The Book of Zephaniah, Chapter by Chapter

We want to take you through the book of Zephaniah chapter by chapter. In our Habakkuk study we saw a prophet waiting quietly for the day of trouble. Zephaniah tells us about that day. The great day of the LORD. Zephaniah is only 3 chapters. It starts with the darkest words about judgment in the prophets. And it ends with one of the most tender pictures of God in the whole Bible. God singing over his people. We will tell you what each chapter is about and how it fits into the message of the book. And how it points us to the one God that is revealed in Jesus Christ.

Zephaniah preached in the days of king Josiah. Before Josiah’s reforms. Judah had just come through the 55 year reign of Manasseh. The worst king Judah ever had. Baal was worshipped in Jerusalem. People bowed to the stars on their rooftops. They swore by the LORD and by Molech in the same breath. And many had stopped caring about God at all. They said “The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil” (1:12). Zephaniah said the day of the LORD was near. And it would sweep everything away.

There are three things we want you to take away from this study. Zephaniah is about the day of the LORD. “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly” (1:14). Zephaniah is about seeking the one God before that day comes. “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth” (2:3). And Zephaniah points to Jesus Christ. The day when all people “call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent” (3:9). And the King of Israel who is the LORD in the midst of his people (3:15). We will explain these points as we go through the book. But we want you to keep them in mind as we begin.

“The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah” (1:1). Notice that he gives 4 generations. No other prophet does that. Most believe Hizkiah is king Hezekiah.¹ That would make Zephaniah a distant cousin of king Josiah. A prince who became a prophet. He knew the palace from the inside. And he named the sins of the princes.

Zephaniah’s name means the LORD hides or hidden by the LORD.² He was probably born in the days of Manasseh. When Manasseh “shed innocent blood very much” (2 Kings 21:16). Some believe his parents named him that because God hid him. And notice what he tells the people in 2:3. Seek the LORD. “It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.” The prophet named hidden by the LORD told the people how to be hidden by the LORD.

We saw in our 2 Kings study that Josiah found the book of the law and cleaned out the idols. That was in 621 BC. Many believe Zephaniah preached just before that.³ Because the idols he names in chapter 1 are the same ones Josiah tore down. Zephaniah may have helped stir up the young king. But even Josiah’s reforms did not change the hearts of the people. And after he died they went right back.

The book has 3 parts. Chapter 1 is judgment on Judah. Chapter 2 is judgment on the nations around Judah. And chapter 3 is judgment on Jerusalem and then joy. The book goes from the whole earth swept away to God singing over his people. We will break it down like this. The great day of the LORD (1). Seek ye the LORD (2). Woe to her that is filthy (3:1–8). And the LORD thy God in the midst of thee (3:9–20). Then we will put together what Zephaniah teaches about the one God. Just like in our other studies we will be using the KJV for our scripture quotations. And we will let you know where you can find the work of the scholars we reference.

I Will Utterly Consume All Things

“I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD” (v.2). Man. Beast. Birds. Fish (v.3). It sounds like the flood. Zephaniah starts with the whole earth. Then he zooms in on Judah. “I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (v.4).

Then God names who he is after. “I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests” (v.4). The Chemarims were the idol priests.⁴ “And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops” (v.5). People went up on their flat roofs at night and bowed to the stars. We saw in our 2 Kings study that Manasseh built altars to the host of heaven in the courts of the temple. “And them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham” (v.5). Most believe Malcham is Molech. The god they burned their children to. They swore by the LORD and by Molech. Both. They did not leave God. They just added other gods. God will not be one of many. “And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him” (v.6). Some had walked away. Some never cared. God named them all.

The LORD Hath Prepared a Sacrifice

“Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests” (v.7). Be quiet. God is throwing a feast. And the guests are the armies coming. And the sacrifice is Judah. God would punish the princes and the king’s children and everyone who wore foreign clothes (v.8). They dressed like the pagans and lived like them.

Then God says “I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil” (v.12). Lees are the dregs at the bottom of a wine jar. If you never stir the wine it gets thick and sour. These people were settled. Comfortable. They did not deny God. They just did not think he would do anything. They thought God would not bless them. And God would not judge them. He does not do anything. That is practical atheism. And God said I will search them out with a lamp. Into every dark corner. They will build houses and not live in them. Plant vineyards and not drink the wine (v.13).

A Day of Wrath

Count the days. A day of wrath. Trouble. Distress. Wasteness. Desolation. Darkness. Gloominess. Clouds. Thick darkness. Then “a day of the trumpet and alarm” (v.16). The church has sung about this for centuries. An old hymn called Day of Wrath was built on these verses.⁵ Even the mighty man will cry bitterly. “And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD” (v.17).

“Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath” (v.18). Money cannot buy you out of that day. Jesus said “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). For Judah that day came when Babylon burned Jerusalem in 586 BC. But the New Testament tells us there is still a final day of the Lord coming. Paul says “the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). And Paul says it is the day “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance” (2 Thessalonians 1:7–8). The day of the LORD is the day of the Lord Jesus. One Lord.

After all that darkness there is a door. Before. 4 times he says before. Before the day comes there is still time. Gather together and seek the LORD. Seek righteousness. Seek meekness. The meek are the humble. The ones who bow to God. And it may be ye shall be hid. Not a promise that you will escape every trouble. A promise that God can hide you in the day of his anger. Jesus said “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Paul says “your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The only safe place in the day of wrath is in him.

The Nations Around Judah

Then Zephaniah goes around the map. West. East. South. North. To the west the Philistines. “For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation” (v.4). And the coast would belong to the remnant of Judah (v.7). To the east Moab and Ammon. They mocked God’s people and bragged about their land (v.8). So “Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah” (v.9). Remember Moab and Ammon came from Lot. And Lot came out of Sodom. We covered that in our Genesis study. Now they would end up like Sodom.

Then a promise. “The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen” (v.11). God would starve the idols. No more offerings. And every nation would worship him from their own place. Not just in Jerusalem. Jesus told the woman at the well “the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father … the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:21, 23). Every one from his place.

To the south the Ethiopians (v.12). And to the north Assyria. “And will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness” (v.13). Flocks would lie down in the middle of it. Wild birds would sing in the windows (v.14). “This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me” (v.15). Nineveh talked like God. I am. And there is none beside me. Those are words only God can say. We saw in our Isaiah study that God says “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5). And Babylon said the same proud words (Isaiah 47:8). Any nation that says what only God can say will fall. And we saw in our Nahum study that Nineveh did. In 612 BC.

The circle came around. Zephaniah judged the nations on every side. Then he turned to the middle. Jerusalem. “Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!” (v.1). Just like Amos did to Israel. We saw that in our Amos study.

4 things. She would not obey. She would not be corrected. She would not trust. She would not draw near. Every one of those is a choice. And look at her leaders. “Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves” (v.3). Wolves that eat everything at night and leave nothing for morning. “Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law” (v.4). Every leader failed.

“The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame” (v.5). God was right there in the middle of the city. Every morning he showed what was right. And they had no shame. God cut off other nations so they would learn (v.6). He said “Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction” (v.7). But they got up early to do evil. “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations … to pour upon them mine indignation” (v.8).

A Pure Language

Then the turn. After the fire comes this.

The word language is literally lip.⁶ It is the same word used in Genesis 11. “And the whole earth was of one language” (Genesis 11:1). At the tower of Babel the people used one language to rebel against God. So God confused their language and scattered them. We covered that in our Genesis study. Now God says he will give the people a pure lip. And notice what it is for. To call upon the name of the LORD. And to serve him with one consent. Literally with one shoulder. Like oxen pulling together under one yoke.

Now think about the day of Pentecost. Jews from every nation were in Jerusalem. The disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in other tongues. And every man heard them speak in his own language the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:4–11). Babel scattered the nations with tongues. Pentecost gathered the nations with tongues. Then Peter preached “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). And told them to be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). And they continued “with one accord” (Acts 2:46). A pure lip. Calling on the name of the LORD. Serving him with one consent. That is Zephaniah 3:9 on the day of Pentecost.⁷

“From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering” (v.10). From the far south. We saw in our Isaiah study that an Ethiopian man was reading Isaiah 53 when Philip preached Jesus to him. And he was baptized that same day (Acts 8:27–38). Then God says he will leave “an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD” (v.12). The remnant would not be proud. “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth” (v.13). A new people with a pure lip.

The King of Israel, Even the LORD

The book that started with wrath ends with singing. The text tells us why. The LORD took away the judgment. He cast out the enemy. And the king of Israel. Even the LORD. Is in the midst of thee. Notice. The King of Israel is the LORD himself. Not a man sitting in for God. The LORD.

Now listen to the gospels. Nathanael met Jesus and said “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John 1:49). And when Jesus rode into Jerusalem the people cried “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). Then John says “Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt” (John 12:15). Notice those first words. Fear not, daughter of Sion. That is Zephaniah. “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not” (v.16).⁸ The King of Israel who is the LORD in the midst of Zion came riding into Jerusalem. His name is Jesus.

He Will Joy Over Thee With Singing

This is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. The LORD in the midst. Mighty to save. He will rest in his love. The word means he will be quiet in his love. Like a mother holding a baby so close she does not need words.⁹ And then he will joy over thee with singing. We sing to God. But here God sings over us. The same God who said the day of wrath is coming sings over his people like a father over his child.

Now notice what Hebrews says about Jesus. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Hebrews 2:12). Jesus in the midst of the church singing. Zephaniah said the LORD in the midst of thee will joy over thee with singing. Jesus said “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). The LORD in the midst is Jesus in the midst.

Trinitarians will say Hebrews 2:12 shows the Son singing to the Father as two persons.¹⁰ But notice. Hebrews 2 is about Jesus as a man. He took part of flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14). He calls us brethren. As a man Jesus praises God in the midst of the church. Just like he prayed as a man. And as God he is the LORD in the midst who saves. The same Jesus. Not two persons. One God manifest in the flesh. Both the one who sings and the one who is mighty to save.

Then the promises pile up. God would gather the ones who were sad about the solemn assembly (v.18). He would save the lame and gather the outcast (v.19). He would make them a praise and a name in every land where they were put to shame (v.19). “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” (v.20).

Zephaniah shows the one God in wrath and in love. Before we finish we want to put it all together. There are three things we want to point out.

First God will not share his people. They swore by the LORD and by Malcham (1:5). They bowed to the stars and kept going to the temple. God said I will cut them off. Nineveh said I am and there is none beside me (2:15). Only God can say that. And he will famish all the gods of the earth (2:11). One God. No rivals.

Second all people will call on the name of the LORD. God will turn to the people a pure lip so they can call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one consent (3:9). On the day of Pentecost the Spirit gave them new tongues. Peter said whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And he told them the name. Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:21, 38). One name. One consent. One accord.

Third the King of Israel is the LORD in the midst. “The king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee” (3:15). Nathanael called Jesus the King of Israel. The crowds did too. And John quoted Zephaniah when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty to save (3:17). Jesus said there am I in the midst of them. One God. Revealed in Jesus Christ. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

We have gone through Zephaniah chapter by chapter. Here is what we can conclude. First Zephaniah is about the day of the LORD. A day of wrath and darkness and trumpets. A day when silver and gold cannot save. It came on Judah when Babylon burned Jerusalem. And it is still coming on the whole world. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven.

Second Zephaniah is about seeking the one God before that day. Do not be settled on your lees. Do not think God will do nothing. Do not mix the LORD with other gods. Seek the LORD. Seek righteousness. Seek meekness. It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger. And the only hiding place is in Christ.

Third Zephaniah points to Jesus Christ. The one through whom God gave a pure lip on the day of Pentecost so all people could call upon the name of the LORD. The King of Israel who is the LORD in the midst of his people. The mighty one who saves. And who rejoices over his church with singing.

Zephaniah ends with God promising to bring his people home. He did. About 50 years after Jerusalem fell the first exiles came back. They started rebuilding the temple. Then they stopped. And for 16 years the house of God sat unfinished while they built their own houses. God sent a prophet to wake them up. That is where Haggai begins.