The major sins motivating this judgment, in zephaniahs view, are judahs worship of other deities 1. What can ordinary people do about sinful religious leaders zephaniah 3. Book of zephaniah, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. Zephaniah s message of judgment and encouragement contains three major doctrines. This means that zephaniah was a prophet to the southern kingdom, probably a resident of jerusalem see 1. Zephaniah challenges us to pursue a godly lifestyle, to acquire a greater willingness to do. The theme is set forth as being the motivation for completing the task of rebuilding the temple, and for showing that the people of the prophets day are an important part of gods ultimate program of displaying his glory through the nation in the. What does it mean to worship the starry host or the host of the heavens zephaniah 1. Zephaniah addressing people french bible, 16th century. The book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic source of wisdom. Jan 02, 2020 what does it mean to worship the starry host or the host of the heavens zephaniah 1.
Josiah saw to it that many religious reforms took place. Gods offer of grace and salvation extends to all nations, not just the jews. Doom is eminent but zephaniahs message also includes gods restoration of all things to a world of peace. Like nahum, the book of zephaniah proceeds in a 3 for justification of hab 3. The message of zephaniah to the global church of the twentyfirst century is the certainty of the coming day of the lord zeph. The theme of zechariah is the glory of the lord yahweh.
Malachi is the last book in the bible and portrays christ as the sun of righteousness. The book begins by telling of gods judgement on the kingdom of judah. Arcana coelestia ac 16611664 kings signify divine truth and divine good in and from the lord, as noted in apocalypse explained ae 446 10. Kings also represent the dominant evils and falsities against which the lord fought. The harpercollins study bible supplies headings for the. Overview of the book of zephaniah zionlutheranchurch. Theme of zephaniah zephaniahs primary objective is to awaken judah out of spiritual slumber. Ezekiels prophecy found its fulfillment in the return and rebuilding of jerusalem under zerubbabel, ezra, and nehemiah.
Zephaniah is the ninth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. This prophet is placed last, as he was last in time, of all the minor prophets before the captivity, and not long before jeremiah, who lived at the time of the captivity. The prophecy by zephaniah is a companion to that of habakkuk. Not only judah, but pagan nations would suffer gods punishment. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. It was zephaniahs lot to speak on the most unpleasant subject in the bible the judgment of god. A literary look at zephaniah zephaniah is concerned with matters relative to the day of the lord as a time of judgment for sinful men and of purification for a redeemed people. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed to zephaniah, written probably about 640630 bc. Like the writings of many of the prophets, the book of zephaniah follows a pattern of judgment on all people for their sin followed by the restoration of gods chosen people. And the diadem was set upon them in the holy spirit, and the throne of each of them was sevenfold more brilliant than.
Book of zephaniah overview insight for living ministries. In the book of zephaniah, gods justice and love offer. Zephaniah warns israel and the surrounding nations that the day of the lord is near. Zephaniah means yahweh has hiddenprotected, or yahweh hides. This day is one of judgment against those who sin against god, and one of blessing for those who follow him. This summary of the book of zephaniah provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of zephaniah.
Zephaniah speaks of the day of yahweh as a time when he will punish the princes of judah and those who leap on the threshold and fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit 1. Zephaniah predicts that god has bigger plans than the end of the world. Bible study guide book of zephaniah saturday, november 3, 2012 background on zephaniah in zephaniah 1. The book of zephaniah is a book of the bible and is thought to be written by zephaniah son of cushi son of gedaliah son of amariah son of hezekiah, in the days of king josiah son of amon of judah the book begins by telling of gods judgement on the kingdom of judah. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, november 20. It is attributed to the prophet nahum, and was probably written in jerusalem in the 7th century bc. Kings represent goods and truths having the upper hand. Aug 23, 20 the book of zephaniah niv audio holy bible high quality and best speed book 36 duration. The book of zephaniah is a book of the bible and is thought to be written by zephaniah son of cushi son of gedaliah son of amariah son of hezekiah, in the days of king josiah son of amon of judah. Book of zechariah overview insight for living ministries. Zephaniah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of zephaniah for bible study or sunday school lessons. All these shall drink of the same cup of trembling that is put into the hands of gods people, as was also foretold by other prophets before and after. I saw a great broad place, thousands of thousands surrounded it on its left side and myriads of myriads on its right side.
The day of the lord is a major theme in zephaniah occurring 23 times in this. Outline of the book of zephaniah woe to her that is rebellious and polluted. Feb 22, 2017 zephaniah predicts that god has bigger plans than the end of the world. God often convicts our hearts of the same sinful tendency to leave god. We often overlook seemingly boring genealogies in the bible, but sometimes they can be the most interesting part. The book of zechariah contains the clearest and the largest number of messianic about the messiah passages among the minor prophets. Christ indeed is our dayspring upon high who now is rising in our hearts and spreads his light into all are being, revealing areas that need changing as we walk with him in the light. Zechariah pictures christ in both his first coming zechariah 9. Josephus places nahum during the reign of jotham, while others place him in the beginning of the reign of ahaz, judahs next king, or even the latter half of the. A and a spirit took me and brought me up into the fifth heaven. The great day of the lord is near and coming very quickly. The main message of the first chapter in the book of zephaniah is the day of the lord. On that day, punishment will be executed on all gods enemies from many nations 2.
Zechariahs prophetic ministry took place in the postexilic period, the time of the jewish restoration from babylonian captivity. Among the prophets, this is a unique introduction with its long list of fathers back to zephaniahs great. If this is correct then zephaniah would be part of the royal family. What kings of judah preceded zephaniahs prophetical work, and what king. The book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of judah from 640 to 609 bc zephaniah 1. Zephaniah practically gives the address of the united states. Zephaniah was a prophet of god, sent to help gods people tribe of. The northern ten tribes had already been carried into assyria nearly a century before, c. The date of zephaniahs prophecy is given as in the days of josiah the son of amon, king of judah. Nineveh was a city of vast extent, and was then the center of the civilization and commerce of the world, according to nahum a bloody city all full of lies and robbery, a reference. His theme is the day of the lord, which destroys the false remnant of baal chapter 1, destroys the godrejecting nations chapter 2, and purifies the true remnant.
Zephaniah wrote it shortly before the fall of judah in the southern kingdom. The book of zephaniah was written during the reign of king josiah, likely in the early part of his reign, between 635 and 625 bc. We can begin to pinpoint exactly when zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the text. The love of god is difficult to grasp while reading the book of zephaniah, which begins with a horrifying message of gods judgment. Despite the fact that zephaniah warns judah of impending doom, the prophecy is dual, and the major fulfillment of his prophecy is yet future. This is similar to the idea of imminence in the nt. Zephaniah was a prophet of god, sent to help gods people tribe of judah towards spiritual revival. The book of zephaniah in the bible consists of three chapters. God will judge the nations with a burning fire as he purifies them from sin, evil and violence. The prophet zephaniah was evidently a person of considerable social standing in judah and was probably related to the royal line. One interesting find is located in the first verse of the book of zephaniah.
The book of the prophet zephaniah indicates that he ministered during the reign of josiah 640609, the last of the godly kings of judah cf. The books superscription attributes its authorship to zephaniah son of cushi son of gedaliah son of amariah son of hezekiah, in the days of king josiah son of amon of judah 1. Zephaniah the prophet may have been the son of a cushite man. Zephaniah sets forth the dark side of the love of god. It wont stop at judahthe whole world will be punished. The day of the lord is a very prominent theme in zephaniah s prophecy.
The dominant theme of the book is the day of the lord, which the prophet sees approaching as a consequence of the sins of judah. Interesting facts about zephaniah barnes bible charts meaning. When his people are gathered from the four corners of the world. Zephaniahs message of judgment and encouragement contains three major doctrines. Zephaniah concludes with the wonderful promise of israels future restoration. The day of yahweh is described in similar terms to that of joel 1. There are many people who would like to rule this subject of judgment out of the. All that is known of zephaniah comes from the text the name cushi, zephaniahs father, means cushite or ethiopian, and the text of zephaniah mentions the sin and restoration of. The day of the lord is at hand, a terrible day for those who have rebelled. Zephaniah and his contemporaries, jeremiah and habakkuk, were some of the prophets god used to pronounce this warning message. Book of zephaniah simple english wikipedia, the free. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah 640609 b. The theme of zephaniah is the approaching day of the lord. The description of the day of yahweh is similar to the lords statements in matthew 24.
When did moab and ammon eventually worship the lord zephaniah 2. Zephaniah warned of an impending judgment while providing hope for the faithful. The title of the prophecy informs us that the ministry of zephaniah took place during the reign of josiah 640609. In that respect, its possible to think of the book of zechariah as a kind of miniature book of isaiah. Historically, the book of zephaniah was used in the providence of god to prepare judah for the reforms and revival under king josiah. When his people are gathered from the four corners of the world and god is sitting on the throne. The book of zephaniah niv audio holy bible high quality and best speed book 36 duration. This summary of the book of zechariah provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of zechariah. The book of zephaniah contains some of the most intense images of gods justice and love found in the prophetic books. You can find the best commentary on zephaniah for you using the tools on the right side.
Zephaniah speaks of the day of yahweh in terrible terms 1. We should take his words literally but understand them to. Zephaniahs main theme is the coming of the day of the lord see notes on isa 2. Zephaniah the clarion call zephaniah was a greatgreatgrandson of king hezekiah of judah, who lived in the days of king josiah, the last righteous king of judah. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. As i understand the book, there are two dominant themes in zephaniah. Zephaniah portrays the stark horror of that ordeal with the same graphic imagery found elsewhere in the prophets. The book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the. The apocalypse of zephaniah the lost books of the bible. The title of the prophecy informs us that the ministry of zephaniah took place during the reign of josiah 640609 b. Zephaniahs message was not just for ancient judah but also for our day. The book of nahum is the seventh book of the 12 minor prophets of the hebrew bible. Go to the bottom of that page to see the index chapters, which are hot links.
Zephaniah s primary target for gods message of judgment, the nation of judah, had fallen into grievous sin under the reign of their king, manasseh. What does it mean that god will rejoice over us with singing zephaniah 3. Zephaniahs message of judgment and encouragement contains three major. The subject of nahums prophecy is the approaching complete and final destruction of nineveh, the capital of the great and at that time flourishing assyrian empire. This is not the only place where this theme occurs, of course, but it is the most concentrated treatment of the judgment of god as the whole book is devoted to this one theme. There are a number of helpful commentaries on the book of zephaniah, and the following are five of the best. This prophecy shall be fulfilled in the kingdom age. As we prepare to study the literal and spiritual senses of the book of zephaniah, lets look at some historical facts that will help us enter into the eternal message of the lords word. What is the general theme of the book of zephaniah. Books of the bible click on a book listed below which will take you to its introduction page. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. He begins his prophecy by tracing his heritage back to hezekiah king of judah.
Three times god says i will sweep away in chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. The book declares judgment on many nations, all of which opposed god through opposition to. Zephaniahs preaching condemned the hopeless corruption found in judean society. The prophesies of zephaniah were to announce to the people of judah, gods coming judgment. Jonah, joel, amos, hosea, isaiah and micah had already prophesied and died. The purpose of this book was to show the complacent southern kingdoms that they were wicked, god used a prophet zephaniah. Themes in zephaniah the day of the lord is coming, a time of reckoning. This is supported by the fact that zephaniah is very familiar with current political issues, with the city of jerusalem and its districts 1.
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