12/09/2008

Zephaniah 3:14-20 NIV


14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 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.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
17 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."
18 "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. [a] 19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes [b] before your very eyes," says the LORD.

One commentary says that "after the promises of taking away sin, follow promises of taking away trouble. When the cause is removed, the effect will cease." Now that is just too good! When we are doing the right things like going to church, following His commandments, following the Word - then happiness will occur. We can seek comfort, peace in the church and in God's love. Before Jesus comes again though we will have some troubling times but Jesus saves us and protect us. This is truly awesome - he will save even the weakest believer because He loves us so much. His mercy and His grace are sufficient. Praise God because we will be delivered from our enemies. Sing O daughter of Zion! Praise God! The Lord is in the midst of us. He is a Mighty God! Fear not...we will not be afraid of our enemy anymore. This is encouraging...that He is in the midst of us. He has power in heaven and in earth. He is able to deliver us out of every enemy, every trouble. Thank Him for being on our side. Trust God that He will carry out his promises.

God is full of grace and joy but He is also a God of justice. God also deals in grace and mercy (thank you Lord) and when troubles come our way, He will be in the midst of us. So awesome! Some of the keys are to wait on God (Zephaniah 3:8), seek Him (Zephaniah 2:3), be humble (Zephaniah 2:3b) and also to obey God's commandments (Zephaniah 2:3). So again (I see a pattern here) - wait on God, seek Him, be humble and obey His commandments and also stay in His Word. That is how we learn and how we get our strength.