Zephaniah
Approximately 100 years have passed since the
fall of the Northern Kingdom and conditions in Judah were pretty much like the
conditions which had prevailed in Israel just before their captivity.
Egypt, Assyria and Babylon were striving for
supremacy. Some of Judah’s leaders felt
that there should be an alliance with one of these powers, while others
insisted upon a policy of strict isolationism.
As Zephaniah looked around at the religious
life of the people, he found foreign priests and altars to Baal springing up
all over the land. Even the short
revival under Josiah could not halt the impending judgment. The Day of God’s wrath was imminent (cf.
Obadiah and Joel).
The prophet’s name means “Hidden of YAHWEH.” He was a prophet of royal descent, from
Hezekiah. He prophesied in the reign of
Josiah, probably having a lot to do with the revival of the day. Habakkuk and Jeremiah were his contemporaries in Judah.
The theme of his
prophesy is “God’s love expressed by wrath.”
The key word is “jealousy.” Here
is an outline of Zephaniah:
·
God’s wrath on Judah, 1:1-2:3
· God’s wrath on the Nations, 2:4-3:8
· God’s restoration of all, 3:9-20.
Haggai
We come now to a new period of OT history –
the time after the Jews returned from their captivity. Therefore Haggai, Zechariah and
Malachi are referred to as post-exilic prophets. The history of this period is given in the
books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
“Haggai is mentioned in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14,
along with Zechariah, as the prophet who encouraged the remnant who
returned after the Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple and were
beset on every hand by difficulties.” As
his prophecy reveals, he was evidently a very practical man.
The theme of Haggai
is “put God first in all things.” Here
is an outline:
·
The message of rebuke, Ch. 1
·
The message of encouragement, 2:1-9
·
The message of blessing, 2:10-19
·
The message of hope, 2:20-23
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