Study of Zephaniah

Last night I was praying the Lord would show me what book I should next study in my morning devotions, when I came across the book of Zephaniah. I have a particular fondness for 'unused' Old Testament books (my favorites are Hosea and Habakkuk). Though I study the books of the New Testament thoroughly - Romans being the most frequented - I think it is crucial to study the God of the Old Testament in order to better understand the same God of the New Testament and today. It is truly amazing to think that He has been the same over the entire course of human history. He is "the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1:17)

Here are some of the notes I took from my research this morning...

• Zephaniah = "Yahweh [the Lord] hides"
  - Prophet employs priestly vocabulary (1:4-5, 7-9; 3:4,18)
  - No exclusive evidence that author was officially associated with the temple
• Prophesied in southern kingdom during reign of Josiah (640-609 BC)
  - Before or after Josiah's great reform (621 BC)? Unknown, but most likely before
  - Ninevah had not yet been destroyed (2:13-15), therefore the prophet's message was spoken prior to its destruction in 612 BC.
• Zephaniah would have been a contemporary of Jeremiah and may have been instrumental in bringing about Josiah's reforms - sins he attacked (1:4-6) were abolished by Josiah's reforms.

Focal Point: A foreign enemy - the Lord's sword of judgment - will inflict severe destruction upon Jerusalem. (Scythians? Assyrians? Babylonians?)

Zephaniah's treatment of the subject is extensive...

• The day is near (1:7).
• It will be a day in which the wrath and anger of Israel's sovereign Lord will be directed against the wicked (1:15, 18; 2:2,3).
• It is a day of darkness and gloom (1:15).
• So determined is the Lord to root out evil that He conducts a thorough search to ensure that the wicked will be found and destroyed (1:12).
• In that day pride will be vanquished (3:11) and the humble saved (3:12,17).
• The Gentiles will also come to faith in the true and living God and will "call on the name of the Lord" (3:9, Joel 2:32).

Second Point: The prophet's recognition og the importance of the Lord's covenant with His people (complaints against Judah reflect the Lord's anger at their neglect of the covenant obligations).

Zephaniah sees the judgment as transforming the world by bringing all people's works, both good and evil, under Divine scrutiny.

I realize some (if not most) of you are yawning by now, but for those of you who find this interesting - do I have any study partner volunteers?