AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH #

Zephaniah had a brief but powerful message for a people locked in religious apostasy. His four-generation genealogy, going back to an unidentified Hezekiah, may indicate that he was of royal descent. The conditions which he addressed reflect Judah in the decade before Josiah's reforms in 621 B.C. If he were a member of the royal family, he may have been one of the dominant influences on the young king to reverse the apostasy of his father and grandfather.

Zephaniah was an urban prophet whose message to Judah focused on Jerusalem. The description of God as One searching Jerusalem with lamps (Zeph.1v12) formed the basis of the way that Zephaniah was represented in Medieval art. Zephaniah addressed a people who had misplaced their religious loyalties. The gods of Canaan, Assyria, and Ammon were being worshiped, but the Yahweh was being neglected! Some concluded that the Lord was no longer active in their history. To this, Zephaniah responded with the strongest development of the theme of "the Day of the Lord" to be found in the prophets. Terrible punishment was coming, but after the return of the faithful ones, Jerusalem would have a glorious future.

Return to Zephaniah

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /