Zephaniah spoke in the days of King Josiah of Judah. For context, the kingdom of Israel had already been exiled to Assyria and the kingdom of Judah had already been prophesied to be exiled to Babylon.
Amos 3:7 taught us this beautiful secret of God: “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.”
God revealed Israel’s entire history to them through Moses. That is why, during the reign of Josiah in which Zephaniah spoke, when Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the Law in the temple and gave it for Josiah to read, his reaction was:
great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.
God was not only gracious to warn Israel. He is gracious to warn us. We think of the Old Testament prophets speaking to His people at that time, but they were also speaking to us.
His prophets spoke of the exile of His people and their return from exile. They spoke of 400 years of prophetic silence. They spoke of the coming of the Messiah. We have seen all these things fulfilled. Every prophecy we see fulfilled increases our faith in the word of the Lord and our confidence that all He has promised will come to pass.
The prophets also speak of a second gathering of the Lord’s faithful to Israel. They speak of a day of the Lord where God will satisfy His wrath on His enemies. The imagery and concept of this day repeats throughout prophecy, so there are likely multiple fulfillments, such as when Assyria invaded and when Babylon invited, which has happened, and a day of the Lord at the end of days, which has not yet happened.
God’s gracious warnings were in order to call His people to repentance. We do not have to endure His wrath. He longs to be gracious to us. They were also so that we would endure in our faith and trust in Him in bewildering times because He has told us they would come to pass. As Jesus told us, “the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).
Zephaniah 1
The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah…in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:
“I will completely remove all things
From the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
"And I will cut off man from the face of the earth,’ declares the LORD.
God’s judgment on Judah was because of their seeking after other gods and failing to follow Him:
“So I will stretch out My hand against Judah
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place,
And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests.
And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven,
And those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom,
And those who have turned back from following the LORD,
And those who have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him.”
“I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And I will punish the men
Who are stagnant in spirit,
Who say in their hearts,
”The LORD will not do good or evil!”
Near is the great day of the LORD
I will bring distress on men
Because they have sinned against the LORD
On the day of the LORD’S wrath…
He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Before the decree takes effect—
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.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’S anger.
the coast will be
For the remnant of the house of Judah,
They will pasture on it.
In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening;
For the LORD their God will care for them
And restore their fortune.
“Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them.
This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the LORD of hosts. The LORD will be terrifying to them”
“This is the exultant city
Which dwells securely,
Who says in her heart,
'I am, and there is no one besides me.’
How she has become a desolation,
A resting place for beasts!
Everyone who passes by her will hiss
And wave his hand in contempt.”
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
The tyrannical city!
She heeded no voice,
She accepted no instruction.
She did not trust in the LORD,
She did not draw near to her God.
The LORD is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust knows no shame.
“I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me,
Accept instruction.’
So her dwelling will not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD,
"For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.”
"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
Will bring My offerings.”
"For then I will remove from your midst
Your proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My holy mountain.”
“But I will leave among you
A humble and lowly people,
And they will take refuge in the name of the LORD.
The remnant of Israel will do no wrong
And tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will feed and lie down
With no one to make them tremble.”
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You will fear disaster no more.
"I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts—
They came from you, O Zion;
The reproach of exile is a burden on them.”
“I will turn their shame into praise and renown
In all the earth.”
“I will give you renown and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
Says the LORD.