Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 190
178
IMMERSE
•
PROPHETS
to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you.” By heeding this call, the people were spared at least for another generation.
The oracles of Zephaniah are organized into three groups. A similar
phrase occurs at the end of the first and second groups, marking off
the three parts of the book: “For the whole land will be devoured by
the fire of his jealousy.”
As in Micah, the book’s ultimate movement is from ruin to restoration; but in this case, it takes place over the course of the book as a
whole, rather than within each group of oracles. The three groups together predict judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, then judgment on
other nations, and finally the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem. (This
pattern also shapes other prophetic books, such as Ezekiel.) Zephaniah
is careful to emphasize that only the “lowly and humble” will share in
the great renewal.
The book ends with a vision similar to the one at the end of Isaiah,
with God’s holy city rebuilt and thriving once again. Addressing Jerusalem directly, Zephaniah says the Lord himself will come to live there:
“On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, ‘Cheer up, Zion!
Don’t be afraid! For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a
mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love,
he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’”
