The prophet Zephaniah was the only prophet that was of royal descent. He was the great-great-grandson of King Hezekiah, a godly king that brought about great reform. Josiah, another godly king, was on the throne during the time of Zephaniah’s life. Eighteen years into Josiah’s reign, a priest stumbles upon a copy of the Law and gives it to the king. King Josiah spends the rest of his days reading it and trying to implement change in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. He renews the covenant, burns down idols, gets rid of the bad priests, removes horses presented to false gods, rids the city of the male prostitutes, and renews the Passover. But…it was already too late. The people were set in their ways.

Chapter 1:8 is a good reminder to us today: “and all who array themselves in foreign attire”. The LORD is saying that His people, who are set apart, look too much like the culture. The Day of the LORD is coming, and as it says in Ch. 1:14-17, it is NEAR, involves WRATH, and brings about JUDGEMENT FOR SIN. The people’s job, and ours, is to seek righteousness and humility (Ch.2:3).

After Zephaniah speaks about the Day of Judgement (Ch. 1:1-3:8) he moves into the Day of Salvation (Ch. 3:9-20). There is a beautiful verse that many scholars call “the John 3:16of the Old Testament”. Zephaniah 3:17 says,

The Lord your God is in your midst,

a mighty One who will save.

He will rejoice over you with gladness;

He will quiet you with His love;

He will rejoice over you with loud singing.

1. He will save – He is true to His Word and is continually in the process of saving you.

2. He takes great delight in you – Why? You are His. Nothing you can do will change the way He feels about you. The LORD does not have a performance based love. He loves you…no matter what!

3. He will quiet you with His love – His love will make you speechless. It is truly unfathomable. It calms all fears, and renders you still. Remember to let God’s love define you, not the love from a flawed human.

4. He will rejoice over you with loud singing – The Creator of the universe, the One is knows all, is jumping, dancing, and shrieking with joy over YOU. You are His, and He loves you.

Remember, the Word of God and life in general is all about God Himself, His name and renown, and His Kingdom. Let us not forget that it is all for Him and about Him, but He allows us to be a part of His story.

QUESTIONS:

 

1. Do you have “old tapes” running through your head about who you are? What lies do those old relationships or memories say? Who have you let put value on you?

2. Do you believe that God delights in you…no matter what? Why is that hard to imagine?

3. Zephaniah reminds us to look different than the culture. Where do you look too much like the culture, and what will you do to “be in the world, but not of the world”?