Zephaniah 3 foretells destruction coming upon the earth, even Jerusalem. But this is not the end of the story! The prophet completes his book by sharing the good news of hope after the fire.
How bad are things in Jerusalem? Zephaniah complains that the city has refused to return to God. Instead, its officials are like lions, and its judges wolves (vs. 3). Meanwhile, its prophets are called reckless and faithless while its priests are accused of profaning the sacred and of doing violence to the law (vs. 4). Only the Lord is without fault (vs. 5).
With Jerusalem a lost cause, God reveals His ultimate plan for the earth: "Therefore wait for me, says the Lord, for the day when I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed" (vs. 8). According to Zephaniah, every nation on earth will share in the judgment, and suffer the fiery consequences.
You might think that would constitute "the end" and be the final act of Creation; however, God reveals that there is more history to come. And the book of Zephaniah continues as well.
We receive here the idea of a "remnant" of faithful Israel who will return to repopulate the barren land and lead the world in returning to the Lord in righteousness. "For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord - the remnant of Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid (vs. 12-13). We will hear more of the remnant in additional prophetic books of the Bible.
The final seven verses of this book become a song of joy. The Lord is seen as present in the midst of the city, with salvation and restoration poured out upon the people. In spite of some very bad news that takes place in the first 80% of Zephaniah, the book ends on a posture of hope and forward-looking glory! There is more to come after the fire!
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