Zephaniah means "Jehovah hides" or "Jehovah had hidden" or "Jehovah treasured". In the introduction of the book, the prophet traces his ancestry back four generations to Hezekiah. This indicates that Zephaniah was of royal blood.
Some prophets were "nobodies" but here we have a biblical record of one who was a "somebody". God used ALL sorts of people from many varied background for His service. Just because one comes from a well-off background does not mean that he cannot serve the LORD. The key is CALLING!! All can be called by God.
Calling is a mystery. It involves the willingness of man and the will of God. The two coincides exactly according to the time appointed by God. It will not be too late or too early. BUT the man must be willing at all times. This is obedient discipleship. Are you one who is unwilling? Why?
Nothing is known of his occupation nor can anything from the book indicate what he did for a living. His reference to Jerusalem as "this place" (Zep 1:4 ) suggests that Jerusalem was his home. His familiarity with the place and the conditions of the people in the city (Zep 3:1 ) supports this probability.
Thiele concludes that the reign of Josiah was between 641/0 to 609 B.C. Others placed it from 639 to 608 B.C. Zephaniah 1:1 informs us that Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah. It would be safe to suggest 630 to 625 B.C. as the probable date of his ministry.
If 626 B.C. is accepted, then the ministries of Jeremiah and Zephaniah began in the same year. What gave rise to the prophecy helps ascertain the date of the book. Some have suggested that the prophet was provoked by the invasion of the Scynthians, who poured south from the northern steppes about this time (626 B.C.). These ruthless hordes invaded the Assyrians empire and followed the Mediterranean coast south to the border of Egypt where they were turned back.
Others suggest that his prophesying were prompted by the rise of the Chaldeans power, which Zephaniah saw as the legitimate threat of a general judgment of that part of the world. This latter view seems more probable.
Hezekiah was succeeded by Manasseh. He was then 12 years old. He reigned for 55 years. It is doubtful that there was a more wicked king than him in all of Judah's history. He was determined to undo all the reforms brought about by his father. He rebuilt the high places, raised up altars to Baal and Ashteroth, and built altars to the host of heaven. He even made his own son pass through fire. He practiced enchantments and consulted familiar spirits and wizards: and he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger (2 Ki. 21:1-6 ). He even placed a graven image in the most holy place, the Holy of Holies where God said He would dwell (2 Ki. 21:7-9 ). During the last years of his life, after his conversion, he tried to undo all he had done but with little success. The sins of the people were too deeply rooted in their lives (2 Chron. 33:10-20 ).
Amon succeeded him. He followed in his father's footsteps of wickedness. 2Chron. 33:22 , "But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; {23} And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more."
Apparently his father's last minute reform did not have any impact in a life that had been molded by many years of idolatry and evil. His reign was also one of great wickedness (cf. 2 Ki. 21:17-22 ; 2 Chron. 33:21-25 ).
Josiah, the son of Ammon, was eight years old when he became king. He was the last good king to reign over Judah. At the age of sixteen he began to seek after the LORD the God of his father David. At age twenty he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of all her idolatrous worship (2 Chron. 34:3-7 ). At twenty six he repaired the house of the LORD his God (2 Chron. 34:8-13 ). The "clean-up" probably took six long years to complete. He could not repair God's house if it was full idols. In the process of the repair work they found a book of the Law of the LORD by Moses.
After Josiah heard the word of the LORD he rent his clothes and enquired from Huldah, a prophetess who lived in Jerusalem in the college, what he ought to do (2 Chron. 34: 19-22 ). Why he sent for Huldah and not Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, or Habakkuk we cannot be certain. Maybe they were not in Jerusalem at the time? This was what she said . . . "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, {24} Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: {25} Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. {26} And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard; {27} Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD. {28} Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again (2 Chron. 34:23-28 )."
The cleansing of the temple was followed by a Passover such as had not been seen before since the days of David (2 Chron. 35:1-19 ). He kept this Passover when he was twenty six years old (2 Chron. 35:19 ).
With such a good king at the helm, Zephaniah did not rebuke the king at all. He rebuked all but the king. It was not what Paul L. Redditt said, "Zephaniah would belong to the royal line. That would perhaps explain why he did not condemn the king in Zep 1:8 ; 3:3-5 , where he blames most of Judah's upper classes for their sins (Holman Bible Dictionary, "Zephaniah, the Book," s.v. Paul L. Redditt, 1438)." Redditt has unjustly cast a doubt on Zephaniah's character by this statement. The ministry of the prophet was not to teach God's Word for that was given to the priests and Levites. The prophet's ministry was to rebuke sin. Josiah was a good king (2 Ki. 22:1-2 ). He did not turn to the left or to the right in his keeping of God's law. From his life of great reform we see that he had people like Zephaniah to back him up. The reforms were done in the land despite years of wickedness and idolatrous worship. It was not a one man job. It needed a good leader and many good supporters! Based upon the study of the life of Josiah, Zephaniah's words were taken seriously by the people. They turned from their sins. Josiah died at the age of 39 in the hand s of the Egyptians at the battle he should not have gone to in the first place (2 Chron. 34:1 ).
Outside Politics affected Judah. By now Israel was already destroyed. War clouds, dark and foreboding hovered over the northern horizon. In the period from Isaiah and Micah to that of Zephaniah, Assyria had been able to maintain supremacy over the world of that day. Revolts throughout the empire were frequent; however, at the cost of her resources and the shedding of much blood, her king had been able to retain Assyria's place at the head of the world empires. It appeared that Josiah remained loyal to the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, who died ca. 633 B.C., and who was the last great king of the empire. Upon his death, Assyria began to disintegrate (Hailey, 224).
As the Assyrians grew weaker, the Chaldeans became stronger. In 625 B.C. the Chaldeans broke the yoke of the Assyrians from off her neck. They declared themselves an independent nation. This led to war between Nineveh and Babylon, the capital city of the Chaldeans, also called Babylonians. In 614 B.C. the Medes captured Ashur, the chief city of the Assyrians. The Medes were from the south and south-west of the Caspian Sea in the Zagros Mountains. It was northeast of Assyria. Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar and general of his army, led an attack against Nineveh. Assisted by the Medes, he was able to take the city and destroyed it completely in 612 B.C. This was an important date in history. The remnant of the Assyrian army fled west where it entrenched itself near Haran. After destroying Nineveh, Nebuchadnezzar reorganized his forces and followed the Assyrians to Haran where he attacked and destroyed the remaining forces of Assyrian power in 609 B.C. The last vestige of Assyria was now gone. This left the Chaldean nation the undisputed master of the East (Hailey, 224).
Pharaoh-necho of Egypt determined to help Assyria at Haran by marching north with his army (609 B.C.). Josiah attempted to stop him at Megiddo by throwing his forces in the path of Necho (2 Chron. 35:20-24 ). He succeeded in preventing the Egyptian army from reaching Haran, but he was killed in the battle. For four years Egypt dominated Judah, but in 605 B.C. Necho was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish, west of Haran. Nebuchadnezzar pursued the Egyptians as far south as the land of Judah, whose people he took under his own wing. Here is enacted one of the ironies of history. Judah, led by Josiah, had attempted to aid Chaldea by fighting against Egypt at Megiddo. The kingdom that gave its king in the struggle to aid Chaldea was now a vassal of the nation it had attempted to help. Later Judah was to be destroyed by Chaldea (Babylon). Learning of the death of his father Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar made a rapid return to Babylon to claim the throne. As he returned to Babylon he carried hostages with him, among whom were Daniel and his three friends, chief characters of the Book of Daniel. It seems altogether possible that it was the rise of the Babylonian power and their westward threat that gave occasion for Zehaniah's prophecy (Hailey, 224-5).
Zephaniah looked toward a future punishment of not only Judah but heathen nations as well. In Zep 1:2-6 the prophet predicted punishment upon the whole world, including Jerusalem. Zep 1:17-18 depict the inability of sinful man to escape God's judgment. The intervening verses describe the punishment as the Day of the LORD (cf. Zep 1:14-16 ). Punishment will come upon the nobles at the king's court, those who gained materially through violence, the merchants, and those who deny the power of God to reward good or punish evil.
Chapter two begins with a series of threat against the Philistines (Zep 2:4-7 ), the Moabites and Ammonites (Zep 2:8-11 ), the Ethiopians (Zep 2:12 ), and the Assyrians (Zep 2:13-15 ). Zephaniah called all nations to repent and become righteous and meek. Zephaniah did not presume on God's grace by promising forgiveness, but he counseled turning to righteousness and meekness as the means for possibly avoiding punishment on the day of the LORD.
Chapter three is marked by a change in perspective between verses Zep 3:7-8 . Zephaniah 3:1-7 pronounces a woe upon Jerusalem, the city of David. The reason was because of the oppression within her walls. Her princes preyed like lions upon the people, her prophets committed treachery, and her priests polluted the Temple (Zep 3:3-4 ). God not only indicted them for their sins but for their failure to learn from the destruction of the other nations (Zep 3:5-7 ). Zeph. 3:8-20 begins on a positive note. Zeph. 3:8-13 promises that God will punish the nations and convert them from idolatry. He promises to remove the haughty from Mount Zion and leave behind the meek and humble. Zeph. 3:14-20 predicts the cessation of punishment and oppression and the return of the exiles. God Himself is called the King of Israel (Zep 3:15 ). His presence alleviates any reason to fear the nations. God will punish the oppressors and bring home the exiles. This book, like all the others, ends with a hope because of God's mercy!! (adapted from Paul L. Redditt's "Zephaniah, the Book," Holman Bible Dictionary).
1. The Day of the LORD -- a day of judgment for the wicked. The day is at hand (Zep 1:7 ); near (Zep 1:14 ); a day of darkness and of terror (Zep 1:15-16 ). It comes as a judgment against sin (Zep 1:17 ). This is accompanied by a great convulsion of nature (Zep 1:15 ). It falls upon ALL creation -- man and beast alike, Hebrews and the nations (Zep 1:2 , 3 ; Zep 2:1-15 ; Zep 3:8 ). The Day of the LORD is a Day of doom and NOT a day of blessing to the disobedient. The prophet sees it as a day of terror, imminent and falling upon all creation as a judgment for sin. Only a remnant will escape. The purpose of the mention of the "aweful" day of the LORD is to strike terror into the hearts of the wicked, hoping that they will be led to repentance of their sins.
But it is a day of deliverance for the faithful. However out of this grim picture of destruction comes redemption. This must never be overlooked nor minimized. Joy will one day return to the Land of Promise. The basis for their joy is the return of the LORD to Zion for He hath taken His judgments upon them.
Zeph. 3:14-17 , "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. {15} The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. {16} In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. {17} The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."
There will be an end to God's judgment. The Word of the LORD is that He will undo all that afflicted Judah. The afflictions will not be forever. Judah will be elevated to a position of praise once again. Their captivity will be reversed and the people will return home to their own land. God's hand will be in this matter. It will not be merely due to the course of nature nor chance nor the good will of man but by the all mighty hand of God. Judah must realize NOW, BEFORE their captivity that the LORD will send them into captivity and He will restore them FROM captivity. The LORD is control of the blessings and cursing of the people of Judah. He is the Lord over their lives and destiny not themselves.
The Jews will know that the LORD is ever ready to restore in that He speaks of restoration even before the captivity. Those who really believe in Him will take what He says to heart and this hope will keep them in good stead WHEN they enter into captivity. The rebellious and unbelieving ones will continue with their gripping and complaining and cursing and will end up miserably. "They never knew God" will be the epitaph on their tombstone.
Zeph. 3: 18-20 , "{18} I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. {19} Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. {20} At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD."
2. Universalism - The LORD is the God of the Universe. The judgment falls upon ALL. The gods of the nations are non-entities. The words of the psalmist aptly apply here . . . Psalm 115:4 , "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. {5} They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: {6} They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: {7} They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. {8} They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them."
The LORD alone is God. As terror falls upon all alike so also will salvation. A sublime message of the Messianic age is mentioned in Zeph. 3:14-20 though the Messiah is not mentioned specifically. Whatever is accomplished in judgment or redemption it is the LORD who accomplishes it. The sovereignty of God over sinful men must be emphasized. We are the creatures and He is the Creator. God's words in Romans soberly reminds every believer and unbeliever of the sovereign prerogative of the Almighty God with regard to the dispensing of His mercy and saving grace. We cannot question Him.
Romans 9:15 , "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Romans 9:18 , "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. {19} Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? {20} Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? {21} Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? {22} What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: {23} And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,"