God Will Restore His People So That They Will Trust and Obey Him

Furthermore, His people are able to lie down and rest without fear. This, again, speaks to the eradication of sin—the restoration of all things. God has redeemed us personally from sin and is also redeeming the whole world from sin. He will ultimately set everything right. Both His redemptive work—individually and corporately—and His provision as our security allows us the freedom to lie down with no fear of danger. This is what the psalmist was trying to convey in that most familiar of psalms, Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me. (vv. 1-5)

That God would love us so much that He would go to the lengths He did in order to secure our redemption, and then would go on to secure the restoration of all things, allowing us to lie down in peace with no fear of danger, speaks to His infinite grace and mercy. However, all of this becomes even more meaningful when you realize that God had to satisfy His own justice in order to extend grace, which means that God Himself would suffer, through His Son, in order that He might accomplish this grand work of redemption among His people and the rest of His creation.

The Lord has redeemed His people. He has called them to repentance and has provided refuge and rest for the people of Judah. In the face of that, God encourages the people to celebrate. What has predominantly been a book that is both painful and low on hope has dramatically turned a corner. The appropriate response to the redemptive work of God among His people is to throw a party. This is precisely what God is communicating. What’s more, this is not just a momentary celebration. The understanding here is that this is their new way of life. This is not just a fleeting, volitional choice to “sing for joy” or “shout loudly.” This is a transformation of the heart. Israel was heading toward certain judgment and death, but instead they have inherited the grace of God. There is much to be excited about!

Verse 15 will explain the source of their joy. Their punishment has been removed, their enemies have been turned back, and their king is among them. We have reflected on this over and over throughout this book, but this is the story of the redemptive work of God on display for us to see. This is a picture of the gospel doing its good work in their hearts. It begins with their punishment being removed. This is in such stark contrast to the message we walked through six verses earlier:

Therefore, wait for Me—this is the Lord’s declaration—until the day I rise up for plunder. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, in order to pour out My indignation on them, all My burning anger; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy. (3:8)

They had earned God’s wrath, and rightly were in the crosshairs of His judgment. However, because of His grace they were now freed from that impending punishment.

Not only have they experienced freedom from judgment, but their enemies have been turned back. Of course, the greater image here is the turning back of the greatest enemy. Just as God turned back the enemies of Israel as He accomplished His redemptive work among His people, so too Satan, the great liar and enemy of our soul, will be turned back completely and forever. In fact, in the death of Christ his death was made certain.

Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil—and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. (Heb 2:14-15)

The defeat of the enemy, coupled with the freedom from judgment, is enough to send anyone into an ecstatic celebration. However, these are joined together with one final reason for celebration.

The king has come! This simple little declaration is so powerful. Their king, Yahweh Himself, is among them. Those who had turned their back on God and had wandered far from Him were now gathered back together, and God was among them. This brings to mind Jesus, the Immanuel, the God who is with us: “See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us’” (Matt 1:23). This, then, is the ultimate celebration. Far too often in contemporary evangelicalism we suggest that heaven is the goal of the gospel, which is simply not accurate. The Bible is clear that our sin separated us from God and that the goal of the gospel is reconciliation with God. Heaven is a benefit, not the goal, of the gospel. God is the goal of the gospel. This beautiful statement, that God is with them, is to confirm the greatest gift one can receive, that is, God.

This chapter, and the book, now closes with what is one of the most stunningly beautiful passages in all of Scripture. In fact, even as I write, I struggle to describe adequately the breathtaking beauty of this passage. The vast majority of this book has been filled with condemning language. By the time the reader gets halfway through chapter 3 it feels as if we have been beaten up, along with Judah, over and over again. This is not to suggest that they did not deserve the judgment, because they did, but this book levels the judgment in ways no other book does. It is swift, it is intense, and it is certain. On the heels of that comes the end of the book, particularly verses 17 and following. God is with them. God is for them. God is celebrating over them. These would seem the most unlikely of thoughts after the vast majority of the book, but these are exactly what God communicates through Zephaniah here.

Confirming what we saw in Verse 15, God reiterates that He is among them. In other words, He is with them. This alone is the crown jewel of all the gifts that God can give, but God goes on to bless them with more. God is a “warrior who saves.” We see this description referenced in a number of other OT passages, but Job 16 is particularly helpful as we try to understand it: “He breaks through my defenses again and again; He charges at me like a warrior” (Job 16:14). Job is in the middle of one of his complaints when he says this. He is describing how God has behaved toward him. In the verses preceding it he claims that God has essentially assaulted him and left him helpless. In this verse he describes God as a warrior who cannot be stopped. Of course, our reading here in Zephaniah is a radically different picture of God. He is not harming Israel in any way but is instead bringing them grace. He is, however, battling. But His battle is with the enemies of Judah. This hard-charging behavior that Job describes is consistent with God’s behavior, only here it is on behalf of His people. His pursuit as a warrior is to save them. What a tremendous picture! It reminds us that our salvation, like the salvation of Israel, is not just a gift of grace (though it is), but is a hard fought victory over the forces of evil. Ephesians 6 is a good reminder here:

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. (Eph 6:12)

Salvation is accompanied by a bloody price tag. Forgetting that can make it easy to dismiss or diminish salvation.

He is a warrior, but also, in a great contrast, we see a loving Father who rejoices over the return of His child. Just as He called His children to celebrate, He too joins in the celebration. We are told here that His celebration of us is filled with rejoicing, gladness, love, delight, and joy. It sounds much like a child at Christmas, this generous love of God. What makes this love stand out, aside from its face value, is that it is given to those who have so grievously rejected Him over and over again. The disobedient people of God have repented, so God celebrates with rejoicing. Israel dishonors God by living as if He does not exist but they turn back, so God pours out His love on them. The people of Judah chase after their own happiness, trusting only in themselves, but then become humbled and contrite before God, so God shouts with joy over their return. This is like the climax of a powerful movie. It is also much like the story of the prodigal son: “But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). This is a beautiful picture of affection from a father for his children.

As we consider God’s response to Israel, we have to recognize that God’s response to us is much the same. His people, made in His image, turned from Him, rebelled, and did not look back. For millennia now they have been running from Him, but some of them have returned. They have recognized their sin and come back to walk with God. Over each one of them God celebrates their return.

As the chapter concludes with verses 18-20, God promises Israel the hope of eternity. He brings them back together. He brings them back to Him. He pursues those who attack His children and vanquishes them. He takes those who have been broken and restores them to health. He takes those who have been shamed and restores their dignity. He gathers them to His kingdom and gives them places of honor and distinction. He then concludes the entire book with these three words: “Yahweh has spoken.” These three words affirm that what He has promised will come to fruition. He will make this happen for His people. He will show grace.

Such is the kingdom of God. It is the domain of the king—a place of righteousness, justice, and grace. A place for which those of us who bear His image were intended, but we marred that future with our choice of sin. In response to that, He sets the balance of the universe upright by allowing His own Son to take on His judgment, so that we might once again have a place in His kingdom as co-heirs with Jesus. This is the promise of Zephaniah. For those who will repent—who will hear His voice, and return to Him—to them He promises grace and restoration. So that raises the question, what should we do now? First of all, we should have faith in Him. Beyond that we should repent. Finally, we should live now as we will live then. We who have repented and believed have been adopted into His family. We are His children and we are now residents of His kingdom. Let us rejoice!