The Prophet Zephaniah Overview: What Kind Of Men Does God Use?

Zephaniah 1:1  The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. 

Zephaniah ministered during the days of king Josiah. You may remember that Josiah was a reforming king, who did everything in his power to cleanse the land of Judah from idolatry and immorality. 

He searched out all the places where false religion was practiced, and destroyed all the related statues and altars. 

2 Kings 23:7  And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. 

Josiah specifically drove out all the sodomites from the land and repaired the temple of Jehovah. These people built their homes adjacent to the temple of Jehovah, seeking to be legitimatized by a religious connection. 

Here is a Bible principle to take note of. Those who practice sexual perversion often seek religious affirmation that approves of their evil deeds. 

The same situation exists in modern culture. Many churches and pastors have endorsed practices that God says are sinful and reprobate. 

The prophet Zephaniah was a first cousin to king Josiah. This means that Zephaniah witnessed King Josiah's religious reforms firsthand.

His prophecy offered support and encouragement to the king and those who sought to follow Jehovah. 

He spoke of strong judgment from God because of Judah's idolatry and immorality. 

He exhorted the people to repent because Jehovah blesses those who repent and put their trust in Him.

We will take 2 posts to study the prophet Zephaniah. In this first one we will examine the men that God uses at specific points in history. 

What makes men like Josiah and Zephaniah great leaders who are faithful to Jehovah?

1. They were men whose chief concern was pleasing God. 

2 Kings 18:1-7  Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2)  Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 3)  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 4)  He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. 5)  He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6)  For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. 7)  And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 

Men like Hezekiah, Josiah, Zephaniah and David, were men who lived this life remembering they were living in the sight of God. 

We have no thoughts, no motives, no words or actions that God does not know about (See Psalm 139). 

Men whom God uses are men (and women) who are saturated and filled up with God's truth. They love the scriptures, and read it with joy and a determination to know God better. 

Men used by God are men who believe what God says is right, and who desire His will to prevail. 

2. They were men who chose spiritually good models to follow. 

2 Kings 18:3  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 

Hezekiah's father was King Ahaz and Ahaz was one of the evil kings. Yet, Hezekiah did not follow the bad pattern of his father's life. 

The text tells us that Hezekiah did that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

As a young man, Hezekiah learned about King David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, and he determined to follow hard after Jehovah, like David did. 

David was a model king who had a heart after God's own heart. What God loved, David loved. What God hated, David hated. What God commanded is what David sought to do. 

3. They were men who stood with Jehovah in full dependency. 

2 Kings 18:5-6  He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6)  For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.

Hezekiah, like Zephaniah, fully trusted Jehovah. He "clave to the LORD" which means he followed closely after the ways of God. His heart was joined with Jehovah's heart, through consistent prayer, Bible study and worship. 

Men who are used of God depend upon the Lord completely to accomplish any task in life. Serving God and His kingdom purposes can only be done by depending upon the Lord for guidance, direction, and strength. 

When Hezekiah was tested by an enemy army, he stood fast in the gap, and laid out his troubles to Jehovah. His prayers were answered when the angel of the Lord killed 188,000 enemy soldiers during the night. 

Those who want to be used of God must hear and heed what God says in His word. 

4. They were men who sought wise counsel in times of need. 

2 Kings 19:1-6  And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2)  And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3)  And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4)  It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. 5)  So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6)  And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7)  Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

2 Kings 19:14-19  And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15)  And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 16)  LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. 17)  Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 18)  And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. 19)  Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only. 

When the vile Assyrians drew near to destroy Jerusalem, Hezekiah took his fears and concerns to Jehovah. He did not call for a special meeting of his commanding officers. 

The substance of his prayer is in verses 14-19. He gave all of his problems and distress to the God of all glory. He did not waver or hesitate to go to the Lord in prayer. He did not ty to come up with his own way out of the great difficulty that they faced. 

He clung to the LORD like glue, and God heard his prayers and sent mighty help.

5. They are men who establish and maintain a consistent direction.

 2 Kings 21:20-24  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. 21)  And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: 22)  And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD. 23)  And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house. 24)  And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. 

Josiah's father was a wicked king, just like Hezekiah's father was. Amon was so immersed in idolatry and immorality that his own servants killed him. 

After the people killed the wicked servants of Amon, they made Josiah king. 

2 Kings 22:1-2  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. 2)  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

2 Chronicles 34:3  For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.  

Josiah was very young when he became king, but his mother was a God fearing woman and she gave her son a good moral foundation. 

Josiah learned sound moral principles from God's law that guided him throughout his life. 

He sought the God of David his father, when he was young. This search led to truth and shaped his life pattern. 

Josiah began well, continued well and ended well, because his direction was set by God's Word. 

6. They are men who actively root out that which dishonors God. 

2 King 22:18-20  But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; 19)  Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. 20)  Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

When King Josiah heard the law read, he rent his clothes because of the people had abandoned their God and were subject to His fierce judgment. 

He sent his servants to inquire of a prophet named Huldah. She replied that God said His judgment was coming. 

However, because Josiah's heart was tender before Him, Jehovah blessed Josiah. The king was moved to weeping and repentance for his people, and Jehovah postponed His judgment, until after Josiah's reign was over. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

I hope that each of you want to be a man, woman or young person that God will use. Think about the 6 principles again. They provide good guidance from God. Remember the steps of a good man (or woman, or young person), are ordered by Jehovah.

1. Our chief concern must be please God. 

2. We must choose spiritually good role models to follow and learn from.

3. We must lean upon Jehovah, fully depending upon Him to help us, and strengthen us to do His kingdom work.

4. We must seek godly counsel in our times of need. 

5. We must establish and maintain a Biblical direction for our lives.

6. We must root out of our lives all that dishonors God.

Bob