Zephaniah 1:1-3

An announcement of coming judgment -- Zephaniah 1:1-3: This little book begins, "The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah." Zephaniah affirms that the message that he wrote was an inspired message from God. The destruction pictured in the book of Zephaniah was a complete destruction. This sounds like what took place during the captivity by Babylon. God promised to utterly consume all things from off the land. As Lord, Jehovah promised to destroy everything in their world. Remember, this was to happen as punishment for their sin and rebellion. Solomon wrote, "Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard." (Proverbs 13:15) In a figurative way God said, "I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord." (Zephaniah 1:3) The stumblingblocks that were to be cut off were the idols that would be destroyed by captivity. Israel never committed idolatry after the return from captivity.