Good morning. One of the joys of being a preacher is that it is part of our job description to spend a significant amount of time in the Word of God. A few days ago, I happened to be reading from the Book of Zephaniah. Even for a preacher that is not something I can often say.
Zephaniah was a prophet of God, speaking to Judah. He spoke for God during the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.). Due to their rebellion against God, the northern kingdom of Israel had already been taken into exile. The fall of Judah, and the capital city of Jerusalem, would occur in 597 B.C. at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army. The book of Zephaniah was written to remind God’s people that when we are unfaithful there are consequences. The nation of Judah would soon know the terror of being carried off into exile, but through it all God remained faithful. God’s love never wavers. Yes, there are consequences for bad decisions and actions, but God will never give up on those He loves.
Near the end of the short book of Zephaniah we read 2 verses that state a truth that I had never considered before. The verses are Zephaniah 3:16-17:
On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp at your sides.
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,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Sometimes the consequences of our actions can be harsh. Hopefully, we learn valuable lessons and will not fail in such a way again. The context of these verses tells us of Jerusalem and Judah being unrepentant, and of God’s wrath towards their sin being felt. But, as we continue to read, we see that God brings them back. His love doesn’t falter or fail, and He restores them. On that day Zephaniah wrote, people living around them will say to Jerusalem: Do not fear. Do not stand there looking defeated. God is with you. Your God is your Mighty Warrior, and He will save you. Not only that, but your Mighty Warrior God will delight in you. Because of His great love, He will no longer rebuke you. It is at this point that there is a statement of truth that I have never properly considered: He will rejoice over you with singing.
When we turn from our sin and rebellion, when we come back to the God who loves us, our Mighty Warrior God will not hold a grudge, He will no longer rebuke us, He will rejoice over you with singing. Our sincere repentance causes joy to build in the heart of God and He breaks into song! What an incredible thought.
How about it, are you ready to cause God to sing today?
Vern