Zephaniah: The End. Sort of.

I've been Reading Through The Bible (RTTB) in one year, in alphabetical order. Zephaniah is, therefore, the Last Book. (Except, somehow I forgot to write a blog entry on Acts, so that will be my last one.)

Zephaniah was probably written during the reign of King Josiah, or sometime between 640 and 609 B.C. That's roughly the same time as Jeremiah, Habakkuk and Nahum. My Study Bible tells me the prophecy may have pre-dated the reforms of King Josiah. The northern kingdom, Israel, was already in exile; Judah would collapse in 586.

When I took the course on Old Testament Prophets at Dallas Seminary, one assignment was perhaps the most helpful project of my entire academic career. Dr. Stephen Bramer had us create a chart of all the prophets--with information about their date, the circumstances, the messages, etc. We were also supposed to come up with some sort of easy mnemonic device to help us remember a bit about the book. I remember using the word "zephyr" for Zephaniah. A zephyr is a kind of wind; the book of Zephaniah uses the theme of sweeping away (or perhaps blowing away) the land and its people.

God threatened to sweep away the the land and the people because of His wrath for their wickedness. Most of the prophecy details God's judgments against various groups--Judah, Philistia, Moab and Ammon, Cush, Assyria. The prophecies speak of the Day of the Lord, which was fulfilled in the near term through the assault of the Babylonians. Of course, we still anticipate the Great Day of the Lord.

Here are a couple of my favorite passages: "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad'" (Zeph. 1:12). Still today, there are far too many people who dismiss God, thinking He will refrain from punishing the wicked, or exercising His justice.

The end of the book of Zephaniah is a word of comfort and assurance for Judah. The LORD won't always be angry, and He will restore His beloved people. "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zeph. 3:17).

Imagine the LORD, the great God of the universe, rejoicing over us with singing.

Although that's not the final word in the book of Zephaniah, nor that final word in the Old Testament, it is a fitting final word for this Reading Through the Bible in alphabetical order.
Amen and amen.