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I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone by the name of Zephaniah. Have you? 

Elizabeth had a “Lemuel” in her family. Her great-grandfather. Now, I think that’s a classic biblical name from way back. But if you’d lived in Palestine back in Old Testament times, you probably would have known a Zephaniah. Almost certainly. 

For the curious, there were four different Zephaniahs mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, which would make us suspect this name was a fairly common one back in his day. It meant “protects.” 

Now, I don’t know anything about the other three. But this biblical Zephaniah for whom there is a book named sure seemed to know the true cost of a thing. Because there was a day of reckoning coming. Some people were about to pay up. 

But what was happening that had set loose this threatening thing called The Day of the Lord? As always, we have to pay attention to the evil that is actually spoken of here in the Bible, rather than the more modern issues folks judge so frequently. I remain convinced that what these ancient prophets name are the true windows into God’s heart, mind and soul.  

For instance, try idolatrous worship. That’s one of the central charges found in Zephaniah. Idolatrous worship, according to one scholar, is always a symptom of accompanying religious apathy. 

As in, if you’ve got time and inclination to feel bored with your faith, you’re still worshipping something. In our day, it’s awfully easy to start worshipping yourself or your work. We can even worship our family or our home.  

You might be worshipping your status or independence, your wealth or power. Some become obsessed with spreading their opinions and thoughts. Many of us even worship a hobby or a pastime.   

If you are no longer placing a closer following of God, and an engaged regular worship of that God, then You are following something that has become the idol of your worship. That is you have an apathy about the faith, the true religion of your soul. Zephaniah causes us to think on that. 

There were also explicit warnings in Zephaniah to people who had extreme power or wealth and had either abused those or had ill-gotten those powers and wealth by trampling the poor and humble. 

Once again, that wasn’t going to cut it with God. If you’ve listened for all these months and think this is just someone else’s repetitive story from long, long ago in a place far, far away, then I’m afraid you’ve missed the point. 

Zephaniah’s warning on God’s behalf is timeless and universal. Anyone who supports, enables or benefits off of oppressive or unjust systems, structures or behaviors?  Well none of us are beyond the long-armed reach of a God who intends to humble the corrupt and to empower the weak. 

That is a pretty obvious theme from the Old Testament right over into the New. It’s just that I’m sure a good slice of humanity would rather not hear it. If I’m going to preach the Bible, this is what’s actually in the Bible. I beg you, please don’t take my word.

What I’m about to explain isn’t unique to Zephaniah’s book. It’s just that I heard it put this way as I studied this week and thought it bore repeating. 

John Bowker, a scholar, says that Zephaniah does not see human sin and its judgment as God’s last word. That’s where I hope you’ll find hope. 

You see since the dawn of biblical time, the humble have been on the receiving end of mistreatment so often. Now, if you haven’t participated in this then you have nothing to worry about. You have nothing to be offended by. But you and I had better be sure. 

Now, let me labor for a minute harder than I ought to have to, in order to save myself from any misunderstanding. Am I saying that God has it out for rich people? No. That God has it out for powerful people? No. That God has it out for your political party and not mine? No, a thousand times no. 

But God does have it out for those who oppress. Those who live off injustice. Those who thrive on taking advantage of those who are powerless to stop them. 

We’d all do well to get real and ask what we are supporting, enabling and living off of. If you or I do that and can still have a clear conscience, then good for us.

DR. CHARLES QUALLS is senior pastor at Franklin Baptist Church. Contact him at 757-562-5135.