We advance slowly; but then we advance surely. He solaces himself in love; this it is that cheers and comforts him. Jehovah thy God [is] in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing. Notice how appropriate it is that this call for joy immediately follows (Zeph 3:13) the cleansing of their sins (an "emancipation proclamation") and the silencing of their fears of insecurity. The Israelites are meant, called "the daughter of My dispersed," a Hebrew idiom for My dispersed people. (NIV). 2) which is made over an above the regular offerings and thus is expressive of deep gratitude to God. (Believer’s Bible Commentary). Take refuge in the name of God. He will rejoice over you with gladness. how inconstant, and wavering, and restless have been our affections! God is infinitely so. Zephaniah 3:17 (WYC) The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Daughter of Zion does not refer to the Church as some older commentaries state (Albert Barnes). They must confess their evil deeds to God. The third Sunday of Advent traditionally has a focus on joy. And what would suit our case but a mighty God? The secret of stable and perpetual joy still lies where Zephaniah found it-in the assurance that the Lord is with us, and in the vision of His love resting upon us, and rejoicing over us with singing. 2. (14-20). until the day--that is, waiting for the day ( Habakkuk 2:3 ). See What is replacement theology? One of the old commentators says, “He is deaf and dumb in his love,” as if he heard no voice of accusation against his chosen, and would not speak a word of upbraiding to her. When the King (Zeph 3:15) returns, Israel will be re-gathered into their land. ), A W Tozer - Emotion on a High Plane —Zephaniah 3:17 -. What is he explaining? (HCSB); "He will take great delight in you." They shall take refuge in the name of the Lord. Indeed, God is now seen to be doing that which he had previously exhorted his people to do. On rocks and hills and mountains call; ", The LORD your God is with you. The love of God to us is undisturbed: “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” dwells with his love: he is not disquieted about it, but peacefully loves, and is never moved. Now, beloved, in the usual course of nature, we find that men will do anything for their children that they possibly can do. For example. A benevolent mind delights in the exercise of benevolence. PAID IN FULL!) So now we go back to Zephaniah. And now that the deed is done, he comes back to his home. Amen! He controls everything. The day when I rise up - When is this day? We need to breathe it in and savour it like we would the smell of a Sunday roast. Lxx = tapeinos = means low, not high, not rising far from the ground. Let me draw a picture for you. 62:4–5; 65:19; Jer. GROTIUS says, the Hebrew is used of women who have prostituted their virtue. I had hoped that My people by My judgments on other nations would be led to amendment; but they are not, so blinded by sin are they. Thus the gladness of God is thought of as expressing itself in dignified, calm movements, whilst Zion’s joy is likened in its expression to the more violent movements of the dance. One role of a king is to protect his people and fight their enemies, something that will only be fulfilled for Israel when Messiah reigns as her rightful Monarch and this is why they "will fear disaster no more.". Look to Jesus, when in trouble, Christ will read out the sins of the wicked recorded against them; but, as for the sins of his people, “he will be silent in his love.” I sometimes think that it will be so, though I cannot speak with authority. What a great deal Christ has said, in the Scriptures, about his love; and yet hearken, O spouse of Christ, the love that he hath not spoken is ten times more than anything he has yet said! "No," you say, "I can't, because I am too guilty that God should rejoice over me. Zephaniah 3:14-20 EXEGESIS: THE CONTEXT: The first verse of this book tells us that “the word of Yahweh… came to Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah” (1:1). He says, “There is no spot in thee;” and he goes on to say that she is all fair in his sight. 16:10). You Holy One of God! Now, Christ sees our love; the love which he has put into us meets the love which he has poured out towards us; and in both of these he finds a sweet solace. By John Piper. Since Zephaniah 2:13 shows that Nineveh was still standing, a date before that city’s destruction in 612 B.C. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. But such an inference, while satisfying to the mind, is not the ground of our belief. Thank you so very much for your interest in my products. The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The LORD - Jehovah - In context this refers to Jesus (see Jehovah = Jesus). Then will God's Israel be made a name and a praise to eternity. The Septuagint and Syriac versions read the Hebrew, "I rise up as a witness" (compare Job 16:8 , Malachi 3:5 ). This is My inheritance that I will live upon forever, even the glory which I have bestowed on redeemed sinners." He will rejoice over you with joy. I will remove from your midst your proud - See Isa 2:12-18. exulting...haughty - Israel had the Law and yet choose to rebel. He speaks of the Great Tribulation, when the LORD will gather all the nations for judgment (cf. Though stretched from sky to sky. “The mighty God, the King, is in the midst of me. Have you known a father who has cursed his son, and driven him forth from his home, and declared that he was not his child? Zephaniah 3:17 is the reason they do not need to fear nor faint. Some versions like ESV render the Hebrew here as plunder or seize, picturing the LORD avenging Himself against His enemies. When God spoke at the beginning, the heavens and the earth were created; perhaps at the end, the new heavens and the new earth will be created when God exults over his people with loud singing. The idea in some context (Ro 15:3, He 10:33, 11:26, 13:13) is that the insult or reviling represents unjustifiable verbal abuse inflicted on someone. 20:38, 40); hands in a sacrifice of praise (Ps 141:2). Zephaniah 3:9, ESV: "“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord." O, what a day it will be! CALVIN, "Howsoever I had marked them out for punishment" because of their provocations, still, if even then they had repented, taught by My corrections, I was ready to have pardoned them. Whether Hebrew shall be the one universal language or not, the God of the Hebrews shall be the one only object of worship. Finally, the day of His "coronation" has arrived! Gather (Zeph 3:18, 19, 20) - Although Zephaniah uses different Hebrew verbs, this is clearly a repeated thought in this "restoration" section of his prophecy. Why is He mighty to save? He knew all their waywardness, and folly, and ingratitude. "Daughter" may seem extraneous in English but consciously joins the various epithets and metaphors of Israel and Jerusalem as a woman, a device used to evoke sympathy from the reader. (1-4) Jerusalem, the wicked city. 8. wait ye upon me--Here Jehovah turns to the pious Jews. He will make you fit for Heaven, and take you there. And in the savor of that blood 7:14; Jer. There is nothing in us that explains the reason for the Father's love. There never has been a period in which the love of God in Christ towards His people has been more or less than it is at this moment. "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand." Conscience accuses, and Satan accuses, and sin accuses, and the world accuses- but Jesus accuses not; He is silent because of His love. You may (will) be pleasantly surprised at how your Teacher the Spirit will honor your pausing to ponder by giving you illumination and insight that heretofore you had never had on that passage. There is a great crowd of angelic spirits, ever waiting in his courts above, and he, as King, sits in the very centre of them all, and before him principalities and powers cast their crowns; but I never heard that he rested even in their homage. F B Meyer - The margin suggests an exquisite alternative, “He will be silent in His love.” Of old the Psalmist said that his soul was silent in its calm expectancy for God’s salvation. He also sang after His triumphant resurrection from the dead (Ps. (Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words). Divine wrath is silent because love has hushed it. NAS Usage: anger(1), envy(1), jealousy(24), passion(1), rivalry(1), zeal(14). It must have been great before conversion, because then it was that He gave His only begotten Son that they might live through Him. Ranan - 52v - Lev 9:24; Deut 32:43; 1 Chr 16:33; Job 29:13; 38:7; Ps 5:11; 20:5; 32:11; 33:1; 35:27; 51:14; 59:16; 63:7; 65:8; 67:4; 71:23; 81:1; 84:2; 89:12; 90:14; 92:4; 95:1; 96:12; 98:4, 8; 132:9, 16; 145:7; 149:5; Pr 1:20; 8:3; 29:6; Isa 12:6; 16:10; 24:14; 26:19; 35:2, 6; 42:11; 44:23; 49:13; 52:8f; 54:1; 61:7; 65:14; Jer 31:7, 12; 51:48; Lam 2:19; Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:10. The Lord God receives an accession to the infinity of His joy in the thought of His redeemed people. Christ and His outward lowliness, Christ and His poverty, Christ and His humiliation, Christ and the world's despising, form no part of their creed nor their religion. in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah." Our dear Lord's exhortation harmonizes with this truth. to whom the reproach of it was a burden--that is, to whom thy reproach ("the reproach of My people," Micah 6:16 ; their ignominious captivity) was a burden. Paul calls this a mystery, which means that it was not clearly revealed at the first. "The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. It is tragic, sad, amazing how one can be so wedded to a "system" of theology that they fail to read passages such as these literally and fail to see (or acknowledge) that these are speaking of the literal nation of Israel who has been scattered and maligned for over two millennia. Your love, which fills my grateful breast, He has built the heavens; he has stretched out the earth, and he upholds the clouds with his might: but he never rests there. God rests in the unchangeableness of His love towards His saints. If before, his prophecy likely helped bring about the spiritual awakening. He will sing with joy because of you. "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Recall the theme of Zephaniah - Judgment and doom are certain unless there is repentance. He sees no cause of alarm as to his redeemed, nor as to the cause of truth and the reign of righteousness. Now, he is more than conqueror, he rises to heaven, and he rests in his love. Now he rests in his love; that which made him fight, now gives him joy; that which impelled him in the day of battle to do great deeds of heroism, is its own sweet reward. (r.v.) You have said that God loves his own glory above all things. NLT Study Bible - The cumulative effect of these commands emphasizes that God’s people will one day experience unsurpassed joy. We are solemnly warned by ‘profound thinkers’ of letting the shadow of our emotions fall upon God. He will bear thy heavy load. HE WILL TAKE GREAT DELIGHT IN YOU. No other name will share the glory due treacherous--false to Jehovah, whose prophets they profess to be ( Jeremiah 23:32 , Ezekiel 22:28 ). In their own view, they may be vile, polluted, worthless; but seen by Him in Jesus, He can, and He does say, to each one, "You are all beautiful, my love, I see no spot in you." Jesus said, “I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). He comes down like the silent dew, or the gentle shower. Oh, yes; there is much love which he has brought out of the treasure-house, and given to you; but he has much more like it in that divine heart of his. Israel did not merit this renown and praise. The Septuagint translations are: oneidismos (“reproach; reviling; disgrace; insult”) and oneidos (“disgrace; reproach; insult”). And eventually the Jews would be dispersed throughout the entire world. "You will fear disaster no more.") Lowly (01800)(dal) means low, weak, poor, thin. He says nothing to accuse them. We will, therefore, at once turn to the few words I have chosen as my text “He will rest in his love,” and we shall consider these words as referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, and as relating to his divine and matchless love, which he hath manifested toward his people in the wondrous works of grace which he has accomplished for them and in them. "Come, " says Jesus, "and rest in my love- rest in the reality of my love- rest in the depth of my love- rest in the tenderness of my love- rest in the deathlessness of my love!". The Lord, your God, is in your midst, The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. You have said that God takes pleasure in his own name. Rinnah can be a cry of joy at the destruction of the wicked (Pr. A Hebrew prophet of the seventh century bc. The great God will yet say, "I am satisfied: here will I rest. WITH SINGING, He will rejoice over you with singing (He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy-NAS) - "He shouts for joy over you." In short, the Day of the Lord! Below are passages that parallel the thought of Zephaniah 3:17. Even if the humble in the land can't avert the final wrath of God, they may at least perhaps be hidden themselves when the terrible day of the Lord comes. her that halteth--all that are helpless. Qereb - 209v in NAS - among(62), body(1), devoured*(2), entrails(20), heart(1), herself(1), inner thought(1), inside(1), inward feelings(1), inward part(1), inward thought(1), inwardly(2), middle(2), midst(81), within(35), within our land(2), within their land(2). (Ezekiel 48:35). But, thank God, it is not true; for the promise of the text is that Jesus “will rest in his love.” If their doctrine is according to the Scriptures, where is the value of Christ’s affection at all? God the mighty savior, quietly contemplating, contented in his love for you....Other passages that speak vividly of God’s rejoicing in the love of his people include Isa. He is as gentle as he is powerful, and works gently, though with omnipotent energy. Zephaniah 3:17 (WEB) Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586BC, the King departed from Israel's midst, leaving His abode in the Temple in Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 8-11). Verses 1-7 The holy God hates sin most in those nearest to him. . The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, he will save: he will rejoice over thee with gladness, he will be silent in his love, he will be joyful over thee in praise. The very words seem to dance with joy. He broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes (2Kings 23:7). But God’s love is no flickering flame; it does not flare up for a little while, like the crackling of thorns under a pot, and then die out in darkness; it is not to be set forth by the image of a fool’s mirth, which lasts but for a little season. There is in the Hebrew Moreah; a play on the name Moriah, the hill on which the temple was built; implying the glaring contrast between their filthiness and the holiness of the worship on Moriah in which they professed to have a share. The Hebrew for "Ethiopia" is Cush, which may include not only Ethiopia, but also the region of the Tigris and Babylon, where Nimrod, Cush's son ( Genesis 10:8-12 ), founded Nineveh and acquired Babylon, and where the ten tribes are mentioned as being scattered ( 1 Peter 1:1 , 5:13 ; compare Isaiah 11:11 ). Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? If God sings, shall not we sing? He will rejoice over you with gladness. He loves unto the end.”. However firm, however true, and however fervent it may seem to be, and even really may be, yet trust it not so implicitly as to come under that ancient sentence, “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord.” Trust not too much to any friend whom you may have; put not all your confidence in any man, for the best of men are but men at the best, and the firmest of men are subject to the infirmities and the frailties of their race. This verse is filled with God’s truth and promises. NAS Usage: cry(1), exult(1), glad(3), rejoice(38), rejoiced(1), rejoices(1). In other words God will not be content merely to destroy the nations of the world. . Infinite, therefore, must be the satisfaction of His heart, intense the delight of His soul, when He sheds abroad His love in the hearts of His people, when He draws near in the day that they call upon Him, and manifests Himself as a loving, tender, faithful Father. The prophet saw "the glory of the LORD of Israel" was still present in the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezek 8:4-note), But in Ezekiel 9:3-note "the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the Temple," and "the Temple was filled with the (Shekinah glory) cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the (Shekinah) glory of Jehovah." He will take delight in you with gladness. Does this remind you of any New Testament passage? Zeph 3:15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. England in this view may be the naval power to restore Israel to Palestine ( Isaiah 60:9 ). Let me now tell you a … So Isaiah 66:20 , "they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord." Jesus does this "joyfully". I think it wouldn’t be unfair to claim that the book of Zephaniah is one of the least known books of the Bible, if not the least. 5:11; 67:4; 81:1; 90:14; 92:4; 149:5). So the judgments and the wrath announced in Zeph 1 and Zeph 2 are not the last word in Zephaniah's prophecy. (Pr 28:13-note). If revealed only to God, the heart must unburden itself of its hidden, trembling emotion. (Mic 7:18) Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? What would happen if God lifted up his voice and not only spoke but sang! He Delights In You! He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.'" He is a mighty hero who saves. He will save, for he is love. Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!. It was only in Christ that the Divine perfections employed in saving man could meet, and harmonize, and repose. Still you say, "No, because I am enslaved to shame. (Ps 35:27) Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, “The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”. The only way to have purified lips is to have a purified ("circumcised") heart! 119:22). He redeems us from the hands of our enemies. 31:7) praising the Lord (Isa 26:19; 35:2; 52:8; Jer. Shall his body be dismembered? This Greek verb was used of casting off the anchors of a ship, allowing it freedom of movement (cf Acts 27:40). Then in Zeph 2 the first warning is followed by an earnest call for repentance. (Ps 32:1-2-note), He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but (always carefully observe this term of contrast, as some reveal a striking change of direction!) Jeremiah 32:41 "I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. 34:14). Backslider, return to this Mighty Savior. As all the water taken from the ocean has not diminished it, for it is still full; so all the grace that has been received from the fullness of Jesus has not diminished it, for it is a fullness of grace still. The might of man cannot be compared to that of God. He will save; he will be Jesus; he will answer the name, for he will save his people from their sins. Adam Clarke - Here is not only a gracious prophetic promise of their (Israel's) restoration from captivity, but of their conversion to God through Christ. For, lo! I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Since God has forgiven Jerusalem’s iniquity and totally removed any resulting guilt, there will no longer be a need to use any of the nations as instruments of His judgment. The just Lord--Why then are ye so unjust? The next verse explains why Zephaniah commanded Israel to sing with such joyful shouting. It shall forevermore endure— He will sing and be joyful over you. (From Comfort for Christians: God's Inheritance - See the Index for the 16 Articles such as "No Condemnation," etc), Octavius Winslow - God Resting in His Love - "He will rest in his love." Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” (3:14). Zephaniah 3:14 to Zeph 3:17 is a message of encouragement from Zephaniah. God told the priests in Malachi’s day, “I have no pleasure in you” (Mal. ), Zephaniah 3:17 (YLT) A humble and lowly people - In contrast to the proud, exulting...haughty in Zeph 3:11. Look to Jesus, when in trouble,  We need to take this verse and grasp it with both hands. With longtime friends, there is a silence of communion that says more than words, and this includes God’s silent love for us. Zephaniah 3:17. "No," you say, "Still I can't because he is a great a holy God and I feel like he is far away from me.". Denomination: Other. Along with the first verb "taken away" (sur) serve to reiterate God's work to set His people free. Zephaniah stated that the Day of the LORD was "near" (Zeph 1:14), would be a time of wrath, trouble, distress, etc, (see full description in Zeph 1:15-16) and would come as judgment on sin against Jehovah (Zeph 1:17), but that it would be followed by blessing of His very presence in the midst of His people (Zeph 3:17). The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. Jesus, I rest in Thee, And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home!" And on the north is the terrible Assyria (Zeph 2:13–15). But side by side with this picture of the repose of God’s joy is set with great poetic insight the precisely opposite image of a love which delights in expression, and rejoices over its object with singing. Resting in Him, delighting in His person, and fully satisfied with His work, an object ever in His presence and in His heart, the Father is prepared to welcome and to bless all who approach Him in the name of Ills Son. He will also save us from its power (cf Ro 6:11-14). But let us watch over this holy affection, apart from which God takes no pleasure in our sacrifices or services. He is a mighty savior. I can say of him, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste;” but it is wonderful for him to say the same of me, or to turn to some poor saint, and say to him, “O soul! The LORD your God is with you. Name of the LORD (See Why Should You Study His Names?) Knowing that God would one day defeat their enemies and reign in righteousness would encourage the believing remnant to persist in their faithful walk with the Lord. Are our sins extremely heinous? No kingdoms rise and nations mock your mercy He is well pleased in Jesus—well pleased with all the glorious purposes which are connected with his dear Son, and with those who are in him. "How Can God's Joy in His Own Name Apply to Me?". Yahweh your God [is] in your midst; a mighty warrior who saves. Before your eyes - "Incredible as the event may seem, your own eyes with delight shall see it. Zion is exhorted to sing (rānnî); he rejoices with singing (rinnāh). For every throb of joy in man’s heart, there is a wave of gladness in God’s. This must be a day when our Lord has returned and our lips, hearts and lives have been drastically changed! Our reading from Zephaniah sets the tone: “Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! I prefer, with DE WETTE and Chaldee Version, making "suppliants" the objective case, not the nominative. Zeph 1:8: the officials and king's sons were arrayed in foreign attire, wanting to be like the other nations who knew not God. before your eyes--Incredible as the event may seem, your own eyes with delight shall see it. Remember that it was merely a spoken word that brought the universe into existence. Several prophets predicted that Israel’s judgment was partly to be experienced by the humiliating “reproach” of the nations: (Jer 29:18; cf. The prophet writes about two future “days” that relate to the Jewish people: a judgment day when the nations will attack Jerusalem (Zeph. Zephaniah 3:17 (ASV) He has said many rich things, but there are richer things still. Wiersbe - Where once the Jewish nation brought shame and disgrace to God’s name and were poor witnesses to the Gentiles, now Israel will bring honor and praise to the Lord their God and reveal to the Gentile nations the glory of His name. His love is not changed, even though he does not comfort us. The Father rests in Thee. He is free! (3) Finally, the closing message of hope was an encouragement to the faithful remnant in the land, who were true to God and suffered because of their devotion to Him (Ed: God always has His "7000" who have not bowed to Baal [Ro 11:4-note], cf Simeon - Lk 2:25 and Anna - Lk 2:36, 37, 38). He runs to him, embraces him, and kisses him. Multitudes, multitudes, have been saved by this mighty Savior! People who constantly tell us they love us can be as irritating as those who rarely tell us, but where our love is growing deeper, it is expressed in silence as well as in speech. Now he rests because the battle is fought, the victory is won, and he, therefore, rejoices in the very love which once caused him to labour. ‘The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty,’ Zephaniah tells us. Our God not only saves, but he sings. Here He gave his Only-begotten Son, and put him to grief to ransom His beloved ones. Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. 9:7). If it is enough for Jehovah, surely it is enough for the people of Jehovah. . After the taking away of sin ( Zephaniah 3:13 ) follows the taking away of trouble. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). "And again he stooped down and wrote on the ground." He loves us, and sometimes shows that love better by not giving us what we ask than he could do if he spoke the sweetest promise which the ear has ever heard. He will rejoice over you and be glad, he will be silent in his love, he will shout over you with joy. This is not Aristotle’s “Unmoved Mover.” This is not the abstract god of the philosophers. Jesus tells us there is joy in heaven when a sinner repents (Luke 15:7). God rests in the immutability of His love. We also find Jesus singing after his resurrection victory (Ps. drew not near to her God--Though God was specially near to her ( Deuteronomy 4:7 ) as "her God," yet she drew not near to Him, but gratuitously estranged herself from Him. If these men are right, must not the apostle Paul have been wrong when he declared that he was persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in the whole of creation should ever be able to separate the saints from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus their Lord? In that day, in context the day when Messiah returns to turn an upside down world, right side up!
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