ZEPHANIAH at a glance

PURPOSE: To shake the people of Judah out of their complacency & urge them to return to the Lord.

THE AUTHOR: The prophet Zephaniah*

DATE WRITTEN: Probably near the end of Zephaniah’s ministry (640-621 BC), when King Josiah’s great reforms began.

SETTING: Spiritual reformation was beginning with King Josiah after the evil rule of both Manasseh and Amon. Since Assyria was declining in power and influence rapidly, it enabled Zephaniah to extend his own influence throughout the southern kingdom. It is very likely that His prophecies motivated Josiah, lighting a fire under his spiritual reforms and the peoples return to God. 

 

THE BLUEPRINT: If someone told you that if you didn’t turn from your sinful lifestyle and serve God you’d be destroyed, how would you react? Now put yourself in Judah in 640 BC and read that a prophet by the name of Zephaniah had been given Judah that very warning during his ministry years. How did they react to his warning? Not appropriately I’m afraid. 

            Zephaniah warned the people of the southern kingdom that if they refused to turn from their evil ways the entire nation would be brought down ... even their beloved city of Jerusalem. Knowing God would eventually bless them, they didn’t take the prophet’s message as seriously as they needed to even though Zephaniah made it clear that there would be judgment first, then blessing. The coming judgment would not be just punishment for sin, but it would also be a means of purifying the people. Though we live in a fallen world surrounded by evil our hope lies in the perfect Kingdom of God that is to come, and need to allow any punishment that touches us to purify us from sin.

 

Up next are the Mega-Themes that are found in this book. Until then, walk with the King today and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

* “The name Zephaniah means ‘the Lord hides’ or ‘the Lord has hidden’. It was rather common for parents to give their child a name that somehow became a prophetic piece of their life. Bible scholars believe perhaps that God hid Zephaniah during the bloodthirsty reign of Manasseh.” [https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/who-is-zephaniah-and-why-is-he-important-in-the-bible.html]