하나님나라를 꿈꾸며(Kingdom of God)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, ain the days of bJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

The Coming Judgment on Judah

2  c“I will utterly sweep away everything

from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

3  “I will sweep away dman and beast;

I will sweep away the birds of the heavens

and dthe fish of the sea,

and ethe rubble1 with the wicked.

I will fcut off mankind

from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

4  “I will stretch out my hand against Judah

and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

gand I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal

and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,

5  hthose who bow down on the roofs

to the host of the heavens,

ithose who bow down and swear to the Lord

and yet swear by jMilcom,2

6  kthose who have turned back from following the Lord,

lwho do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”

a Jer. 1:2

b 2 Kgs. 22:1

c Jer. 8:13; [ver. 18; 2 Kgs. 22:16, 17]

d Hos. 4:3

d Hos. 4:3

e See Ezek. 7:19

1 Or stumbling blocks (that is, idols)

f Ezek. 14:17

g See 2 Kgs. 23:4

h Jer. 19:13

i [1 Kgs. 18:21; 2 Kgs. 17:33, 41]

j 1 Kgs. 11:5, 33

2 Or their king

k Jer. 2:13, 17; 15:6

l [Jer. 5:24; Heb. 11:6]

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 습 1.

 

1 아몬의 아들 유다 왕 요시야의 시대에 스바냐에게 임한 여호와의 말씀이라 스바냐는 히스기야의 현손이요 아마랴의 증손이요 그다랴의 손자요 구시의 아들이었더라

여호와의 날

2 ◎여호와께서 이르시되 내가 땅 위에서 모든 것을 진멸하리라

3 내가 사람과 짐승을 진멸하고 공중의 새와 바다의 고기와 거치게 하는 것과 악인들을 아울러 진멸할 것이라 내가 사람을 땅 위에서 멸절하리라 나 여호와의 말이니라

4 내가 유다와 예루살렘의 모든 주민들 위에 손을 펴서 남아 있는 바알을 그 곳에서 멸절하며 그마림이란 이름과 및 그 제사장들을 아울러 멸절하며

5 또 지붕에서 하늘의 뭇 별에게 경배하는 자들과 경배하며 여호와께 맹세하면서 말감을 가리켜 맹세하는 자들과

6 여호와를 배반하고 따르지 아니한 자들과 여호와를 찾지도 아니하며 구하지도 아니한 자들을 멸절하리라

 The Holy Bible: New Korean Revised Version, electronic ed. (South Korea, n.d.), 습 1.

 

 

1절) 선지서의 첫 구절은 본 서의 장르, 예언의 시기, 예언자에 대한 소개를 구체적으로 다루고 있다. 

먼저 예언의 기간은 아몬의 아들 유다왕 요시야의 시대이다. 

예언을 한 선지자를 소개하면서는 특별히 4대까지 올라가서 그가 히스기야의 4대손임을 구체적으로 밝힌다. 

도한 스바냐에게 임한 여호와의 말씀이라는 표현을 통해서 이것이 하나님께서 주신 예언의 말씀임을 분명하게 밝힌다. 

 

스바냐가 유다왕 요시야때에 사역을 했다고 하면 그는 나훔과 예레미야와 같은 시대에 사역했던 선지자이다. 

‘여호와의 말씀’(다바르 야훼)이라는 표현은 구약에서 242회 등장하는데 이중에 225회는 선지자들과 연관되어 사용되었다. 이는 선지자들의 메시지가 어디로부터 유래한 것인지를 알려주는 전형적인 표현으로 그들이 전한 메시지의 독특성과 권위를 강조하는 표현이다. 지금 선지자들이 선포하는 메시지, 말씀은 세상의 창조주이시며 심판주이신 여호와 하나님께서 직접 주신 것이다. 

 

스바냐가 일반적이지 않게 자신의 계보를 4대까지 자세하게 언급하는 이유는 이 계보의 마지막에 언급된 히스기야와 자신을 연결시키기 위한 것으로 보인다. 이는 히스기야가 대중들에게 잘 알려진 히스기야 왕으로 추정한다. 그는 이사야 선지자가 사역하던 시기의 유다의 왕으로 요시야의 종교개혁이 히스기야의 종교개혁과 그 성격이 비슷한 것을 통해서 알 수 있다. 스바냐는 종교개혁을 진행하고 있는 요시야에게 여호와를 향한 열심으로 그 일을 할 것을 격려하며 이미 선조인 히스기야왕도 이러한 일을 했다라는 사실을 상기시키고 있는 것이다. 

 

선지자의 이름, 스바냐는 ‘여호와께서 숨기시다. 보호하시다. 귀하게 여기시다’라는 의미이다. 여호와 하나님께서 소중히 여기시기 때문에 보호하시기 위해 숨기신다는 의미이다. 온 세상에 여호와의 날이 임하여 심판이 임할 때에 하나님께서는 당신의 사랑하시는, 소중히 여기시는 백성들을 숨기실 것이기 때문이다. 

히스기야는 여호와는 나의 힘, 아마랴는 여호와께서 말씀하시다, 그다랴는 여호와는 위대하시다라는 의미를 지닌다. 이로 보아서 스바냐는 여호와를 매우 사랑했던 집안 출신임을 알 수 있다. 지금 이스라엘이 부패하여 심판을 받을만큼 타락해 있지만 그의 집안은 세상과 구별되어 하나님만을 사랑하며 살아갔던 남은자들이었던 것이다. 

 

-  1:1 Most prophetic books in the Old Testament begin with a title verse that introduces the prophet, often briefly describing the time period of the prophet’s ministry and how the message came to the prophet. The title verse to Zephaniah’s prophecy describes the prophet’s message as the word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah in the days of Josiah, king of Judah.2

Several prophetic books begin in a fashion similar to the Book of Zephaniah. “The word of the Lord” is the most common way to describe the message that came to a prophet (cp. Jer 1:2; Hos 1:1; Joel 1:1; Jonah 1:1; Mic 1:1; Hag 1:1; Zech 1:1; Mal 1:1). It emphasizes the uniqueness of the prophet’s message—his message came from the Lord. The content of the prophetic literature illustrates how the prophets spoke for God in such a unique way as God’s messengers that they prefaced their messages with “This is what the Lord says.” Zephaniah’s message followed the prophetic pattern. He received the word of the Lord and proclaimed that message when Josiah reigned as king of Judah.

The expression “word of the Lord” occurs 242 times in the Old Testament, 225 of these being a technical term for prophetic verbal revelation.3 Often the expression also appears in the “call to attention” formula4 that opens a public presentation and seeks to attract the audience’s attention (Num 12:6; Pss 50:7; 81:9; Isa 1:10; Jer 10:1; Hos 4:1; Amos 3:1, 13; 5:1; 7:16; 8:4; Mic 6:2; Jer 28:15). The word is the Lord’s voluntary choice to make himself known, expressing his thought and his will. Through his word God shows the activity in which he is involved in his world. Once spoken, the word works out its message, never returning to God without having achieved its purpose (Isa 55:10–11).5

The word is good (Josh 21:45; 23:14–15; 1 Kgs 8:56; Isa 39:8; Jer 29:10; 33:14; Zech 1:13); upright (Ps 33:4; Neh 9:13); true (2 Sam 7:28; 1 Kgs 17:24); reliable (1 Kgs 8:26; 1 Chr 17:23; 2 Chr 1:9; 6:17); eternal (Ps 119:89); and even holy (Jer 23:9). His word brings creation into being (Pss 33:6, 9; 104:7; 147:15–18). Once spoken the word of God stands forever (Isa 40:8). God watches to ensure that his word is realized in history (Jer 1:12; cp. Deut 18:22; Jer 28:9). This concept and understanding of the word of God “points out the absolute uniqueness of Israel’s religion on the basis of personal contact with Yahweh—the transcendent, sovereign, creator God.”6

The word is what characterizes a prophet just as wisdom does a wise man and torah does a priest (Jer 18:18). Thus people can go to a prophet seeking God (1 Sam 9:9; 2 Kgs 3:11) or seeking his word (1 Sam 16:23; 1 Kgs 14:5; 22:5; Jer 37:17; 38:14; 42:2; Amos 8:12). Such word comes when one stands in the council of God (Jer 23:18). The expectation is that the word received in God’s council (cp. Isa 6) will be preached to the people (Jer 23:22, 28) and will act like a hammer smashing a rock to pieces (Jer 23:29). The message may be preserved in writing also (Jer 36:2). The prophet digested God’s word so that it became a vital part of his life (Jer 15:16).

Just because a prophet claims to have and to preach God’s word does not mean he has done so. He may have stolen the word (Jer 23:30) or preached a word that did not come from God (Jer 23:16–17; Ezek 13:6). The prophet may be deluded or deceived (Ezek 14:9). A prophet may faithfully deliver God’s word but not be believed or accepted (Jer 17:15; 29:19; 37:2; 44:16; Ezek 12:21–28; 33:30–31). The word can cause the prophet to suffer (Jer 20:8; 23:9).

The word is not guaranteed to Israel. The day will come when they will search and scurry to find it without results. They will suffer a famine of the word of God (Amos 8:11–12). Absence of God’s word is in itself judgment (1 Sam 28:15–16; Mic 3:6; Ezek 7:26). It is a burning fire that consumes the people (Jer 5:14).7

The word “came” may convey more significance than would normally be assumed. In Hebrew the verb can mean that Zephaniah experienced the word or that the word happened to the prophet. “The word of the Lord became a living reality to Zephaniah.”8 Both ways of interpreting the word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah emphasize the unique nature of God’s word. “We know nothing of the processes involved. This is a work of God. We do know, however, that it was the experience of specially prepared people (Jer 1:4) who were brought into divine fellowship (Isa 6:5–8; Ezek 1:28–2:2) and within that fellowship made privy to divine secrets (Jer 23:12, 22; Amos 3:7). There was no crushing of human personality or overriding of human mental processes; rather the prophetic state lifted the individual into the presence of God. This experience made the prophets more truly human than they were before, so that they were enabled to receive his revelation.”9 The word characterized Zephaniah’s preaching and gave him authority to speak dangerous words in high places.10 “Zephaniah was inspired to receive, understand, and then express the divine word without tarnishing its divine reality and truth.”11

2 J. Nogalski argues that the superscription has no historical worth, being a stereotyped product of the Deuteronomistic school, and is to be compared to the superscriptions in Hosea, Joel, Jonah, and Micah (Literary Precursors to the Book of the Twelve [Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1993], 176–78, 181–87); cp. R. R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980), 145–66.

3 G. Gerleman, “דָּבָר dābār word,” TLOT 1:330. In the Pentateuch the term appears in Gen 15:1, 4; Exod 9:20–21; Num 15:31; Deut 5:5. In the writing prophets it appears in the titles to books, quite rarely in prophetic address (Isa 1:10; 2:3=Mic 4:2; Hos 4:1; Amos 8:11–12) and in prophetic reports (Amos 7:16). At least 110 of the occurrences appear in the “Prophetic Word Formula—דָבָר יהוה + הָיָה + אֶל + the name of a prophet or a pronoun standing for the prophet—the word of Yahweh came or occurred to … (1 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 6:11; Jer 1:4 11; 2:1; 7:1; 11:1; 33:19, 23; 35:12; 42:7; Ezek 6:1; 7:1; Hos 1:1; Joel 1:1; Mic 1:1).

4 This consists of (1) a call to listen such as שִׁמְע֥וּ דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה, “hear the word of Yahweh”; (2) a mention of those addressed such as בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, “sons of Israel”; and (3) an indication of what is to be heard such as כִּ֣י רִ֤יב לַֽיהוָה֙ עִם־יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ, “for Yahweh has a court case with the inhabitants of the land” (see Hos 4:1); cp. M. A. Sweeney, Isaiah 1–39 with an Introduction to Prophetic Literature, FOTL (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 544.

5 Gerleman, “דָּבָר dābār word,” 1:331–32.

6 H. D. Buckwalter, “Word,” EDBT, 828.

7 See W. H. Schmidt, “דָּבַר dābhar,” TDOT 3:103–25.

8 J. A. Motyer, “Zephaniah,” The Minor Prophets, ed. T. E. McComiskey (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), 3:908.

9 Ibid. Motyer notes further: “If the prophet is to say something that appalls (1:2–3), shocks (1:10), horrifies (2:9), or seems too good to be true (3:8), he needs to be sure of his ground; he needs the authority of the divine word.”

10 Cp. R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, WEC (Chicago: Moody, 1991), 298.

11 Motyer, “Zephaniah,” 908.

 Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 406–408.

 

2-3절) 땅위의 모든 것을 진멸하시는 하나님, 여호와 하나님께서 사람과 짐승을 진멸하고 공중의 새와 바다의 고기와 거치게 하는 것과 악인들을 진멸하며 사람을 땅위에서 끊어버리겠다. 나 여호와의 말이다. 

 

성경에서 '내가 땅 위의 모든 것을 진멸하겠다’라는 말씀으로 시작하는 책은 스바냐서가 유일하다. 이 메시지는 청중들에게 매우 충격적을 들렸을 것이다. 

 

본문 2절에서 진멸하다라는 표현은 ‘아사프 아숩’이라는 표현으로 두개의 동사가 동시에 사용되었다. 첫번째 히브리어 동사인 ‘아사프’는 모으다, 저축하다라는 의미로 절대형 부정사로 동사 앞에 등장할 때는 강조형으로 사용된다. 그래서 확실히 모으리라라는 의미이며 뒤따르는 두번째 히브리어 동사는 ‘아숩’은 히필 미완료형 동사로 ‘파괴하다, 끝내다’라는 의미의 동사이다. 이 표현은 렘 8:13에서 동일하게 사용되었다. 

예레미야 8:13

13여호와의 말씀이니라 내가 그들을 진멸하리니 포도나무에 포도가 없을 것이며 무화과나무에 무화과가 없을 것이며 그 잎사귀가 마를 것이라 내가 그들에게 준 것이 없어지리라 하셨나니

 

결국 이 두개의 동사의 의미를 다 살린다면 ‘내가 땅위에서 모든 것을 모아 진멸할 것이다’라는 의미이다. 

또한 ‘땅 위에서’로 번역된 히브리어는 ‘페네 하 아다마’로 경작 가능한 땅을 의미하는데 이 위의 모든 것을 진멸하겠다라는 의미이다. 

 

3절은 사람과 짐승, 하늘의 새들, 바다의 물고기들, 남을 넘어뜨리는 악한 자들, 사람을 멸절할 것이다 라고 말한다. 2절과 다르게 3절에서는 ‘아사프’는 사용되지 않고 ‘숩’만이 히필형으로 사용되어 파괴시키다라는 의미로 사용된다. 이는 하나남의 언약을 파기한 자들에게 내려지는 저주이다. 특히 본문은 사람, 가축, 공중의 새들, 바다의 물고기등이 파괴되는데 창 1장의 창조시에 하나님께서 5일째에 새와 물고기, 6일때에 짐승과 사람을 지으셨는데 이것들이 파괴된다는 것은 이 심판의 심각성을 보여주는 것이다. 그리고 물고기도 사라진다는 것은 노아의 홍수때보다 더 심각한 수위의 심판이 임할 것이라는 것을 보여주는 것이다. 하나님께서 창조하신 모든 피조물들이 멸절된다는 이 메시지는 청중들에게 엄청난 충격과 공포를 가져다 주었을 것이다. 

 

본문에서 ‘거치게 하는 것과 악인들을 아울러 진멸할 것이다’라는 표현은 해석이 쉽지 않다. 

 

스바냐 1:3(새번역)

3사람도 짐승도 쓸어 없애고, 공중의 새도 바다의 고기도 쓸어 없애겠다. 남을 넘어뜨리는 자들과 악한 자들을 거꾸러뜨리며, 땅에서 사람의 씨를 말리겠다. 나 주의 말이다.

 

이에 대해서 새번역은 ‘막셀라’를 사람으로 해석하고 있고 NIV는 'and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”로 번역하여 ‘악인들을 넘어뜨리게 만드는 우상을 멸정하리라’라고 해석한다. 정확한 해석은 어렵지만 결국 악인들을 멸절하시겠다라는 것이다. 

 

4-6절) 하나님께서 유다와 예루살렘의 주민들 위에 손을 펴서 남아 있는 바알과 그마림이라는 이름의 제사장들과, 지붕에서 하늘의 별들에게 경배하는 자들과, 여호와께 맹세히면서 여전히 밀곰에게 맹세하며 경배하는 자들과 여호와를 따르는 것으로부터 돌아선 자들과 여호와를 찾지도 않고 구하지도 않는 자들을 멸절하리라. 

 

‘하나님의 손’은 구약에서 200여 차례 등장하는데 이는 하나님의 무한한 능력을 상징하는 표현으로 출애굽 이후 주의 백성을 구원하는 능력의 손을(출 3:19-20; 4:17; 6:1; 7:19; 13:3; 15:12; 신 4:34; 5:15; 6:21; 7:8, 19; 9:26), 또한 주의 백성을 징계하는 손을 상징하기도 한다(사 9: 12, 17, 21; 10:4; 렘 21:5). 이스라엘을 구원한 손이 이제는 이스라엘이 행하는 우상숭배를 심판하는 손이 되고 있는 것이다. 이 하나님의 손을 피할 자는 아무도 없다. 

 

본문에서 하나님께서 당신의 백성, 유다와 예루살렘의 모든 주민을 치시는 이유는 바로 그들이 우상을 섬기고 있기 때문이다. 1) 바알을 숭배하는 자들, 2) 우상을 숭배하는 거짓 제사장들, 3) 별들을 숭배하는 자들, 4) 여호와와 밀곰(말감)을 함께 섬기는 자들, 5) 여호와를 배반하고 따르지 않는 자들, 6) 여호와를 찾지도 구하지도 아니한 자들을 멸절하시겠다는 것이다. 

 

앞선 3종류의 그룹은 하나님이 아니라 이교, 우상을 섬기고 있는 자들이며, 이후의 3그룹은 하나님을 믿는다고 하지만 온전히 하나님을 믿고 따르지 않는 종교적 복합주의자들이다. 유다의 문제는 이교에서 비롯된 예식을 여호와의 성전에서 행하고 있는 것이다. 이는 하나님이 어떤 분인지에 대한 온전한 인식, 지식의 부재에서 말미암은 것이다. 본문 4절에서 말하는 이곳(this place)는 하나님을 예배하는 성전이며 말씀이 선포되는 곳이다. 이스라엘 사람들은 예루살렘이 모든 세상의 중심이며, 성전은 에덴 동산을 상징한다고 생각했다. 그런데 여호와 하나님께서 이 곳을 치신다는 것이다. 하나님께서 창조의 중심인 이 곳, 성전을 치실만큼 이교의 영향이 이스라엘 중심부까지 침투해 들어왔다는 것이다. 이미 아세라 종교 예식에 필요한 물건들(왕하 23:4; 21:7), 태양신 샤마스에게 바쳐진 동상들(왕하 23:11)과 앗수르 신들에게 제물을 바치는 제단들(왕하 23:12; 21:4)등이 소장되어 있었다. 

하나님께서 이 곳, 예루살렘 성전에서 바알을 비롯한 우상 숭배에 사용되는 기물들과 ‘그마림’이라고 불리는 바알 종교의 사제들도 모두 제거하신다라고 말씀하셨다. 그마림은 바알 종교를 비롯한 모든 이교들의 사제들을 부르는 호칭이었다.(왕하 23:5; 호 10:5) 

당시 이스라엘은 하나님을 예배하면서 바알과 그마림, 이방의 제사장들이 함께 이방의 방식을 혼합시켰다. 바알 종교 예식은 흥분을 자아내며 성적인 쾌감을 누리게 하는 종교였다. 예배를 드리는 이들로 하여금 극도의 쾌감, 카타르시스를 경험하도록 한 것이다. 결국 우리의 예배가 진리이신 하나님을 예배하는 것이 아니라 종교적인 흥분과 카타르시스를 경험하는 것이 목적이 될 때 결국 우리는 다시금 바알을 섬기게 되는 것이다. 

당시의 사람들은 별을 섬기는 것이 일반적이었다. 해와 달과 별을 숭배하고 별자리를 보고 점을 치는 것이 보편화되어 있었다. 하지만 하나님을 섬기는 이스라엘, 그리스도인들은 그럴 수 없다. 왜냐하면 해와 달과 별들은 신이 아니라 하나님의 피조물이기 때문이다. 십계명은 분명하게 이를 금하고 있다. 결국 죄로 인해서 사람들은 창조주를 피조물로 대체해 버린 것이다. 

 

본문 5절을 보면 ‘말감에게 맹세하는 자들’이 등장한다. 본문의 말감은 무엇을 의미하는가? 먼저는 밀곰이라고 알려진 암몬사람들의 신이라고 보기도 하고(ESV, 왕상 11:5; 33) 이스라엘이 힌놈의 골짜기등에서 아이들을 불살라 바친 신으로 암몬 사람들의 신 몰렉을 가리킨다라고도 한다(NIV, 레 18:21, 렘 5:7). 또한 말감은 멜렉에서 나온 표현으로 '그들의 왕’으로 번역되기도 한다. 어떤 해석도 가능하지만 당시 밀곰이나 몰렉이라는 표현을 사용하지 않고 ‘말감’이라는 단어를 만들어 사용한 것을 보면 세번째 해석이 좋아 보인다. 본문의 왕은 므낫세, 히스기야, 요시야 같은 왕이라기 보다는 하나님보다 높아진 우상들로 그러한 우상들이 우리의 삶의 왕의 자리에 앉았다는 것이다. 하나님께서는 지금 종교적 혼합주의에 대해서 진노하고 계신 것이다. 

 

적극적으로 여호와를 배반하고 따르지 않는 자들도 문제이지만 교회를 분열시키고 문제를 일으키는 대부분의 사람들은 여호와께 맹세하면서 동시에 그들의 왕, 그들의 우상에게 맹세하는 자들이다. 이처럼 믿음에 있어서 양다리는 걸치는 것을 하나님께서 치시는 것이다. 지금 스바냐 선지자는 외적인 우상숭배(바알 숭배자, 이방 제사장, 별 숭배자)에서 내적인 우상숭배(종교적 혼합주의자, 배교자, 실천적 무신론자)에게 관심을 기울이고 있다. 

 

하나님을 ‘찾다’와 ‘구하다’는 구분하기가 어려울 정도로 비슷한 뜻을 지닌 단어들이다. 이 두 단어는 종종 함께 사용되며(신 14 :29; 대하 20:3-4; 시 105:3-4; 렘 29:13), 함께 사용될 경우 ‘찾다’는 일반적으로 하나님의 인도허심을 추구한다는 뜻이며 ‘구하다’는 회개를 목적으로 하나님을 찾는 것을 의미한다. 

한 학자는 성경에서 이 두 단어가 어떻게 시용되는가를 연구한 후 다음과 같은 결론을 내린다: (1)하나님을 찾는 것은 자신이 악한 길에서 돌이켜 겸손으로 하나님을 경배한다는 뜻이다; (2) 선지자들의 사고에 따르면 하나님을 찾는다는 것은 그와 함께 꾸준히 교제하며 그분의 명령에 순종하고 사랑과 정의를 실천하는 것이다; (3) 아주 많은 제물을 드린다 해도 악한 길에서 돌이켜 회개하지 않으면 하나님께로 나아가는 것을 보장받을 수 없다; (4)교만한 자와 악인은 아무리 하나님을 찾아도 그분을 만나지 못한다; (5) 구약 저지들에 의하면 하나님께서는 스스로 결정하고 선택하셔서 백성을 찾아가 자신을 계시하신다. 그러나 진정으로 그분을 찾는 자들은 그분을 만나게 될 것을 소망할 수 있다. 하나님을 찾는다는 것은 그분을 예배한다는 것을 전제하며, 예배행위는 한 번에 끝나는 것이 아니다. 예배는 여호와 앞에 합당한 자세를 취하고, 회개하는 것이며, 하나님을 두려워하는 일이다. 예배는 행위가 아니라 상태이다(a state rather than an act)(Gerleman). 이 두 개념은 하나님을 예배한다는 것이 예배자들로부터 의도적인 노력을 요구하고 있음을 강조한다. 하나님을 향한 열정은 일부 모범적인 신앙인들에게서만 드러나는 선택이 아니라 모든 주의 백성들에게 요구되는 필수 사항이다.(엑스포지멘터리 464)

 

-  1:4 The figure of God stretching out his hand against Judah pictured the judgment of God in a powerful way.51 It reaches back to the exodus experience where God saved Israel by his outstretched hand or arm (Exod 3:19–20; 4:17; 6:1; 7:19; 13:3; 15:12; cp. 14:31; Deut 4:34; 5:15; 6:21; 7:8, 19; 9:26; 11:2; 26:8; 34:12; Jer 32:21; Ps 136:12). This may be related to an Egyptian motif, the Amarna letters referring to the conquering arm of the Pharaoh.52 Isaiah had used the same figure to describe the fury of Assyria which God would bring against Judah: “Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised” (Isa 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4; cp. 5:25; Jer 21:5). The hand symbolized omnipotent power (Jer 32:17) and God’s sovereign direction of history (Isa 14:26–27; Jer 27:5). He moved his hand in judgment against Israel and the nations (Exod 7:5; 1 Sam 5:6, 11; Isa 19:16; 49:22; Jer 6:12; Zech 2:9). The hand stretched against Judah symbolized the power of God brought to bear against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. “Not to see God’s actions is a sign of deep spiritual darkness (Isa 5:12; Ps 28:5).… People are capable of recognizing God’s deeds in creation and in history and are obliged to draw conclusions out of these: to praise, fear, and trust him” (cp. Isa 26:11).53

For the first time Zephaniah began to delineate the kind of sins that aroused the wrath of God against his chosen people. He began “appropriately with an exclusive concentration on the sins committed directly against God in the worship practices of the people.”54 These included “religious error (vv. 4b–5), disloyalty (v. 5b), apostasy (v. 6a), and practical atheism (v. 6b).… Six groups are singled out: Baalists, false priests, astral devotees (Zeph 1:4b–5a), syncretists (v. 5b), backsliders (v. 6a), and practical atheists (v. 6b). The first three are actively committed to other gods; the Lord has no place in their religion. The second three pretend a devotion that is actually unreal (v. 5b), have departed from a devotion they once professed (v. 6a), or have reached the ultimate irreligion where the Lord in not a living reality to them at all (v. 6b).”55

“Particularly offensive to Yahweh is syncretism, which in this instance results from mixing the worship of God with that of pagan gods (1:5) and from accepting foreign customs in Judah’s court (1:8). Their worship has become as foreign as their clothing.”56 For centuries the people of Israel and Judah had worshiped the Lord while also giving allegiance to the Baal gods. Baalism held a powerful lock on the people of Israel and Judah. When the people entered Canaan from the wilderness of Sinai, the Canaanites remained in the land. The people of Israel learned to farm and to worship Baal from the Canaanites. The Canaanites believed that the Baals ensured the fertility of the land. The Canaanites probably believed that worshiping Baal did as much to produce a crop as breaking the ground, planting the seed, and harvesting the crop.

Still, as Josiah ascended the Judean throne, syncretism and idolatry reigned. “This idolatry infected the very center of Judah’s religious life, the temple, where there were sacred cult objects kept for the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah (2 Kgs 23:4; 21:7) and statues dedicated to the sungod[sic] Shamash (2 Kgs 23:11), as well as altars for sacrifice to the Assyrian astral deities (2 Kgs 23:12; 21:4). At these idolatrous shrines, Judean priests led in worship.”57

Baalism involved worship of a variety of gods on the high places. In the temples of Baal “sacred” priestesses served as prostitutes to provide for the fertility of the land.58 According to Canaanite belief, Baal was the son of El. As god of fertility and storm, Baal provided the rain and the fertility of the land. Anat was Baal’s consort. “It was believed that if Baal and Anat saw humans cohabiting on earth, they would be reminded of their own conjugal responsibilities. Their cosmic union would then produce on earth bountiful crops and increase the size of flocks and herds.”59 No wonder God vowed to stretch out his hand against Judah and Jerusalem and cut off the last trace of Baal worship! “The God who created in health and redeems in wholeness cannot be joined to a god who fertilizes the earth through sacred prostitution and who claims his portion by child sacrifice.”60

Along with the last vestiges of Baalism, God promised to remove two groups mentioned in the last part of the verse—the pagan priests (who served Baal)61 and the idolatrous priests (those who served the Lord and also gave allegiance to Baal). To cut off the “names” meant to cause these priests to be forgotten,62 much in the same way that Isaiah spoke of giving those eunuchs who kept the Sabbath a “name,” meaning that they would be remembered (Isa 56:4–5). “Instead of providing for the removal of sin, the priesthood instigated depravity of the worst sort.”63 The priests and the priesthood of Baal must go! Josiah put into practice Zephaniah’s prophecy by removing the pagan priests (2 Kgs 23; 2 Chr 34).

The reader should not underestimate the abominable allure of Baalism. Baal could be read as a simple common name meaning “owner” (Exod 22:7; Job 31:39), “master” (Isa 1:3), “ruler” (Isa 16:8), or “husband” (Deut 24:4). Worship in the name of Baal could easily be understood as applying the name Baal to refer to Yahweh as owner, master, ruler, husband (cp. Isa 54:5; Jer 31:32; Hos 2:16). The worship of this god corrupted Israel for centuries. Elijah’s contest on Mount Carmel involved the priests of Baal. The purpose for Elijah was to establish whether the Lord or Baal is God. Baalism obviously called into question the very nature of God (1 Kgs 18:21) by diluting the power of God and by giving worship and praise to another. While the word “baal” earlier had been a perfectly good Hebrew title meaning “lord,” “master,” or “husband,” Hosea demanded complete abandonment of the name because of its evil associations (Hos 2:16–17).

Later the people of Israel continued to worship Baal. They assumed that the bounty of nature resulted from him. Gomer, like Israel, had not acknowledged that the Lord “gave her the grain, the new wine and oil … [and] lavished on her the silver and gold—which they used for Baal” (Hos 2:8). “Such lack of concern about God’s standards for proper worship leads to the belief that Yahweh is a powerless deity.”64

51 A. S. van der Woude notes that the expression “the hand of God” occurs over two hundred times in the OT (“יָד yād, hand,” TLOT 2:501).

52 M. Dreytza, “יָד,” NIDOTTE 2:403, referring to J. K. Hoffmeier, “The Arm of God Versus the Arm of Pharaoh in the Exodus Narratives,” Bib 67 (1986): 378–87. For some reason van der Woude rejects the exodus as giving impetus to the expression in Israel (“יָד yād hand,” 2:501).

53 Dreytza, “יָד,” 2:403. God’s hand can also express his protection and his creative power, but those meanings are not associated with the present context.

54 Robertson, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 262.

55 Motyer, “Zephaniah,” 3:913–14.

56 House, Zephaniah, 149.

57 Achtemeier, Nahum–Malachi, 64.

58 M. J. Mulder, “בַּעַל baʿal,” TDOT 2:192–200.

59 C. J. Barber, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, EBC (Chicago: Moody, 1985), 91.

60 Robertson, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 262–63.

61 The Hb. term הַכְּמָרִ֖ים appears also in Hos 10:5 and 2 Kgs 22:5. Patterson says, “In all three cases the term refers to priests outside the established priesthood of Israel and has special connection with Baalism” (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 305). P. Jenson (“כֹּמֶר,” NIDOTTE 2:662) notes an occurrence in the Jewish Elephantine papyri written after 500 b.c. in which the term refers to Egyptian priests in contrast with Jewish priests (כֹּהֲנִים). Motyer connects it to “one practicing a frenzied or ecstatic religion” (“Zephaniah,” 3:912).

62 Patterson points out that אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם הַכְּמָרִ֖ים עִם־הַכֹּהֲנִֽים “should probably be construed as apposition for emphatic amplification—even the names of the officiating priests connected with Baalism and the other false religions will be cut off” (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 305).

63 Robertson, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 263.

64 House, Zephaniah, 149.

 Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 417–420.

 

-  The holy God could not tolerate syncretism—the worship of the Lord and the worship of other gods at the same time. Worship in Zephaniah’s day parallels much of the practice of modern society. Many people are not irreligious; they simply refuse to give allegiance to the Lord God alone. They too lose the guidance and strength of the living Lord, exchanging his blessings for the impotence of pagan worship and daily horoscopes.

The Ammonites, Judah’s neighbors to the east, worshiped Molech, a worship the Israelites shared especially during the reign of Manasseh when some of the people burned their sons and their daughters as an offering to Molech. Josiah’s reform attempted to remove all such practices (2 Kgs 23:10), but these too seemed to persist until the fall of Jerusalem. But the Hebrew text reads malkām, “their king,” emended to “Molech” by the NIV. It probably is better to translate “their king” here and understand it as referring to a pagan god.69 “Zephaniah exposes an expressed loyalty to the Lord, while te the actual basis of life is their king.”70 If this interpretation is correct, the “king” would be Baal. Israel swore loyalty “to” (lit. rendering of the Hb. preposition lĕ) Yahweh but too often swore allegiance “by” (Hb. preposition bĕ) the name of Baal.71 Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20 limited all oaths in Israel to those done in loyalty to Yahweh and sworn to by his name.

NIV New International Version

69 The vocalization of the MT, מַלְכָּֽם, favors the translation “their king.” The KJV and RV took this as a proper noun, “Malcham” or “Malcam.” Other translations use either “Milcom” (RSV, NEB) or “Molech” (NIV), referring to the god of the Ammonites. “Molech” may have derived from the writing of the Hb. consonants with the vowels of bōšet, meaning “shame.” See the discussion of Patterson, who questions whether the popularity of Molech endured after the days of Solomon (1 Kgs 11:5, 33), being overshadowed by Baalism (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 306). He follows the MT with good reason, understanding “their king” to point to Baal, worshiped in the place of the divine king Yahweh. Watts also reads “their king” but interprets it as a reference to a major Canaanite god known as Athtar in Ugarit, Chemosh in Moab, or Milcom in Ammon. Associated with the planet Venus, he could be one of the astral deities of v. 5 (Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum Habakkuk and Zephaniah, 158). See also E. R. Clendenen, “Religious Background of the Old Testament,” in Foundations for Biblical Interpretation, ed. D. S. Dockery et al. (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 298–99.

70 Motyer, “Zephaniah,” 3:913. Watts (Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum Habakkuk and Zephaniah, 157) sees a possible wordplay intended with the word שׁבע, “swear,” being able to be read also as שׂבע, “be fed by.” Thus Watts reads: “Those who bow down, who are fed by the Lord, but who swear by Milcom. This would picture priests whose support comes from their service in the temple of the Lord but whose genuine commitment is to a foreign deity.”

71 See the discussion of Robertson, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 264–65.

 Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 420–421.

 

- 6절)  This is the story of many people’s lives. Having started out well in service of God, they have become “weary in well doing” (Gal 6:9). They turned from the active service of the Lord to nothing.

“Seek” (bqš) and “inquire” (drš) frequently appear together (Deut 4:29; 2 Chr 20:3–4; Ps 105:3–4; Jer 29:13) and are difficult at times to differentiate. C. Chhetri understands that “when used together, bqš denotes seeking in a general sense while drš denotes inquiring of God with the view to repentance.74 Robertson observes that “the combination of terms underscores the fact that worshiping the true God requires a conscious and directed effort. This intensity in devotion cannot be regarded as an option reserved for a pious minority.”75

To “seek the Lord” normally means to worship him, but such worship is more than a one-time act. It “designates proper behavior before Yahweh, repentance and fear of God. ‘It intends a state rather than an act.’ ”76 At Sinai, God led Moses to provide a place where Israel could seek him (Exod 33:7). After Solomon dedicated the temple, God appeared to him and promised forgiveness for a people who sought him and turned from their wicked ways (2 Chr 7:14). To seek in this context involves prayer.77 Such seeking is not limited to the temple but can occur even in exile by a people scattered for worshiping false gods (Deut 4:27–31; cp. Jer 29:13). In this case seeking clearly involves repentance, turning from false gods, and turning to the true God in worship at his holy place (Hos 3:5).

Going to the place of worship in and of itself is not truly seeking God (Hos 5:6). It must include ethical obedience (Zeph 2:3). People can seek God because God invites them to in his mercy and forgiveness (Deut 4:31) and has revealed himself to them (Isa 45:19). Ezra promised the protective presence of God to those seeking him (Ezra 8:22). The opposite of seeking in this context is to forsake him. Proverbs connects seeking God to understanding justice (Prov 28:5). “In sum, (1) seeking God requires turning from one’s wicked ways and worshiping him in humility. (2) In prophetic thought, to seek God means to be in constant fellowship with God, to observe his commandments, and to practice love and justice. (3) Sacrifices, no matter how lavish, cannot guarantee access to God for those who do not turn from evil ways and repent. (4) Even though the arrogant and sinful seek God, they never find him. (5) According to the Old Testament writers, ultimately it is God who chooses and seeks the lost to reveal himself to them, but the one who sincerely seeks him can hope to find him.”78

To “inquire” of the Lord means to seek his guidance. The word referred early in Israel’s life to seeking a prophetic word to relieve the distress of a crisis situation (1 Sam 9:9).79 This often involved a king seeking a word about national survival from the prophet. The term can be used by an individual in a direct lament to God (Pss 22:27; 34:5; 69:33; 77:3; Job 5:8) or of a person seeking God’s will in a very personal situation (Gen 25:22). Kings inquired of God before battle (2 Chr 18:4–7)80 and about situations they did not understand (2 Chr 34:21, 26).81 It can also be used for inquiring of and relying on substitute gods, as Jer 8:2 well illustrates.82 The word is a technical term for worship. It “became such a comprehensive designation for Yahweh worship that it often stands as the antithesis of idolatry (Isa 65:1, 10; Jer 8:2; Zeph 1:6; Ezra 6:21; 2 Chr 12:14; 14:3; 17:4; 19:3; 22:9; 26:5; 30:19). But, at the same time, drš yhwh became synonymous with ‘to fulfill God’s will’ or ‘to keep the commandments’ (1 Chr 22:19; 2 Chr 14:6a; 21:20; likewise Pss 14:2=53:5; 119:1, 10).”83 “Thus a loyal, positive, devoted commitment to Yahweh is expressed very generally by the expression ‘seeking Yahweh.’ ”84 It becomes closely tied to repentance (Deut 4:29; Ps 78:34; Isa 9:12; Amos 5:4–6; Hos 10:12; Jer 29:13). The Lord contended with people who neither served the Lord nor served other gods. They left behind the service of God. They ignored the Lord, falling prey to a practical atheism that rejected the power of God in their lives. Many people profess belief in God but live as atheists, neither seeking God in worship nor acknowledging him as the Lord of life. God vowed to cut off those who had turned to practical atheism.

The final group, those “who neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him,” could be the most dangerous group of all. They have taken idolatry to its logical conclusion—a complete rejection of God and any acknowledgment in their lives. “Thus Judah had become a ‘backslider’ (v. 6), neglecting the only One who gave her life. God’s reaction to her sin was to condemn her to that death she had chosen.”85

74 C. Chhetri, “בקשׁ,” NIDOTTE 1:725.

75 Robertson, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 265–66.

76 G. Gerleman, “בקשׁ bqš pi. to seek,” TLOT 1:253, quoting Westermann, Keryma und Dogma, 5.

77 A prayer of intercession can also be involved in “seeking God” (2 Sam 12:16).

78 Chhetri, “בקשׁ,” 1:725–26. S. Wagner (“בִּקֵּשׁ,” TWAT 1:763–64) points to the common phrase “to seek Yahweh’s face” as belonging to a situation in which a worshiper entered the sanctuary to worship before the statue of the god or goddess. Such understanding was impossible in Israel because such images of the deity were forbidden. Rather, they had to depend on God to be present in the sanctuary as the worshipers came to seek him there. See 2 Sam 21:1; Hos 5:15; Pss 24:6; 27:8.

79 See G. Gerleman and E. Ruprecht, “דרשׁ drš to inquire after,” TLOT 1:347. Cp. 1 Kgs 14:1–18; 22; 2 Kgs 3; 8:7–15.

80 Such inquiry did not automatically bring victory or divine help, especially when the king was not in the right relationship with God (Jer 21:2; 37:7–8; Ezek 17:7–8; 20:1, 3).

81 Inquiring of God becomes a major theme in Chronicles, being the type of relationship God expects with his people. דרשׁ appears twenty-seven times in 2 Chronicles referring to inquiring of God or being related to God. Kings are evaluated on whether they sought after God (2 Chr 12:14; 16:12; 19:3; 22:9; 26:5; 34:3). D. Denninger says, “The essential seeking that Chronicles requires points Israel to the temple in Jerusalem, while specifying a whole-hearted, humble relationship with Yahweh in each individual life” (“דרשׁ,” NIDOTTE 1:997). Cf. also J. A. Thompson, 1, 2 Chronicles, NAC (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 266, who states that the phrase “defined one who was a member of the believing community” and “stood for one’s whole duty toward God.”

82 One can seek the dead for help, but this certainly violates Yahweh’s will (Deut 18:11; Isa 8:19; 19:3; 1 Chr 10:13). One could also inquire of false gods (2 Kgs 1). King Asa found condemnation when he consulted physicians rather than God (2 Chr 16:12). Isaiah (31:1) condemned Judah for depending on Egyptian military aid rather than inquiring of God. Seeking God in false ways while serving other gods brings God’s destroying word (Ezek 14:7–10).

83 Gerleman and Ruprech, “דרשׁ drš, to inquire after,” 1:350.

84 Wagner, “דָּרַשׁ dārash, etc.,” TDOT 3:300. Denninger argues that “seeking is a privilege and responsibility of belonging to the covenant community; it is not always cultic” (“דרשׁ,” 1:995).

85 Achtemeier, Nahum–Malachi, 65.

 Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 422–424.