Context No. 3799 of 4322 · Zephaniah

Zephaniah 3:14-20: in context

14Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. 15The LORD has taken away your judgments. He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is among you. You will not be afraid of evil any more. 16In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid, Zion. Don’t let your hands be weak.” 17The LORD, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. 18I will remove those who grieve about the appointed feasts from you. They are a burden and a reproach to you. 19Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you; and I will save those who are lame and gather those who were driven away. I will give them praise and honor, whose shame has been in all the earth. 20At that time I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.

After chapters of warning, Zephaniah ends with a burst of pure joy: sing, daughter of Zion; shout aloud; rejoice with all your heart. The reason is that God has removed his people's judgment and come to dwell among them: the LORD your God is in your midst.

And then one of the astonishing images in all of Scripture: God himself rejoices over his people. He will rejoice over you with gladness, quiet you by his love, and exult over you with loud singing. It is a picture not merely of God tolerating or forgiving his people, but delighting in them, singing over them with joy, as one sings over a beloved. This is the tender heart of God toward those he has redeemed. He does not stand over us grudgingly; he is in our midst to save, and he rejoices over us with singing. There is deep comfort here for anyone who doubts God's warmth toward them. The God who has saved us delights in us, quiets our fears with his love, and sings over us with gladness.

Do I know God not as one who merely tolerates me but as one who is in my midst to save, who quiets me with his love and rejoices over me with singing?

Sources

Zephaniah 3:17: "The LORD, your God, is among you... He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:14: "Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart."
Zephaniah 3:15: "The LORD has taken away your judgments... The King of Israel, the LORD, is among you."