Zephaniah: The End of the World as We Know It

We read Zephaniah start to finish and trace how divine judgment aims to purify, not merely punish. We wrestle with layered prophecy, the day of the Lord, and the call to seek humility while holding hope for restoration and joy.

• purpose of judgment as purification
• near and ultimate horizons of prophecy
• echoes of the flood and end-time language
• indictments of leaders, merchants and apathy
• call to seek the Lord, do right and be humble
• nations judged then nations united in worship
• God rejoicing over a restored, humble people
• practical posture when we feel small and afraid

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Transcript

Setting The Stage For Zephaniah

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hey, welcome back to the Out Loud Bible Project Podcast. This is Mike. We're going through the books of the Minor Prophets. Used to be one book called The Twelve, but we're breaking them up into individual books, and they're short this way. In fact, we're doing a whole book today in one episode. We'll be reading the book of Zephaniah. And tell you what, God comes out swinging. And if look, if this was what you just happened to open up to the first time reading the Bible, and you read this, you'd be like, oh my goodness, God hates me, and this is scary, and God is scary, and he is mad. This is like there's a lot of wrath in this book, but we have to take it in its entirety, we have to take it in its context, and we have to not ignore the very real message of the purpose of all of this at the end of this book. God's judgment. The purpose of God's judgment is to purify his people. That is what is made clear at the conclusion of this letter, this prophecy from Zephaniah. But before we get there, we do have to wade through some pretty strong prophecies about judgments. And the question is, well, when is he talking about? Did this already happen to Israel and Judah when they got carried away into exile? What are we talking about here? Well, I think in this case, it's talking about the Lord's day of judgment, uh, primarily. And the way God describes it is not talking on the scale of what we saw with Israel and Judah being carried away into exile. What we're what we seem to see here is God is talking on the scale of the end of all things. He says he will destroy everything from the face of the earth. The last time we heard that kind of language from God was Noah's flood. At that point, God did say he was going to wipe everything off the face of the earth. People, animals, birds, everything. And after that flood, God used the rainbow to signify his promise, I will never again destroy the whole earth by a flood. Now, and well, he's kept that promise, but he did not promise that he was not going to ever again destroy everything off the face of the earth. He does save that for the day of the Lord's judgment at the end times. And that's what Zephaniah seems to be communicating from God here. God communicating what this day of the Lord's judgment looks like. And it's a very scary thing for those who have not been saved and redeemed by the blood of Jesus, who are not adopted into God's family. That would be a very scary thing, but we who are can look forward to that day when it arrives. God makes everything right and sets everything back up the way it should be. But is Zephaniah only talking about that end times, like that we still haven't seen even as of today? I don't think so, not completely, because Zephania is talking to Israel, Judah, the surrounding nations at his time. But we find that when in these prophecies, these books of prophecy, it's I I've used the illustration before that God gives his prophet a vision of like a mountain range. And the prophet can see a mountain, and he says, Oh, that's what that mountain looks like. Here's what I see. What he doesn't see is how long it takes to get there. He doesn't see what happens in the valleys between where he is and what he sees. And it looks like it could just be right next door to this other mountain that he sees, but the reality is they're miles apart. And so I think seeing visions is kind of like that, where the timeline is not necessarily clear. The language he uses also can apply to multiple situations. That's not to be vague, that's not to get out of some definitive truth of the prophecies when they happen and how they happen. It's, I think, a nod to the fact that God is big enough to be able to use the same language to describe different events. That's how we have prophecies about Jesus. A lot of the prophecies about Jesus come from these prophets, Isaiah, uh Micah, even we read recently. And so a lot of these prophets, David was another one who the way he described things with his words and his situations reflected exactly and pointed to exactly how Jesus would experience things. And so we have to allow the Bible to be clever. We have to allow God to be creative in how he communicates things at a time, where it does apply to that person in that situation at that time, but also it is still true and intentionally applied to something thousands of years later. God can do that because he is not bound by time. He can describe one thing one way and have it apply to things thousands of years apart. And so we see a little bit of that mystery kind of uh the the a bit of these shadows that we can see that point to the reality of something future. We can see that unfold a bit more here in the book of Zephaniah. Kind of interesting. Uh let's read through this book together. This is Zephaniah, the whole book, chapters one through three in the New English translation. This is the Lord's message that came to Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, during the time of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah. I will destroy everything from the face of the earth, says the Lord. I will destroy people and animals, I will destroy the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people. I will remove humanity from the face of the earth, says the Lord. I will attack Judah and all who live in Jerusalem, I will remove from this place every trace of Baal worship, as well as the very memory of the pagan priests. I'll remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, those who swear allegiance to the Lord while taking oaths in the name of their king, and those who turn their backs on the Lord, and do not want the Lord's help or guidance. Be silent before the sovereign Lord, for the Lord's day of judgment is almost here. The Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal, he has ritually purified his guests. On the day of the Lord's sacrificial meal I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with wealth taken by violence and deceit. On that day, says the Lord, a loud cry will go up from the fish gate, wailing from the city's newer district, and a loud crash from the hills. Wail, you who live in the market district, for all the merchants will disappear, and those who count money will be removed. At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps, I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin, who think to themselves, Oh the Lord neither rewards nor punishes. Their wealth will be stolen and their houses ruined. They will not live in the houses they've built, nor will they drink the wine from the vineyards they've planted. The Lord's great day of judgment is almost here. It's approaching very rapidly. There will be a bitter sound on the Lord's Day of Judgment. At that time warriors will cry out in battle. That day will be a day of God's anger, a day of distress and hardship, a day of devastation and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and dark skies, a day of trumpet blasts and battle cries. Judgment will fall on the fortified cities and the high corner towers. I'll bring distress on the people, and they'll stumble like blind men, for they've sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dirt, their flesh will be scattered like manure. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's angry judgment. The whole earth will be consumed by his fiery wrath. Indeed he will bring terrifying destruction on all who live on the earth. Bunch yourselves together like straw, you undesirable nation, before God's decrees become reality and the day of opportunity disappears like wind blown chaff, before the Lord's raging anger overtakes you, before the day of the Lord's angry judgment overtakes you. Seek the Lord's favor. All you humble people of the land who have obeyed his commands. Strive to do what's right, strive to be humble. Maybe you'll be protected on the day of the Lord's angry judgment. Indeed, Gaza will be deserted and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, and Ekron will be overthrown. Beware you who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete. The Lord's message is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines. I will destroy everyone who lives there. The sea coast will be used as pasture lands by the shepherds and as pens for their flocks. Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah will take possession of it. By the sea they'll graze, in the houses of Ashkelon, they will lie down in the evening, for the Lord their God will intervene for them and restore their prosperity. I've heard Moab's taunts and the Ammonites' insults. They taunted my people, and verbally harassed those living in Judah, and therefore as surely as I live, says the Lord of Heaven's armies, the God of Israel, be certain that Moab will become like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah. They will be overrun by weeds, filled with salt pits, and permanently desolate. Those of my people who are left will plunder their belongings. Those who are left in Judah will take possession of their land. This is how they will be repaid for their arrogance, for they taunted and verbally harassed the people of the Lord of Heaven's armies. The Lord will terrify them, for he will weaken all the gods of the earth. All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. You Ethiopians will also die by my sword. The Lord will attack the north and destroy Assyria, he'll make Nineveh a heap of ruins, it'll be as barren as the desert. Flocks and herds will lie down in the middle of it, as well as every kind of wild animal. Owls will sleep in the tops of its support pillars, they'll hoot through the windows. Rubble will cover the thresholds, even the cedar work will be exposed to the elements. This is how the once proud city will end up, the city that was so secure. She thought to herself, I'm unique. No one can compare to me. What a heap of ruin she's become. A place where wild animals live. Everyone who passes by her taunts her and shakes his fist. Beware to the filthy, stained city. God's talking about Jerusalem right now. The city filled with oppressors. She's disobedient. She's refused correction. She does not trust the Lord. She's not sought the advice of her God. Her princes are as fierce as roaring lions. Her rulers are as hungry as wolves in the desert who completely devour their prey by morning. Her prophets are proud, they're deceitful men. Her priests have defiled what's holy. They've broken God's laws. The just Lord resides within her. He commits no unjust acts. Every morning he reveals his justice, and at dawn he appears without fail. Yet the unjust know no shame. I destroyed cities. Their walled cities are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins. No one passes through them. Their cities are desolate. No one lives there. I thought, certainly you'll respect me. Now you'll accept correction. If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I've threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did. Therefore you must wait patiently from me, says the Lord, for the day when I attack and take plunder. I've decided to gather nations together and assemble kingdoms so I can pour out my fury on them, all my raging anger, for the whole earth will be consumed by my fiery anger. Know for sure that I will then enable the nations to give me acceptable praise. All of them will invoke the Lord's name when they pray, and will worship him in unison. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, those who pray to me, my dispersed people will bring me tribute. In that day you will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me, for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast, and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill. I will leave in your midst a humble and meek group of people, and they'll find safety in the Lord's presence. The Israelites who remain will not act deceitfully, they will not lie, and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. Indeed, they will graze peacefully like sheep and lie down, no one will terrify them. Shout for joy, daughter Zion, shout out Israel, be happy and boast with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem. The Lord has removed the judgment against you, he's turned back your enemy. Israel's king, the Lord, is in your midst. You no longer need to fear disaster. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, Don't be afraid, Zion, your hands must not be paralyzed from panic. The Lord your God is in your midst. He's a warrior who can deliver you. He takes great delight in you, he renews you by his love, he shouts for joy over you. And as for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals, I took them away from you. They became tribute and were a source of shame to you. Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you. I will rescue the lame sheep, and gather together the scattered sheep. I'll take away their humiliation and make the whole earth admire and respect them. At that time I will lead you, at the time I will gather you together. Be sure of this. I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you when you see me restore you, says the Lord. So what do we do with a book like this? I I don't know about you, but I feel this kind of tension of just like that's some like kind of hard, scary stuff, God bringing his judgment. And we kind of have to like flip forward into revelation. I was like, what is what is this end time gonna look like again? What is he talking about? And and we don't fully understand it, and and yet we also look forward to it's like this is good. I want the day of the Lord to come where he establishes peace and where he banishes death and sin and and all is judged and justice is finally brought to its fullness. And yet, where do we what's our role in this? What we start to feel very small, don't we? We start to feel like, oh man, I thought I was like the main character of my story. I'm realizing this is God's world, and he's doing what he does to spread his glory throughout the world. And what what am I what am I doing? Like, I don't know, that's how I feel. You may feel differently. I I think though, however we may, whatever tension we may be feeling now, uh reading this and and trying to figure out what to do with it, I I think it's very gracious in chapter 2, verse 3, right in the middle of the book, talking to people like you and me, saying, All right, seek the Lord's favor. You humble people of the land who have obeyed his commands, strive to do what's right. Strive to be humble. Maybe you'll be protected on the day of the Lord's angry judgment. Now I know we want more than a promise of maybe, right? Wait, hold on, I do all that, and maybe I'm protected. Well, that's when we have to take a look at the whole Bible and find elsewhere that God certainly does protect those with a humble heart. He searches the world for those whose hearts are inclined to him and humble themselves toward him and seek to serve him. And uh and that's our role. That's what we're here to do. Seek the Lord's favor, strive to do what's right, obey his commands, strive to be humble. Can we do that? Can we make that true of us? If so, then we have nothing to fear for the rest of our lives and beyond. That's the thinking out loud, thought for the day.