Commentary on Zephaniah

It differs markedly in tone from the earlier parts of the book which are largely about judgment and it speaks of "gathering" the outcasts 3: Whether the passage is exilic or pre-exilic, the message is clear: God is for Israel. God has forgiven her iniquities, which are detailed earlier in the book--syncretism 1: Therefore, says the prophet, "Fear not! It is the injunction spoken to everyone who encounters the near presence of the LORD, or the LORD's angel, a presence gracious but nonetheless terrifying. In this Advent season, Zechariah and Mary both hear those words: Do not be afraid.

If this oracle is indeed exilic, it is addressing the loss of a Davidic monarch. And this king will not leave. He dwells in the midst of his people so that they need not fear disaster anymore. The image shifts, from God as pardoning judge and king, to God as savior and warrior, one who rescues Israel from all her enemies.

It is striking that in this verse verse 17 , some of the same words for "rejoicing" come up again; but this time, it is the LORD who is the subject of the verbs! Human beings are not the only ones who are filled with joy; God, too, bursts into song! Because the relationship is restored. The love between God and Israel is renewed.

We hear in verse 17 strong echoes of the biblical metaphor that pictures the relationship between God and Israel as a love affair, a marriage. Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs. Keep me logged in! Did you forget your password? Why won't my login from the old site work? Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. Passwords should have at least 6 characters.

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The prophets warn of this and the word speaks very clearly. The Ethiopians are mentioned in verse 12 and the Assyrians in verse The interesting thing is that although all these nations are long since lost in the dust of history, the promise of this day of the Lord is in the future. How can this be?

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Why are these nations mentioned here when they have long been buried in antiquity? How can they yet be destroyed in a day to come? The answer is, of course, that these nations are used symbolically throughout the Scriptures as well as literally. They were literally destroyed in the course of history, but they are used symbolically with reference to the full and final meaning of the day of the Lord. Moab, for instance, is always a picture of the flesh of man -- his dependence upon his own resources.

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The Ammonites picture the same thing. Ethiopia is a picture of the stubbornness, or the intransigence of man. And Assyria is man in his arrogance and his pride. Now God says he is against all these things, and as he moves at last in judgment on the human race, these are to be eliminated. In chapter 3 you will notice how extensive God's wrath is verses 1, Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!

She listens to no voice, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. This could be said of almost all the cities of the earth. As you read on you see that this is a world-wide matter verse For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my jealous wrath all the earth shall be consumed.

What is God after? Is he just interested in getting even, wreaking his vengeance at last upon the stubbornness and willfulness of men? Is he visiting the earth with this terrible hurricane of destruction in order to leave it nothing but a smoking ruin, barren and desolate, without inhabitants? No, that is what men would do if there were another world war.

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We would leave the earth desolate, but God will never leave it that way. After you read the description of all the darkness, gloom, and slaughter -- after the desolation and the destruction, what is the next word?

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Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! You see, this is the new order that is to follow. This is why God is dealing with men, so that he might bring out songs instead of sorrow, service instead of selfishness, security instead of slavery. This will be the consequence of God's judgment.

Zephaniah 1 Bible Commentary

And we are told that the Lord God is in the midst of the people, not for judgment, as he is in chapter 3, verse The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, What a picture this is! Specifically, of course, it has to do with the remnant of Israel, but it is a picture of God's loving care during any time of despair or darkness. It is my personal belief that this is something that the church does not see.

The church is caught away before these events occur but, in the time that follows, God calls back the remnant of Israel to himself and they will at last break out into the song of the redeemed.

Zephaniah 1-2 lesson by Dr. Bob Utley

Now the singing here is led by the Lord himself in a marvelous, glorious melody of joy. It reminds me of that beautiful passage in the Song of Songs:. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come.

That is what follows the time of judgment. But no one but the redeemed can join in that song. Elizabeth Browning, in her poem, the Seraphim, describes the angels watching the work of the Son of God on earth and at last, seeing with stupefied amazement the incarnation and ultimately the cross, one angel looks at this host of ransomed souls and he says to the other, "Hereafter shall the blood bought captives raise their passion song of blood. After the darkness, after the slaughter, after the terrible destruction comes the time of the singing.

That is what God is after in your life. That is possible on the level of the Spirit right now when God deals death's stroke against the flesh within us and brings us through that painful experience of saying no to the ego and the self-life. There follows the time of the singing, the time that he is after, the reason he takes us through the pain and the darkness. What you see to be true of the individual life will also be true on the whole wide canvas of history as God brings human history to an end.

That is what Zephaniah tells us about.

Zephaniah 1 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise)

Although it is a painful scene, one that begins in darkness and gloom, it ends in joy and gladness and singing. Our Father, we know that these words are true, and how they make us tremble, how they make us solemn and quiet before you. What a God -- a God who sees everything, who deals in righteousness, a God who loves but who cannot be turned aside, who will not water down his precepts, who will not cater to our weakness though he supplies us with fullness of strength.



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Lord, help us to walk softly before you and to love you with all our heart and mind and strength.