1. Zephaniah
“The Day of the Lord”
Introduction and Chap 1-2:3
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2. Some background to Zephaniah and the historical period
Zephaniah – Hebrew “Sephenjah” means Hidden God
• Has God hidden himself or Zephaniah had been
hidden by God?
 He has royal blood in Him – his grandfather was
King Hezekiah (v1) .. good king of Judah (Isaiah. 36-39)
 After Hezekiah came Manasseh. During Manasseh’s
reign, royal offsprings were sacrificed to the god
Molech. Zephaniah was little then.
Introduction 2

3. ISRAEL
JUDAH
Israel
Northern Kingdom
Judah
Southern Kingdom
3Introduction

4. 4Introduction

5. Division of Zephaniah
 The Day of the Lord (chap 1 – 2:3)
 The Nations Condemned (2:4-15)
 A New Hope (Chap 3)
Key theme of Zephaniah
…. Judgment !!
5Introduction

6. Parallels between Zephaniah and Revelation
• Judgment of God’s people
Zephaniah 1   Revelations 2 - 3
• Judgment of the Nations
Zephaniah 2   Revelation 4-15
• Day of Judgment
Zephaniah 3:1-8   Revelation 20
• Final Bliss for God’s people
Zephaniah 3:9-20   Revelation 21,22
6Introduction

7. The Day of the Lord
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God has had enough!! (v 2 -3)
Sweeping imagery - a clean up.
• What do you sweep away?
• What do you do with the waste/rubbish you collected?
• The worst the dirt on the floor, your sweeping is more …??
• What is the outcome of sweeping ??

8. The Day of the Lord
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God has had enough!! (v 2 -3)
Other e.g. of “Day of the Lord”
Past
• Flood (Gen 6,7)
• Sodom and Gomorrah ( 18,19)
• The ten plagues of Exodus
• Destruction of Israel (1 Kings 17, Lev 26:14-39 , Isaiah … )

9. The Day of the Lord
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God has had enough!! (v 2 -3)
Patterns in “Day of the Lord” : Noah, The Flood
- Men’s wickedness increased and cause God pain (Gen 6:5,6)
- A way out for the ‘righteous remnants’
- Destruction is total and extensive in its calamity (Gen 7:22,23)
- Sudden and unexpected. (Matt 24:37-39)
- Distressed

10. The Day of the Lord
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Judgment Deserved (1:4-6)
Judgment Declared (1:7-9)
Judgment Described (1:10-16)
Judgment Deflected (2:1-3)
God has had enough!!
The Day of the Lord

11. The Day of the Lord 11
Judgment Deserved (1:4-6)
Idolatry … !!
Going after false gods.
.... bowing down/worship v5
….. neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him v6
Idolatry is
- a misrepresentation of God
- a way of cutting God to size by representing him with physical objects or nature
- following a deception and ignoring the consequences ( Rom 1)

12. The Day of the Lord 12
Judgment Declared (1:7-9)
Warning!!
V 7 .. A sacrifice AND those consecrated
What/who is sacrificed?
Idolatry is
- a misrepresentation of God
- a way of cutting God to size by representing him with physical objects or nature
- following a deception and ignoring the consequences ( Rom 1)
v8,9
• Kings, princes, king’s sons, those clad in foreign clothes
• Those who avoided stepping on the threshold
• Violence and deceit

13. The Day of the Lord 13
Judgment Described (1:10-16)
Punishments !!
• Locations : Fish Gate, New Quarter, from the hills,
market district (v10)
• People : merchants, those trading in silver, those
think the Lord will do nothing (v11)
• How: wealth plundered (v13)
• When: near and coming (v14)
• Agent of punishment: warriors (14-16)

14. The Day of the Lord 14
Judgment Described (1:10-16)

15. The Day of the Lord 15
Judgment Deflected (1:10-16)
Redemption !!
• Redemption through seeking the Lord. (2:3 cf 1:6)
• Characteristics of those seeking the Lord
- righteousness and humility (v3)