“The Lord your God
is in your midst, a mighty One Who will save; He will rejoice over you with
gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud
singing. I will gather those of you who
mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all
your oppressors. And I will save the
lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown
in all the earth. At that time I will
bring you in, at the time when I gather you together, for I will make you
renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your
fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.” –Zephaniah 3:17-20 (ESV).
What has happened to cause the happy
conditions described in Zephaniah 3:17-20?
Because the people have recognized and returned to the Lord God, He is
in their midst and abundant blessings are poured out on the people. The conditions of 2 Chronicles 7:14 evidently
have been met: They recognized their
relationship with the one true God, humbled themselves, prayed and turned from
their wicked ways. Then God heard from
heaven and poured out the blessings described here in Zephaniah. The previously weakened nation is in the
presence of the mighty God. He is in
their midst. The atmosphere is like that
of one of the festival times when much rejoicing, thanksgiving and remembrance
are present in the praise offerings of the people. God Himself has dealt with the nations that
have oppressed His people. The lame and outcast refers not just to
people who are afflicted with personal disabilities but with a whole nation
considered incapable of honor and outcast among the other nations. Now the status of that nation is changed. Fortunes and reputation are restored and the
nation is again blessed. An amazing
declaration heard from God Himself here is that He is in the midst of the
people, He is the mighty One who saves, and furthermore He rejoices over the
people with singing and quiets them with His mighty love.
Zephaniah was foreseeing a day when the
fortunes of the nation of Israel would be restored and they would be in God’s
favor, observing festival days in the land they loved so much. “The
day of the Lord” (judgment) would surely come. But then another “day of the Lord” (restoration) would surely come, too. Anticipation of that day after much suffering
will be a time of great rejoicing for those who have turned again to the Lord
God.
God wants to extend blessings and grace
to all peoples and nations, but because He is a covenant-keeping God, He
expects His people as well to keep covenant with Him. Upon repentance and return, the people meet
the requirements of the covenant and stand to be blessed and restored. Someone has wisely observed that there is no
such situation as a “second-generation” child of God. We can benefit from the faith of our
ancestors, but each person must repent and turn to God. Likewise, each generation must own God and
obey God. There is no relying on the
faithfulness of our previous generations to save us. We are responsible for our own turning to
God. And when we do, He stands ready to forgive us, extend His grace to us, and
restore us.
Prayer.
May we see a great return to You in faith so that You can pour out Your
blessings upon us. In Jesus’ name.
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