Zephaniah
The Day of the Lord
"The expression “Day of the Lord” is employed by the author more often than by any other Old Testament writer, and is described as a day that is near (1:7), and as a day of wrath, trouble, distress, devastation, desolation, darkness, gloominess, clouds, thick darkness, trumpet, and alarm (1:15, 16, 18). John MacArthur
Alex Miranda
Memorial Baptist Verona
January 5, 2014
Introduction
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share with you a profound book that highlights “The Day of the Lord” and the attributes of our great God. The book of Zephaniah is only 3 chapters, but in 3 chapters you will leave with a horrific truth that cannot be ignored; in such a short read you’ll experience one of the most vivid visions of the end times. You will see Christ as Judge over all the earth. You will see the clarity of soteriology–the glory of Christ as the “Mighty One” bringing salvation to the earth. Christ Himself made allusions to Zephaniah’s prophecies in Matthew 13:14 and Matthew 24:29. The theme of the book is clear, God is holy and will judge the world in His holiness, by His standards, and He will only preserve those who worship Him. We have a lot to cover in so little time, so please allow me to begin with a word of prayer.
The Righteous King
The story of Zephaniah begins long before his birth when another prophet by the name of Isaiah came into the King’s court to deliver a sobering message to his righteous King–prepare for your death. The King had fallen terribly ill and because of his condition, it appeared he wouldn't have much time left to live; preparations were being made, but the King prayed unto the Lord that he would deliver him from his illness. The Lord was gracious to the King and extended his life fifteen additional years by a sign–a sign that would become one of the most spectacular miracles in the Old Testament. To ensure the King that his life would prevail more then a decade, the Lord reversed time as we know it, by making the sunlight on the sundial retreat ten degrees–the miracle displayed the awesome power of God and His graciousness and mercy towards those who love Him. The neighboring Nations heard rumors of the miracle; one nation in particular, Babylon. The ruler of Babylon came to Judah to pay tribute to the King’s health. But the prophet Isaiah warned the King, that they were no friend to him, and that one day Babylon would besiege the nation. The King was Hezekiah, the name in which todays prophet, Zephaniah, traces his lineage to. Zephaniah stands alone as the only prophet descended from royal blood.
The Wicked Kings
When King Hezekiah passed away, his son Manasseh took the throne at the age of 12. But unlike his righteous father, Manasseh was filled with resentment and wickedness and steered the nation of Judah into sin. Manasseh reigned longer than any other Israel King, but did so in utter rebellion to the Lord; earning the dubious distinction of being Judah’s most wicked ruler. Committed to idolatry, Manasseh erected altars to Baal, desecrated the temple by erecting an image of the Akkadian god Asherah; he worshipped the sun, moon and stars; he recognized the Ammonite god Molech and sacrificed his son to him (2Kin 21:6); he approved divination; and killed all who protested his evil actions, even giving the command to have the loyal prophet of his father–Isaiah, sawn in two. Yet, the mystery of God speaks that no one is too wicked to be saved by the grace of God; this is exactly the case with Manasseh. Just as Isaiah prophesied to Hezekiah that Babylon was no friend to Judah, it was the Babylonians that God used to punish Manasseh and at the same time bring him to repentance. The following is an account of Manasseh’s conversion in 2 Chronicles 33:11-13
Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
It’s hard for me to swallow, and in my sinfulness I’ve gotten upset in thinking that Manasseh, an idolater and murderer of his own son would be saved. But what I say to you is profound and true; no one is too wicked, or too far, to be saved by the grace of God. And Manasseh’s salvific account is encouraging for all believers. The last years of Manasseh were marked with spiritual reform to the God of his father, Hezekiah.
The Last Righteous King
After Manasseh passed away, his son Amon took the throne. However, unlike his father who humbled himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt and did evil before the eyes of Lord. His reign was shortened when his officials assassinated him. However, the people of Judah responded swiftly to the murder and sentenced Amon’s killers to death and crowned Amon’s 8 year old son as the new King of Judah. The young boy was unlike his wicked father and showed great promise of wisdom and leadership. He grew with an appetite to know more about the God of his fathers–the same God that saved the most wicked King of Israel, and turned back time itself to extend the life of his great grandfather Hezekiah. In his appetite and adoration to know the God of Jacob, the now teenage King ordered the temple to be rebuilt in order to worship the God of Jacob as a nation once again. While repairing the temple, the High Priest found the lost book of the law and quickly brought it to his King. The King’s name was Josiah, and in his era of Godliness, the Lord revealed the prophet Zephaniah to a nation embracing Josiah’s spiritual reform, and to a people in need of the word of God.
Author
The authors name, Zephaniah, is a proper noun meaning “Yahweh hides.” The name highlights the Lord’s protection over those who are devoted to him as read in Ze. 2:3. It was during the early years of Josiah’s reign, prior to the great revival, that this eleventh-hour prophet, Zephaniah, prophesied to Judah while it still was in a state of ungodliness. No doubt Zephaniah had an influence on the sweeping reforms Josiah brought to the nation. But the evil kings before Josiah had such an effect on Judah that it never recovered. The effects of half a century of evil leadership left a nation seared of its conscience to Godliness, and steeped in sin. King Josiah’s reforms resulted in little more than surface changes. Even the discovery of the Law of God in the temple rubble after Zephaniah’s time had little long-term effect on the attitudes of the people. Josiah’s reforms were too late and sadly didn’t outlast his life.
Message
The message in Zephaniah is shocking but simple. Zephaniah exhorted the people to listen, repent, trust, seek and draw near to the Lord, because only He could offer a shelter and a house of refuge in the coming promise of His sure judgment on Judah and the Nations (2:3). He also proclaimed the promise of eventual salvation for His believing remnant of both Israel and the Nations (2:7; 3:9–20); the church today is made up of both Jews and Gentiles (Gal 3:8–9, 14, 26–29).
The Day of the Lord
The book of Zephaniah is dedicated to “The Day of the Lord”. In line with the prophetic tradition, Zephaniah portrayed the day of the Lord as both “near” and “far.” The day of the Lord that was near would involve the Babylonian invasion that led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC and the judgment of the nations that surrounded Judah. The day of the Lord would also be a time of salvation for both Israel and the nations. Zephaniah prophesied that the purging fire of God’s judgment would produce a righteous remnant from among the nations and Israel. The Lord would remove sinners from Israel and would purify a holy remnant that would humbly seek him (Zeph 3:13).
Key Verses
At this point of our study, I would like to share with you some key verses in Zephaniah along with a little insight of what these verses mean.
1. No amount of wealth or money can purchase refuge or salvation from the coming wrath of God.
“Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.” Ze. 1:18
2. This verse tells us to seek the Lord with obedience, humility and righteousness.
“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.” Ze. 2:3
3. This verse clearly shows that the Word condemns sinners (2:5).
“The word of the Lord is against you” Ze. 2:5
4. This verse says that the enemies of God’s people will be avenged (2:10).
“This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.” Ze. 2:10
5. This verse shows us that the nations of the world will bow before the Lord (2:11).
“The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations.” Ze. 2:11
6. A seared conscious occurs for those who continue to practice sin (3:5).
“The unjust knows no shame.” 3:5
7. God is a jealous God and a consuming fire, there’s a reason why the proverbs say the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
“For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.” 3:8
8. The Messiah will purify the hearts of the believers. Christ said that from heart the mouth speaks, but in this context we see that the Messiah will purify the heart and the speech will reflect that.
“For 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.” Ze. 3:9
9. This shows What our attitude should look like–strength under control. Being humble and lowly, is not to be mistaken by weak and fearful. It’s said in Scripture that Moses was the meekest man on all the earth. Meek doesn’t mean a push over, rather it means a man who practices the power of wisdom and discernment for the consideration of others. It’s how a person may posses much knowledge but willfully shares and applies that knowledge to others with love not pride–that’s what it means to be meek and humble.
“On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord. 3:11,12
10. This clearly shows the intimacy believers have with God and God with believers. God has a special song for His beloved!
“On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “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.” Ze. 3:16, 17
11. This verse tells us that we should not show partiality with our neighbors no matter what their condition, culture or ethnicity is, because the Lord will save all kinds of people. In Wartime, Adolf Hitler suggested, it "was the best time for the elimination of the incurably ill." Many Germans did not want to be reminded of individuals who did not measure up to their concept of a "master race." The physically and mentally handicapped were viewed as "useless" to society, a threat to Aryan genetic purity, and, ultimately, unworthy of life. At the beginning of World War II, individuals who were mentally retarded, physically handicapped, or mentally ill were targeted for murder in what the Nazis called the "T-4," or "euthanasia," program. Few have displayed the oppression of Nazi’s towards the disabled and the jews, but still many commit the same idea of that sin internally, and Zephaniah 3:19 clearly shows how wrong it is.
“Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.” 3:19,20
Application
Zephaniah isn’t just a book of judgment, it’s filled with very practical applications for the Christian to meditate on and practice such as, seeking the Lord, Listening to His Word in Scripture, drawing near to Him, living in meekness and humility, reaching to our loved ones, friends and strangers with a heart of compassion for their immediate salvation, and how to hide ourselves in the Lord. This book encompasses a major theme, the pursuit of Godliness.
I would like to share with you a more specific insight that I personally walked away with after reading Zephaniah, and it’s in connection with the Lord’s prayer. The reason I gave such a long introduction, was to come back to this, prayer. If you remember in my intro, I shared with you a little insight into the royal leaders prior to Zephaniah’s time. Hezekiah prayed for the Lord to deliver him from his illness, Manasseh prayed with humility that the Lord would forgive him, and Josiah prayed that his nation would turn to God. In light of knowing the promise that Christ will return to judge the earth, we find that prayer is crucial, not only for ourselves but for others and for the world. We pray for many things in many ways, but what does the Messiah say about prayer and what can we learn from the past prophets and kings on how we should be praying?
Jesus said,
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come….
Many of us know this prayer by heart, but how many of us actually take this prayer seriously? How many of us have taken the time to sit down and consider the implications of Christ’s teaching on prayer? The book of Zephaniah essentially is an exegetical piece for “Your kingdom come” in the Lord’s Prayer. But too often we as Christians say this prayer nonchalantly, without counting the cost of what it means, this should not be so. In order for His kingdom to come, “the Day of the Lord” as described in Zephaniah must happen first. With that context, “Your kingdom come” means that on the Lord’s Day, 2/3rd’s of all of life will be utterly destroyed. Of this day Amos wrote, “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord (Am. 5:18)!“ Zephaniah said, “the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants (1:1).” And yet Christ calls us to pray for His kingdom to come. Christ Himself in speaking of His return said,
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:29-30
“Your kingdom come” has immense implications. In the introduction of the Lord’s prayer, Christ teaches us four realities to consider first before anything else:
The reality of God’s Lordship over our lives with “Our Father”.
The reality of God’s holiness with “hallowed by Your name”.
The reality of the 2nd advent to initiate God’s Kingdom with “Your Kingdom come”.
The reality of God’s will over our own will in “Your will be done”.
These four aspects highlight the pursuit of Godliness. Zephaniah tells us what will happen to those who don’t–Israel and Judah will be punished for its ungodliness, and the whole world is going to suffer God’s wrath because of its ungodliness. In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges says,
One comment I often hear is that pride is the root cause of all of them. While I agree that pride does play a major role in the development and expression of our subtle sins. I believe there is another sin that is even more basic, more widespread, and more apt to be the root cause of our other sins. That is the sin of ungodliness, of which we are all guilty to some degree.
Ungodliness describes an attitude towards God and is the root of all sin. For our lives, Christ teaches us to do the exact opposite, we are to consider Him first in all things, especially when we pray. “Your kingdom come” isn’t about me, or my world, or what I want. “Your kingdom come” has everything to do with the Lord’s day and fostering an attitude that seeks Christ first over myself and others. Better yet, “Your Kingdom come” is an attitude we should all bear in our hearts and minds everyday. Christ calls us to be utterly in love with Him, ever pursuing Him, humble but strong, meek but wise, forgiving yet repentant. Zephaniah tells us to draw near to the Lord. He reminds us that the reason so many will suffer on the day of the Lord is because they didn't consider Him, or consider his statutes and commands. During Christ earthly ministry He was asked, “Teacher which is the greatest commandment in the law?” His response was
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment–and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
Christ was asked what is the greatest commandment and He gave an answer that has to do with relationship, and that on relationship, depends all of the law and prophets. Further more, the ministry of Christ taught what that relationship looks like–to love your neighbor, to love your enemy and to pray for those who persecute you. Christ taught about a radical attitude that is holy and godly. What I want to share with you is this, Zephaniah mentioned a lot about judgment in his book, but the judgment is coming not only individually, but also communally. In Zephaniah he mentions nations and Israel and Judah are going to be punished for their ungodliness, but he also says a remnant of those communities will be saved. What I’m trying to say is that our sins, our attitudes, our decisions, our knowledge, our actions not only effect us, but they also effect others. You see, we are a lot more connected then you may think. Our lives whether Godly or ungodly have both individual and communal implications: We are all interweaved. The concept of relationship is communal. To be in a relationship requires more than yourself, it requires others. God said the greatest commandment is relationship. For believers, that’s the picture of the church, we are in a relation to each other because of Christ! I have many differences and preferences and experiences than you, but Christ makes us brothers and sisters, friends and workers. Zephaniah says that the nations will be punished by the same standard that Judah will be punished by, and that a remnant of Jews and Gentiles will be saved because of the Messiah–not by race or wealth or power–but by faith in Christ and by the grace of God. Therefore, Prejudice of culture, health, condition and ethnicity is wrong. As we heard earlier, the Messiah will save the lame and the outcast. The church has had an awful history of segregation both ethnically, culturally, theologically, philosophically and any other “ly”. Apart from the church, so much divides us because of other pursuits like, wealth, convenience, comfort, politics, status and a plethora of other desires that lead us into separation, sin and ungodliness. Aren’t you tired of being ruled by this and that! Some of you are haunted by the past because of sin and mistakes, while others are haunted of the future–living your life in more consideration of anxiety rather than Christ. My main message for today is relationship in two forms:
Let us focus on having a life shared with Him, repenting to Him.
Let us focus on having a life shared with others, forgiving each other.
Another prophet once said, we’re just filthy rags. We are all filthy rags trying to encourage and love each other. Let us forgive and repent. Forgiving and repenting is Godly. Being righteous, holy and Godly isn’t measured by how much one gives to the church; or attends church; it’s not speaking “Christianese”; ironically it’s not even being a good person; which is the mistake that most people think. Godliness is, we’re broken and in desperate need of help everyday. Godliness is, forgiving each other, and repenting to Christ who gave so much so that we may live. To those who repent and retreat in the Lord will witness one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture,
“…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.” Ze. 3:16, 17
There's an old adage that says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." But what that famous adage didn't reveal was the why? Fortunately, this wise saying was literally lived out by three men documented in Scripture. Matthew 2 tells the epic journey of three wise men, and their journey of thousands of miles propelled by faith, and inspired by love for the promised Messiah. 
I read a compelling statement today about the American evangelical church that humbled me greatly. I thought it was worthy of sharing, but also I encourage you, if you are humbled as well, to examine your heart before the God revealed in Scripture. Personally speaking, I need to examine the reality and severity of being a Christian.
Spiritual nourishment doesn't come from bread & wine. It comes from understanding what Christ did on the cross. As followers of Christ, by eating the bread and drinking the wine we partake in a special moment both physically and spiritually. Physically because we do so corporately side by side with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Physically because we eat and drink. Spiritully, because we worship the Lord as we remember, acknowledge and meditate on Christ Jesus, the Savior of the world. So when we eat and drink, remember there is more going on than a crumby piece of bread and grape juice. There is a closeness we have with God through Christ, and we get to remember and experience that through communion. What happens at the table is a means of grace, not that it brings salvation, but rather a means of grace where the saved gather together and celebrate what the Lord has done!
