Zepheniah: Hope for the Defeated
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Hope for the Defeated
Hope for the Defeated
"God recycles." He transforms lives. He restores.
The messenger of this hope is Zephaniah.
We don’t know much about him, but we do know his ancestry:
1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
Zeph, you see was an aristocrat… he was the grandson of King Hezekiah. But instead of investing himself in the political side of life, he chose to pursue the things of God.
As we will see, Zeph took a passionate stand against religious and moral depravity in his society. While he had a strong message for the people, he was entirely hopeful as to what God was going to do.
Zeph ministered, like Habakkuk, during the reign of Josiah, so I think it’s important to take a moment and remind us of who this is because he is an important figure in the story of the OT.
You’ve probably heard of King David, the greatest King of Israel, he had many sons, but one of his youngest, Solomon, would follow him on the throne.
Following his death, in the rule of his son Rehoboam, Israel divided… over taxes.
The North would become known as Israel, the South Judah.
Scripture says that the North had no good kings… meaning, Godly men as kings. They all led the people to worship foreign Gods.
In the south, there were a few really good ones… and a bunch not so good. One of the most Godly was King Hezekiah. His son and Grandson were terrible, ungodly men. But then came Josiah.
King Josiah: The Last Good King
King Josiah: The Last Good King
2 Kings and 2 Chronicles tell us his story.
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
Became King when he was 8… Leading one of the most powerful nations in the world.... You and I were in 3rd grade excited about recess.
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols.
16 years old… Seeking the Lord
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols.
20 years old… Driving out idolatry
8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.
26 years old… Reopen and purify the temple
10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.
Convicted of God’s word
God’s Messenger: Zephaniah
God’s Messenger: Zephaniah
This is the environment where Zephaniah comes into ministry.
There are great things happening in the life of Judah… but just like any where else, not everything is great.
Have you ever found that to be true in your life. When things are going great, just under the surface, there are real problems brewing.
Often times we don’t appreciate it until we can look back and see how it affected us, but that’s what makes prophetic leaders so helpful to the people of God. Prophetic leaders don’t overlook problems… they see things as they truly are… and then they shine a light on them.
Reality #1: Sin of Idolatry
Reality #1: Sin of Idolatry
4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests—
5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molek,
6 those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.”
Baal - Canaanites
Molek - Ammonites
Idolatry is a heart condition: craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything more than God
Do I love or treasure anything or anyone more than God?
Do I prioritize anything or anyone before God?
Does anything bring me more pleasure than the things of God?
Do I place my identity in anything over my status as a child of God?
Do I look to anything or anyone to meet my needs instead of God?
Do I seek fulfillment or satisfaction from anything outside of God?
Do I seek comfort outside of God?
15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
True freedom is found under God’s authority.
True freedom is found under God’s authority.
Money
Am I drawing a sense of stability from God, or from a fat savings account?
Nice things
Do I love the things money can buy more than I love God? Do they bring me more joy than the things of the Lord?
Careers
does my career bring me more satisfaction than my relationship with God? Do I identify more as a #girlboss than a child of God? Do I trust my employer to provide for my needs, more than I trust God?
Hobbies
Maybe the toughest question of all, do I invest time and energy into my hobby, that I should be investing into time with God?
Appearance
More concerned with how I look to the world rather than to God?
Love interest
Am I looking to my spouse/etc to “complete me”?
Children
Do we give ourselves to our kids more than to God?
Family/Relationships
But we have to ask ourselves, am I seeking fulfillment from this relationship? Am I looking to them for things that I’m supposed to be drawing from God?
Problem #2: Complacency
Problem #2: Complacency
12 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.’
"God's not doing anything about anything, so why should we? Why should we care about communing with God? Why should we care about honoring Him? Why should we care about worshiping Him? Why live for Him?"
Usually we wait until the last minute… keeping God on the shelf like the elf
25 years ahead… God sent Zeph
14 The great day of the Lord is near— near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
15 That day will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness—
16 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.
17 “I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.” In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.
True freedom is found under God’s authority.
True freedom is found under God’s authority.
Our hope: The Day of the Lord
Our hope: The Day of the Lord
Day of the Lord… day when God exercises his authority…
All throughout the first 2 chapters this coming Day of the Lord is to be feared… It’s God’s warning, years in advance that you better get right with God because destruction is coming on the Day of the Lord…
But God’s desire isn’t destruction… God’s desire is the love of his people… he tells them in chapter 2:
1 Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation,
2 before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.
7 Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.
14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
True Freedom is found under God’s Authority
True Freedom is found under God’s Authority
God singing.
Have you ever thought of that?
Normally we think of us singing in heaven, us worshiping, angels singing - but God, singing?
When you approach God with humility, broken, and submit your life to Jesus Christ, He rejoices over you with gladness; He quiets you with His love; He rejoices over you with loud singing.
And I want to stress this, He's not singing because of what we've done or accomplished. He's singing because of what Jesus Christ has done in giving His life for us, that in Him we might once again be in God's presence, as it was intended, and this is why God sings.
While our God is a just God, a jealous, and a righteous God. While God has wrath, and we see it in Scripture - He's also a God of mercy, a God of grace, a God of love.
Don't let the enemy tell you that God could never love you. Don't let him tell you that "this is the time you've messed up too much. You could never come back from that." Don't let him tell you that "Because of all these things you've done, God's never going to forgive you," "You're broken. You're just trash."