He Rejoices Over Me Series

Frederick Nietzsche, the nineteenth century German philosopher, stated, “If they want me to believe in their God, they’ll have to sing me better songs . . . I could only believe in a God who dances.”(1) Our view of God determines our relationship with Him. Many individuals see the Lord as someone who stands off in the distance, watching and waiting to strike us down the minute we mess up. He is viewed as a God of rules and regulations, looking to stifle our fun and suppress our freedom; and to some people He is not a God to be desired. Would Nietzsche’s life have been different had he realized that the Lord cares for His creation?

The Bible teaches that the Lord is not impersonal, and He does not wish to remain somewhere in the distance; but rather, He desires a close and intimate relationship with human beings. In fact, for those of us who confess Him as Lord and Savior, He is a God who loves us so greatly and is filled with such joy for us, that He sings and dances over us! If only Nietzsche could have realized that God does sing beautiful songs, and that He really is a God who dances! This morning, we are going to come to know the Lord’s extravagant love, as we look at our God who sings and dances over us.

The Mighty One Will Save (Zephaniah 3:14-17)

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away your judgments; He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more. 16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. 17 The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Not too long ago, I was scanning through the Minor Prophets as I was researching a message on the prophecies of the Messiah, and this particular passage caused me to pause and ponder its meaning. I believe this passage caught my attention, because it had already been made familiar to me through the lyrics of a song entitled “Amazed,” by singer and songwriter Jared Anderson. The lyrics of this song declare, “You dance over me while I am unaware. You sing all around, but I never hear the sound . . . Lord I’m amazed by You – how You love me.” These beautiful words have made melody in my heart for many years, and to stumble upon them in the Scripture was an awesome surprise.

So, what is going on here in this passage? What brought about this incredible revelation of how God sings over Israel; and in today’s application, how He sings over those who are His? Exactly what had Israel experienced that resulted in God lavishing His mercy and extravagant love upon His people?

First of all, in verse 14, we see that God was speaking to Zion, Israel, and Jerusalem. Zion here is “the city of David,” where King David built a citadel and his palace, and it was the place where the Ark of the Covenant had been stored for some time before being brought into the temple that King Solomon had built. “In the later books of the Old Testament this name was sometimes used to denote Jerusalem in general, and sometimes God’s chosen Israel.”(2) “In the New Testament it is used sometimes to denote the Church of God,”(3) meaning, those who worship Jesus Christ. The three names mentioned here (Zion, Israel, and Jerusalem) are all names for God’s chosen people or those who worship the Lord; and Zion includes those of us who worship Him today.

If we examine this passage in its context we understand that God was speaking to Israel; and in verse 15, we learn that God wanted to remove the judgment that was brought on Israel by her enemy. What judgment and what enemy was the Lord referring to? Zephaniah lived from 641-610 B.C. in the days of King Josiah, king of Judah, and he was prophesying of future judgment on Israel by Babylon that would occur around 587 B.C.(4) The enemy mentioned in this passage was Babylon, and the judgment was where the people were carried away captive into Babylon as punishment for abandoning the Lord and worshiping foreign gods. Keep in mind that this would all occur in the future; nevertheless, it would take place, and Israel would come to yearn for God’s deliverance.

Zephaniah prophesied of judgment by Babylon, but he also prophesied of the day of deliverance from that judgment. In verse 16, he used the expression “in that day” which is in the future tense, and is an image of God’s faithfulness to His people and a future deliverance. The people were told, “Let not your hands be weak” (v. 16). In Hebrews chapter twelve, we read about how the Lord allows us to go through hard times for our own good; and in Hebrews 12:12, we are encouraged to “strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.” Israel would experience chastening during the Babylonian exile, but chastening lasts only for a time before we are purged and escape to the other side; therefore, we are to lift up our heads and take heart, and stand tall in the confidence that our deliverance is near.