Zephaniah - A Neo-Babylonian Prophet

The Amazing Bible. Book Club

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah King of Judah, which was around 641-609 BC. Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and began restoring the temple of the Lord. During that project, the Law of the Lord was found. When it was read to the king, he humbled himself before the Lord and received a word from the Lord through the prophetess, Huldah. The Lord told him that destruction was coming, but because of the humility of King Josiah, it would not happened during his reign. Since he was a great king, he made sure that his people would also hear the word of the Lord. He called them to pledge themselves to the covenant of the Lord. He eradicated any false god in his land, and all the people who supported the false gods, and when that was all done, he reinstated the Passover. We do not know if Zephaniah prophesied before, during or after the reformation of Jerusalem and Judah, but we do know that the reformation did not stop the judgment that was coming. The book does not declare that it is Babylon that is coming, but it does make it clear that it is the Lord that is bringing it. Judgment is not just for Judah, but for the surrounding nations that would not honor the Lord nor the Lord's people. This book starts with the judgment of Judah, but then it also mentions Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria. In the midst of this book of "The Day of the Lord," there is also hope that the Lord will bring back a remnant, and the Lord will bring His people home. As believers in the Lord, we are called to be silent before the Lord (1:7), gather together (2:1), seek the Lord, seek righteousness, and seek humility (2:3), wait for the Lord (3:8), call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder (3:9), trust the Lord (3:12), and sing and shout, be glad and rejoice (3:14) because the Lord is coming, and lastly, we do not need to fear (3:16). 3:17, "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing!"