Zephaniah 1–3, Haggai 1–2

Both Zephaniah and Haggai write their prophecies to the folks in Judah.

Zephaniah’s prophecy is written to confront Judah’s covenant unfaithfulness, and to warn both Judah and Jerusalem of the coming “Day of the LORD” when the LORD will bring His wrath upon the nations for their idolatry and treatment of Israel and upon Judah for her covenant unfaithfulness in an effort to encourage them toward godly living and to give hope to the faithful remnant in the midst of judgment that the LORD will restore the fortunes of His people.

Haggai, writing years later, is on the other side of the judgment that came on Judah and Jerusalem when the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem, broke down its walls, burned the temple to the ground, and took most of the people away into exile. Now the folks are starting to return, and construction on the new temple has begun. However, even though the foundation of the temple has been laid, the people stopped work on the temple to build their own houses and settle in. So, Haggai writes to confront the people’s neglect in completing the work of rebuilding the house of the LORD, reminding them that when they give priority to the LORD and His house, they are blessed rather than cursed, and His presence will be with them to grant them success in the work because the LORD will fulfill His covenant with them and establish the kingdom in an effort to encourage them to be faithful and complete the work on the house of the LORD.

And like most of the prophets we’ve seen so far, there is both warning and promise. In Zephaniah, there’s warning of the judgment to come because of sin; in Haggai, there’s a reminder that disobedience brings consequences. It’s clear that the LORD takes the sin of His people seriously.

Yet there’s also the promise of restoration for the LORD’s people. He will judge, but He will also restore because He is faithful to His covenant promises even when His people are not. I love the promise He makes to the returning exiles, “I am with you.” And that’s true for us today as well. If you know the LORD.

If you don’t know the LORD, you can come to know Him today. It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and believing that Jesus is the Savior whom God promised. He lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death. He was raised to life on the third day, proving that He had conquered both sin and death, so that by believing in Him, we can be saved—not because of anything that we have done, but because of what Jesus did. The Innocent who died for the guilty so that the guilty could be declared innocent.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Book of the Twelve series. Download the podcast from the Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, or Threads at @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.