The Lord Sings – Zephaniah 3

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made the following declaration:

    
⁵ “Blessed are the meek,
    for they shall inherit the earth.  Matthew 5:5 (TLV)

This statement gets ignored by many of us, as it appears to be just the opposite of what we observe in our day-to-day lives.  The meek and humble almost always seem to get brushed aside as the proud and confident gather more and more of the abundance of the earth and its possessions.

But Jesus is speaking of what will happen in the last days, sometimes referred to as the Day of the Lord.  Multiple prophets refer to this time of extreme trial and tribulation when all nations will gather to battle against Jerusalem.  It will be a purifying trial for the nation and the world.  The Lord Himself in the person of Jesus Christ will return on the scene to defeat all of God’s enemies in the physical and spiritual world and to hand the kingdom over to the meek and humble of the earth.  He will reside in their midst as King and Lord.

The prophet Zechariah shares God’s words with His beloved people about the new era which will be brought in by this coming event:

¹¹ On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed,
    for you will no longer be rebels against me.
I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.
    There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
¹² Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
    for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
¹³ The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
    they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
    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 For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment
    and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
And the Lord himself, the King of Israel,
    will live among you!
At last your troubles will be over,
    and you will never again fear disaster.
¹⁶ On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
    “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
¹⁷ For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”  Zephaniah 3:11-17 (NLT)

God will not only live and reign among His people, but He will even sing over them with joyful songs.

In fact, for those living today under the grace of God who have been forgiven and purified through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord is likely singing over us today whenever we are walking in His will, just as we might whistle or hum a tune when we are feeling happy.

We are all works in progress.  Pride or anger can erupt at any time, and we and others will be the worse off for it.  But as believers, God’s Holy Spirit is alive within us.  Though our poor behavior will grieve the Spirit, we can quickly reconcile with the Lord by humbly confessing our sins and seeking to make restitution with others.  And God promises that the fruit of the Holy Spirit will continue to grow within us if we let Him.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB)

The fruit of God’s love exhibits patience, gentleness, and self-control.  For some, these can be the most difficult fruits to bear, especially when we have been provoked.  Zephaniah tells us that a day will come when we will no longer encounter provocations such as lies and deceptions.  But in the meantime, we are living in an imperfect world, and without leaning upon the fruits of the Spirit, we can easily be drawn right into the worst of it.

May the Holy Spirit continue to grant us restraint, humility and love even in the midst of trial.  When we prevail, likely the Lord will smile and perhaps sing a joyful song over us.  May you enjoy His great blessing today.

Reflection

Lord, we turn to You for help to live a humble, honest, and generous life.  May the fruits of the Holy Spirit grow within us and help us to share the love of Christ with those around us in all circumstances.  Forgive us for the times we have failed and help us to make amends with those we have hurt.  We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.