Zephaniah 1 & 3

Summary: Zephaniah is considered by some to be a sort of summarizer of the message of the prophets who came before him. The last of the minor prophets before the Babylonian exile, Zephaniah’s message is once again filled with severe warnings of God’s impending judgment. The problem he identifies in 1:12 is complacency—a deeply seated cynicism that God will do anything at all in the life of his people, good or bad. However, as much rhetorical energy as Zephaniah puts into warning about judgment, he spends equal energy articulating the grace of God for those who humbly seek him (3:9ff). Zephaniah famously points to the redemptive work of Christ not only as a time when we rejoice in God (3:14), but when God rejoices in us (3:17).