WEBVTT 00:00:00.760 --> 00:00:01.161 All right. 00:00:01.161 --> 00:00:04.826 So if you have a Bible you can turn to. 00:00:04.826 --> 00:00:15.291 The book is Zephaniah, and if you don't know where Zephaniah is, you can turn to page 835 in the pew Bible in front of you. 00:00:15.291 --> 00:00:18.544 Pedro, do you want a pew Bible? 00:00:18.544 --> 00:00:21.131 There we go. 00:00:21.131 --> 00:00:25.704 There we go. 00:00:25.704 --> 00:00:27.304 Welcome back to Route 66. 00:00:27.304 --> 00:00:30.667 We've traveled quite a ways down this road. 00:00:30.667 --> 00:00:41.637 Already we are in the ninth of 12 minor prophets and it won't be very long that we'll be in very familiar territory in the New Testament. 00:00:41.637 --> 00:00:49.667 So congratulations to all of you who have worked your way all the way through all of these books of the Old Testament. 00:00:49.667 --> 00:00:54.201 So when you get to heaven and you meet Haggai or Zephaniah, you'll go. 00:00:54.201 --> 00:00:57.125 I know who you are, right. 00:00:57.125 --> 00:01:02.094 So this evening we're in the book of Zephaniah. 00:01:02.094 --> 00:01:04.540 So this evening we're in the book of Zephaniah. 00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:09.777 How many of you have read Zephaniah? 00:01:09.777 --> 00:01:10.259 Most of you, right. 00:01:10.259 --> 00:01:13.118 How many of you heard a sermon on Zephaniah? 00:01:13.118 --> 00:01:15.805 One You're about? 00:01:15.805 --> 00:01:19.313 Well, I don't think a sermon series ever, but I've heard sermons from Zephaniah. 00:01:19.313 --> 00:01:22.590 Okay, all right. 00:01:24.219 --> 00:01:26.159 Well, tonight I want to give you just three points and we're going to weight it on the last point. 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:35.783 We're going to talk about the person of Zephaniah, the place of Zephaniah and then the prophecy of Zephaniah, and the first two we're going to cover fairly, fairly quickly, and we can get an introduction to the person of Zephaniah. 00:01:35.783 --> 00:01:55.843 Basically all we know about Zephaniah from the first verse, the word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah, son of Cushai, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah in the days of Josiah, son of Ammon, king of Judah. 00:01:55.843 --> 00:01:56.906 That's literally all we know about him. 00:01:56.906 --> 00:01:59.956 But as we look at this, we notice there's something unusual here. 00:01:59.956 --> 00:02:05.590 A four-stage genealogy and an introduction to someone is actually a pretty rare thing. 00:02:05.590 --> 00:02:08.209 I think this might even be the only time it's mentioned. 00:02:08.209 --> 00:02:21.599 So there's something unique about this introduction and there's some discussion about who these forefathers are, of Zechariah or Zephaniah. 00:02:21.820 --> 00:02:24.748 I say Zechariah a couple times here, but I mean Zephaniah. 00:02:24.748 --> 00:02:28.810 So if I end up just slipping, you just put in the right word. 00:02:28.810 --> 00:02:40.014 For me, zephaniah's name means Yahweh is hidden right and he grew up during the time of Manasseh. 00:02:40.014 --> 00:02:43.104 Now Manasseh, as you may know, was the son of Hezekiah. 00:02:43.104 --> 00:02:50.034 We'll be talking about Hezekiah when we get to the chapters 36, 37, 38, and 39 of Isaiah. 00:02:50.034 --> 00:03:17.219 Hezekiah was a reformer, he was one of those good kings of Judah, but his son, manasseh, was not, and Manasseh had the longest reign of all the kings, the longest reign of all the kings, and Zephaniah grew up during that dark days of Manasseh's kingship. 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:19.544 There's a little bit of supposition about this, but look at the last one. 00:03:19.544 --> 00:03:20.286 The last one's name is Hezekiah. 00:03:20.286 --> 00:03:28.929 It's possible, and I think many people would say that it is likely, that this was Hezekiah the king. 00:03:28.929 --> 00:03:35.979 And so Zephaniah here quite possibly has some royal lineage, right? 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:37.643 He kind of traces back. 00:03:37.643 --> 00:03:44.335 His great-grandfather is the king Hezekiah, right? 00:03:45.282 --> 00:03:48.786 But also notice something else here he's called the son of Cushai. 00:03:48.786 --> 00:03:59.670 Cushai, that's an interesting word, because in these three chapters there's two mentions of the people of Cush. 00:03:59.670 --> 00:04:09.830 So if you take a look at chapter two, in verse 12, you notice there you Cushites will also be slain by my sword. 00:04:09.830 --> 00:04:12.033 So there's a statement of judgment on them. 00:04:12.033 --> 00:04:21.877 But if you go to chapter 3 and verses 9 and 10, there's also a statement that speaks of restoration. 00:04:21.877 --> 00:04:32.651 So verse 9, for then I will restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with a single purpose From beyond the rivers of Cush, my supplicants and my dispersed people will bring an offering to me. 00:04:32.651 --> 00:04:49.081 So there's some debate as to whether this name, this mention of Cushai, is talking about a proper name or if it's actually talking about a name about a person who represents the people they come from. 00:04:50.043 --> 00:04:54.310 Okay, on my mother's side we're called Smiths. 00:04:54.310 --> 00:04:56.314 My mother's surname was a Smith. 00:04:56.314 --> 00:04:58.041 Why was she called Smith? 00:04:58.041 --> 00:05:06.464 Because somewhere back in there one of my ancestors on my mother's side was a blacksmith right, so an iron worker. 00:05:06.464 --> 00:05:14.392 It's possible that this person was called Cushi because he came from the land of Cush, right? 00:05:14.392 --> 00:05:15.435 It's quite possible. 00:05:15.435 --> 00:05:18.387 So what is Cush? 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:29.845 Cush is the sub-Sahara area of the continent of Africa, so this would not be sort of the Mediterranean Africa, but the sub-Sahara Africa. 00:05:29.845 --> 00:05:45.747 So it's possible that Zephaniah was a black Judean who had a mixed racial background, coming from African ancestry on one side of his family. 00:05:45.747 --> 00:06:09.009 So if we think about him possibly being biracial and possibly being of royal lineage, we can see that it kind of melds together a couple ideas that are threaded in Scripture a lot the hope of the Davidic line, particularly the king that will come, jesus. 00:06:09.009 --> 00:06:23.911 And here's a believing man, zephaniah, who is part of that lineage possibly, but also representing the nations as part of his family line, comes from Africa itself. 00:06:23.911 --> 00:06:28.949 Little is really known about him, like I said, other than that. 00:06:28.949 --> 00:06:36.473 But when we read these three chapters we realize he's familiar with the culture of the times. 00:06:36.473 --> 00:06:39.369 He's very, very understanding about that. 00:06:39.369 --> 00:06:42.428 He knows about the royal palaces. 00:06:42.428 --> 00:06:44.326 He's got a good understanding of those things. 00:06:44.326 --> 00:06:46.648 Chapter 1, verses 8 and 9 talk about that. 00:06:46.648 --> 00:07:02.185 He's familiar with the city of Jerusalem and his prophecies speak about his familiarity with the nations he talks about Judea, nineveh, ammon, moab, Egypt, cush All of those are mentioned here. 00:07:02.185 --> 00:07:05.649 So he obviously seems to be a very learned man. 00:07:05.649 --> 00:07:16.985 Verse 1 tells us not only his personage but also about his place, and his place is in the ministry of Josiah. 00:07:17.644 --> 00:07:25.656 Josiah, if you might recall, is one of the ones who came across the book of the law. 00:07:25.656 --> 00:07:30.531 For a long time God's word was hidden to the people of God. 00:07:30.531 --> 00:07:33.610 It's surprising for us to think that way, but it was. 00:07:33.610 --> 00:07:48.622 There was a mandate written in the book of Deuteronomy for the kings to write out their own copy of the book of the law right and to be able to be careful about leading the people by God's revelation. 00:07:48.622 --> 00:07:53.694 But all of the kings, up until the time of Josiah, had not done that. 00:07:53.694 --> 00:07:59.625 And then Josiah is reading this and he's like terror stricken. 00:07:59.625 --> 00:08:01.608 What have we been doing? 00:08:01.608 --> 00:08:06.495 And he starts to bring reform into the life of the people. 00:08:06.495 --> 00:08:13.533 It's about that time that Zephaniah's ministry is happening. 00:08:13.533 --> 00:08:26.071 A lot of people think sometime after the discovery of the book of the law, but sometime before all of the reforms had taken strong hold in the life of the people. 00:08:26.071 --> 00:08:37.400 So Zephaniah would have been a wonderful partner to the King Josiah to proclaim the message of covenant, faith and obedience. 00:08:37.400 --> 00:08:52.432 You know what it's like when you're working hard and working alone on something difficult and yet important, and then to find there's someone with the same heart and the same voice next to you. 00:08:52.432 --> 00:08:54.385 It's a heartening thing. 00:08:54.385 --> 00:09:09.839 And I'm sure that Zephaniah was that kind of partner to Josiah as he sought to bring God's word into the life of the people, as he sought to bring God's word into the life of the people. 00:09:09.839 --> 00:09:14.782 So let's move on to the prophecy of Zephaniah. 00:09:14.802 --> 00:09:21.129 When people read the book of Zephaniah, when they preach on the book of Zephaniah, they normally break it down into three sections. 00:09:21.129 --> 00:09:34.360 They'll break it down into something like this Chapter 1, verses 1 to 18, destruction. 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:36.767 And there's a word that shows up there that we heard this morning the day of the Lord. 00:09:36.767 --> 00:09:37.207 That gets mentioned. 00:09:37.207 --> 00:09:39.914 So obviously, judgment is a big theme in the first chapter. 00:09:39.914 --> 00:09:49.649 Then in chapter 2, running into chapter 3, they would talk about repentance and, as we'll see, that's also a theme that's there. 00:09:49.649 --> 00:09:58.654 And then, thirdly, in chapter 3, in the latter part, from verses 8 to the end, would be restoration, restoration. 00:09:58.654 --> 00:10:06.274 So you've got a declaration of judgment, a declaration of repentance and a declaration of restoration. 00:10:06.274 --> 00:10:12.432 Some people divide it up a little differently. 00:10:12.432 --> 00:10:24.432 They'll talk about threats to Israel in the first part, threats to the nations in the second part, and then promises to both the nations and to the people. 00:10:24.432 --> 00:10:27.655 So threats and promises, kind of a twofold. 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:30.706 But tonight I want to give you a different framework. 00:10:30.706 --> 00:10:37.208 I want you to think about this somewhat like we thought when we looked at the book of Habakkuk. 00:10:37.208 --> 00:10:41.807 When we looked at the book of Habakkuk, what was the major structure there? 00:10:41.807 --> 00:10:51.111 Do you guys recall For those of you that are going to the Simeon Trust workshop, you can answer this question what's the structure of Habakkuk? 00:10:51.111 --> 00:11:03.486 Yeah, so it's a dialogue between God and the prophet, right? 00:11:03.486 --> 00:11:06.812 So Habakkuk starts off with these questions. 00:11:06.812 --> 00:11:12.991 God answers, habakkuk reacts to that, demands an answer. 00:11:12.991 --> 00:11:14.345 God gives him an answer. 00:11:14.345 --> 00:11:20.732 Habakkuk replies let the whole earth, including myself be silent before God. 00:11:20.732 --> 00:11:24.831 Let him be seen as holy in his temple, all of those things. 00:11:24.831 --> 00:11:25.724 So it's a dialogue. 00:11:25.884 --> 00:11:33.442 This is somewhat similar in the sense that there's two speakers but they're not talking to each other like Habakkuk is. 00:11:33.442 --> 00:11:51.336 There's two speakers and there's rounds of dialogue that happen here that go back and forth, and these two speakers are speaking the same thing, sometimes sort of bolstering what one says and sometimes adding to what the other says. 00:11:51.336 --> 00:11:55.932 And these two speakers are God and the prophet. 00:11:55.932 --> 00:11:59.724 God and the prophet. 00:11:59.724 --> 00:12:15.153 When you look at Zephaniah, by noticing the first person singular I or me or the third person singular he, right. 00:12:15.153 --> 00:12:40.933 So the speeches are evident by this movement from first person to third person, back and forth, the first person being God speaking of what he is going to do, and then the third person aspect of the prophet, zephaniah, speaking about what God will do or what the people need to do in response to what God's doing. 00:12:40.933 --> 00:12:47.951 So in this I'm going to take you through seven sets of speeches. 00:12:47.951 --> 00:12:50.422 Seven sets of speeches. 00:12:50.422 --> 00:12:55.160 So if you want to write this down or if you want to mark in your Bible, you can feel free to do that. 00:12:55.160 --> 00:13:10.652 And I want to take you through these seven sets, because in these seven sets the plot moves, the themes are opened up and expanded, we find attention building and at the end we find a resolution. 00:13:12.340 --> 00:13:27.234 Set one, verses two to six of chapter one, is God speaking, god speaking, and God establishes the tone of the early part of Zephaniah by speaking about judgment. 00:13:27.234 --> 00:13:31.691 Judgment is announced very, very clearly, comes quickly out of the gate. 00:13:31.691 --> 00:13:34.345 Look at verse 2. 00:13:34.345 --> 00:13:43.311 Right after we've been introduced to Zephaniah these first words, I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth. 00:13:43.311 --> 00:13:55.504 Why, we don't know, to whom we don't know. 00:13:55.504 --> 00:13:57.427 But it's cataclysmic already. 00:13:57.427 --> 00:14:03.553 It kind of going back to our Isaiah theme of creation. 00:14:03.553 --> 00:14:13.351 As we look at these first verses two to six, men and birds and fish, everything is ruined. 00:14:13.351 --> 00:14:18.227 Everything, all of it's going to share in destruction. 00:14:18.227 --> 00:14:24.673 At the very end of it we start to hear why Take a look at verse six. 00:14:24.673 --> 00:14:28.467 At the very end of it, we start to hear why Take a look at verse 6. 00:14:30.041 --> 00:14:34.131 Those who turn back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord, are in choir of him. 00:14:34.131 --> 00:14:46.111 These are the people of Israel who have claimed to have followed the Lord but aren't, who have rebelled against him by turning away from him. 00:14:46.111 --> 00:14:51.149 And then, in verse 5, we see what they've done. 00:14:51.149 --> 00:14:57.840 Instead, in verses 4 and 5, I'll stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the residents of Jerusalem. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:02.971 I will cut off every vestige of Baal from this place. 00:15:02.971 --> 00:15:16.841 The names of the pagan priest, along with the priest, those who bow and worship on the rooftops to the stars in the sky, who bow and pledge loyalty to the Lord. 00:15:16.841 --> 00:15:20.046 So it's a synchronistic worship. 00:15:20.046 --> 00:15:31.129 They still say Yahweh, but they also say Baal at the same time, and in so doing they've denied Yahweh. 00:15:32.460 --> 00:15:37.452 So here we have, in this first round, the introduction of judgment being pronounced. 00:15:37.452 --> 00:15:43.072 It comes swiftly, it comes strongly, it comes powerfully, with indictments. 00:15:43.072 --> 00:15:48.010 Then we hear from the prophet, verse 7. 00:15:48.010 --> 00:15:52.423 What does Zephaniah have to say? 00:15:52.423 --> 00:15:57.033 Be silent in the presence of the Lord. 00:15:57.033 --> 00:15:59.942 God, for the day of the Lord is near. 00:15:59.942 --> 00:16:02.969 Indeed, the Lord is prepared to sacrifice. 00:16:02.969 --> 00:16:05.433 He has consecrated his guests. 00:16:05.433 --> 00:16:14.004 Zephaniah is now speaking to the people and he's saying Amen. 00:16:15.006 --> 00:16:19.212 Don't try to give an excuse, don't try to give an answer. 00:16:19.212 --> 00:16:24.636 You've got nothing to say in your defense. 00:16:24.636 --> 00:16:32.139 The best thing you can do is be quiet and just listen. 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:38.585 I've had to say that to my children sometimes, right. 00:16:38.585 --> 00:16:52.448 I've had to say that to my children sometimes, right, you know, when they get in trouble and they've got four or five different reasons why they disobeyed what you told them to do, and you're like, just be quiet, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear any of it. 00:16:52.448 --> 00:16:56.115 And this is exactly what Zephaniah is telling the people. 00:16:56.115 --> 00:17:03.025 You know you're guilty, you have nothing to say, so don't say anything. 00:17:03.025 --> 00:17:08.794 And in this he announces something. 00:17:10.556 --> 00:17:13.941 He opens up these words in verse 7. 00:17:13.941 --> 00:17:17.147 Be silent in the presence of the Lord. 00:17:17.147 --> 00:17:21.737 God, for the day of the Lord is near. 00:17:21.737 --> 00:17:23.420 Does that sound familiar? 00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:25.873 We looked at it this morning, didn't we? 00:17:25.873 --> 00:17:28.953 The day of the Lord is near. 00:17:28.953 --> 00:17:42.585 Just to sort of bring what we said this morning, there are aspects of the day of the Lord that are historical, and there are aspects of the day of the Lord that are historical and there are aspects of the day of the Lord that are ultimate right. 00:17:42.585 --> 00:18:02.443 There's God acting in a significant way in history, and then there's God acting in a significant way of bringing history to an end in which he will usher in the new heavens and the new earth, in which he will usher in the new heavens and the new earth. 00:18:02.443 --> 00:18:10.576 And this is one of those points where God is going to act to reestablish order and reestablish the correct way of honoring him. 00:18:12.726 --> 00:18:30.220 The prophet makes an enigmatic statement here at the end of verse 7 about the Lord preparing a sacrifice and consecrating his guests, and we don't know if that's sort of going to go the direction of judgment or propitiation. 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:43.847 There's just a little teaser there, a little inkling that there might be something beyond judgment introduced, but we can't really even put our weight on it yet. 00:18:43.847 --> 00:18:50.577 And that leads us to set two, set two of seven. 00:18:50.577 --> 00:18:55.893 Again, the Lord begins the speech in the second set. 00:18:55.893 --> 00:18:57.737 Take a look at verses eight to 13. 00:18:57.737 --> 00:19:04.808 In the second set, take a look at verses 8 to 13. 00:19:04.808 --> 00:19:07.414 And in this section we have an amplification of what was introduced in the first set. 00:19:07.414 --> 00:19:15.951 God's anger is still raging and he seems to interrupt the prophet in verse 7 and begin his second speech in verse 8. 00:19:16.933 --> 00:19:20.539 On the day of the Lord's sacrifice, I will punish the officials. 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:30.950 Oh, so maybe that wasn't a hope of propitiatory sacrifice after all, maybe it was the people themselves who would be sacrificed. 00:19:30.950 --> 00:19:53.713 I will punish the officials, the king's sons, those who dress in foreign clothes, and on he goes to talk about people from the princes and the king's sons, in verses 8 all the way down to verse 12, where he says he will punish those who settle down comfortably, who seem indifferent about God at all. 00:19:53.713 --> 00:19:57.200 The Lord will do nothing, good or bad. 00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:58.788 The Lord will do nothing. 00:19:58.788 --> 00:20:02.237 Good or bad, life really doesn't matter if God is here or not. 00:20:02.237 --> 00:20:10.557 We'll just do our business and act as if he didn't exist, because he doesn't hold sway over anything that happens here. 00:20:10.557 --> 00:20:12.569 Does that sound like your neighbor? 00:20:12.569 --> 00:20:15.010 Sounds like my neighbor? 00:20:15.010 --> 00:20:19.531 Live my life as if God didn't really even exist. 00:20:19.531 --> 00:20:27.294 These are the Israelites acting that exact same way, this general apathy about God and the land. 00:20:27.294 --> 00:20:31.525 And here the Lord seems to know everybody's thoughts. 00:20:31.525 --> 00:20:39.769 He knows everybody, from the highest of society to the laziest in society, to society to the laziest in society. 00:20:39.788 --> 00:20:46.153 The prophet begins to talk in the second part of set two, in verses 14 to 16. 00:20:46.153 --> 00:20:54.215 The great day of the Lord is near, near and rapidly approaching. 00:20:54.215 --> 00:20:58.438 Listen, the day of the Lord when the warriors cry as bitter, that day is a day of wrath. 00:20:58.438 --> 00:21:15.623 The day of the Lord, when the warriors cry as bitter, that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness. 00:21:15.623 --> 00:21:29.836 It's dark, and so Zephaniah, who introduced the term day of the Lord, is now giving us a deeper understanding of what it is, and he talks about its imminent nature. 00:21:29.836 --> 00:21:30.457 It's near. 00:21:30.457 --> 00:21:41.880 He talks about its terrifying aspects, he talks about how it's going to disrupt everything and he warns the people of their fate. 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:47.152 Day of judgment's coming. 00:21:47.152 --> 00:21:53.008 And that leads us into set three, set three. 00:21:53.829 --> 00:21:58.929 Yahweh speaks again, starting the round, in verse 17,. 00:21:58.929 --> 00:22:01.055 He only speaks a little bit. 00:22:01.055 --> 00:22:09.576 I will bring distress on mankind and they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against the Lord. 00:22:09.576 --> 00:22:15.334 Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. 00:22:15.334 --> 00:22:20.153 It doesn't seem quite so strong. 00:22:20.153 --> 00:22:27.817 It doesn't seem quite so strong, doesn't seem quite so forceful, but it seems all the more determined in its brevity. 00:22:27.817 --> 00:22:49.810 You know those points in your conversations when you just say look, I'm done talking, this is what I'm doing, you don't need to say anymore, you've said everything that needs to be said and you're just summing it up. 00:22:49.810 --> 00:22:53.653 This is that kind of talk here. 00:22:53.653 --> 00:23:04.817 But what he does by this short statement is he opens the doorway for the prophet to give his first long speech. 00:23:05.826 --> 00:23:20.354 Everything that Zephaniah has said so far has been sort of a support or amplification of what God has said, kind of a listen to him, if you will, kind of statement or a this is how bad it's going to be. 00:23:20.354 --> 00:23:41.355 But now Zephaniah talks more than God does, and in this section that runs from chapter one in verse 18, all the way to chapter two in verse seven, so it skips over into the second chapter is a development of something that's important for the rest of the book. 00:23:41.355 --> 00:23:47.596 There are two things that get inserted into the conversation here. 00:23:47.596 --> 00:23:56.136 Up till now all we've had are statements of judgment to the people of God in Judah. 00:23:56.136 --> 00:23:59.913 Two more things are going to be added to that. 00:23:59.913 --> 00:24:17.770 One is the possibility of escaping judgment, and the second one is the condemnation or judgment will not only fall on the Israelites, it will come to the nations as well. 00:24:19.773 --> 00:24:23.880 So take a look first of all at the possibility of escaping judgment. 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:29.076 Look at chapter 2 in verse 3. 00:24:29.076 --> 00:24:36.518 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who carry out what he commands. 00:24:36.518 --> 00:24:40.355 Seek righteousness, seek humility. 00:24:40.355 --> 00:24:45.737 Perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord's anger. 00:24:45.737 --> 00:24:52.715 Now remember, god came right out of the gate saying he was going to wipe away creation. 00:24:52.715 --> 00:25:04.310 Right, I'm taking everything away Humanity, things on the earth, things in the seas, everything's gone. 00:25:04.310 --> 00:25:16.866 For the first time, there's this possibility that maybe that won't happen to everybody Right, everybody right. 00:25:18.869 --> 00:25:31.994 It's possible that there is some hope in the midst of this judgment, but it's only a possibility at the moment. 00:25:31.994 --> 00:25:36.055 It isn't expanded on much, but it is there. 00:25:36.055 --> 00:25:41.016 And the second new aspect to this is the condemnation of the nations. 00:25:41.016 --> 00:25:48.577 The nations, the enemies of the people of God, will be also judged on the day of the Lord. 00:25:48.577 --> 00:25:51.987 Take a look at verse four. 00:25:51.987 --> 00:26:05.896 Gaza will be abandoned, ascalon will be ruined, ashdod will be driven out at noon, ekron will be uprooted, and it just keeps going on and on and on and on. 00:26:05.896 --> 00:26:14.217 As it mentions all of the peoples, they too are going to be facing judgment. 00:26:14.217 --> 00:26:44.192 So there is an interesting movement here to the plot judgment to the people of god for ignoring their lord, for acting as if he didn't really even exist, syncretistically worshiping baal, and now moves into possibly hope or everybody's ruined. 00:26:44.192 --> 00:26:52.845 And that brings us into set four, chapter two and verses eight to 10. 00:26:53.125 --> 00:26:55.672 Yahweh speaks again. 00:26:55.672 --> 00:27:08.414 This is one of those unusual movements, because in set three, zephaniah introduced those aspects of the possibility of release from judgment and of condemnation to the nations. 00:27:08.414 --> 00:27:24.237 Now, in set four, the Lord is the one buttressing the prophet's words by speaking about the possibility of release from judgment and the condemnation to the nations in these three verses 8 to 10. 00:27:24.237 --> 00:27:26.351 Take a look at verse 10. 00:27:26.351 --> 00:27:38.198 This is why they get for their pride, because they have taunted and acted arrogantly against the people of the Lord of armies. 00:27:38.198 --> 00:27:39.991 The nations are going to be judged. 00:27:39.991 --> 00:27:49.736 But he also speaks of hope. 00:27:49.736 --> 00:27:52.451 Take a look at verse 9. 00:27:52.451 --> 00:27:59.874 Near the end of verse 9, it says the remnant of my people will plunder them. 00:27:59.874 --> 00:28:03.433 The remainder of my nation will dispossess them. 00:28:03.433 --> 00:28:10.057 So there is some hope. 00:28:10.057 --> 00:28:19.729 So there is a remnant, not just the possibility of release from judgment for the people of God, but for the Israelites. 00:28:19.729 --> 00:28:23.590 There are going to be some people escaping judgment. 00:28:23.590 --> 00:28:31.277 And that leads the prophet in verse 11 to give a one verse answer. 00:28:31.277 --> 00:28:38.277 The Lord will be terrifying to those when he stars all the gods of the earth. 00:28:38.277 --> 00:28:44.990 Then all the distant coast and isles of the nations will bow and worship to him, each in its own place. 00:28:48.365 --> 00:28:51.035 This section doesn't add anything new. 00:28:51.035 --> 00:28:55.237 It reinforces what was introduced in the second and third rounds. 00:28:55.237 --> 00:29:11.550 But what it does is it gives us a little bit of time for the plot tension to build, for it to sort of lay out this sort of conflict between judgment and hope. 00:29:11.550 --> 00:29:32.147 That hasn't been until we get to the next sections, set five, verse 12 of chapter two Yahweh speaks, but again it's only a short statement. 00:29:32.147 --> 00:29:39.788 You Cushites will also be slain by my sword, don't think you guys will escape. 00:29:39.807 --> 00:29:42.852 The prophet speaks in another long speech. 00:29:42.852 --> 00:29:55.807 So again, this is the second long speech by Zephaniah, verses 13 of chapter two, all the way to verse five of chapter three. 00:29:55.807 --> 00:29:56.868 And what does he talk about? 00:29:56.868 --> 00:30:04.675 He takes Israel's greatest enemy and compares them to Israel. 00:30:04.675 --> 00:30:16.490 He takes the Assyrians and the Israelites and says you guys are just like each other. 00:30:16.490 --> 00:30:23.190 It's not something you'd enjoy hearing, right, that your worst enemy and you are exactly like each other. 00:30:23.190 --> 00:30:24.634 This is what he does. 00:30:24.634 --> 00:30:34.897 He tells that Nineveh is going to be as devastated as Moab and as Ammon, in chapter 2 and verse 9 and verses 13 and 14. 00:30:36.025 --> 00:30:38.253 And then Israel also is seen. 00:30:38.253 --> 00:30:44.487 And in chapter 3, verses 3 to 5, he just goes all the way down through society. 00:30:44.487 --> 00:30:51.685 The princes are roaring lions, her judges are wolves in the night, her prophets are reckless. 00:30:51.685 --> 00:30:54.148 Her priests profane the sanctuary. 00:30:54.148 --> 00:30:58.394 Everybody is wicked. 00:30:58.394 --> 00:31:07.409 You may think the Assyrians are bad Israelites, you're just as bad. 00:31:07.409 --> 00:31:12.018 And so here we have the conflict fully presented. 00:31:12.018 --> 00:31:20.724 This is not just a judgment on Israel for their slackened worship. 00:31:20.724 --> 00:31:29.566 This is the world, all of them standing before a holy God, with the danger of judgment coming. 00:31:29.566 --> 00:31:35.308 And the Lord is going to send his judgment on all offenders, every single one. 00:31:35.308 --> 00:31:44.098 And, and we have to ask ourselves as we get to this point, what about those whispers of hope? 00:31:44.098 --> 00:31:47.217 Did they just go away? 00:31:47.217 --> 00:31:57.400 Was it just a fleeting moment of wishfulness, or is it ever going to be a reality? 00:31:57.400 --> 00:32:01.479 And that leads us to the sixth set. 00:32:03.830 --> 00:32:05.036 Again, the Lord speaks. 00:32:05.036 --> 00:32:08.276 First, verses six to 13. 00:32:08.276 --> 00:32:17.240 And in the first couple of verses it just seems to drill down more on judgment, in verses six and seven and eight. 00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:28.790 But then, when you get to verse nine, right after it says my indignation will be poured out of them all. 00:32:28.790 --> 00:32:33.118 My burning anger for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy. 00:32:33.118 --> 00:32:50.361 Then you get to verse 9 and everything changes, for I will then restore pure speech to the peoples, so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with a single purpose. 00:32:53.632 --> 00:33:01.259 You see, the day of the Lord not only is a day of judgment, the day of the Lord is also a day of grace. 00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:04.416 And what's interesting about this? 00:33:04.416 --> 00:33:15.578 Just as there was in Isaiah, chapter 11, the first people that get spoken about when grace is interjected into the conversation are not the Israelites. 00:33:15.578 --> 00:33:21.521 It's the peoples that are first mentioned here. 00:33:21.521 --> 00:33:24.201 Did you see that, verse 9. 00:33:24.201 --> 00:33:32.614 I will restore pure speech to the peoples, that's us. 00:33:32.614 --> 00:33:46.721 The day of Yahweh will conclude with grace for the peoples, and they will call on him and serve him with a single purpose. 00:33:48.471 --> 00:33:55.415 And then, in verses 10 to 13, israel gets spoken about From beyond the rivers of Cush. 00:33:55.415 --> 00:33:58.137 My supplicants, my dispersed people will bring an offering to me. 00:33:58.137 --> 00:34:07.315 On that day, you will not be put to shame because of everything you've done in rebelling against me, for then I will remove from among you your jubilant, arrogant people. 00:34:07.315 --> 00:34:29.800 The people that once were like the Lord's not going to do anything, good or bad, we'll just live our lives is now taking refuge in God. 00:34:29.800 --> 00:34:46.442 He takes away their shame, he forgives their sin, he purges their wickedness and he leaves what was once an old, proud people into a new, humble, holy remnant. 00:34:46.442 --> 00:34:54.143 No longer do we have whispers of possible escape from judgment. 00:34:54.143 --> 00:35:01.284 Now we have declarations of God actively bringing about restoration. 00:35:01.284 --> 00:35:02.813 Did you see all of that? 00:35:02.813 --> 00:35:04.097 He's doing it. 00:35:04.097 --> 00:35:05.221 He's doing it. 00:35:05.221 --> 00:35:06.614 He's doing it. 00:35:09.911 --> 00:35:12.219 The prophet speaks in verses 14 to 17. 00:35:12.219 --> 00:35:15.336 And what does he talk about? 00:35:15.336 --> 00:35:19.641 He talks about the presence of God and his plan for restoration. 00:35:19.641 --> 00:35:24.851 He joins his voice with Yahweh's and speaks about the same thing. 00:35:24.851 --> 00:35:28.639 And here we have a unified voice. 00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:39.882 As they were once singing, perhaps in harmony, now they're speaking in unison with one another and they're saying exactly the same thing. 00:35:39.882 --> 00:35:43.909 And they're saying exactly the same thing. 00:35:43.909 --> 00:35:59.920 God's gracious activity is coming, and so we find the prophet speaking the word of God, clearly speaking about judgment to the unrepentant, but also clearly speaking about reconciliation for those that God will bring to humility. 00:35:59.920 --> 00:36:18.873 And that's a good sign to look for when you're looking for someone who's going to be a declarer of God's word, one who would clearly speak the truth about God's holiness and just wrath against sin, but also about God's glorious grace to forgive. 00:36:18.873 --> 00:36:26.782 The prophet stops now. 00:36:26.782 --> 00:36:30.246 The prophet's done everything the prophet could do. 00:36:30.246 --> 00:36:45.643 He started his ministry by giving warnings Let everybody just be quiet, you have nothing to say. 00:36:45.643 --> 00:36:52.896 But he ends with exhortation Sing, sing about this, god of grace, lift up your voice with joy. 00:36:52.896 --> 00:36:59.699 Judgment and salvation are the two prongs of his message. 00:36:59.699 --> 00:37:04.838 And that leaves us with set seven. 00:37:04.838 --> 00:37:08.719 And in set seven only God speaks. 00:37:08.719 --> 00:37:20.938 God has the final word In verses 18 through 20, at the end of the chapter, and here he kind of summarizes his acts of grace. 00:37:21.449 --> 00:37:28.958 He's going to deal with Israel's oppressors, he's going to save their weak ones, he's going to bring the scattered ones home. 00:37:28.958 --> 00:37:40.222 For a book that started off pretty strong, it ends just as strongly, in a completely different way. 00:37:40.222 --> 00:37:55.103 It seemed to be absolute annihilation of all creation because of the sin of God's people, but now God is a God of grace and restoration and hope. 00:37:55.103 --> 00:38:16.981 These movements, these seven movements of two speeches until you get to the seventh, one in one, carry along the themes and they move the plot and they build up the tension and conflict and give a glorious resolution of God's grace. 00:38:18.150 --> 00:38:44.775 Zephaniah is meant to be a message of hope in the midst of a despairing reality of God's people, and in the last chapter he talks about these people that will be in a place of reconciliation, be in a place of restoration, that will be in a place of rejoicing over God's salvation, and I just want to leave us with a question Are you one of them? 00:38:44.775 --> 00:38:51.663 Are you one of those ones that God's going to rescue instead of ruin? 00:38:51.663 --> 00:38:53.815 And how do you know? 00:38:53.815 --> 00:38:59.072 Well, let's take a look at the last chapter, in verse 9,. 00:38:59.072 --> 00:39:07.681 The first way you can know whether or not you're one of those is that you call on the name of the Lord. 00:39:07.681 --> 00:39:18.300 I will restore pure speech to the people so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with a single purpose. 00:39:18.300 --> 00:39:29.273 So now we see that the first evidence is someone who calls on God's name, and this is not some just perfunctory thing. 00:39:29.273 --> 00:39:30.916 This is wholehearted worship. 00:39:30.916 --> 00:39:36.170 This is trusting God to the exclusion of all others. 00:39:36.170 --> 00:39:41.052 Baal, not going to worship him, living my life as though he didn't exist, not doing that anymore. 00:39:41.052 --> 00:39:44.512 I'm trusting in the living God and I'm calling on him. 00:39:44.512 --> 00:39:45.594 My life is his. 00:39:45.594 --> 00:39:48.117 My life is worship to him. 00:39:48.117 --> 00:39:50.280 Why? 00:39:50.280 --> 00:39:54.853 Because God has given me something different. 00:39:54.853 --> 00:40:01.630 My lips that once profaned his name are now purely speaking his name, are now purely speaking his name. 00:40:01.630 --> 00:40:09.038 You see, the priests claim to be the Lord's servants, but they're also Baal's servants. 00:40:09.038 --> 00:40:16.746 The people claim to swear upon the name of the Lord, but they also swore on other gods. 00:40:16.746 --> 00:40:24.648 But now this is calling on the name of the Lord with a sincere heart. 00:40:25.931 --> 00:40:29.061 The second test is found in verses 11 and 12. 00:40:29.061 --> 00:40:35.898 On that day you will not be put to shame Hmm, paul says that in Romans. 00:40:35.898 --> 00:40:48.980 Might want to take a look there, because of everything you've done in rebelling against me, for then I will remove from among you your jubilant, arrogant people and you will never again be haughty on my holy mountain. 00:40:48.980 --> 00:40:59.342 So the second test is has God taken away my pride and has he interjected in my heart humility? 00:40:59.342 --> 00:41:07.603 I was talking to a friend this week about Israel who was once named Jacob. 00:41:07.603 --> 00:41:20.719 Jacob wrestled with the angel all night and in wrestling with the angel, the angel touched his leg and from that point forward the man limped. 00:41:20.719 --> 00:41:24.085 He couldn't run like he used to run. 00:41:24.085 --> 00:41:27.632 He couldn't be the fastest like he was. 00:41:27.632 --> 00:41:35.032 Perhaps he was no longer the supplanter Jacob, he was a limping prince of God named Israel. 00:41:35.032 --> 00:41:38.956 Has God caused you to limp? 00:41:38.956 --> 00:41:47.686 Has he caused you to say I am not the proud, boisterous person I was. 00:41:47.686 --> 00:41:55.081 God has humbled me, but he's also changed me and given me a new name. 00:41:55.081 --> 00:41:57.605 That's the second test. 00:42:03.030 --> 00:42:04.552 And then the third test comes in verse 13. 00:42:04.552 --> 00:42:08.775 The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or tell lies. 00:42:08.775 --> 00:42:11.860 A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. 00:42:11.860 --> 00:42:15.322 They will pasture and lie down with nothing. 00:42:15.322 --> 00:42:27.824 To make them afraid Doesn't mean you're a perfect person, but your aspirations of your heart are to follow God and to do His will. 00:42:29.610 --> 00:42:41.237 And, at the end of the day, the thing that upsets you the most is not that you had to follow God, but that you didn't follow Him as well as you wanted to when you woke up that day. 00:42:41.237 --> 00:43:00.684 That the things that bother you are the ways that you didn't honor him or speak about him clearly, because your heart's been changed, because the things that God wants are written here now, not just out there. 00:43:00.684 --> 00:43:04.768 Here now, not just out there. 00:43:04.768 --> 00:43:10.628 These are the people that God says can rejoice. 00:43:10.628 --> 00:43:14.572 These are the remnant from the peoples and the Israelites. 00:43:14.572 --> 00:43:26.110 And if that's you, well, let's do exactly what verse 14 says Sing for joy, daughter of Zion. 00:43:26.110 --> 00:43:32.449 Shout loudly, israel, be glad and celebrate with all your heart. 00:43:32.449 --> 00:43:33.994 The Lord has removed your punishment. 00:43:33.994 --> 00:43:35.798 That's something to sing about, right? 00:43:35.798 --> 00:43:44.692 All right, let's pray, father. 00:43:44.711 --> 00:43:51.701 Thank you for, zephaniah, these three chapters that give us so much understanding about you, so much about what you said you would do. 00:43:51.701 --> 00:44:06.715 And as we read these verses, we see all of it coming through the work of Christ, our Savior, to make us born again, to transform us, to make us new. 00:44:06.715 --> 00:44:10.880 The things that we did not love we now love. 00:44:10.880 --> 00:44:20.199 The things that we once loved, we now abhor, and we thank you that you've caused us to want to worship you with our whole heart. 00:44:20.199 --> 00:44:33.141 We find ourselves humbled because we're sinners saved by grace, cause us to be obedient, to want to walk with you in sincerity and true love. 00:44:33.141 --> 00:44:47.418 Lord, receive from us now our song of praise as we rejoice together in this salvation that you've brought so undeservedly to those who really ought to have been judged, and we pray this in Christ's name. 00:44:47.418 --> 00:44:48.282 Amen.