Zephaniah 3:14-20: a reflection

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.

In a burst of joy, Zephaniah tells God's people that the LORD is in their midst to save, and reveals something astonishing: that God himself rejoices over them, quiets them with his love, and exults over them with singing. The LORD, your God, is among you, Zephaniah says, 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. This is a picture of tender, rejoicing love. God is not merely present with his people, nor merely willing to save them; he delights in them, rejoices over them with joy and singing, and quiets their fears and troubles with his love. The great God rejoices over his people as one who loves them dearly, singing over them with gladness. This shows that God rejoices over his people and quiets them with his love. God rejoices over you with singing and quiets you with his love. God does not merely tolerate his people; he delights in them. Let God's rejoicing love calm your fears and troubles. The great God sings over his people with gladness.

Notice the astonishing tenderness of this picture. God is in the midst of his people to save; that alone would be much. But Zephaniah says more: God will rejoice over you with joy; he will quiet you with his love; he will exult over you with singing. These are the words of a love that delights. God does not merely put up with his people, tolerate them, endure them; he rejoices over them, delights in them, exults over them with singing, as one whose heart is glad over those he loves. And his love calms and quiets: he will quiet you with his love, stilling the fears and troubles of his people with the calm of his love. This is a truth almost too good to grasp, and a deep comfort. We can think of God, at best, as tolerating us, putting up with us, willing to save us but not delighting in us. But Zephaniah reveals otherwise: God rejoices over his people, delights in them, sings over them with gladness. And his love is a calming, quieting love: when we are troubled and afraid, God quiets us with his love, stilling our fears with the assurance of his delight in us. To be loved like this, rejoiced over, sung over, quieted by God's love, is the astonishing reality for those who are God's. We do well to receive this, letting God's rejoicing, singing, quieting love calm our fears and gladden our hearts. Receive that God rejoices over you and quiets you with his love. God does not merely tolerate you; he delights in you and sings over you. Let God's love calm your fears and still your troubles. The great God rejoices over his people with gladness and singing.

That is worth resting in, for God rejoices over his people with singing and quiets them with his love, and we do well to receive it, as Zephaniah revealed. We can think God merely tolerates us; but Zephaniah says God rejoices over his people with joy, quiets them with his love, and exults over them with singing. God delights in you. When you feel merely tolerated by God, or are troubled and afraid, remember that God rejoices over his people and quiets them with his love; let his rejoicing, singing love calm your fears. Receive that God is in your midst to save, and that he rejoices over you with joy and singing and quiets you with his love, letting his delight calm your fears and gladden your heart, as in a burst of joy Zephaniah told God's people that the LORD was in their midst to save and revealed something astonishing, that God himself rejoices over them, quiets them with his love, and exults over them with singing, saying the LORD their God was among them, a mighty one who would save, who would rejoice over them with joy and calm them in his love and rejoice over them with singing; for this is a picture of tender, rejoicing love, since God is not merely present with his people nor merely willing to save them but delights in them and rejoices over them with joy and singing and quiets their fears with his love, the great God rejoicing over his people as one who loves them dearly and singing over them with gladness, which is a truth almost too good to grasp and a deep comfort, since we can think of God at best as tolerating us and willing to save us but not delighting in us, but Zephaniah reveals otherwise, that God rejoices over his people and sings over them with gladness and that his love is a calming, quieting love that stills our fears with the assurance of his delight, so that to be loved like this, rejoiced over and sung over and quieted by God's love, is the astonishing reality for those who are God's, and we do well to receive it.

Lord, in a burst of joy, Zephaniah tells your people that you are in their midst to save, and reveals something astonishing: that you yourself rejoice over them, quiet them with your love, and exult over them with singing. The LORD, your God, is among you, Zephaniah says, 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. This is a picture of tender, rejoicing love. You are not merely present with your people, nor merely willing to save them; you delight in them, rejoice over them with joy and singing, and quiet their fears and troubles with your love. You, the great God, rejoice over your people as one who loves them dearly, singing over them with gladness. Show me the astonishing tenderness of this picture. You are in the midst of your people to save; that alone would be much. But Zephaniah says more: you will rejoice over them with joy; you will quiet them with your love; you will exult over them with singing. These are the words of a love that delights. You do not merely put up with your people; you rejoice over them, delight in them, exult over them with singing. And your love calms and quiets: you will quiet them with your love, stilling their fears with the calm of your love. This is a truth almost too good to grasp, and a deep comfort. I can think of you, at best, as tolerating me, putting up with me, willing to save me but not delighting in me. But Zephaniah reveals otherwise: you rejoice over your people, delight in them, sing over them with gladness. And your love is a calming, quieting love: when I am troubled and afraid, you quiet me with your love, stilling my fears with the assurance of your delight in me. Take that to my heart. When I feel merely tolerated by you, or am troubled and afraid, help me receive, Lord, that you rejoice over your people with singing and quiet them with your love; let your rejoicing, singing love calm my fears, still my troubles, and gladden my heart, for you delight in me and sing over me with gladness.