Do Something!
Does it ever bother you when there’s a problem and no one does anything about it? The authorities complain about drunk driving but don’t take action. Tough kids bug you on the school bus, but no one makes them stop. Why doesn’t someone do something?
In Zephaniah’s day the wicked grinned and thought, “The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad” (Zephaniah 1:12). But the prophet had a surprise for them. God was about to act and punish not only Judah, but also nearby nations. Zephaniah reminds you that God really does judge. God says that in his own time, “[He] will deal with all who oppressed you” (Zephaniah 3:19).
A Do-Nothing God? No Way
• God answers accusation, see Zephaniah 1:10–13
Please, Don’t Let Me Be Like That
• Check out plea in Zephaniah 3:1–5
Love Those Happy Endings
• How will it turn out? See Zephaniah 3:14–20
Preview
• Zephaniah means “the Lord protects.”
• He preaches just before Josiah’s religious revival. Within ten years of Josiah’s death, Zephaniah’s predictions come true.
As Zephaniah preaches, Lao-tzu, the founder of Taoism, is born in China. • Glaucus of Chios invents the soldering iron.