Zephaniah 3:14-20
SS Lesson for 06/25/2023
Devotional Scriptures: 2 Cor 5:12-21
A task that no one wants to do is to notify the next of kin that a loved one died in a traffic crash or a similar incident. A veteran of 30-plus years in law enforcement said that this was the worst part of his work. These situations are especially stressful when there are multiple deaths. Old Testament prophets also had the unwelcome task of bringing bad news. Their task involved not news of deaths that had happened, but deaths that were to come. And reactions to the prophecies differed. At one extreme was wholesale repentance (example: Jonah 3:5-9). Much more common was the other extreme of rejection of the message and persecution of the prophet (example: Jeremiah 38:1-6). Zephaniah was a prophet like others in bringing news both good and bad. How he was treated is unknown to us. But his prophecies bear study yet today.
The instructor for a class on the Minor Prophets presented an imaginary conversation in Heaven. A person had recently arrived there, and one of the first persons he met introduced himself as Zephaniah. The new arrival was thrilled, for he assumed that this was the prophet who wrote book of the Bible by that name. So he asked his new friend if he had indeed written that book. The individual replied that he had, and then he asked the new arrival in Heaven what he thought of the little book of only three chapters. One of the students in the class reflected on that scenario and decided to write a term paper that would feature some aspect of the book of Zephaniah, just in case! The prophet is identified in Zephaniah 1:1 in terms of the name of his father. That was a normal way to identify a person more specifically. But that designation is part of a listing found in no other writing prophet: the four generations of those who came before Zephaniah. The fourth one is Hezekiah, the same name as one of the “good” kings of Judah (reigned about 727-699 BC; 2 Kings 18). The information given by Zephaniah causes many to conclude that he is referring to that king. That is a conjecture, but it is usually understood that there is no reason to list the name unless it referred to that king, who reigned about 100 years earlier. Zephaniah was therefore a great-great-grandson of Hezekiah. The prophet rebuked members of the royal family (Zephaniah 1:8), and it has been suggested that his being of royal blood gave him more grounds to condemn his cousins. Zephaniah 1:1 also features the name of “good” King Josiah, during whose reign (from 640 to 609 BC) Zephaniah prophesied. The flagrant iniquity that is condemned throughout most of the book seems to indicate that the reforms of Josiah had not yet taken place. The revival began after the Book of the Law was found in 622 BC by Hilkiah the priest while doing repairs to the temple (2 Chronicles 34:8-15). A possible time for the book of Zephaniah is, therefore, in the late 620s BC. Judgment, punishment, and hope are three topics frequently found in the writings of the prophets. Judgment indicates that God has compared his announced expectations with the obedience of the people, nation, or nations being considered. Punishment is pronounced on those found guilty. Hope often follows when the punishment has accomplished its purposes. All three topics are present in the book of Zephaniah. The prophet is primarily concerned with Judah’s continued rebellion against God (see 2 Kings 22:1-23:28). The first two chapters of the book of Zephaniah describe a coming Day of the Lord, in which Judah is to face judgment and punishment for idolatry. The punishment promised was to be a tool of God for purifying his people. The prophecy presents us with a sharp change of theme beginning in Zephaniah 3:9, where restoration of a remnant takes center stage. Today’s study reviews the final verses of Zephaniah, where a hopeful theme resounds.
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.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
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.
11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the Lord — and rejoice before him. 5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment.
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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."
33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
3 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
10 and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free,
17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will protect them from those who malign them."
30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
III. THE DAY OF YAHWEH"S BLESSING (3:9-20)
Having finished the revelation dealing with God’s judgment of the world in a coming day ( Zephaniah 1:2 to Zephaniah 3:8), Zephaniah now announced that He would bring great blessing to all humankind after that judgment ( Zephaniah 3:9-20). As in the section of the book on judgment, he revealed God’s plans for the Gentile nations briefly first and then spoke extensively about His plans for Israel.
"Why did the prophets consistently close their books with messages of hope? For at least three reasons. To begin with, hope is a great motivation for obedience, and the prophets wanted to encourage God’s people to submit to God’s will and do what He commanded. God’s covenant blessings come to His people only when they obey His covenant conditions.
"A second reason is the prophets" emphasis on the faithfulness of God. The Lord will keep His promises and one day establish the kingdom; and since God is faithful to keep His promises, we ought to be faithful obeying His Word. ...
"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. It’s difficult to belong to that "company of the committed" who stand true to the Lord and His Word no matter what others may do or say. Knowing that God would one day defeat their enemies and reign in righteousness would encourage the believers [sic] remnant to persist in their faithful walk with the Lord." [Note: Wiersbe, p429.]
Verse 10
The descendants of the Lord’s dispersed ones, the Jews, would bring him offerings of worship from the farthest corners of the earth. The rivers of Ethiopia, probably the Nile and its tributaries, were at the edge of the known world in the prophet’s day (cf. Zephaniah 2:12). The implication is that the Jews will come to Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose as the place where He would dwell among His people (cf. Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah 66:18; Isaiah 66:20).
1. Israel’s purification (3:10-13)
B. The transformation of Israel (3:10-20)
Zephaniah had received from the Lord much more revelation about what He would do for Israel following the period of worldwide punishment. This section is also chiastic in its thought structure.
A Israel’s purification Zephaniah 3:10-13
B Israel’s and Yahweh’s rejoicing Zephaniah 3:14-17
A" Israel’s regathering Zephaniah 3:18-20
In that day, the day of blessing to follow the Day of Judgment, Zephaniah’s hearers, the Jews, would not feel any more shame for all their previous rebellion against the Lord. They would not because He would remove all the pride from their hearts (cf. Ezekiel 20:34-38; Matthew 25:1-13). They would never again lift up themselves in haughtiness against Yahweh on His holy mountain Jerusalem ( Psalm 2:6; Daniel 9:16; Joel 2:1; Obadiah 1:16; et al.). A feeling of shame comes from an awareness of guilt, but they would not be guilty any longer because they would be humble rather than proud.
The Israelites of that day will be humble and lowly in heart (cf. Zephaniah 2:3), and they will seek the Lord as their refuge rather than turning from Him to idols and self-exaltation. Seeking the Lord is an indication of humility whereas forsaking Him, even by not praying, demonstrates a spirit of independence from God (cf. Zephaniah 1:6).
In contrast to their conduct since the Exodus, the Jews would do nothing wrong, tell no lies, and practice no deceit (cf. Zephaniah 3:1-4). They will resemble a flock of sheep at peace grazing and lying down with nothing to disturb them (cf. Psalm 23; Micah 4:4).
"When the Creator is worshipped and served as he ought to be, paradise is regained." [Note: Baker, p117.]
Verse 14
In view of these wonderful prospects, Zephaniah called the people of Jerusalem and all the Israelites to shout for joy with all their hearts.
"Although the command is aimed at the future Jerusalem, no doubt the message would not be lost on the godly worshipers of Zephaniah’s own day." [Note: Patterson, p377.]
The phrase "daughter of" is a way of referring to the citizens of Zion (Jerusalem) as the children of the city. Children born in any city are the children of that city in a metaphorical sense as well as the children of their physical parents in a literal sense. Elsewhere, "daughters of Jerusalem" sometimes refers to the villages surrounding Jerusalem, those little communities that Jerusalem spawned.
2. Israel’s and Yahweh’s rejoicing (3:14-17)
Zephaniah arranged this psalm of joy over salvation as another chiasm.
"A Zion singing (Zephaniah 3:14 a)
B Israel’s shouts (Zephaniah 3:14 b)
C Jerusalem’s joy (Zephaniah 3:14 c)
D Yahweh’s deliverance (Zephaniah 3:15 a, b)
E Presence of Yahweh the king (Zephaniah 3:15 c)
F No more fear (Zephaniah 3:15 d)
G Jerusalem’s future message (Zephaniah 3:16 a)
F" No more fear (Zephaniah 3:16 b, c)
E" Presence of Yahweh the God (Zephaniah 3:17 a)
D" The mighty deliverer (Zephaniah 3:17 b)
C" God’s joy (Zephaniah 3:17 c)
B" Yahweh’s silence (Zephaniah 3:17 d)
A" Yahweh’s singing (Zephaniah 3:17 e)" [Note: Baker, p87.]
The reason for rejoicing is that Yahweh will have removed His judgment and Israel’s enemies from her (cf. Zephaniah 3:8; Zephaniah 3:19). Yahweh, Israel’s true and omnipotent king, will be in the midst of His people (in the person of Messiah, Jesus Christ, during the Millennium; Zephaniah 3:17; cf. Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 44:6; Zechariah 14:9). Consequently they will fear disaster no more (Zephaniah 3:13).
"The battle cry on the Day of Judgment (Zephaniah 1:14) will be replaced by the poignant hush of the reuniting of two lovers." [Note: Baker, p119.]
In that day of blessing the people of Jerusalem will have plenty of reasons not to fear. One reason is that Yahweh their God will be in their midst (Zephaniah 3:15). He will be a victorious warrior having defeated all His enemies and all opposition worldwide (Zephaniah 1:2-3; Zephaniah 3:8). Like a bridegroom He will take joy in His people Israel, and they will rest quietly in the security of His love for them as His bride. Yahweh will even shout with joy over His beloved Israel!
"Most often the Lord’s love is expressed by the Hebrew word hesed. This is the love that issues in commitment, the "ever-unfailing" fidelity of love, love that lives in the will as much as in the heart. Here, however, the word is "ahaba, the passionate love of Jacob for Rachel ( Genesis 29:20) and of Michal for David ( 1 Samuel 18:28), the fond love of Jacob for Joseph ( Genesis 37:3), Uzziah’s devotion to gardening ( 2 Chronicles 26:10), Jonathan’s deep friendship with David ( 1 Samuel 18:3), the devotee’s delight in the Lord’s law ( Psalm 119:97). This too is the Lord’s love for his people ( Hosea 3:1), a love that delights him ( Zephaniah 3:17 c), makes him contemplate his beloved with wordless adoration ( Zephaniah 3:17 d), a love that cannot be contained but bursts into elated singing ( Zephaniah 3:17 e)." [Note: Motyer, p958.]
"We can find hope in times of difficulty if we focus on God’s power, God’s deliverance, and God’s love. He is our King (Zephaniah 3:15), our Savior (Zephaniah 3:16-17 a), and our Beloved (Zephaniah 3:17 b)." [Note: Dyer, p812.]
Verse 18
In the past, Jews who lived far from Jerusalem were very sad because they could not travel to Jerusalem to observe Israel’s annual feasts. They suffered a certain criticism from their fellow Jews for living far away from Jerusalem. But in this time of blessing (the Millennium) the Lord will enable them to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts. The feasts of Israel during the Millennium will be somewhat different from those that the Old Covenant specified, but there will be annual feasts in Jerusalem in the Millennium (cf. Ezekiel 45:9 to Ezekiel 46:24).
"Why would the Lord restore religious practices that have now been fulfilled? Possibly as a means of teaching Israel the meaning of the doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ." [Note: Wiersbe, p432.]
3. Israel’s regathering (3:18-20)
Having dealt with the Jews" oppressors (cf. Zephaniah 3:8-15; Zephaniah 2:4-15; Genesis 12:3), the Lord will deliver even the weak and dispersed of His people and give them a worldwide reputation for goodness (cf. Deuteronomy 26:19). He will regather them in their land and give them a good reputation when He restores their fortunes (cf. Zephaniah 3:15; Genesis 12:1-7; Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15:7-21; Genesis 17:7-8; 2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:3-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:27).
Zephaniah concluded his book by affirming that such was Yahweh’s declaration. He would indeed restore His people.
"The whole message of Zephaniah is finally united in one grand inclusio, in that it begins and ends with Yahweh, Israel’s just but caring covenant God, whose word ( Zephaniah 1:1) is spoken ( Zephaniah 3:20)." [Note: Baker, p88.]
An inclusio is a repetition of key elements, either words or motifs, at the beginning and end of a literary unit.
Eight times in Zephaniah 3:18-20, in the NASB, the Lord said, "I will," "I am going to," or "When I." The future restoration and blessing of Israel in the world will be something that Yahweh Himself will accomplish "in that day" (i.e, the day of the LORD). No one but He could ever accomplish it, and no one but He would.
(Adapted from URL:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/zephaniah-3.html)
Fulfilled prophecy is partly intended to validate a prophet and his message. In the Bible, however, quite often the original recipients of a prophecy did not live to see the fulfillment. That is the situation with the prophecies in today’s lesson. The original recipients of this message lived in the time of Josiah (Zephaniah 1:1). He was slain in battle about 609 BC. The destruction of the temple did not take place until 586 BC and the return from exile did not begin until 538 BC. So the people who first heard this prophecy did not understand the significance of what was being promised. Later, the people in captivity in Babylon did understand, and they are described as weeping when they remembered Zion (Psalm 137:1). The return of the captives from Babylon was a rare event in history. What happened to them was noticed by other nations: almost 50,000 people were so sincere in their faith that they made the four-month trip back to the land God had promised to their forefathers. The people who returned were never seriously tempted again by idolatry. The Babylonian captivity was not pleasant, but it had positive, long-lasting results. People finally learned that God meant what he had said in the first of the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Today’s study is therefore a lesson about hope, and this hope is backed by the assurances of God himself. Jesus promised that he would come again, and he added that the time is unknown (Matthew 24:36, 44). Almost 2,000 years have passed since Jesus made those statements. He then added that the important thing is to be ready. God keeps his word, so be ready!