Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:14-17
The Good News of God's Love
"Daughter of Zion . . . Israel . . . Daughter of Jerusalem . . . Zion" are parallel expressions for the same group of people—God's Old Testament believers, and, by extension, God's people of all generations. To God's people Zephaniah the prophet proclaims: "Sing . . . shout aloud . . . be glad and rejoice with all your heart . . . do not fear." How could the Lord's spokesman encourage the people of his day to conjure up such a positive outlook on life when their society was in great moral and spiritual decline? From the top down, the Jewish nation was abandoning God's directives in his Word, godly morals and—most frighteningly—its faith in the LORD. Instead they were turning to false gods, pagan practices and sinful pleasures of life. In the process they were mortgaging their earthly peace and security as well as their eternal future in heaven. Sounds a lot like our contemporary culture, doesn't it?
Zephaniah could instill hope in the hearts of believers in his day through the very same message pastors employ today to give their people courage in the face of life's challenges: the good news of God's love. We call it "the gospel." It's a gracious announcement of forgiveness for sins, deliverance from death, and the gift of eternal life because of Jesus!
I don't know about you, but I find myself giving in to temptation way too easily and way too often. I tell myself that "I'll never do that again," or make lame excuses like, "They had it coming for being such bad people." Or I shift the blame to my work situation or my home life. But deep down inside, my own conscience condemns me and I feel incredibly guilty for my wrongs. I need someone to come alongside me, to encourage me, to let me know I'm still loved . . .
Jesus is that Someone! He's the One Zephaniah points to when he announces: "The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, 'Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31) for Jesus truly is "mighty to save" as Zephaniah declared!
Prayer:
Jesus, mighty Savior, fill my heart with the gracious message of your gospel to encourage me through life and assure me of your faithful love. Amen.
This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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