Zephaniah lived during one of the worst times in the history of Judah, under the evil reign of King Manasseh. The good news is for Judah, it won’t be long before Josiah begins his rule as king of the southern kingdom of Judah, and it was during his reformation when Zephaniah begins his work as a prophet, Zephaniah 1:1. This would date Zephaniah’s book between 639-609 B.C.
Josiah, 1 Kings 13:2, was only eight years old when he began his reign, he was fifteen years old when he studied the word of God and he was twenty years old when he started his religious reforms.
1. The temple. He cleared out all the material used for Baal worship, 2 Kings 23:4-24.
2. The high places. Altars to Baal, the sun, moon, and stars, etc, 2 Kings 23:4-24.
3. Jerusalem. That had altars at all the gates. Molech, human sacrifices, 2 Kings 23:4-20 / 2 Chronicles 34 / Zephaniah 1:10.
4. In homes. The people had trephines, mediums, and wizards in their homes, 2 Kings 23:19-20.
5. The people themselves. But he didn’t remove the idolatry from their hearts.
Josiah actually led Judah to religious and social reform, 2 Chronicles 34:1-3 / 2 Chronicles 34:29-34 / 2 Chronicles 35:1-19, but Zephaniah announces that these spiritual changes wouldn’t last very long. It would only be a matter of time before God’s people would turn away from God and His ways once again.
The northern kingdom of Israel was already in captivity, taken by the Assyrians but God was about to use the mighty Babylonians to punish His own people, Judah. Zephaniah and his contemporaries, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk, were some of the prophets God used to pronounce this warning message.
Zephaniah condemns the idolatrous behaviour of the Canaanites and the Assyrians and announces judgment against the nations that surrounded Judah. Zephaniah also announces the destruction of Jerusalem but gives hope in terms that she will be restored again in the future.
Like most of the prophets, we don’t know a whole lot about their personal lives, but we do know that the name Zephaniah means, ‘hidden by God’, he was probably a member of the royal family of Judah and as a prophet, he prophesied in the days of Josiah.
We also know that King Hezekiah was his great, great, grandfather, Zephaniah 1:1, hence why some call him ‘the royal prophet’. The theme of his message is simply this, ‘the day of the Lord is at hand’.
We can read all about Zephaniah’s genealogy and beginnings in the following Scriptures, 1 Chronicles 6:36 / Jeremiah 21:1 / Zechariah 6:10 / Zechariah 6:14. As we noted earlier in the introduction, Zephaniah was born during the reign of Manasseh, who was an evil king ruling the southern kingdom of Judah but began to prophesy during the reign of King Josiah.
He gives us a lot of information in terms of his genealogy, which is unusual for a prophet and because his genealogy mentions king Hezekiah, I believe he wants us to note that he is of royal blood.
As with most of the Old Testament prophets, their messages were like what some would call, ‘hellfire sermons’ but the good news is that most of them ended with a promise from God. We could say that Zephaniah’s message falls into this category, as we will see as we go through his message.
God is going to sweep away everything from the face of the earth, and He is going to sweep away both man and beast. He is also going to sweep away the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble, Zephaniah 1:2-3.
The Pulpit Commentary, says the following.
‘This is not mere hyperbole to express the utter wasting and destruction that were impending, but points to the mysterious connection between man and the lower creation, how in agreement with the primal curse even material nature suffers for man’s sin, Genesis 3:17 / Romans 8:22.
‘It’s the end of the world’, we can hear the Judeans cry, 2 Peter 3:10-12. Well, in a sense, it was going to be the end of their world as they knew it. To Judah, it would certainly feel like the world as a whole was coming to an end as God pronounces His judgment upon them.
God is saying everything must go but we must remember that this is figurative because God did say that He wouldn’t destroy the earth again after the flood, Genesis 9:11-15. The earth was the known land at that time and it’s a picture of judgement on all the wicked, even the kings.
When God destroys all mankind on the face of the earth, He will stretch out His hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem, Zephaniah 1:3-4 / Jeremiah 1:18-19.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘As before on Egypt, Judah had gone in the ways of Egypt and learned her sins, and sinned worse than Egypt. ‘The mighty Hand and stretched-out Arm’, Jeremiah 2:10-11, with which she had been delivered, shall be again ‘stretched out,’ yet, not for her but ‘upon’ her, ‘upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.’
It would be those who have and are committing idolatry who were to be judged, they were the ones who turned their back on God and His ways, Zephaniah 1:4-6. Baal worship was being practised everywhere, Zephaniah 1:4 / 2 Kings 23:5. Baal was an ancient Canaanite and Mesopotamian deity associated with agriculture.
He was believed to be the ‘giver of life’ and mankind was dependent upon him for providing what was necessary to sustain the farms, flocks, and herds. He was also called the ‘son of Dagon’, 1 Samuel 5:4-5, who was in control of the grain, and ‘Hadad’ the storm god who would provide plentiful rains after hearing his voice in the thunder.
‘The starry hosts’, Zephaniah 1:5, is a reference to the Assyrian worship of heavenly bodies, 2 Kings 23:5 / 2 Kings 23:12 / Jeremiah 19:13 / Jeremiah 32:29. The Assyrians were astrologers, Deuteronomy 4:19 / Deuteronomy 17:3 / 2 Kings 21:3 / Job 31:26-28 / Ezekiel 8:15-18.
The Pulpit Commentary, says the following.
‘It was especially prevalent in the time of Manasseh, 2 Kings 21:3, On the flat roofs of the houses, which were used as places of meditation, recreation, or conference, Joshua 2:6 / 1 Samuel 9:25 / 2 Samuel 11:2 / Acts 10:9, they erected altars for family worship of the heavenly bodies. Here they both burned incense, Jeremiah 19:13, and offered animal sacrifices, 2 Kings 23:12.’
Molech, Zephaniah 1:5, was the national god of the Ammonites, Leviticus 18:21, he is associated with child sacrifice, Leviticus 20:2-5 / 2 Kings 23:10 / Jeremiah 32:35. Molech represents the most repulsive of acts in God’s eyes, the ritual sacrifice of children to a pagan god, which was condemned by the Lord, including punishment by death.
God’s people had become spiritual adulterers, Zephaniah 1:6, and because of all this, there will be judgment. God now needs to punish them in order to cleanse them from this idolatrous filth.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It is their misery that they were set in the right way once, but themselves ‘turned themselves back,’ now no longer ‘following’ God, but ‘their own lusts, drawn away and enticed’, James 1:14, by them. How much more Christians, before whose eyes Christ Jesus is set forth, not as a Redeemer only but as an Example that they should ‘follow His steps!’ 1 Peter 2:21.’
Here we have a courtroom scene, where God basically says, ‘silence in my courtroom’, Zephaniah 1:7. Enough has been heard, enough has been seen, no more time to complain, no more time for debate, God is bringing judgment against all those who aren’t right before Him. ‘The day of the Lord is near’, Zephaniah 1:7. This will be the day when those who have been disobedient will be punished but those who have been obedient will be saved.
God is inviting people to a feast and the guests are going to be the sacrifice, Zephaniah 1:7-8 / Isaiah 34:6 / Jeremiah 46:10 / Ezekiel 39:17 / Ezekiel 39:19. God is going to punish the unrighteous, especially those who live in Jerusalem and He will use the Babylonians to deliver His punishment, Isaiah 13:3 / Jeremiah 22:7 / Jeremiah 51:27 / Jeremiah 51:28 / Micah 3:5. As with most of God’s judgments, He begins with His own people, those who are at the top of the leadership chain, Zephaniah 1:8 / 1 Peter 4:17.
These ‘officials and king’s sons’ Zephaniah 1:8, should have known better, they were God’s leaders.
The Pulpit Commentary, says the following.
‘The reference may be particularly to the sons of the king reigning when the judgment fell, 2 Kings 25:7. The king himself is not mentioned as subject to the judgment, inasmuch as he was pious and obedient, 2 Chronicles 34:27, etc.’
The ‘foreign clothes’, Zephaniah 1:8, are a reference to their idolatry and their influence from other nations, Deuteronomy 22:12. We can imagine them dressing up like the Assyrians to the point where they not only looked like them but fully embraced their culture and religious practices.
‘The threshold’, Zephaniah 1:9 / 1 Samuel 5:5, could be a reference to a place of superstition, or it could mean robbers, with the idea of them coming in through the window. Although the king himself isn’t mentioned, the judgment would come upon them all because they were all full of ‘violence and deceit’, Zephaniah 1:9 / Habakkuk 1:2-3 / Jeremiah 5:27. One thing is clear, God’s people were trusting in themselves and trusted in other kings to fix their problems, but they refused to listen to God or ask Him for guidance.
God declares that when His day comes, all the merchants and all the international traders would be cut off. The ‘Fish Gate’, Zephaniah 1:10, was one of the entrances into Jerusalem on the north side, 2 Kings 7:1 / Nehemiah 3:1-6 / Nehemiah 13:16 / Nehemiah 13:19. This is the gate the Babylonians would approach Jerusalem before destroying the city.
The ‘New Quarter’, Zephaniah 1:10, is where the wailing will happen is possibly a new part of the city of Jerusalem, built on the north side, 2 Chronicles 33:14 / 2 Kings 22:14. The hills, Zephaniah 1:10, are probably a reference to Zion, and Mount Moriah on which the temple stood. The ‘market district’, Zephaniah 1:11 / Judges 15:19, possibly refers to some kind of resort that the merchants used.
Zephaniah mentions four sections of Jerusalem, the ‘Fish Gate’, Zephaniah 1:10, the ‘New Quarter’, Zephaniah 1:10, the ‘hills’, Zephaniah 1:10, and the ‘market district’, Zephaniah 1:11. This tells us that the whole place is going to be affected. God is saying that the judgement coming upon Jerusalem is going to affect not only everyone who trades with Jerusalem, but also it will affect all those who live in Jerusalem. God is effectively cutting off Jerusalem’s economic supply, Zephaniah 1:11.
Notice that God is going to search Jerusalem with lamps, Zephaniah 1:12, there’s no hiding place from God, and all will be judged. God is going to use the Babylonians to expose His own people’s idolatry, Isaiah 13:3.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘How much more in that Day when ‘the secrets of all hearts shalt be revealed” by Him who ‘searches the hearts and reins, and to Whose Eyes’, Psalms 7:9 / Psalms 26:2 / Jeremiah 11:20 / Jeremiah 17:10 / Jeremiah 20:12 / Revelation 2:23, ‘which are like flashing Fire, all things are naked and open!’ Revelation 1:14. The candles wherewith God searches the heart, are men’s own consciences, Proverbs 20:27, His Own revealed word, Psalms 119:104 / Proverbs 6:23 / 2 Peter 1:19, the lives of true Christians, Philippians 2:15.’
The word ‘dregs’, Zephaniah 1:12, is used as a metaphor. The dregs continue to ferment, and it becomes thick and useless, Isaiah 25:6 / Jeremiah 48:11. In other words, God’s people had become absolutely useless because of their idolatrous behaviour. They believed that God was so far away from them, that they become totally complacent, they carried on living without thinking about their relationship with God.
They thought they didn’t need God anymore, Zephaniah 1:12. Though they build houses, they will not live in them, Leviticus 26:32 / Deuteronomy 28:30 / Deuteronomy 28:39 / Amos 5:11 / Micah 6:15, and though they plant vineyards, they will not drink the wine, Zephaniah 1:13. In other words, everything the wealthy had acquired without God, Zephaniah 1:13, would be taken away from them by the Babylonians, Jeremiah 22:14-15.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘God will visit those who say that God does not interfere in man’s affairs, and, it shall be seen, Jeremiah 44:28, whose words shall stand, God’s or theirs. All which God had threatened in the law shall be fulfilled. God, in the fulfilment of the punishment, which He had foretold in the law, Leviticus 26:32-33 / Deuteronomy 28:1-10, would vindicate not only His present Providence, but His continual government of His own world.’
Zephaniah says God’s wrath is coming and it will happen within their lifetime, Zephaniah 1:14. The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter and the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry, Zephaniah 1:14. Within nineteen years, it’s going to be a day of wrath, Zephaniah 1:15 / Isaiah 22:5 / Jeremiah 30:7 / Joel 2:2 / Joel 2:11 / Amos 5:18 / Zephaniah 1:18.
The Judeans got the wrong impression of God’s wrath, they thought that judgment was for other nations, not them. They were wrong, God is going to use the Babylonians to bring judgment upon His own people.
It will be a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, Zephaniah 1:15. In other words, it will be a day when their prayers are not answered, Lamentations 3:44. It will be a day of trumpet, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers, Zephaniah 1:16.
The Pulpit Commentary, says the following, concerning the trumpet.
‘Among the Jews trumpets were used to announce the festivals, Numbers 29:1, and to give the signal for battle or of the approach of an enemy, Jeremiah 4:5 / Jeremiah 4:19 / Ezekiel 33:4. Here it is the signal of destruction, Amos 2:2.’
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the towers.
‘This peculiarity describes Jerusalem, whose walls ‘were made artificially standing in a line curved inwards, so that the flanks of assailants might be exposed.’ By this same name, Judges 20:2 / 1 Samuel 14:38 / Isaiah 19:13 / Zechariah 10:4, are called the mighty men and chiefs of the people, who, humanly speaking, hold it together and support it; on these chiefs in rebellion against God, whether devils or evil men, shall punishment greatly fall.’
God is going to bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, Deuteronomy 28:29 / Job 5:14 / Job 12:25, because they have sinned against the LORD, Zephaniah 1:17 / Isaiah 59:10. God says the people are useless and their blood will be poured out like dust, Zephaniah 1:17 / 1 Samuel 2:30 / Psalms 79:3. Dust is worthless and the entrails are dung, Zephaniah 1:17 / Jeremiah 9:22.
When this day comes, it’s going to be a day of devastation, desolation, darkness, and distress, it’s going to be a day where all the gold and silver of the world won’t deliver them from God’s wrath, Zephaniah 1:18 / Isaiah 13:17 / Ezekiel 7:19 / Ezekiel 7:19 / Psalms 49:17 / Haggai 2:8. In the fire of God’s jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, Zephaniah 3:8, for He will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth, Zephaniah 1:18 / Nahum 1:8 / Isaiah 10:23 / 2 Peter 3:13.
A few commentators suggest that Zephaniah 1:18 is speaking the final judgment day, Isaiah 24:1-23, however, we noted earlier, these events were to happen soon, in the lifetime of Judah, Zephaniah 1:14. It is possible the prophecy here does spread out in the double fulfilment going to the great day of God’s judgment that is coming yet upon the earth.
Although God’s people were guilty of idolatry and would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians as a form of punishment. It seems that they learned their lesson, they never committed idolatry again after being freed from captivity, it took seventy years, Jeremiah 29:10, for them to learn this lesson, but they learned. As Christians we must learn from God’s people of old, Romans 15:4, if we don’t learn from them, we will make the same mistakes and end up with the same fate.
Idolatry is still a huge problem today, it just has a different name, today it’s called wealth, health, and fame and we must be on our guard that none of these takes the place of the importance of God in our lives, Matthew 22:37 / Luke 4:8.
God never brings judgment upon anyone without first explaining to them why He is about to judge them. When judgment day comes, those who will be condemned will know exactly why they are being condemned, they have no relationship with God, and they refused to obey the Gospel, 2 Thessalonians 1:8.