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A Song of Joy
Zephaniah 3.14-20
Good News Translation (GNT)
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14 Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel!
Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has stopped your punishment; he
has removed all your enemies. The Lord, the
king of Israel, is with you; there is no reason
now to be afraid.
16 The time is coming when they will say to
Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid, city of Zion!
Do not let your hands hang limp!
17 The Lord your God is with you; his power
gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in
you, and in his love he will give you
new life. (a) He will sing and be joyful
over you,
18 as joyful as people at a festival." The Lord
says, "I have ended the threat of doom and
taken away your disgrace. (b)
19 The time is coming! I will punish your
oppressors; I will rescue all the lame and
bring the exiles home. I will turn their shame
to honour, and all the world will praise them.
20 The time is coming! I will bring your scattered
people home; I will make you famous
throughout the world and make you
prosperous once again." The Lord has
spoken.
Footnotes
Zephaniah 3:17 Some ancient translations
give you new life;
Hebrew be silent.
Zephaniah 3:18 Verse 18 in Hebrew is
unclear.
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Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by the
Scripture Union
A Song of Joy
Zephaniah 3.14-20
The mood of Zephaniah's prophecy has shifted dramatically.
Warnings and condemnation have given way to rejoicing and he ends with a song.
It has two simple themes which can inform and stimulate our own praise and worship.
Zephaniah reminds Judah and Jerusalem of what God had already done and then
of what he would do in the future.
First, God had dealt with the things that made them fearful. The punishment they
feared (or should have feared, at least!) had been taken away.
This punishment hadn't been conveniently forgotten.
It hadn't just been put on one side, it had been taken away (v 15).
Looking back at that with our New Testament perspective we're reminded of
John the Baptist's bold declaration on seeing Jesus:
'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' (John 1:29).
Moreover, God had also turned back the enemy. Whether the enemy was approaching
or following was irrelevant now, because
'The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you' (v 15).
This is only the start, however - there is more to come.
God will be with them as their Saviour and will 'take great delight' in them (v 17).
At the heart of the relationship is his love for his people.
Like them, we often need reminding of God's passionate love for us
(the word used for love here is the same as for Jacob's love for his wife Rachel,
Genesis 29:16-30).
It's the love of Jesus, from which we can never be separated (Romans 8:35-39).
Finally, God will continue to act on their behalf.
He will deal with those who oppressed them, neutralising their power (v 19).
The lame and the exiles will be rescued and gathered (compare Micah 4:6,7),
with their shame being turned to honour (v 20).
This God will 'restore your fortunes before your very eyes'.
What a hope!
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