Zephania 3:17 Deep joy in the midst of Dire Warnning
August 05, 2018
Langdon Palmer
Who wants to hear warnnings ? Who wants to hear bad news ? No one. But what if the only way to get to the good news is to face the bad news ? The entire book of Zephaniah is a warning - crying out to people to turn from the way they are going and turn to God. In the midst of this dire warrning comes one of the most hopeful, inspiring, joy producing verses in the entire bible: Zephaniah 3:17. Join us as we study the sweep of the book of Zephaniah in order to grasp what this famous verse actually means.
Episode Notes
Zephaniah 3:17 NOTES
3:1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! 2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God. 3 Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. 4 Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.
5 The LORD within her is righteous; he does no
wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does
not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame
:
11 On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to
me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride.
Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. 12 But I will leave within you
the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. 13 The remnant of
Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in
their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them
afraid." 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.
The LORD your God is in your midst
A
Warrior who saves
He will exalt
over you with gladness
He will renew you with his love
He will rejoice over you with shouts of Joy!
I can correctly apply this verse to myself once I have understood its original CONTEXT.
The book of Zephaniah is a warning against the subtle sins of ARROGANCE and APATHY.
The opposite of being apathetic and arrrogant is being INTENTIONAL and HUMBLE.
Verse 17 is promised to those who are humble and SEEK REFUGE in the name of the LORD.
While 3:17 looks towards the future Day of the Lord for ultimate fulfillment, every phrase can also be true about my life now. What habits (like regular bible reading and going to church) will I commit to - to avoid the slippery slope of complacency towards God?
Content Copyright Belongs to Langdon Palmer
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