Tuesdays Are for the Old Testament
9/10/24
Lessing, R. Reed, & Steinmann, Andrew E. (2014). "Chapter Thirty-Six: Zephaniah." In Prepare the Way of the Lord: An Introduction to the Old Testament. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. (525-532).
Zephaniah the prophet was born under the rule of Manasseh, between 697 and 643 B.C., at a time when faithfulness to Yahweh was often persecuted. His name means "God protects" (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 525). The genealogy Zephaniah provides is extensive, giving four generations, and ties him to Hezekiah, the good king of Judea.
Because of a change in theme from Zephaniah 1:2-3:7 to 3:8-20, form critics may assign the latter portion to a post-exilic author (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 525). However, others do not consider a shift in philosophical topic and its attendant vocabulary to be a definitive indicator of the presence of a different author.
Lessing and Steinmann see Zephaniah as an excellent example of Hebrew poetry using standard features of prophecy (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 526). The outline shows significant nuance, including subtle shifts in expression.
Zephaniah represents a resurgence of prophetic works toward the end of the 7th century B.C., after years of silence following Isaiah's work. Lessing and Steinmann consider the harsh reigns of Manasseh and Amon responsible for a silencing of prophets (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 527). This time period also saw the murder of Sennacherib of Assyria and an expansion of Assyrian power throughout the region. In 623, under the reign of Josiah, the Scripture was rediscovered, leading to an extensive restoration of faithful practice in Judah. Zephaniah was the prophet to address the situation in the time of Josiah (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 528).
The coming day of the Lord, full of destruction, serves as a primary theological theme in Zephaniah (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 528). God will sweep everything away in a day of doom. The image of destruction may be compared to the flood at the time of Noah, in which God judged and cleansed the world, yet did not destroy it, but rather established his covenant with all the earth (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 529).
A second important theological theme in Zephaniah is idolatry (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 529). Lessing and Steinmann briefly explore the attractiveness of the cults of Baal and Asherah. As deities of rain and fertility, they were especially attractive in an area such as Judah, where the moisture is from rain rather than rivers (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 530). Other Assyrian deities had also risen to prominence under the nation's cultural domination of Judah.
The promises of restoration in Zephaniah point to the restoration found in Christ. Not only does God finish bringing calamity on the people, but he reconciles them to him and removes his wrath (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 531). This reversal of fortunes by God's initiative can easily be seen as pointing us to Jesus' work. The sin of Judah and her enemies have been great. But God's day of salvation is an even greater grace.
9/10/24
Lessing, R. Reed, & Steinmann, Andrew E. (2014). "Chapter Thirty-Six: Zephaniah." In Prepare the Way of the Lord: An Introduction to the Old Testament. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. (525-532).
Zephaniah the prophet was born under the rule of Manasseh, between 697 and 643 B.C., at a time when faithfulness to Yahweh was often persecuted. His name means "God protects" (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 525). The genealogy Zephaniah provides is extensive, giving four generations, and ties him to Hezekiah, the good king of Judea.
Because of a change in theme from Zephaniah 1:2-3:7 to 3:8-20, form critics may assign the latter portion to a post-exilic author (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 525). However, others do not consider a shift in philosophical topic and its attendant vocabulary to be a definitive indicator of the presence of a different author.
Lessing and Steinmann see Zephaniah as an excellent example of Hebrew poetry using standard features of prophecy (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 526). The outline shows significant nuance, including subtle shifts in expression.
Zephaniah represents a resurgence of prophetic works toward the end of the 7th century B.C., after years of silence following Isaiah's work. Lessing and Steinmann consider the harsh reigns of Manasseh and Amon responsible for a silencing of prophets (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 527). This time period also saw the murder of Sennacherib of Assyria and an expansion of Assyrian power throughout the region. In 623, under the reign of Josiah, the Scripture was rediscovered, leading to an extensive restoration of faithful practice in Judah. Zephaniah was the prophet to address the situation in the time of Josiah (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 528).
The coming day of the Lord, full of destruction, serves as a primary theological theme in Zephaniah (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 528). God will sweep everything away in a day of doom. The image of destruction may be compared to the flood at the time of Noah, in which God judged and cleansed the world, yet did not destroy it, but rather established his covenant with all the earth (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 529).
A second important theological theme in Zephaniah is idolatry (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 529). Lessing and Steinmann briefly explore the attractiveness of the cults of Baal and Asherah. As deities of rain and fertility, they were especially attractive in an area such as Judah, where the moisture is from rain rather than rivers (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 530). Other Assyrian deities had also risen to prominence under the nation's cultural domination of Judah.
The promises of restoration in Zephaniah point to the restoration found in Christ. Not only does God finish bringing calamity on the people, but he reconciles them to him and removes his wrath (Lessing & Steinmann 2014, p. 531). This reversal of fortunes by God's initiative can easily be seen as pointing us to Jesus' work. The sin of Judah and her enemies have been great. But God's day of salvation is an even greater grace.
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