Zephaniah, Restoration

Doom and gloom. That is what most people think of when they read the prophets. To be fair we have seen a lot of judgment and wrath these last several books. God takes sin very seriously and it is important for us as God's people to realize this. Our sin is offensive to God. He hates our sin because of what it does to us and the world around us. God will not sit by and idly let the corruption of sin consume our lives.

So comes the judgment. It is designed not merely for punishment but to inspire repentance. It is the spanking a parent gives after repeated warnings to stop. It is the last effort to bring about a change when reason, words, and begging have failed.

But, now what?

When judgment has had its effect, when we are now repentant and aware of our sin, God welcomes us back with open arms. He promises restoration and revival. He promises to change our hearts and renew our minds. Few books make this as clear as Zephaniah.

Background

The book of Zephaniah was written by the prophet Zephaniah around the year 620 BC, during the reign of Josiah. Zephaniah preached only in the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed by Assyria.

The kingdom of Judah was undergoing a sort of transformation at the time of this prophecy. Josiah was one of the few good kings. He led massive reforms in an effort to bring the people back to God. Still the spiritual damage that had been done by the two previous kings, Manasseh and Amon, was so extensive that when Josiah died his reforms died with him. With his death the prophesied judgment, that earlier could have been avoided through genuine repentance, became inevitable. 

Themes

The primary theme of Zephaniah is the Day of YHWH. We talked about this before starting the prophets, because it is a theme that runs through all of them. The Day of YHWH is the day that evil is punished and righteousness is vindicated. It is a day of great fear for some and rejoicing for others.

The first two chapters, and the beginning of chapter three, focus on the judgment brought on by this day. God, through Zephaniah, condemns the nation of Judah for their wickedness. He then condemns the surrounding nations for their wickedness. God then promises that his wrath will be poured out upon them.

God then explains the purpose. The rest of chapter three is one of the most encouraging passages in all of Scripture. God explains that on the day of wrath he will give everyone a clean mouth. He will protect the humble and give them rest. He will restore Judah to her place as his chosen people.

God then tells Judah to rejoice and be glad. He promises to take away their enemies and ensure peace for them and their children. When the people repent God will not sit idly by, giving them stern looks and warning them not to mess up again. When the people come running back to God, Zephaniah says that God will be so full of joy that he will sing loudly over them!

Theological Point

God will bring about restoration on that day of judgment. While many of the other prophets do indeed talk quite a bit about the restoration that follows God's wrath, few do it in such beautiful and direct terms as Zephaniah. He gives us a picture of God that is incredible; a God who sings loudly with joy over his children returning. 

What must always remain clear is that there can be no restoration without judgment. This holds true for us as it did with Judah. Our judgment doesn't come in the form of Babylonian invaders or Assyrian siege towers; it comes in the cross of Jesus Christ. 

I think it is interesting that many Christians think that because Jesus suffered and died they don't have to. They think they can skip the Crucifixion and go right to the Resurrection. We are called to share in the cross of Jesus Christ, to put on his shame and righteousness. We are called to look like Jesus to the world, to be living sacrifices who are crucified with him. 

It is only by experiencing his death that we can take part in his Resurrection. God never promised us freedom from judgment; he promised us that we wouldn't have to do it alone. So when that final judgment day comes and we stand before the throne of almighty God, we won't stand as the world does; afraid, defiant, and condemned. Rather we will stand as we have lived; clinging to Jesus Christ our advocate, fully reliant on his strength and righteousness.

Conclusion

The prophets are incredibly consistent in their message. I sometimes feel like I am writing the same blog over and over simply because the different prophetic books all point to the same thing; the sovereignty of God. I pray you are benefiting from this in some way or another. God bless.