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The Prophet

Zephaniah 1:1-7

© LifeWay 2014

1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 2 “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 3 “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, 5 those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, 6 those who have turned back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.” 7 Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.

Session 2 15

ExplorationBegin your session by setting the context for Zephaniah 1:1-7. Prepare for the session by reading through of the Book of Zephaniah so that you have a good grasp on the plot and context of today’s focal passage. Read over the material below and note any information to share with your students that will help them better understand the passage.

CONTEXT (ZEPH. 1:1–2:15)Somewhere between 630 and 621 B.C., Zephaniah was actively involved in his ministry as a prophet of the Lord. By this time ten of Israel’s twelve tribes—all of the ones north of the tribal territory of Benjamin—were missing from the promised land, thanks to a devastating defeat and deportation at the hands of the Assyrians in 721 B.C.

For the better part of a century, the Assyrians kept their grip on that part of the world, filling it with war refugees who had been forcibly removed from other parts of their empire (2 Kings 17:24). These non- Israelite groups were expected to generate income for their Assyrian overlords by maintaining the cities, tending to the farms, and caring for flocks in the pastures. Although Assyria did not conquer the Israelites living in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, they did exert considerable influence over them. In 701 B.C., for example, the Assyrian king marched a large army through the region, destroying virtually all of Judah’s remaining military resources and stripping the nation of much of its silver and gold (2 Kings 18:13-15).

Judah’s King Manasseh, who reigned from 697–642 B.C., adopted the pagan values and idol-gods of foreign peoples, imposing those values and idol-gods on Judah (2 Kings 21:1-9). Not until the time when Manasseh’s grandson, Josiah, reigned as king of Judah (640–609 B.C.) was there any real hope of return to the worship of the true God. The prophet Zephaniah’s ministry overlapped with the early years of King Josiah’s reign. In fact, it is possible that Zephaniah’s prophecies helped lead to King Josiah’s conversion and the revival that started around 627–626 B.C.

TRANSITION TO INDIVIDUAL STUDYAfter you have set the context, move your students into the Exploration time in their Personal Study Guides. There are several different ways that you can lead your students to explore the Scripture.

1. Lead your students to work through all of the Scripture and questions, then discuss their responses together as a group.

2. Guide your students to work through the Scripture and questions one question at a time. Pause for group discussion after each question.

Whichever method you choose, make sure that the students have an opportunity to explore the Scripture for themselves.

© LifeWay 2014

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Conversation

After your group has had enough time to work their way through the Exploration section of the study, bring them back together as a group. Now it is time to talk about what they discovered as they explored the Scripture. Ask one of your students to read the passage that they looked at as a group. Allow your students to share some of their thoughts about the passage they recorded in their Personal Study Guides. Their quick-response questions were:

❯ When you read these verses do you see any sense of hope?

❯ How would you respond if you received this message at your church?

As the students respond to the questions, help them understand the purpose of the phrase “Day of the Lord” and refer them to the fact on the Day of the Lord that is in their Personal Study Guides. Although it will be discussed more in verse 7, lead students to see that the phrase has immediate ramifications for Judah, as well as future implications for all of us. The Day of the Lord was coming in the destruction of the Ninevites that would happen in 612 B.C., but there is also a coming day when God will eradicate all evil.

ZEPHANIAH 1:1Call on a student to read verse 1. Like the Book of Nahum, which was a prophecy against the Ninevites, Zephaniah is a message for Judah to repent of her wicked ways. Zephaniah will begin with his genealogical record, which will be a little longer than the other Minor Prophets.

❯ What was the lineage of Zephaniah?

Zephaniah begins with a lengthy genealogy that goes back four generations. Zephaniah begins with his father, who was Cushi, then he lists his grandfather (Gedaliah), followed by his great-grandfather (Amariah), and finally he ends his four generation list with his great-great-grandfather (Hezekiah)

Ask students to see how far back they can list their genealogy. For most, they will not be able to go past their grandfather.

❯ Why is the lineage significant and important to look at?

Zephaniah’s lengthy genealogy could be explained by several different occurrences that are actually found in the names of his relatives. First is his dad. Because his father’s name was “Cushi” suggests that maybe Zephaniah had mixed ancestry, which would include Cushite (Ethiopian) bloodlines. Zephaniah also included his great-great-grandfather, Hezekiah—almost certainly King Hezekiah, who reigned from 729-686 B.C. This connected Zephaniah with the one sitting on the throne.

© LifeWay 2014

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Though Assyria did not technically conquer the Israelites living in the tribal regions of Benjamin and Judah, they did exert considerable influence over them. In 701 B.C. the Assyrian king Sennacherib marched a large army through the region, destroying virtually all of Israel’s remaining military resources and stripping the nation of most of its silver and gold (2 Kings 18:13-15).

Leader Prep

ZEPHANIAH 1:1Three key facts about the prophet Zephaniah are found in the book’s opening verse. The first fact is the reason that we have this book in the Bible: the word of the Lord ... came to Zephaniah. This prophetic book was not preserved to display Zephaniah’s literary genius, to document some great achievement in Judah’s history, or to entertain those of us who read it. The Book of Zephaniah exists because it preserves the actual words of the Lord God, the Almighty Creator of the universe, that were revealed to a human messenger. These words are therefore far more important and powerful in their effect than any human king’s words. They must be heard and passed down to all generations of humanity. Second, the verse gives us a four-generation genealogy of the prophet. Interestingly, the list goes back to a man named Hezekiah—most likely a reference to King Hezekiah, one of Judah’s better—although inconsistent— kings (2 Chron. 31:20). If this king was indeed Zephaniah’s great-great grandfather, then the prophet also was a relative of the king sitting on the throne in his day, King Josiah. Consequently, this meant that Zephaniah could have been one of Judah’s wealthy, leading citizens. Third, the verse positions Zephaniah’s prophetic ministry during the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. Josiah became the king of Judah at the age of 8, and he ruled for 31 years (2 Kings 22:1). He was crowned as king at a time of violent political upheaval and great spiritual need.

ZEPHANIAH 1:2 Verse 2 contains three features that make the prophet’s declaration especially ominous. First, the promise came directly from the Lord. The first-Person dialogue (“I will …”; see also in v. 3) means that the Lord God of Israel would make sure the actions took place. If the Sovereign Creator of the universe says something will happen, it will happen (Isa. 55:10-11). Second, the Lord promised that His judgment would be thorough. No detail will be missed. Everything on His list will be dealt with. Third, the Lord described the worldwide extent of His judgment. Many prophecies in the Old Testament were narrowly focused. They dealt with a specific individual, group, city, or nation. Not so this prophecy. Its scope was as broad as the planet and included everything from the face of the earth.

© LifeWay 2014

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Conversation

ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3Call on one of your students to read verses 2-3. Zephaniah begins his declaration against Judah by describing the destruction that is to come.

❯ Who survives the coming destruction?

Lead students to respond to this question. As they answer the question, ask them if this prophecy has been fulfilled? This will give students an opportunity to see how prophetic language has meaning for the time it was written and it has future meaning for the people of God. In the coming destruction, Scripture seems to reference that everything is swept away. Zephaniah’s warning reminds modern readers of Noah’s devastating flood where the Lord promised to wipe mankind, land animals, and birds off the face of the earth. In contrast to Noah’s flood, Zephaniah prophesied of a pending, greater, final judgment.

ITEM 2 (LEADER PACK) Display the Zephaniah poster for this session and session 3. The poster will serve as a visual reminder for students of the main themes and central truths found in the Book of Zephaniah.

❯ How is this different from the destruction of Noah’s day?

Zephaniah preached and taught that the judgment of the Lord encompasses everyone. No one would escape God’s judgment: not man or animal and not bird or fish. By including the fish, Zephaniah’s message exceeded even the flood. Zephaniah’s use of man, land animal, bird and fish emphasized totality. What is interesting about this verse is that Zephaniah uses prophetic hyperbole, in which creation itself is actually reversed. The creatures are listed in reverse order from Genesis 1:20-28. Commentators say that this language was used to emphasize the gravity of their sins.

ZEPHANIAH 1:4-6Instruct another student to read verses 4-6. After they have read the verses, ask the following question.

❯ In verse 4, what groups of people were facing destruction?

Zephaniah insisted that the “Day of the Lord” meant that God would also punish the Hebrews. Many of the Hebrews believed that their status as the Lord’s chosen insulated them from God’s wrath. Zephaniah preached and taught otherwise! He believed that, along with Israel’s wayward neighbors, God would hold the Hebrews responsible as well.

Zephaniah preached that the Lord would stretch out His hand against Judah and Jerusalem. Why? Specifically, Zephaniah noted the sin of spiritual compromise as committed by God’s people. The faith and worship of many Hebrews had been perverted to something that Zephaniah could no longer recognize.

© LifeWay 2014

Session 2 19

The account in Genesis does not state that water-based creatures were impacted in the flood.

Jerusalem was the largest, wealthiest, and best-defended city in the land.

Leader Prep

ZEPHANIAH 1:3The full extent of the Lord’s devastating activity becomes clear in Zephaniah 1:3. When God said “everything,” He was referring to living beings. To emphasize His point, the Lord identified four types of living creatures that would face His judgment. First listed was man. The Hebrew term (‘adam) used twice in this verse refers to all human beings. By putting this word first and then repeating it, the Lord made it clear that humanity—especially the wicked—would be the primary target of His divine wrath. Second on God’s list was the animal kingdom, which referred to a wide variety of land-based creatures, domesticated and wild. All animals would fall under God’s judgment. The third and fourth types were the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. In the days of Noah, the Lord sent a worldwide flood that impacted humans, land creatures, and birds. Only the people and creatures with Noah on the ark were spared (Gen. 7:22-23). Zephaniah prophesied that the Lord’s coming judgment would be all-encompassing, impacting all forms of created life from the heights of the sky to the depths of the sea, as well as all creatures in between. The term “the ruins” likely refers to God’s judgment on idolatry.

ZEPHANIAH 1:4The Lord confronts sin wherever He finds it. If Zephaniah’s Israelite hearers thought that the Lord referred in 1:2-3 only to non-Israelite nations, they were mistaken. In verse 4, the focus of divine judgment narrowed to Judah and even more to the residents of Jerusalem. Zephaniah made it clear that God would stretch out His hand against the wicked who lived in the land of Judah. The gem of Judah and the pride of all Israelites was the city of Jerusalem. It was the site of the Lord’s majestic temple that King Solomon built some 300 years earlier. Living inside Jerusalem’s walls were the king and a large number of the nation’s most talented and highly trained citizens, but none of that would matter when judgment fell. The Lord’s hand would be against all the residents of Jerusalem. Judah and Jerusalem were targeted for judgment along with the foreign nations because the city of Jerusalem was overrun with paganism. Thanks to the determined efforts of wicked kings such as Manasseh, Jerusalem in Zephaniah’s day had become a haven for pagan cults and idolatry (2 Kings 21:1-9; 23:7). However, Manasseh’s evil legacy would not continue forever. The Lord would destroy every vestige of Baal and purge the land of pagan priests, along with the priests.

© LifeWay 2014

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Conversation

❯ How were God’s people being disloyal to Him?

The Israelites were being unfaithful to God by being involved in pagan worship. They were combining pseudo-worship of God with the worship of a false God. Scripture says that they would bow down and pledge their loyalty to the Lord while at the same time pledge their loyalty to a false god. The pagan god Milcom is specifically mentioned in the Scripture. This was an Ammonite god and is often related to the Canaanite god of the underworld Molech. Worship of Molech would have included child sacrifice as one of their practices. Help students wrestle with how they can be guilty of the same thing. Maybe they are not bowing to a pagan god, but ask and talk about how are they dividing their loyalty between the Lord and other priorities in their lives.

ZEPHANIAH 1:7Enlist a student to read verse 7. After they have read the verse, ask the following questions.

❯ What is significant about the “Day of the Lord”?

From this verse to the end of his short book, the Day of the Lord dominates Zephaniah’s message. The Israelites believed the Day of the Lord to be imminent and limited to surrounding nations. Zephaniah envisioned the Day of the Lord in a universal sense when God would judge every person. The Hebrews also believed that the Day of the Lord would be beneficial to them. Namely, the Hebrews believed that the Lord, on this day, would destroy their enemies and only their enemies. But, in regard to this, the Hebrews misunderstood the Day of the Lord. Over a century before Zephaniah, the prophet Amos (760 B.C.) preached that the Day of the Lord would be against all sin, both the people of the world and the Hebrews. Amos taught that the Day of the Lord would be a day of darkness rather than a day of light. In the face of this stark revelation, Zephaniah insisted that silence would be an appropriate response.

❯ Why was a sacrifice needed?

Through the prophet Zephaniah, the Lord gives us a great word of hope in that He has prepared a sacrifice for us. He says that the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and He has consecrated His guests. While the text does not directly reference Jesus, it is not a stretch to connect the prophecy of Zephaniah to Jesus. God has provided a sacrifice for us through Jesus Christ. As we find ourselves in the same situation as the Israelites, we are in desperate need of a Savior. Help students see their need for Jesus and ask them if they are going to be one of the consecrated guests at the ultimate celebration in heaven.

ITEM 8 (LEADER PACK) Display the Middle East Map: Now & Then poster in a place where students will be able to see it. The map will help them have a better grasp of the location of Jerusalem and other cities and locations that are mentioned in their study of Nahum and the Minor Prophets.

© LifeWay 2014

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Leader PrepZEPHANIAH 1:5-6 The cult of Baal, including its worship objects, sacred spaces, and priests, represented only some rotten threads within Jerusalem’s religious tapestry. Since the days when King Solomon foolishly built pagan shrines outside Jerusalem to please his idol-worshiping wives (1 Kings 11:7-8), Israel’s capital city had become a shopping center for perverted religion. If you wanted it, you could find it in Jerusalem. Another religious option—evidently a popular one in Jerusalem—was the worship of the heavenly host. Although Zephaniah did not explain exactly what he meant by this phrase, it probably refers to the worship of celestial bodies—the sun, moon, and stars—as great humans who had “graduated” after death to become deities. The idea was that through worship, which consisted of rituals often performed on rooftops, the worshiper could gain assistance from these “light-bearing” deities. Another religious practice in Jerusalem that angered the Lord was syncretism. Some in Judah would do the proper Israelite thing and bow and pledge loyalty to the Lord. Tragically, however, they did not stop there. They went on to pledge loyalty to Milcom, the national god of Ammon (1 Kings 11:5,7). Since the Lord is the one true God, who views such unfaithfulness as spiritual adultery, the people of Judah could expect punishment for their actions.

ZEPHANIAH 1:7In ancient cultures, to remain silent in the presence of elders was to show humility (Job 32:4). Zephaniah took that practice a step further by commanding God’s people to be silent in the Lord’s presence. Israel was to keep a respectful silence, especially in light the Day of the Lord approaching. The prophet Joel used the phrase in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians (Joel 1:15)—an event engineered by the Lord Himself (Jer. 25:9). Malachi referred to a day that was after the end of the Old Testament period (Mal. 4:5), while Obadiah spoke of a Day of the Lord that would bring judgment on all nations. The Lord was coming, because He had prepared a sacrifice. Although specific details about this sacrifice are not mentioned, the detailed references to Jerusalem in Zephaniah 1:10-13 suggest that the city itself was to be the sacrifice. In that case, God’s “guests” to the sacrifice would be the Babylonian army under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar. This was the king who conquered and destroyed the city of Jerusalem with its temple in 587/586 B.C.

Syncretism was the mixing of religious practices and beliefs from different religions.

Day of the Lord: The “day” was not intended to be understood as necessarily a specific 24-hour period. Rather, the concept referred to any time when God acts in decisive and tumultuous ways in the natural and/or supernatural realms to destroy His foes and demonstrate His overwhelming greatness.

© LifeWay 2014

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Application

CENTRAL TRUTHJudgment is coming against evil, but there is a sacrifice for those who call on His name.

Allow sufficient time for your group to discuss the application of the Central Truth. Ask students what they learned throughout the session that helps validate the Central Truth. As you move into the Now What? section, make sure that the students are grasping what they have learned so they can apply it as they work through the Now What? section.

NOW WHAT?Lead your students through the following questions to help them begin to apply the truths they have learned during this week’s study. At this point, what they have learned is knowledge, and we want to help them apply that knowledge so it will turn into wisdom in their lives. Challenge students to prayerfully evaluate their hearts.

❯ How do you usually respond to bad news?

❯ List a time when you felt like you were in a desperate situation.

❯ What was your initial reaction? Where or to whom did you turn?

❯ There is a day of reckoning coming. How can you be prepared for the day He returns?

For free session leader helps, One Conversation, and leader training videos, go to blog.lifeway.com/explorethebible/students

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PERSONAL CHALLENGEFinish your group time with these thoughts. Encourage your students to memorize this week’s memory verse. Memorizing God’s Word allows it to dwell in us. Also encourage your group to take advantage of the Keep on Digging section and spend some time this week studying more about the Day of the Lord.

❯ Dwell: Evil is prevalent in the world today. It is not challenging to look around and find something that is in direct rebellion against God. Despite the trials we face in this life, we can still have hope because there is a day coming when God will rectify all that is wrong. Evil will be dealt with and God will reign supreme. While we wait, it is our job to shine the light of Christ to those who need Him.

❯ Memorize: Zephaniah 2:3

❯ Pray: Ask Jesus to give you strength and endurance to press on even in the midst of difficulties you may face. Thank Him for the day to come when He will make everything right. Until that day comes, pray for Him to help you to be a witness who points others to Jesus and to the sacrifice that was provided for their sins.

KEEP ON DIGGING For further study on the Day of the Lord, read the following verses:

❯ Isaiah 13:6,9 ❯ Joel 1:15; 2:1,11; 3:4; 4:14 ❯ Amos 5:18,20

❯ Obadiah 15 ❯ Zephaniah 1:7, 14 ❯ Malachi 3:23