Hidden With Christ - Zephaniah 1-3

“The Word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.” Zephaniah 1:1

Zephaniah’s name means “Hidden by God.” The Lord speaks to him of being hidden from His wrath against sin during the day of disaster. Zephaniah was the great-great grandson of King Hezekiah, and a descendant of King David. The Messiah would spring forth from his tribe.

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah which places him in the same period as Jeremiah, Nahum and Habakkuk. Zephaniah’s warnings about idolatry and corruption likely influenced Josiah’s major religious reforms. 

“I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land, says the Lord. I will consume man and beast. I will consume the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land, says the Lord.” Zephaniah 1:2-3

Zephaniah’s message is similar to Jonah’s. In Jonah 3:4, Jonah preached, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Zephaniah preaches that God will remove them from the land.

“I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, the names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests, those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops, those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom, those who have turned back from following the Lord, and have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.” Zephaniah 1:4-5

The Lord’s controversy was with idolatry. He promised to cut off every trace of Baal along with the priests and people who served him. They should have followed, sought and prayed to the Lord. God’s first commandment is to love Him. They stopped loving God. They gave the glory which God was due to idols.

“Be silent in the presence of the Lord God for the day of the Lord is at hand for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has invited His guests. And it shall be, in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel. In the same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. And there shall be on that day, says the Lord, the sound of a mournful cry from the fish gate, a wailing from the second quarter, and a loud crashing from the hills.” Zephaniah 1:7-10

Be silent in the presence of the Lord God! How many of us practice being silent before the Lord? Do we give to Him the opportunity to speak to us by His Spirit? It has been said that God gave us two ears and one mouth. We should listen more than we speak.

The Lord told Zephaniah, “I will punish the princes and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.” This prophecy did not come to pass during the days of Josiah, but they did come to pass for his son King Zedekiah. The Babylonians captured Zedekiah and his sons. They killed his princely sons, and afterwards removed his eyes. These men had enjoyed exotic apparel. Their servants invaded people’s homes. They leapt for joy when they could bring to the princes (their masters) spoils which they had obtained by violence and deception. Their joy would soon turn to weeping and wailing.

“Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh! For all the merchant people are cut down. All those who handle money are cut off. And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.’ Therefore their goods shall become booty, and their houses a desolation. They shall build houses, but not inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.” Zephaniah 1:11-13

The Lord was about to beam a bright light on Jerusalem and expose scammers. He was about to locate and punish complacent people who say, “The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.” They neglected the Lord to focus on the acquisition of worldly wealth which they would lose.

Many years later, in John 2:15, Jesus made a whip with cords and drove out the merchants from the temple in Jerusalem. He poured out their money and overturned their tables. In John 2:16, Jesus said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

“The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath, but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.” Zephaniah 1:14-18

When the Lord speaks of climate change, it is no scam. Nothing damages the climate more than disobedience to God. In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, God connected a healthy earth to healthy obedience to His commands, and a sick earth to disobedience to His commands.

“Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you! Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Zephaniah 2:1-3

Zephaniah urged his listeners to jointly seek the Lord. Be meek and seek! Seek the Lord, righteousness and humility! Uphold justice!

King Josiah responded to God’s Word. What happened? In 2 Kings 22:18-20, the prophetess Huldah said that because Josiah humbled himself before the Lord, his eyes would not see the calamities. In 2 Kings 23:3-20, Josiah proceeded to purge Judah of Baal worship. He executed the priests who promoted it. Zephaniah’s prophecy did not come to pass in his days.

“For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon desolate. They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The Word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: ‘I will destroy you so there shall be no inhabitant. The seacoast shall be pastures with shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks. The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They shall feed their flocks there. In the houses of Ashkelon, they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord, their God will intervene for them and return their captives.’” Zephaniah 2:4-7

The Lord speaks of the desolation of Judah’s neighbors – the Philistines. The Babylonians easily defeated them. They would also defeat and take captive the people of Judah. The Lord did give Judah some good news. When they returned from captivity, some lands which the Philistines took from them would be restored to the shepherds of Judah for their flocks.

“I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the insults of the people of Ammon, with which they have reproached My people, and made arrogant threats against their borders. Therefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah—overrun with weeds and salt pits and a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, and the remnant of My people shall possess them. This they shall have for their pride because they have reproached and made arrogant threats against the people of the Lord of hosts. The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth. People shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations.” Zephaniah 2:8-11

The nations of Moab and Ammon joined with Babylon against Judah. They took advantage of Judah when they were weak and vulnerable. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, Moab and Ammon would cease to exist. Pride and mistreatment of God and His people sealed their doom. The day is coming in which God will reduce all idols to nothing. Then, all nations shall worship God.

“You Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by My sword. And He will stretch out His hand against the north, destroy Assyria, and make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as the wilderness. The herds shall lie down in her midst, every beast of the nation. Both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars. Their voice shall sing in the windows. Desolation shall be at the threshold; for He will lay bare the cedar work.” Zephaniah 2:12-14

This prophecy was fulfilled when the Ethiopians joined with Egypt against Babylon. Babylon defeated them both. Babylon also conquered Assyria.

“This is the rejoicing city that dwelt securely, that said in her heart, ‘I am it, and there is none besides me.’ How has she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and shake his fist.” Zephaniah 2:15

They rejoiced because they believed that they were the superpower of the world. Ninevah was the capital of Assyria. This prophecy seemed improbable. Ninevah was surrounded by seven and a half miles of walls. The wall system consisted of a stone retaining wall about 20 feet high surmounted by a mudbrick wall about 33 feet high and 49 feet thick. Ninevah was destroyed.

“Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice. She has not received correction. She has not trusted in the Lord. She has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary. They have done violence to the Law. The Lord is righteous in her midst He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning, He brings His justice to light. He never fails, but the unjust knows no shame.” Zephaniah 3:1-5

The rebellious, polluted and oppressive city is Jerusalem. Her leaders deemed obedience to God unnecessary. They refused to draw near to God. Their princes, judges, prophets and priests were hostile to Him. God did not change His standard for them. He kept calling them to repent.

“I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated. I have made their streets desolate with none passing by. Their cities are destroyed. There is no one, no inhabitant. I said surely you will fear Me. You will receive instruction— so that her dwelling would not be cut off, despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.” Zephaniah 3:6-7

The Lord’s prophetic words of destruction for Gaza, Ammon, Moab, Ethiopia, Egypt and Assyria came to pass. Jerusalem had ample reasons to believe that the Lord would fulfill His prophetic words to them. But, no, they continued to rise up each day to do evil.

“Therefore, wait for Me, says the Lord, until the day I rise up for plunder. My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger. All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy. For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the Name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord.” Zephaniah 3:8-9

This prophecy aligns with what Jesus revealed to John in Revelation 7:9-10. John saw a great multitude which no one could number from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. These people have a new language. It is a language of praise unto the Lord. They serve the Lord with one accord. Where did they come from? Revelation 7:14-15 says that they came out of the great tribulation by the blood of the Lamb.

Many will be saved by the Lord during seasons of great tribulations.

“From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed one’s, shall bring My offering. In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against Me. For then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain. I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.” Zephaniah 3:10-13

What is the outcome of seasons of tribulation? The answer is refinement. The Lord shall have Messianic Jewish worshippers come from as far away as Ethiopia back to Jerusalem. Meekness and humility will replace pride. Faith in God will replace doubt. No deceit shall be found in their mouths. In Revelation 14:1-4, the Lord speaks of 144,000 followers of Christ. They are from the twelve tribes of Israel. Revelation 14:5 says, “In their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

“Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not fear; Zion. Let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst. The Mighty One will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:14-17

Why should the daughters of Jerusalem sing, shout, be glad and rejoice with all their hearts? The Lord took away their judgments. He cast out their accuser. God is among them. Revelation 21:4 says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

A glorious day is coming for believers in Christ. Colossians 2:13-15 proclaims that we who were dead in trespasses, God makes alive together with Christ. He forgave our trespasses. Christ wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us. He nailed our crimes to the cross. He triumphed over them. Christ took away our judgment.

Thanks to Jesus we are saved. God rejoices over us with gladness. He calms us with His love. He rejoices over us with singing. All of this thanks to what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

“I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom its reproach is a burden. Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather those who were driven out. I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes, says the Lord.” Zephaniah 3:18-20

The captives in Babylon sorrowed because they wanted to join with other believers in worship to the Lord. God promised to deal with those who mistreated them due to their love for Him. God promised to honor the lame and the outcast whom the proud had despised.

In John 12:26, Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” We should honor the Lord no matter how inhumanely ungodly people treat us. The Lord turned things around for His servants in the past, and He will do it again, especially when He welcomes us into heaven.

Zephaniah means “Hidden by God.” That’s the place to be! In Colossians 3:2-4, Paul wrote, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”