Resting in the God Who Rejoices Over Me (Zephaniah 3)

Evening Scripture

Zephaniah 3
Jerusalem
Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
she does not draw near to her God.
Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her rulers are evening wolves,
who leave nothing for the morning.
Her prophets are unprincipled;
they are treacherous people.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.
The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame.

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

“I have destroyed nations;
their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;
they are deserted and empty.
Of Jerusalem I thought,
‘Surely you will fear me
and accept correction!’
Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed,
nor all my punishments come upon her.
But they were still eager
to act corruptly in all they did.
Therefore wait for me,”
declares the Lord,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
by the fire of my jealous anger.

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.
On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.
But I will leave within you
the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong;
they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.”

Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

“I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

Evening Reflection

When our son was born, his mother and I would spend each night reading to him. One of our favorite books was from Canadian Children’s author Robert Munsch. In his popular book “Love You Forever”, Munsch tells the story of a mother who sings over her child throughout the course of his life. The song is always the same. “I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” The sentiment is beautiful and heartwarming.

We don’t read a lot from Zephaniah. Zephaniah is one of the minor prophets – stuck at the back of the Old Testament, often overlooked in favor of the larger books of Isaiah or Jeremiah. But within chapter 3 there is this heartwarming image of God, singing over God’s people. “The Lord God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory! He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love, he will exult over you with singing.” Just sit with this truth: God doesn’t yell over you; God sings over you. He doesn’t shout at you from afar; he comes to you and rejoices over your presence.

We can sometimes fear that if God comes close to us, it means reprisal or judgment. But that’s not what Zephaniah depicts. God’s heart for you is one of loving delight. God surrounds you in gracious kindness. God rejoices in who you are because you are God’s beloved child. And because you are so precious to God, God erupts over you with singing.

Evening Prayer

Gracious God,
Thank you for your presence that surrounds me. Thank you for your grace, which comes to me this night. As I enter a time of rest, may the song of your love blanket me, may it soothe any worries or anxieties that I feel within me. May your gracious kindness create in me a holy stillness, one in which I can rejoice in you rejoicing over me.

Loving Father, help me always to live in the light of your love. Give me the strength to turn to you when I feel afraid. Give me the boldness to rely on you when I feel out of my depth. May each day bring me into deeper fellowship with you, and may that begin this night. I pray all this in the name of Jesus, my Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

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