Zephaniah 3:14-20
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord. [NRSV]
Devotion
These final verses of Zephaniah, labeled by Bible scholars as a “salvation oracle,” offer a vision of hope and future joy to people who have, thus far in the prophetic witness, fallen short of God’s vision for faithful living. God (the Lord) has reclaimed the throne. The prophets were declaring “Do not be afraid. God is with you!” well before any gospel writer wove it into their narratives.
The New Living Translation, renders verse 17 in this way:
For the LORD your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
What an intimate picture this paints for us. While God is mighty, God also takes delight in us, calms our fears, and sings joyful songs in our midst. One might imagine God as a loving mother who can’t help but sing songs of joy upon seeing her children after a long separation, especially children who have been treated unfairly by the principalities and powers.
We might wonder who particularly needs to hear God’s songs of salvation and renewal today. Who is oppressed by systems of domination and prejudice? Who is cast out from the center of society to live on the margins? Whose fortunes need to be restored after being deprived of justice by the powerful for far too long? As we reflect on who these folks might be, we might also find ways to turn our eyes to them, much as the prophets did, for that is where God promises to be.
The New Living Translation, renders verse 17 in this way:
For the LORD your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
What an intimate picture this paints for us. While God is mighty, God also takes delight in us, calms our fears, and sings joyful songs in our midst. One might imagine God as a loving mother who can’t help but sing songs of joy upon seeing her children after a long separation, especially children who have been treated unfairly by the principalities and powers.
We might wonder who particularly needs to hear God’s songs of salvation and renewal today. Who is oppressed by systems of domination and prejudice? Who is cast out from the center of society to live on the margins? Whose fortunes need to be restored after being deprived of justice by the powerful for far too long? As we reflect on who these folks might be, we might also find ways to turn our eyes to them, much as the prophets did, for that is where God promises to be.