Introduction:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 Habakkuk Haggai
Introduction to Zephaniah
The time and two subjects
of the prophecy
Zephaniah sets before us
the judgment of the Spirit of God with respect to the
condition of the testimony rendered to the name of God in
this world, at a moment when there was some outward
restoration by means of a king who feared God.
God has granted this
favour more than once to His people, even as He has
endured with longsuffering their rebellion and revolt;
and in both cases He would have us see the true moral
condition of that which bore His name—the judgment
which a spiritual heart would form, which His Spirit
formed, with respect to that condition: a judgment which
should be authenticated by that which God would execute
upon His people and upon the Gentiles, when longsuffering
should no longer be of any avail.
These two subjects
constitute the two principal divisions of the prophecy:
the announcement of God's purposes with respect to the
judgment that He would execute, and the display of that
condition which led to the judgment. This, as always, is
accompanied by the revelation of His counsels in grace,
and of the coming of the Messiah, in order to encourage
and sustain the faith of the believing remnant of His
people.
The judgment of
the nations involved in that of Israel
Israel having been
appointed the witness for God, when the nations had given
themselves up to iniquity and idolatry, the general
judgment of the world could be delayed, so long as (that
testimony being maintained) the true character of God was
presented; for God is slow to anger. Accordingly He
raised up prophets, beginning with Samuel, to remedy the
wanderings and unfaithfulness of His people, when they
themselves had failed. So long as this extraordinary
testimony of grace, and the warnings and chastenings that
accompanied it, served to maintain some glimmerings of
truth and righteousness on the earth, Jehovah withheld
His hand ready to destroy that which dishonoured God and
oppressed man. We have seen elsewhere, in the transfer of
sovereignty to the empire of the Gentiles, the
introduction of a new system, as we find in the New
Testament the establishment of the assembly. I do not
dwell upon it here. As to the government of the world, in
view of the testimony rendered to the name of Jehovah,
when Israel—who maintained this testimony amid the
nations that were apostate and rebellious against
God—had so failed that there was no more remedy,
then those nations also had to undergo the judgment they
had long deserved. They will bring this judgment upon
themselves by filling up the measure of their iniquity
and rebellion against God, and by manifesting hatred to
God's people, in the joy with which they come forward to
accomplish the chastisements which that people had
deserved: for God is longsuffering unto them also. He
even sends the gospel—whether that of full grace,
which we enjoy, or the announcement of His coming
judgments—in order that all who have ears to hear
may escape these judgments. But, in principle, the
definitive failure of Israel's testimony left the nations
exposed to the judgment their sinful state deserved, this
judgment having been suspended, because a true testimony
was rendered to God. This is the reason why we have
constantly found in the prophets the definitive judgment
of Israel. The establishment of the Gentile empire,
represented by the image and the beasts, the introduction
of Christianity, the apostasy which breaks out in its
bosom, bring in other objects of the judgment of God, but
do not alter the judgment to be executed upon the nations
apart from these objects.
The apostasy and
the Gentile empire judged from heaven; the nations from
Zion
The judgment of the
apostasy and of the Gentile empire comes immediately from
heaven, whence flowed the authority of that empire, and
the blessing of those who are become apostate; and
against which they are in rebellion. The judgment of the
nations, as such, has Zion for its starting-point
—Zion, now under the judgment, but then delivered
through the judgment executed upon the beast that
oppressed her (see Psalm 110). The events spoken of in
Daniel, the New Testament prophecies, and, in part,
Zechariah, are omitted by those of the prophets who have
for their subject the proper relations of the earthly
people with God in Zion; and the judgment of Jerusalem
and the Jews is connected in their prophecies with that
of the nations—the judgment of the latter being
involved in that of the people, who no longer rendered
any testimony to Jehovah, but caused His name to be
blasphemed. This judgment commenced, in regard to the
Jews, with Nebuchadnezzar himself. Afterwards, on the
decline (at the end of the age) of the empire which
commenced originally with him as golden head, the
nations, resuming their strength, use it against Israel,
then connected with, and subject to, the apostate empire;
a yet more terrible judgment. Thus all the nations will
be gathered against Jerusalem, and filling up both the
judgment of the people and their own iniquity, will
occasion the intervention of the God of mercy in favour
of His people, according to His promises and purposes of
grace—the deliverance of Israel being accomplished
in the judgment executed upon those who come up against
them, and who, in coming against them, are against
Jehovah and His Christ also. This will be the judgment
that shall go forth from Zion, while the beast will have
been destroyed by Him who came forth out of heaven.
The times of the
prophets
The dates attached to the
books of the prophets are connected with the different
characters of this series of events. Isaiah and Micah, as
well as Hosea and Amos (although the latter two less
directly), are occupied with the revelation of the Son of
David, the Deliverer and Defender of His people in
Jerusalem. Hezekiah, raised up after the miserable reign
of Ahaz gave occasion for these revelations, which taught
the faithful (while unveiling the iniquity and the real
condition of the people), that they must look forward and
rest only in God's thoughts, who had raised up this pious
king for the temporary restoration of His people, and who
would grant them a complete and eternal deliverance by
the true Emmanuel. Isaiah (in the first three, as well as
in the last, chapters of his prophecy) dwells on the
connection, of which we have spoken, between the judgment
of Israel and that of the nations. Josiah did not present
in the same manner the coming Redeemer. Spared the sight
of the ruin of Jerusalem on account of his piety, he
falls himself by the hand of strangers. The glory and
peace, the hope of Jerusalem for the time being,
disappear with him, and its judgment succeeds.
The time and
circumstances of Zephaniah's prophecy
Zephaniah prophesied under
his reign. The prophet takes no notice of the temporary
piety of the people, who (see Jer. 3) at heart were not
changed. He takes the general ground of Israel's
condition and consequent judgment, in connection with its
effect on the nations. We have seen that Nebuchadnezzar
is the first who executes this judgment; although both
the judgment and the prophecy that speaks of it go much
farther.
Introduction:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 Habakkuk Haggai
This version of Darby's Synopsis of the Old Testament is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1995 by L. Hodgett. Used by permission. The files of the Synopsis found on this site may not be reproduced without permission from L. J. L. Hodgett, Stem Publishing. A special thanks to L. J. L. Hodgett and Stem Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Darby's Synopsis of the Old Testament.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
