The Divided Kingdom II The Prophet Zephaniah

The Divided Kingdom II The Prophet Zephaniah

Quick Review of Divided Kingdom Judah Rehoboam – 17 yrs – Evil 922 -915 BC Israel Jeroboam – 22 yrs – Evil 922 -901 BC Abijah – 3 yrs – Evil 915 -913 BC Asa – 41 yrs – Good 913 -873 BC Jehoshaphat – 25 yrs – Good 873 -849 BC Nadab – 2 yrs – Evil 901 -900 BC Baasha – 24 yrs – Evil 900 -877 BC Elah – 2 yrs – Evil 877 -876 BC Zimri – 1 wk – Evil 876 BC Omri – 12 yrs – Evil 876 -869 BC Ahab – 22 yrs - Evil 869 -850 BC

Quick Review of Divided Kingdom Judah Jehoram – 8 yrs – Evil 849 -843 BC Ahaziah – 1 yr – Evil 843 BC Athaliah – 6 yrs – Evil 843 -837 BC Joash – 40 yrs – Evil 837 -800 BC Amaziah – 29 yrs - Good 800783 BC Uzziah – 52 yrs – Good Israel Ahaziah – 2 yrs – Evil 850 -849 BC Jehoram – 12 yrs – Evil 849 -843 BC Jehu – 28 yrs – Evil 843 -815 BC Jehoahaz – 17 yrs – Evil 815 -802 BC Jehoash – 16 yrs – Evil 802 -786 BC Jeroboam II - 41 yrs - Evil 786 -745 BC Zechariah – 6 months – Evil Shallum – 1 month – Evil Menahem – 10 years – Evil

Quick Review of Divided Kingdom Judah Uzziah – 52 yrs – Good Jotham – 16 years – Good Ahaz – 16 years – Evil Hezekiah – 29 years – Good Manasseh – 55 years – Evil Amon – 2 years – Evil Josiah – 31 years – Good Israel Pekahiah – 2 years – Evil Pekah – 20 years – Evil Hoshea – 9 years – Evil

Prophets of the DK • The prophets during the Divided Kingdom – Obadiah – Judah in the days of Jehoram – Joel – Judah in the days of Joash – Jonah – Israel in the early days of Jeroboam II – Amos – Israel in the days of Jeroboam II & Uzziah – Hosea – Israel in the days of Jeroboam II & Uzziah – Isaiah – Judah in the days of Uzziah – Hezekiah – Micah – Judah in the days of Jotham – Hezekiah

Prophets of Judah Alone • • Zephaniah Jeremiah Nahum Habbakuk

The Kings Since Samaria Fell • Hezekiah – Good king – Best since David – Instituted massive religious reforms – Tore down high places – God protected Jerusalem from Assyria’s attacks – Had sickness, but prayed and lived – Showed treasures to Babylon

The Kings Since Samaria Fell • Manasseh – Most wicked king ever in Judah – Worshipped idols, human sacrifice, high places – Worse than the Amorites in the land before Israel – In his day, judgment was announced as inevitable (2 Kings 21: 10 -15) – Carried away to Babylon with a hook in his nose – Humbled himself and returned to Jerusalem, but was unable to undo the damage of his evil ways

The Kings Since Samaria Fell • Amon – As evil as Manasseh, except he didn’t humble himself • Josiah – Very good king, perhaps the best of all – Eliminated idols from the land – We begin today’s lesson early in his reign

Intro to Zephaniah • The message of Zephaniah is one of imminent judgment – The “Day of the LORD” is near and dreadful – Judgment is certain for Judah and the nations • Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah (1: 1) – Though Josiah’s reforms would have been in progress, Zephaniah does not mention them – Assyria is the dominant kingdom, but Babylon is rising • Zephaniah was likely a descendant of King Hezekiah (1: 1)

Overview of Zephaniah • Judgment cannot be avoided in Judah (1: 2 -18) • A brief call to repentance (2: 1 -3) • Judgment is coming to the nations around Judah (2: 4 -15) • Judah’s injustice and God’s righteousness (3: 18) • The promise of salvation (3: 9 -20)

Key Verses in Zephaniah • God is at the end of His tolerance of idolatry (1: 3, 4, 5, 9) • God is at the end of His tolerance of complacency and injustice (1: 12, 18; 3: 3 -4) • Judgment is unavoidable (1: 2, 7; 2: 3, 13) • God will punish the nations also (2: 4, 8, 12, 13) • Salvation is coming! (3: 9 -10, 13, 16 -17)