Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Zephaniah prophesied about 625 B.C. which makes him a contemporary of Jeremiah.

The unusual thing about Zephaniah is his ancestry.

He is often called the “royal prophet” because he is of the royal line of Judah, and more specifically of the house of David.

His great-great grandfather was Hezekiah, one of Judah's most righteous kings.

However, when Hezekiah died, it was Zephaniah's great uncle, Manasseh, and not his great grandfather, Amariah, who ascended the throne.

Manasseh became the most corrupt king of Judah's history, reversing all the gains his father had made.

Zephaniah's prophecy takes place during the reign of Josiah, the last good king Judah had.

However, like the reforms of Hezekiah, it appears that the hearts of the people are not really in Josiah's reforms.

You may not be able to see his as you read through Kings or Chronicles, but it is told to us clearly in Zephaniah and in Jeremiah’s prophecies.

When hearts remain unchanged, outward improvements cannot last.

Josiah, a devout man, does his best to get the nation back on the right track, so God promises not to bring judgment upon the land of Judah during his lifetime.

upon the surrounding nations, and he will close as other prophets do, giving us an amazing section dealing with the future hope of salvation under the Messiah which will be enjoyed by a remnant of the people.

Zephaniah's prophecy deals with God's judgment upon His own people along with descriptions of divine judgment upon the surrounding nations, and he will close as other prophets do, giving us an amazing section dealing with the future hope of salvation under the Messiah which will be enjoyed by a remnant of the people.

THE SITUATION IN JUDAH

The book begins with a picture of the reversal of the creation.

“I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth— this is the Lord’s declaration.

I will sweep away people and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins along with the wicked.

I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth.

This is the Lord’s declaration.”

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This language sounds almost like the time of the flood but worse.

Josiah began his reforms rather late in his reign, not because of a lack of will upon his part but rather because nobody in the land had a copy of the Law of God given through Moses to go by.

He was 8yrs old when his reign began, and they found the missing scroll of the law of Moses when he was 26 (18yrs later).

But it may have been too late to make lasting changes.

If the reforms had sunk in deeper perhaps Judah could have been saved.

Or if Josiah's son who became king after him had continued in his father's steps maybe the heart of the people could have gradually been turned around.

But it was not to be.

Idolatry was too ingrained into the lives of many in Judah.

Verses 4-6 show some examples of the types of idolatry Judah was involved in:

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the residents of Jerusalem.

I will cut off every vestige of Baal from this place, the names of the pagan priests along with the priests; those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the stars in the sky; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the Lord but also pledge loyalty to Milcom; and those who turn back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”

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"Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, before the decree takes effect - the day passes like chaff - before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you.

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility.