Let us open our Bibles to Zephaniah. Though this is a lesser-known book among the prophets, its message is deeply significant. Interestingly, the name Zephaniah means, ‘The Lord has hidden’ and indeed while the book itself and its author may seem hidden to many today, it is not Zephaniah or his writings that are concealed. Rather, it is one central theme of the book that remains hidden to many, the treasured nation of Israel in our times.
And while it is one of the shortest books of the Bible, which can take around 10 minutes to read, and while it is the least quoted book of the prophets, both in Christianity and Judaism, Zephaniah has a tremendous message for us today.
If you ask for Zephaniah’s theme, invariably we will hear this: The judgment of God or the Day of the Lord. It is true that this is an important message from God’s prophecies, but this is not what one walks away with. Reading this book, one will be left with an image of God that is rarely seen in other parts of the Bible. For instance, did you know that it is in this book where we are told that God sings! At the end, after the evil of the Tribulation is dealt with, and in His great joy to meet His flock, we read in Zeph. 3:17 that He will exult over you with joy…He will rejoice over you with singing.
Three synonyms are given here, each one stronger than the previous one: He will exult, yasis. This word describes a leaping, or a dancing. Then concerning this encounter, it will be done with much joy. Simcha a Hebrew word which today describes a great celebration. Then He will shout, sing, yagil. Isn’t it beautiful the way God reveals Himself in His word?
And when it comes to the descriptions of the judgements and the coming Tribulation, the moment just preceding the return of the Lord, and while some passages are difficult to read, Zephaniah has a way to present them with a powerfully well-designed imagery, poetry and even irony, which makes the reading of the book, at the end, very pleasant.
For instance, as the people were oblivious to the warnings of the prophets and had come to a place of disrespect and disregard concerning what is holy, the Lord says in Zeph. 1:9 look at them…they are leaping over the threshold. What is the threshold and how are they leaping over it? They were familiar with this word. It is the threshold of the Temple, and we know this because at around the same time, Ezekiel the prophet was describing how the Holy Spirit was preparing to leave the Temple and see the way He does it. He goes out of the Holy of Holies and then stops and stands at the threshold of the Temple and then leaves.
Three times Ezekiel mentions the threshold and while these unrighteous ones were coming into the Temple, leaping as if going into a social club, they did not even realize that God was standing there, ready to leave this Temple, the one doomed for destruction. Furthermore, and at around the same time, the prophet Jeremiah was told to stand at the doors of the Temple and tell the people not to come in unless they repent (Jer. 17).
We read in Amos 3:7, Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. Here we have five prophets speaking in unison: Ezekiel and Daniel in Babylon, while Zephaniah, Jeremiah and Hulda the prophetesses are in Israel. But this was to no avail, at least for the majority. We read how the Lord reports the thoughts of those very rebellious ones who are thinking, the Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil, Zephaniah 1:12. They were so anchored by tradition that they were blinded by the words of God which came through His prophets. But these prophets are still speaking, their prophecies are not all fulfilled, for they all agree that it is the coming of God or of the Messiah Who will end all this evil. He has not come back yet and today many are still leaping over the threshold, as if nothing is happening and nothing will happen.
Then, at some point, turning to the enemies of Israel, we are told that the Lord is preparing a feast at His arrival. See the way He says it in vs.7, for the Day of the Lord is near, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and He has consecrated His guests. There is an irony here because as you read on, you realize that the guests are actually the sacrifice itself. The idea is that these enemies of Israel were so sure to have God on their side, that they thought they were invited to see the extermination of Israel. Instead, they were coming to see judgment rendered unto them. The word consecrated is from the word kadosh (Heb. for set apart) just like He prepared the Temple and the priests for service. This is understood when we consider that today many are going against the Jews in the name of their god while they think they are on God’s side.
Now notice that the verse 1 begins with God’s name and is followed by eight names, many of which contain the Lord’s name, like Yah (יָהּ). This kind of structure is rich in Hebrew Scripture, often layered with prophetic meaning. And reading these names in its original language, for a Hebrew reader, it is such a great introduction to the prophecy.
Names in Hebrew aren’t just identifiers, they’re mini prophecies. The inclusion of the divine name often signifies God’s presence in the lives or in the destiny of the person or the nation. So, when reading all these names together, we can perceive the history of Israel as the one which is hidden, but also treasured by God, for this is what Zephaniah means, to be hidden like one hides a treasure. Let’s see what each name tells us. If we read, in English the order of the names as listed in this verse it will give us:
The Lord
The Lord has hidden His treasure (Zephaniah)
And prospered it (Cushi).
The Lord is great (Gedaliah)
The Lord keeps His promises (Amariah)
The Lord is my strength (Hezekiah)
The Lord heals (Josiah) and
Multiplies (Amon)
Then, he will praise (Judah)
Later we will see that what is really hidden today is Israel and just in this first verse, we are given this unconditional promise of restitution.
Click Here for the Video: Zephaniah: The Prophet from the Royal Line