The world seems to be falling apart. There is war, killing and being killed. We are not even safe in our own country. Religion has fallen on hard times. It seems that even those who, at one time, sought to follow the paths of God have turned their backs on that pattern and are worshiping just like everyone else in the country. The number of people who truly want to serve God and follow His pattern seems to be shrinking more and more by the day.
This description I have given you might describe our own times. But it could also describe the times of mankind and God’s people for the last three thousand years (or more). This is exactly what is going on during the days of the so-called minor prophet, Zephaniah.
Zephaniah is one of the shortest, one of the most “minor” of the minor prophets, having only 53 verses. You might say it is a summary, a shorter version, of any one of the major prophets.
Observe God’s anger and what He says He will do to Jerusalem and Judah. God is so angry with His people, notice His words:
“I will completely remove” (1:2) and “I will remove” (twice in verse 3). The same verb is also found in 3:11. Observe how comprehensive this removal is: “all things from the face of the earth” (vs 2), “man and beast, birds, fish” (vs 3). These two verses call to mind the destruction of the world through the flood of Noah. It’s almost as if God is predicting another worldwide global catastrophe.
He further says, “I will cut off” (vs 3) and “I will stretch out My hand” (vs 4). We see here in verse 4 that the target of God’s wrath is primarily His own people – “Judah” and “inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
Why? Because:
1. The Jews have diluted the Gospel. They have not kept it pure and have mixed it in with worship from other religions: 1:4, 5.
2. This syncretism is also evident in what they were wearing (1:8) and what they were practicing (1:9).
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4. We’ll see in 3:3-4 that this perversion of God’s worship reaches all the way to the leadership: prophets, priests, and judges.
5. The Jews would reply, “Well, that’s not a ‘salvation issue.’ That is, God’s not really concerned about these sorts of things” – 1:12. The matter they were overlooking, that so many people today overlook, is that if God specifies, He expects obedience. This is an attitude of gambling on God’s indifference.
6. The Jews refused to change their behavior based on the preaching of other prophets – 3:2, 7.
THE EXPECTATIONS OF MAN – chapter 2:
We see in 1:7 the first command God gives Israel: Be silent. Be respectful. Be filled with awe. Until we humbly acknowledge the nature of the God of heaven, we will not look at sin and the world from the right perspective.
Here in chapter 2, Zephaniah calls on all the nations to gather together and understand that God’s decree / law of coming wrath and judgment is going to take place. The day of God’s anger is going to come – twice Zephaniah warns.
So (2:3): Seek the Lord. Be humble. Carry out His ordinances, His commandments. Seek righteousness that comes through God’s commandments. Seek humility. In that way, when the dark day of God’s anger comes, you will be hidden in the safety of God’s grace.
Zephaniah is still a relevant message for us today because man has not changed. Man still wants to do his own thing and he still thinks that God could not care less about what he does. Yet, God has not changed either. He is still holy and He still demands righteousness on the part of man. We still need to seek the Lord. Be humble. Keep His commandments. Seek righteousness.
–Paul Holland
