As Zephaniah
begins to close his prophesy, he turns his words to the restoration
of Judah and Jerusalem after their banishment for apostasy. He
encourages “Zion” to sing and Israel” to”shout”
as the LORD has taken away their “judgments, cast out their
enemy” and “shall not see evil any more”. They were
no longer to “fear” or be discouraged because the LORD
would restore them to their rightful place. In chapter three and
verse seventeen, Zephaniah shares concerning the LORD's “might,
salvation, rest and joy” as we read:
The LORD
your God in the midst of you is
mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over you with joy; he will rest
in his love, he will joy over you with singing.
The
verse begins, “The LORD your God in the
midst of you is
mighty;” Zephaniah began, “The
LORD” or “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the
existing One and the proper name of the one true God” “your
God” which means “ruler, judge and divine
one” “in the midst”
or “among, in the inner part or middle” “of
you is mighty” which means “strong,
brave, valiant and powerful as a warrior”. Zephaniah's declaration
is not only concerning in whom the people of Judah believe as their
God, but he also includes His attribute of power and might.
The
verse goes on to say, “he will save, he will rejoice over you
with joy;” Zephaniah added, “he will save” or
“deliver, liberate and be victorious” “he will rejoice”
which means “exult, display joy, make mirth, be bright, cheerful
and glad” “over you with joy” or “gaiety, pleasure,
mirth and exceeding gladness”. Not only is the LORD their God
mighty, but He will be victorious over them and express exceeding joy
as He does.
Finally
the verse says, “he will rest in his love, he will joy over you
with singing.” Zephaniah continued, “he will rest”
which means “cut in, plough, engrave and devise” “in his
love” or “passion and delight” “he will joy”
which means “exult, be glad and joyful” “over you with
singing” which is the Hebrew word “rinnah” and means
“ringing cry, entreaty, supplication, proclamation, joy and
praise”. When the LORD provides deliverance to the people of Judah,
He will have full “rest” in “His love” to the
point that He will be joyful in song in celebration of their
reinstatement.
When
we consider the declaration of Zephaniah in this verse, we should be
excited because as it applied to Jerusalem and Judah, it applies to
us as well. The LORD our God is with us, and His promise is to
“save”. “He will rejoice over” us “with
joy”, and the LORD's “rest” is within “His
love”. He will be joyous over us with “singing” as
we commit our lives to Jesus Christ whom He has provided for our
salvation. The LORD's desire is to have a close relationship with all
who will be restored and aligned with Him. Zephaniah's words should
encourage our hearts and bless us greatly as we realize the God of
the universe not only will rejoice over us, but will gladly do so in
glorious song. Praise be to His Holy Name!
Next
time Zephaniah tells the people how the LORD will “gather
the sorrowful”, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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