century is the certainty of the coming “day of the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:7). On that day, punishment will be executed on all God’s enemies from many nations (Zephaniah 2:11; 3:8) and salvation will be granted to all God’s people, also from many nations (Zephaniah 3:9–10).

If one of these two themes rises to the surface, however, it is the theme of global salvation. “From beyond the rivers of Cush”—that is, from beyond the known ends of the earth in the time of Zephaniah—“my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering” (Zephaniah 3:10). After beginning by denouncing first Judah herself (ch. 1) and then Judah’s oppressors (ch. 2), the book of Zephaniah ends on a note of triumphant restoration for God’s people because of his love, restoration that includes in its sweep peoples from the ends of the earth (Zephaniah 3:16–18).

1

Zephaniah in Redemptive History

The Failure of God’s People

Israel had been called out from the nations of the earth to be a blessing to those nations (Genesis 12:1–3). Yet this glorious calling had been tragically frustrated when Israel wound up exhibiting the same idolatry and selfishness that she had been sent to heal. No one, not even those called by God to be a light to the nations of the world (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6), can escape the corruption and rebellion that fill the earth because of the fall (Genesis 3).

The Judgment of God’s People

For this reason God needed to punish not only the wicked nations to whom he had not revealed himself but also the wicked nation, Israel, to whom he had revealed himself. Rather than influencing the world, Israel had been influenced by the world. The book of Zephaniah exists because of this dilemma. The prophecy opens by recounting Judah’s sin. The northern kingdom of Israel has already been exiled to Assyria for its sin, and Judah is following fast in the footsteps of its northern kinsmen.

God’s Refusal to Forsake His People

Yet because of the covenant God has made with Israel, by which he will be their God and they will be his people, he cannot forsake them, no matter how unfaithful they are. The Lord has every right to abandon them due to their spiritual adultery. Yet in his great love, his covenant mercy, he delights instead to “change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. . . . I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth” (Zephaniah 3:19–20). The Lord will restore his wayward children before a global audience.

How can God do this, while remaining just? Must not sin, even the sin of his people, be punished?

Yes, indeed—and in sending his own Son to bear that punishment, God remains just and punishes sin in what is also a supreme act of covenant love. For believers, the great day of the Lord is now behind them. This is because the day of the Lord, “a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom” (Zephaniah 1:15), was experienced by Jesus Christ on the cross. He endured the ultimate distress and anguish, ruin and devastation, darkness and gloom—so that those who put their trust in him need not eternally endure those things.

2

Universal Themes in Zephaniah

Worldwide Judgment

Even though current circumstances may indicate to the contrary, all sin will be brought to justice. Rebellious human hearts and the actions that such hearts produce will not escape the punishment of God. Specifically, actions against God’s own people will not escape God’s punishment. The Lord has bound himself to his people. He will bring every wrong against them to justice.

Worldwide Salvation

Alongside the whole-earth dimensions of God’s judgment stands the whole-earth extension of his mercy. Those who humble themselves enough to trust him will escape his punishment despite their sin. For God has taken them into covenant with himself and has dealt with their sin through the atoning work of his Son. “At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9).

3

The Global Message of Zephaniah for Today

There is no greater need in the human heart than for divine love. Beneath every other valid need is the need to be loved by the One who knows us better even than we know ourselves. And to those who look to him, to those who make the Lord their refuge, he himself says,

“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:16–17)

Such is the delight of God in heaven over every one of his children—children in western hemisphere or east, urban or rural, rich or poor.

And this love will be seen “among all the peoples of the earth” (Zephaniah 3:20). The display of God’s love for his own is not a provincial or tepid or restrained display. God’s covenant love for his people will one day explode in joyous cosmic celebration as all the suffering undergone by believers is reversed and they enjoy the glory for which they were created (Romans 8:18; Revelation 21:4).

3:1 Polluted Jerusalem had wandered far from its call to be a holy city (Isa 52:1).

3:1-3:8 Zephaniah pronounces a message of sorrow for Judah and Jerusalem and admonishes them to wait patiently for the results of God’s righteous judgment.

3:3-3:4 See also Ezek 22:23-29.

3:5 He does no wrong, unlike those mentioned in 3:3-4.

3:7 get up early: Jerusalem’s citizens couldn’t wait to jump out of bed in the morning and do more evil deeds (cp. Prov 1:16). They had moved far from the ways of their ancestor Abraham, who arose early to obey God’s command (Gen 22:3).

3:8 be patient: See Hab 2:3. • stand and accuse: The prophet portrays a courtroom scene where God rises first as witness (see also Jer 29:23; Mal 3:5) on his own behalf, and then presides as judge (see also Job 9:15; Ps 50:6) to deliver his righteous sentence. • The fire of my jealousy describes the Lord’s righteous hatred of sin, as well as his concern for his holy name and for the welfare of his people (see Isa 66:13-16).

3:9 God intends for the blessings promised to the faithful remnant of 3:9-13 to reach people from every nation of the world. Not just Israel, but all people would be transformed, call on the Lord (see Isa 55:5), and serve him (see Isa 59:19-21; Zech 14:16). The spread of the Good News to all nations furthered the fulfillment of this vision (Matt 28:19-20; Rom 10:9-13).

3:9-3:13 The glorious future described in these verses provides further reason to wait patiently for the Lord (3:8). Like fellow prophets Isaiah, Nahum, and Habakkuk, Zephaniah uses judgment and hope as twin themes.

3:9-3:20 God reveals his plans for a humble and purified remnant of his people (3:9-13) and encourages them to rejoice in the coming abundant blessings of their saving Lord (3:14-20).

3:10 The rivers of Ethiopia are the distant headwaters of the Nile River. The ancient world considered the origin of the Nile a great mystery, so the expression speaks of the farthest reaches of the earth.

3:12 Jesus the Messiah perfectly expresses the ethical qualities predicted for the godly remnant of Israel (Isa 42:1-4; 53:3, 7-9; Zech 9:9; see Matt 11:28-30; 12:15-21; Phil 2:1-8; 1 Pet 2:23).

3:14 Sing . . . shout aloud . . . ! Be glad and rejoice: The cumulative effect of these commands emphasizes that God’s people will one day experience unsurpassed joy.

3:15 The true King of Israel was always to be the Lord (Num 23:21; 1 Sam 8:7; Isa 44:6). • will live among you: See also Isa 54:4-8; 57:14-19; 62:10-12; Ezek 48:35; Joel 3:17, 21.

3:17 a mighty savior: God was Israel’s Divine Warrior and Redeemer (see Ps 24:8-10; Isa 42:13; Hab 3:8-15). One of God’s titles is “the Mighty God” (Isa 10:21). This title also applies to the Messiah (Isa 9:6). • He will rejoice over you: Not only will Jerusalem and all Israel rejoice in God (Zeph 3:14) but God will also rejoice over them as a purified and faithful people (see 3:12-13).

3:18 I will gather you . . . disgraced no more: The Lord’s assurance stands in stark contrast to the pronouncements at the beginning of the book, when God threatened to gather the nations to sweep the people of Judah from the face of the earth (1:2-4). Now he promises to gather up those who have been driven from Jerusalem and lead them safely home.

3:18-3:20 The repeated use of I will in these verses underscores God’s further assurances to his people.

3:19 God will turn his people’s former shame into glory and fame (see Deut 26:19; Isa 62:7; Mic 4:6-8; cp. 1 Pet 5:4).

3:20 On that day: After a time of terrible wrath and judgment, the day of the Lord culminates in everlasting blessings for all who trust in him (3:9, 12; see Ps 2:12; Isa 45:22; see also Rev 19:11–22:5). • I, the Lord, have spoken! Zephaniah’s prophecy, entirely from God (see also Zeph 1:1-3, 10; 2:9; 3:8), is utterly trustworthy.

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