Empire was ascending. In his very first chapter, Zephaniah describes the coming judgment saying,

“Near is the great day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Zeph. 1:14-15).

And the reason for this coming judgment? Zephaniah lists some of the offenses that Judah is guilty of, namely the worship of God had been polluted with idolatrous priests who promoted the worship of Baal and nature. Adding to this, the princes and officials were completely corrupt. However, Zephaniah tells the people that the LORD will respond with mercy if they repent and humble themselves. If they do so, the coming disaster will be averted (Zeph. 2:1-3). Here is how Zephaniah describes God’s appeal to the nation,

“Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth; you who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness; seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger” (Zeph. 2:3).

And the reason for God’s invitation to repentance and the avoidance of “disaster” is found in some of the last words of his prophecy,

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, and He will rejoice over you with sounds of joy” (Zeph. 3:17).

And the Lord does the same today with all those who know Him personally through Jesus Christ. We need to recognize this about our God who loves and cares for us.

So much of Zephaniah’s prophecy could be said of our own nation. Idolatry and immorality are running rampant, and corruption and injustice are prevalent in our legislative bodies and in our Zephaniah

Zephaniah prophesied after the fall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and before the fall of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. In fact, the proclamation of Zephaniah can be further pinpointed to the reign of King Josiah of Judah, which would put his prophecy between 630-625 B.C.. If you recall, it was just a few years later, in 612 B.C., that the Assyrians would fall to the Babylonians, and in 605 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar would deport Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and 10,000 other persons to Babylon. And almost 20 after this deportation in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the city and temple, kill tens of thousands of residents, and deport the remaining citizens to Babylon.

Zephaniah’s prophecy during the reign of Josiah resulted in many external changes, such as the removal of idols throughout the nation, but not enough to produce any significant and lasting inward changes. Zephaniah’s prophecy has a consistent pattern, moving three times from the general to the specific: 1) from universal judgment to judgment upon the nation of Judah; 2) from judgment upon the surrounding nations to judgment upon the city of Jerusalem; and 3) from judgment and cleansing of all nations to the restoration of Judah.   

Whenever the Bible speaks of the “Day of the Lord,” it is never a day of “joy and blessing,” but a day of “sadness and judgment.” And this judgment is allowed and sent by God, but His instrument of judgment was usually a world power, like Assyria or Babylon. Shortly after Jesus’ ascension to heaven, that judgment would be brought to the people of Israel through the Roman Empire. Let’s look at how Zephaniah describes this coming “Day of the Lord” when the Assyrian Empire was waning in power and the Babylonian courts. But God’s call for repentance is not just for those in authority or positions of power; it’s for all of us. Let’s search our own heart to see if the same sins in Zephaniah’s day are present in our own lives today. If they are, then we need to humble ourselves and repent, confessing our sins to God, and return to Him.

Furthermore, just because our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles does not mean that we are immune from God’s judgment. In fact, Jesus reminds us of a universal principle,

“From everyone who has been given much shall much be required.; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” (Lk. 12:48).

These words surely describe our own nation, as we have been given so much, and now what we have been given needs to be used wisely and justly. Let’s all pray for our nation as we pray for ourselves as citizens of this nation.

God bless you, and may He watch over you and keep you in His care.