Judgment Removed
6/23/26 Bible Thought (Zephaniah 3)
Main Idea: The Lord is a merciful God who rejoices over and dwells amongst His people.
A Look at the Text:
As Zephaniah’s short book draws to a close, the focus of judgment goes from the nations in general to God’s nation once again. Jerusalem specifically stood as the subject of God’s judgment because they weren’t willing to hear or accept correction (Zeph. 3:1-2). Injustice was rampant (Zeph. 3:3), and religion was a farce (Zeph. 3:4).
Yet, this was not the end. God was not going to abandon His people. Both Jerusalem and the nations (Zeph. 3:9) had a hope for the future if they would call on the name of the Lord. There was a promised remnant in Judah who would be faithful to God (Zeph. 3:11-13).
This remnant was called to rejoice (Zeph. 3:14) for God had removed their judgments and turned their fortunes:
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. 16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zeph. 3:15-17).
The same God who proclaimed judgment was also a God who would sing over them. The same God who was going to visit them in anger was also the God who delighted in them and who would one day save them.
Bringing it Home:
The Scripture reveals that God’s nature is truly multifaceted. He is a God of justice but also a God of love. He is a God who is holy, but who is also merciful. He cannot be described by one attribute alone, and, truth be told, language fails to comprehensively describe Him.
This is made abundantly clear in Zephaniah. The same prophet who proclaimed God’s coming wrath also predicted that God would sing over His people. Even more, these assurances were shared before the Babylonian captivity ever came! God’s people could have hope for the future solely because of the gracious nature of their God.
The truth that God delights in us, rejoices over us, even sings over us, should always cause us to marvel.
While we deserve judgment for our many sins, His mercy is far greater. In Christ, we can have the assurance that our God is for us (see Rom. 8:31). That He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
If we have obtained mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ, we should be a hopeful, joy-filled people who rejoice in our rejoicing God.
Challenge:
In my view of God, do I emphasize one of His attributes to the detriment of others?
God is merciful. We don’t deserve mercy but God gives us it when we sin. If we repent of our sins he will forgive us.