Integrating Missionally

Zephaniah

This is a continuation of my series on Journeying with Zephaniah. I am looking at the book through the lens of rhetorical structure. Today I want to focus on the books macro-structure, or overarching themes.

This book is enclosed by the speaking of God. In 1:1, the verse begins, hwhy-rbd, “the word of the Lord.” The book ends in 3:20 with hwhy rma, “says the Lord”. It all comes from the Lord. Zephaniah may add some comment or speak for God, but the message is all from God. Because it is from God, it is a surety. It will happen just as he said.

This book also has two movements that climax in 2:1-3 and 3:10-20. From 1:2-1:18, there is the judgment of God upon all the earth and then upon Judah. In 2:4-3:7, there is judgment upon the area countries and upon the city of Jerusalem. So a pattern exists with judgment. But in between the judgement, there is hope. In 2:1-3, the hope is conditional. In 3:10-20, the hope is promised and unconditional. Therefore, the two movements are judgment then conditional hope, 1:2-2:3, then judgment and the promise of unconditional restoration in 2:4-3:20.

This book is intriguing in that it is constantly moving from the general to the specific. In 1:2-3, there is judgment upon the entire earth, and in 1:4-18, there is judgement upon the nation of Judah. Then, in 2:4-15, judgment comes upon specific nations, and in 3:1-7, judgment is on “the oppressing city.” In 1:8-13, judgment is first spoken to the religious and political leaders, which represent the nation, then to specific people in specific places.

Another intriguing aspect of this book is the fluctuation of the speaker. At times, Yahweh is speaking, at others, Zephaniah, though not referred to as speaking, comments. At times he continues the judgment; at others, he simply seems to comment. It is noted that Paul Brand wrote a commentary on the book that explores the idea. Though not developed by this writer, it is an interesting fluctuation.

With all that, an outline of the book can be determined. It is as follows:

• Superscription – 1:1
• Judgement – 1:2-1:18
  • Judgment against all the earth – 1:2-3
  • Judgment against Judah – 1:4-18
• Offer of conditional hope – 2:1-3
• Judgment against the nations – 2:4-15
• Judgment against Jerusalem – 3:1-7
• Image of restoration – 3:8-9
• Promise of unconditional hope – 3:10-20

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The Prophet Zephaniah

Today, I would like to begin to work through a series on the book of Zephaniah. I developed an appreciation for this book while taking a class on the Minor Prophets in seminary. I will not look at the book in a verse by verse manner. I will look at the book through the lens of rhetorical structure. This will be a fascinating perspective of the book.

Zephaniah means ‘the Lord conceals’, ‘the Lord protects’ or, possibly, ‘God of darkness’. The superscription of the book is lengthier than most and contains two features. The name Cushi, Zephaniah’s father, means ‘Ethiopian’. In a society where genealogy was considered extremely important because of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the author may have felt compelled to establish his Hebrew lineage. In fact, this lineage is traced back to Hezekiah, who was king of Judah. The author of Zephaniah does not shrink from condemning the Cushites or Ethiopians. Chapter 2:12 contains a succinct but unequivocal message: “You also, O Ethiopians, / Shall be killed by my sword.” Zephaniah’s family connection with King Hezekiah may have also legitimized his harsh indictment of the royal city in 3:1-7.

The author, Zephaniah, traces his ancestry back four generations.

1. Son of Cushi
2. Son of Gedaliah
3. Son of Amariah
4. Son of Hezekiah, (possibly the famous Judean king [c. 716-687 B.C.])

Zephaniah was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah. King Josiah ruled over Judah from approximately 640-609 BC. Some scholars believe that the picture of Jerusalem which Zephaniah gives indicates that he was active prior to the religious reforms of King Josiah which are described in 2 Kings 23. These reforms took place in 622 BC. Scholars also cite the reference to “the officials and the king’s sons . . .” in 1:8 as evidence that the kingdom was still ruled by a regent for Josiah. The portrait of foreign nations in chapter 2 also indicates the late seventh century. Zephaniah was probably the first prophet following the prophecies of Isaiah and the violent reign of Manasseh. Both Zephaniah and Jeremiah urged King Josiah to enact religious reforms, which he eventually did. Zephaniah would have been the first prophet to Judah in the 60 years since Isaiah.

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Ps 95:1-7 (The Message)
Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
lifting the rafters with our hymns!
And why? Because God is the best,
High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
His hands sculpted Earth!
So come, let us worship: bow before him,
on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.

Prayer for the day:
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Prayer for Haiti:
O Father of the poor and the oppressed: Enfold in your arms the suffering people of Haiti. Comfort those in mourning; relieve those in pain; give shelter to the homeless and hope to those in despair. Feed your people, O God, with bread both earthly and divine, and give them your water and wine. Help them bury the dead, nurse the sick and wounded, and raise their faith and dignity, for they are some of your dearest children. Silence those who falsely claim that Haiti is somehow accursed; proclaim the truth that this vibrant, creative nation still shines as a beacon of freedom throughout the Americas. And help us all, the nations of the world and the people of means, to rebuild this colorful land in the image of your Son Jesus Christ, who knows our suffering because he took our mortal pain into his own body on the Cross; then rose again to live and reign with you and the Holy Comforter. Amen.

Taken from The Daily Office, Jan 24, 2010

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Take a read

With a little help from OT Scholar John Walton, I look at creation from a functional perspective, not a material. In other words, does Genesis 1 describe the physical, material nature of creation or the purpose of creation. The issue is how the author would have written it and the people understood it, not our attempt to read modern science back into Gen. 1.

Take a listen and make some comments. I would love to interact with you on this topic.

Here’s a link to the book I reference in case your interested: The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate

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In 1997, I was pastoring my first church out of seminary. It was in Louisiana, literally in the middle of no where. It was a young church that had been without a pastor for almost two years before I arrived. They forced their first pastor out by cutting his salary and making life hard. After less than a year, they were doing the same to me.

I was married just over a year and loved my wife dearly. During the week of Mother’s Day that year, she flew to spend time with her mom and dad and I spent that week praying and fasting. It was during the first night of that journey that God broke through and in very clear terms indicated that I was to resign. Two weeks later I did. We sold our house (3 days, all cash) and moved to my in-laws’ condo in Central Florida.

My wife’s cousin knew a guy who had started an internet company, and since I had a degree in computer information systems, he gave me a shot to do some light database work. That led into internet programming. That led into more intense programming and five years and two companies later, I had done work for Microsoft, a Top 5 CPA firm, the 4th largest law firm in the US, and the largest association of retailers in the country. I would go on to do some contract work for a division of AOL/Time Warner.

I had not only programming experience, but enterprise systems administration experience. I had load-balanced web servers, clustered databases and managed some pretty rugged hardware. I was good, not the best by any means, but good and respected among my peers. I still mess around with coding some and often tell my friends that while I can make things work, I don’t always know how to make things pretty! Read the rest of this entry »

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