The Book of ZephaniahSample

Dethrone Your Idols

The book of Zephaniah is about both God’s justice and His love. When we read it, we encounter the reality of God’s judgment against sin, and yet our hearts are warmed by His tender mercy.

Zephaniah ministered to the nation of Israel between their two main exiles, a time when idolatry was rampant. The people had lost their love for God, and Zephaniah bravely challenged them and the surrounding nations to repent. At the start of his prophecy, Zephaniah goes to great lengths to show that he’s a descendant of King Hezekiah, who was one of the few kings to actually seek the Lord. And Zephaniah is prophesying during the reign of Josiah, who was also a godly king bent on removing idolatry from God’s people. This political inside track establishes Zephaniah’s credibility with his audience, and his message to them is clear: God does not compromise on evil.

Zephaniah paints a picture of creation reversal: God wiping out all traces of sin, which has reached epic proportions amongst His people. Everything God once pronounced as good is now removed from His presence. It’s reminiscent of Eden descending into disorder, and the flood covering the earth in Noah’s time. And yet, God’s judgment is entirely in keeping with His character, held in perfect tension by His loving desire to purify His people.

If God’s people thought His judgment was reserved for the godless nations around them, Zephaniah explains clearly that it would be levelled against them too, because of their flagrantly sinful worship of Baal and Molek. God’s people had turned their backs on Him, and we know from history that His judgment came in the form of the Babylonian invasion. The tangible anguish and distress suffered by God’s people because of their idolatry should be a wakeup call for us: idolatry is surely a far more serious issue than most Christians today are willing to recognise. Also, idolatry isn’t just an Old Testament idea. Jesus later reiterates the impossibility of worshiping God and something or someone else, and Paul commands us to flee from idols.

For some Christians, God is just another god in their lives. Jackie Hill Perry explains that ‘what might’ve been Baal once is now sexual identity, sex, autonomy, intellect, relationships, money, marriage, legalism, politics, power, ethnicity, food, social media, children, or whatever other made thing you can think of.’ Just imagine what would change in your home, on your street, at work, in church, or across your nation if idolatry was eradicated. Let’s get serious about dethroning our idols, because as John Owen said, ‘Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.’ Confess to God that nothing else in your life can save or truly satisfy you, and nothing else is worthy of your worship. Let’s not avoid the discomfort of talking about God’s justice because we’re afraid of causing offence. When we rightly understand the holiness of the living God, we’re gladly compelled to exalt Him above everyone and everything.