Joy in God's Faithfulness

Zephaniah 3:14-20 

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
"Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.

17 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."

18 "I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.

19 Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.

20 At that time I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,"
Says the LORD.

Such joy expressed for God’s faithfulness by Zephaniah!  Knowing the wickedness of man and the righteousness of God in light of judgment on all and deliverance of a remnant, in all these things the prophet turned to sing praises and entreated the people of God to join him in doing the same.  He called for all who heard to rejoice with everything they had, with a whole heart completely His (Psalm 86:12, Joel 2:12) in repentance and trust.  He acknowledged that the LORD had forgiven them and delivered them from their enemies, a picture of the salvation in the Christ to come where our sins are cast into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19) and we are delivered from our enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26) and the consequences of sin, both inherited from Adam and committed each day by ourselves.  The Sovereign King is in our midst.  He was then with Israel and is now with them and us together as His completed people, the chosen and called children of His marvelous grace.  As the LORD said to Jerusalem to not fear and strengthen their hands for the task at hand with confidence, so we work our our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13) which is our sanctification with faith in His working to compete us into the image of Christ (Philippians 1:6).  We do this with hands made strong in Christ and not with fear that weakens us in our pursuit of Him according to His word.  He who is among us, Immanuel, will save and has saved us.  He rejoices over we His people of the kingdom He set in and among us (Luke 17:21) and God now also settles us in His love (1 Peter 5:10-11) with gladness and singing as the angels in heaven do before the throne without ceasing.  He binds up the wounds of our sorrows as promised even then in verse 18, and He deals with those who persecute us in His appointed times.  Just as God lifted up His people and made their fame known as His own then, so will He continue to put us on display for His glory and praise.  As He gathered the remnant of Israel back in repentance to Himself then with that renown as His own, delivering the captives representing captivity to sin, so has the Lord delivered us with them through repentance and faith to follow and magnify Him to the end of the earth!  He returns the captives of sin brought to us by the deceiver to our forefather Adam to the glorious liberty (Romans 8:21) of all the children of God.  What joy we then possess in God’s faithfulness to His word of promises as it is written.