Zephaniah Chapter Three, Corrupt Leadership

Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. [4] Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

Zephaniah looks to the leadership in Jerusalem, both secular and religious. His indictment begins with the princes of Judah, born from the lineage of David. Though Josiah was a godly king, his successors would not be. There were four kings that reigned after Josiah’s demise, beginning with Jehoahaz.

Zephaniah Chapter Three, Absence Of Trust

Zephaniah 3:2 She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the Lord, she has not drawn near to her God.

In order to obey a command, one must first hear what that command is. The apostle Paul used this argument when he wrote, “On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet,” Romans 7:7. Jesus, in like manner, when He was confronted by the Pharisees about spiritual blindness and sight, said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains,” John 9:41.

Zephaniah Chapter Three, The Polluted City

Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! [2] She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the Lord, she has not drawn near to her God.

From Nineveh to Jerusalem, God refers to the people of His name as the oppressing city. The people within are given two descriptors: rebellious and polluted. The spectacle of the city was a whitewash: a shining, glimmering shell of nobility that included the king’s palace and the temple of Solomon. But within its shining exterior and luster lay wickedness.

Molehills: The Tradition Of Lent

One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. Romans 14:5

With this simple verse we contemplate the reality and necessity of the tradition that is Lent. Following is a truncated history of Lent. Sparse historical context places early preparations to celebrate what would become Easter as far back as the second or third century, but not for forty days. In fact it was believed to be drastically shorter; merely a handful of days

Zephaniah Chapter Two, Desolation At The Door

Zephaniah 2:14 The herds shall lie down in her midst, every beast of the nation. Both the pelican and the bittern shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be at the threshold; for He will lay bare the cedar work. [15] This is the rejoicing city that dwelt securely, that said in her heart, “I am it, and there is none besides me.” How has she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and shake the fist.

The description of Nineveh continues in this passage. Nineveh was a great city in Assyria, and a city that no less than two Biblical writers focused upon in the OT: Jonah and Nahum. Jonah was sent to Nineveh to preach repentance in the face of impending destruction. Nahum, however, preached against the city as a cesspool of corruption that valued trade more than human life; in fact it bartered human life for material gain.