2005 Bible Reading

This page is not a commentary, nor an outline. It is something to bear in mind in this kind of reading. These materials I learnt from two books by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart (How to Read the Bible for All Its worth; How to Read the Bible Book By Book). You could consult these books if you are interested.

Pastor Raymond

Zephaniah

When we read this book, the 9^th of the Twelve, we can easily detect the consistency of the messages of the prophets. We can see that Yahweh judged the harlotry and wickedness of Judah (1:3-18; 3:1-5), appealed for repentance (2:1-3), judged the nations (2:4-15), and issued the promise of restoration to the faithful remnant (3:9-20).

In spite of the consistency in message, this book is not easily understood if read as a simple narrative. It is because this book was written in a well structured chiastic (see the paragraphs on structure below) and poetic form. But before plunging into the text, we should note the historical situations of the prophet. 1:1 suggests that Zephaniah came from Jerusalem, probably with royal blood and preaching a message that supported the religious reform pursued by the last good king of Judah—Josiah (Refer to 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35). Jerusalem was being unfaithful in religion to Yahweh, and also did not faithfully follow the instructions of Yahweh in areas of social justice. If Judah did not repent and reform, “that day” would soon dawn on her, when Judah would be judged along the wicked.

Most English translations arrange the book in poetic lines (the conventional Chinese translation used in our church does not do so) and make it easier to detect the following structure:

I. Judgment of Judah, with wailing (1:2-18)

II. Judgment of the Nations (2:1-3:8)

III. Redemption of the Remnant with rejoicing (3:9-21)

Expanding Section (I), that is 1:2-18, we can also notice a chiastic arrangement:

1:2-3 Judgment against the whole earth: Destruction of all creatures

1:18 Judgment against the whole earth: Consumption of the whole world

Similarly，including Sections (I) and (II) in the category of “judgment” will show 1:2-3:8 to be:

1:2-3 Judgment against the whole earth: Destruction of all creatures

3:8 Judgment against the whole earth: Consumption of the whole world

Further, we look at Section (II), i.e. 2:1-3:8, we can see that the judgments of the nations are set out neatly in poetic form:

2:1-3 Summons to repent

2:4-7 Philstia (9 lines)

2:8-11 Moab / Ammon (9 lines)

2:12 Cush (1 line)

2:13-15 Assyria (9 lines)

3:1-5 Jerusalem (9 lines)

3:6-8 Refusal to repent

Even Section (III), 3:9-20, are arranged in three frames:

3:9-13 Purification of the Remnant using Deuteronomic terms (Deut 28-30)

3:14-17 Rejoicing in the restored city

3:18-20 Gathering and honoring the Remnant using Deuteronomic terms

This short 3-chapter book expresses Yahweh’s judgment of sin and the nations, including Judah. At the same time, it also inherits the prophetic promise of Deuteronomy that Yahweh would be gracious to the humble remnant, foreshadowing the Gospel of the New Testament.

Zephaniah frequently mentioned the Day of the LORD. Just in 1:7-2:3 it was mentioned 17 times. Since the one-pager on Joel has discussed the topic of “the day of the LORD,” it would not be repeated here. Of significance is the fact that without repentance, when that Day arrives, even Judah would enjoy no special privileges.