Zephaniah 3: The Day of Renewal

​Key Verse
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.
 
Meditation
Hope for renewal and restoration are captured in The Return of the King (Book 4, chapter 4) after Gandalf returned from the final battle. 
 
“Has everything sad become untrue?” asked Sam. Gandalf replied, “A great shadow has departed…” Laughter and music returned to life, Sam proclaimed, “I feel like spring after winter, and sun on the leaves; and the trumpets and harps and all the songs I have ever heard!”
 
Stories of renewal and restoration tap into the human hunger for renewal, what Peter calls the “time of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21) and what Jesus proclaims to be a day when everything is made new (Revelation 21:1-6). The true story of hope is found in the gospel, the ground from which Zephaniah proclaimed His final prophecy in today’s reading.
 
Zephaniah promises the “day of the Lord” will be difficult for those who do not trust the Lord, fear His name, wait for Him, and reject His word (vv. 1-8). But for those who wait through faith in God and His word, the day will be a delight. The curse will be undone and Babel reversed as peoples from all the earth will seek refuge in the name of the Lord (vv. 9-13).
 
In that day, music will return as the Father sings over His children. He is mighty to save! He “takes away” judgement through the work of Jesus, freeing believers from His wrath and welcoming us into His love. The shadow of death will be departed and all sad things will become untrue. As a foretaste of this day, today the Father longs to quiet you with His love through you trusting what He has promised (vv. 14-20).  God will redeem all He has allowed. All sad things will become untrue.
 
Today’s Reading
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
    the oppressing city!
2 She listens to no voice;
    she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord;
    she does not draw near to her God.
3 Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
    that leave nothing till the morning.
4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
her priests profane what is holy;
    they do violence to the law.
5 The Lord within her is righteous;
    he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
    each dawn he does not fail;
    but the unjust knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations;
    their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
    so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
    without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
    you will accept correction.
Then your[a] dwelling would not be cut off
    according to all that I have appointed against you.’
But all the more they were eager
    to make all their deeds corrupt.
8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,
    “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is to gather nations,
    to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
    all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
    all the earth shall be consumed.

The Conversion of the Nations
9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
    to a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
    and serve him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
    shall bring my offering.
11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame
    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
    your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
    in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst
    a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13     those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no injustice
    and speak no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
    a deceitful tongue.
For they shall graze and lie down,
    and none shall make them afraid.”

Israel's Joy and Restoration
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 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.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
    so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal
    with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
    and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
    and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you in,
    at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
    among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
    before your eyes,” says the Lord.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the promise of renewal and restoration in the final section?
 
-What or whom do you hope in for restoration and renewal? Do you completely and concretely trust God and His promises? Why or why not?
 
-Our Father’s love will completely restore through the faithful work of the Son. Jesus endured God’s wrath so all who trust His love will be welcome into the family of God! Do you see how the “day of the Lord” is good news for children of God and horrible news for those who do not seek refuge in relationship with the Lord?Where, specifically, do you need to practice this in your discipleship? 
 
Key Verse
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.