Habakkuk & Zephaniah

Habakkuk -- Philosopher prophet

Habakkuk asked the question, "WHY, LORD, are you about to do what you are about to do?"

We know nothing about Habakkuk's family origins or where he was born.

He prophesies in response to the impending defeat of Judah by the Babylonians. This would put his dates of activity around 609-597 BCE.

The book of Habakkuk can be divided into 3 parts:

     1.  Habakkuk's questions

     2.  The "woes"

     3.  Habakkuk's prayer

Zephaniah

Zephaniah was active at the beginning of Josiah's reforms. He was most likely active around 640-630 BCE.

Zephaniah traces his lineage back to King Hezekiah.

The major theme of the book of Zephaniah is the Day of the LORD

Parts of Zephaniah are almost direct quotes from the book of Amos, so the traditions about Amos had a great deal of influence on Zephaniah's work.

Zephaniah proclaims God's judgment on all of Judah and its idols. The royal family would not escape judgment. All who worshipped idols would be punished.

According to Zephaniah, the Day of the LORD would be a day of God's wrath and punishment. Although God was beginning with Judah, God's judgment would not end there. God would also judge the nations who had oppressed Israel.

Zephaniah does offer hope for those who were humble and who were willing to seek God.

In the last chapter, Zephaniah comes back to prophesying about Jerusalem and its civil and religious leaders. God was seeking and would bring justice.

Finally, Zephaiah offers a vision for a new & better day. The earth would be cleansed, Jerusalem would be restored, and days of mourning would turn into festival days.