IntroductionZephaniah 1:1

Main Idea: The book of Zephaniah is the story of God’s powerful judgment and His equally astonishing grace.

Remember “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”? One of the more well known of Aesop’s Fables, the story describes the boy who repeatedly called out about impending danger when no danger was present, only to find that when actual danger was present, no one was willing to come to his aid because they no longer believed him when he called. In a small sense Israel, and more specifically, the city of Jerusalem, was guilty of treating the prophet Zephaniah with the same disregard, though Zephaniah was not guilty of deceptively crying out when danger was not present. No, instead the people of Judah had disregarded God for many, many years and found themselves now being called to repentance, only they seem to have had little interest in turning from their sin.

The people of God were in the midst of a long period of rebellion. Zephaniah helps us understand when this occurs by providing for us his lineage. He is the great-great grandson of King Hezekiah. Hezekiah, of course, is known for his illness and request of the Lord for longer life, which God answered by extending his life 15 years. During this time he fathered Manasseh, who would follow him as the next king of Israel. Unfortunately, Manasseh was an evil king who did great spiritual damage in Israel. Following Manasseh was King Amon, who continued Manasseh’s legacy and did not honor God with his leadership. As a result Israel continued to be mired in spiritual decline. Manasseh and Amon ruled for a total of 57 years, and Josiah came to power after Amon. Josiah was a different ruler than his two predecessors; he desired to rule in a way that honored God and that called the people to repentance. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Josiah, and it was in the midst of this environment that Zephaniah began to prophesy.

Zephaniah was almost certainly a person of some influence, mostly due to his family heritage. As a direct descendant of Hezekiah, he was probably a man of affluence, some renown, and influence. A contemporary of Jeremiah, Zephaniah would have been one of a few prophetic voices who lent their support to the king’s desire for reform. His position in the community would almost certainly have given strength to his voice and granted him a certain audience. However, his position in the community would also have likely exacerbated the opposition when the community realized the content of his call for repentance.

Zephaniah’s lineage also helps us to get an idea of when the book was written. His prophecy was written during the reign of Josiah, but before the fall of Nineveh. Helping us pinpoint it a bit more is the fact that it was written before Josiah’s reforms, which would have occurred around 621 BC. So, taking into account each of these features, we can be fairly confident that the book was written between 641 and 622 BC.

The dominant themes of the book are pretty clear. This is a book of judgment, a call to repentance, and a declaration of God’s gracious work on behalf of His people.