ZEPHANIAH 3: 9-20 [IN THAT DAY SERIES]
THE MESSIANIC AGE
[Psalm 67; Zechariah 14:8–9]
Following the prophetic custom, Zephaniah concludes his book with a message of hope (e.g., Hos 14:1–9; Joel 3:18–21; Amos 9:11–15). These verses mark the end of the prophet’s long list of indictments and announcements of judgment. God punishes, but He prefers to purify and redeem. He is a compassionate God of grace, love and forgiveness.
Zephaniah begins his closing oracle by declaring the future worldwide conversion of the Gentile nations and then he communicates God’s promise to restore His chosen people. As Zephaniah looks to the final outcome he shifted from predictions of destruction to prophecies of blessing and peace. These comforting promises of love, mercy, and restoration look forward to the Millennium when Christ will rule as King on the earth.
I. THE CONVERSION OF THE NATIONS, 3:9–10.
II. THE PRESERVATION OF THE REMNANT, 3:11–13.
III. ISRAEL'S JOYFUL SALVATION, 3:14–17.
IV. THE RESTORATION OF THE NATION, 3:18–20.
Just when things looked darkest during the great judgment threatened in the preceding verses, Yahweh will take center stage and the long-awaited redemption promised by so many prophets will commence. Zephaniah first predicts that the nations will be renewed both morally (v. 9) and spiritually (v. 10).
Verse 9; “Then 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.’
The word “then” (?az, Heb.) means “at that time” signifies a major pivot in the prophet’s message both in tone and in content; he shifted from frightful predictions of destruction to prophecies of blessing and peace.
At that time the Lord will cleanse the speech of the nations. The Hebrew word translated “to restore” or “change” is a vigorous word meaning a turning around, a turning away, a transformation, a collapse, or a total change. It is not a slow, developing change, but a sudden and radical break with the past (Gen. 19:21, 25, 29; Deut. 29:33; 1 Sam. 10:9). This radical change amazingly will affect the Gentile nations. The polluted speech of the nations will become pure.
When God promises to restore a “pure language,” He is referring to more than a type or quality of speech; human language is the outward indicator of the inner life and person (Isa. 6:5–7). Thus the promise of a radical change of language was another statement of the quality of God’s re-creative work. [Answering Isaiah’s confession that he was “a man of unclean lips” in Is. 6:5.]” God will purify man’s lips and the inner disposition which they symbolized.
Now mortals with new hearts reflected by their speech will “call on the name of the LORD.” But worship is not only through words, but also through deeds so the nations will “serve Him,” The term serve or work (‘abad) is literally, “with one shoulder,” or as we say in our idiom, “shoulder to shoulder,” or “with one accord” [lit “in the same yoke]. When a team of oxen were yoked together, the task went best when they pulled the load as if they were one. In the day of the Lord, amazingly, “all” theGentile nations will worship and serve God alongside Israel with one accord. [Walter C. Kaiser and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, vol. 23, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1992), 237–238.]
“The Lord,” the God of the Hebrews, will be the one only object of worship. Until the Holy Spirit purifies the lips, we cannot rightly call upon God (Is 6:5–7) or serve Him.
Verse 10 states that worshipers from all over the earth will bring offerings to the Lord. “From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.
As a result of this purification, pure undefiled worship will be established. The Hebrew for “Ethiopia” is Cush, include not only Ethiopia, but also the region of the Tigris and Babylon, the southern limit of the known world at that time. It is where Nimrod, Cush’s son (Ge 10:8–12), founded Nineveh and acquired Babylon, and where the ten tribes are mentioned as being scattered (1 Pe 1:1; 5:13; compare Is 11:11). [The restoration under Cyrus of the Jews transported under Pharaoh-necho to Egypt and Ethiopia, was an earnest of the future restoration under Christ. Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 710.] In its context it would be originally understood as from the farthest reaches of the earth. “Ethiopia” is probably to be seen here as signifying the remotest part of the earth. [W. A. Criswell et al., eds., Believer’s Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), Zep 3:9–17.]
Worshipers [literally, “burners of incense” (compare Ps 141:2; Rev 5:8)] is an appropriate term for those on whom there has been “poured the spirit of supplications” (Zec 12:10). “The daughter of My dispersed” seems to indicate all the world’s peoples, not just the Jewish Diaspora, will come to worship Yahweh and to make offerings. The concept of God’s redemption extending to all the nations and peoples of the earth is not initiated by Zephaniah; it appears in Micah 4:1–4; Isaiah 2:2–4; 11:9; 19:23–25; 49:5–6.
The “offering” mentioned here is the minhâh, a voluntary “gift” offering (Lev. 2) made in addition to the regular offerings and expressing deep gratitude to God [Kaiser and Ogilvie, 238].
II. THE PRESERVATION OF THE REMNANT, 3:11–13.
Once again in verse 11 God refers to “in that day” as what follows the day of the Lord. “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.
“On that day” indicates the beginning of the Millennium when Israel will be cleansed and restored. She will have no shame before God because of her sins (wrongs renders a Heb. word that means “terrible deeds”) for God will have removed from the city all those guilty of pride or haughtiness. [This will occur in the judgment of Israel (Ezek. 20:34–38; Mt. 25:1–13). [Hannah, p1533.] Instead of the proud and rebellious (3:1-5) Jerusalem will be filled with a humble, honest, upright and faithful remnant.
Pride for centuries has kept Israel from surrendering to the righteousness of God which comes only through faith in Christ (Rom 9:30-10:13; Phil 3:1-12) [Wiersbe, Warren, p 431] .Exalting pride [a root cause of sin] will be no more. So complete will be the cleansing of God that it will completely remove both the burden of “shame” and the feeling of disgrace for past transgressions. Moreover, all who are proud will be removed. Haughtiness will be abolished on God’s “holy mountain,” Jerusalem [Pss. 2:6; 3:4; 15:1; 24:3; 78:54; Dan. 9:16, 20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Obad. 16. Some see these “proudly exalted ones” as fallen angels.]
Verse 12 indicates that those who remain have made a decision to seek refuge in the character, works, and truth of the Living God. ‘But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
The new people of God will carry three marks: (1) meekness, that attitude of life in which a person does not exalt himself above God or another person, but bows the head in submission to one’s Lord; (2) humility, an attitude of genuine dependence on God as opposed to a self-satisfied indifference and bold assertion of one’s rights above everyone else’s; and (3) trust in the name of the Lord.
Verse 13 promises that this humble remnant will experience a security that only the Lord can provide. “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.”
A remnant made up of those who remain in the land will be cleansed. All “injustice” (‘awlâh), lies, and deceit—will be purged away. They are pictured in this new day of the Millennium as being free of all unrighteousness, deception, or duplicity. Faith in Christ will make everything new so that the people will no longer disobey God or practice deception. In that day, there will be no perversity, treachery, crookedness, fraud, intrigue, cheating or deceit. The word “no” is emphatic. In the day of the repentance of Israel, there will be no iniquity, no lies, no deceit. A lifestyle so radically different from our world and cultures awaits the day when our Lord has returned and our lips, hearts and lives have been drastically changed!
A picture of perfect tranquility and security is given at the end of verse 13; flocks quietly feed while their owners have not a worry in the world. In their cleansed condition they will find peace and protection. While wrongdoers sought their security in their own shenanigans and did not find it, these humble will find it, along with rest (2:7, 14; Ps. 23:2) and freedom from fear. Heaven has begun its rule on earth as the Lord answers all the petitions “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
III. ISRAEL'S JOY AND RESTORATION, 3:14–17.
Israel is called to praise the Lord for all His wondrous benefits. Visualizing the blessing from God’s hand as already accomplished, the prophet sees God’s people celebrating. In verse 14 God’s people are called upon to exult and rejoice. ‘Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!’
The commands are happy ones, heaped up to emphasize the great joyous times that come after the Day of the Lord. The nation is exhorted to give heartfelt expression by singing, shouting, being glad, and rejoicing. The messianic era is set forth with great joy; it is a time to rejoice. To describe this era, Zephaniah uses four terms for joy: “sing,” “shout,” “be glad,” and “rejoice.” Redeemed men and women were to enter into the exaltation of the triumphant Lord “with all [their] heart.” [Walter C. Kaiser and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, 239.] A day will come when the remnant’s fears will give way to shouts of praise. I pray your fear would give way in the presence of our Lord in this place so that exult with all your heart also.
Redeemed Israel is given three titles of honor in this hymn or ode of joy to the Lord: “daughter of Zion,” “Israel,” and “daughter of Jerusalem.” In biblical poetry, cities and their inhabitants are often referred to as women, hence “daughter of Zion” and “daughter of Jerusalem,” both of which mean Israel.
As a result of the Lord removing the judgment for their rebellion, in verse 15 we find that all fear and apprehension over being punished are gone. “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.’
Jubilation does not arise from their own actions, but rather because of the presence of their God. He is the God who has forgiven Jerusalem’s iniquity and totally removed any resulting guilt. The Lord is therefore praised for His presence in Zion and for keeping His covenant promise to David so long ago (2 Sa. 7; Pss. 2; 89). No longer will He be present only in His shekinah glory, or as the Angel of the Lord. He will personally reside in Jerusalem “in [their and our] midst.” Therefore, “you shall see disaster no more” (v. 15d).The personal presence of the Lord shall render ineffective all the powers of evil and harm.
Verse 16 amplifies the theme of calm from fear in the last line of verse 15. ‘On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.
“In that day” of Messiah there will be no more reason to fear anything or anyone. “Weak” or “slack hands” indicated despair, disheartenment, and lack of involvement (Is. 13:7; Jer. 6:24; Heb. 12:12). The discouraged, who wondered if there was reason to continue, can put their shoulder to the task. Fear, and its physical manifestation of powerlessness, are things of the past because of the very presence of Israel’s God who is also her King. The pain caused by the punishment is not an end in itself, but the means for restoring a right relationship.
In verse 17 Zephaniah repeats the blessed fact that, “The LORD your God [is] in your midst. “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.
A wondrous scene typical of God’s final promised redemption is depicted here. Joy will arise because Israel’s Redeemer, the Messiah King, will be in her midst (Isa. 9:7; Zech. 14:9). He is the Mighty Warrior who will deliver His redeemed remnant and bring victory. This verse adds the remarkable fact that God will “rejoice over them with gladness.” The nation will again be the object of the Lord’s great love, not His anger. Not only will the Millennium be a time of peace for His troubled people, but a time of rejoicing (v. 14). But even more than that, note again that God will rejoice! In fact He will be singing with delight and joy because His Chosen People will be restored to Him and living in the land under His blessing.
Please notice also that Our Lord is rejoicing in His work of delivering His people. “He will calm” His crying people with an overwhelming demonstration of “His love.” He will take great delight in all He has redeemed; He will break forth in singing over His people! Most of us have not thought there would be that much to sing about in the people of God—given all our warts and plain sinfulness. We cannot imagine that we could bring pleasure to the heart of God; but this text assures us that God definitely thinks differently. Some regard verse 17 as the most beautiful verse in the whole book of Zephaniah.
IV. THE RESTORATION OF THE NATION, 3:18–20.
In a climatic finish to all that he has prophesied, Zephaniah conveys Yahweh’s personal promises. These verses describe seven things the Lord Promises to do for His redeemed people. Yahweh is actively and personally present in blessing [as He was in judging (1:3)]. God Himself speaks directly using the first person, I, eight times in these last three verses. He also directly addresses Israel as you. In spite of the strain they brought upon their relationship by their sin, Israel is still God’s people and He is still their God (Ex. 6:7). They still address each other in intimate terms. Seven times in these concluding verses, the Lord said, “I will.” In spite of dark days, and a long intervening time, God wanted His people to grasp firmly these promises for hope and strength.
It seems that verse 18 indicates that festive community worship gatherings will also be restored. “I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.’
Many Jews, scattered from their homeland, had sorrows because they were unable to take part in the appointed feasts. But the Lord will remove those sorrows when He regathers His people to Jerusalem where they will enjoy His blessings. No longer will their feasts be a burden, something they hate to do, and a reproach, a cause for God’s displeasure because of their sinful ways. These feasts will commemorate and celebrate the true Passover Lamb who took away the sins of the world.
The Lord promises at that time to also deal with Israel’s hostile conditions in verse 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.’
Once again it is stated (2:4–15; 3:8–15) that God will deal with Israel’s oppressors. Previous oppression, from external threat and internal corruption (3:3–4), will be removed and those physically maimed (Mi. 4:6–7) and geographically or socially outcast (scattered; Dt. 30:4) will be rescued (17) and gathered (8, 20). Even honor will be restored to those once a people of shame (cf. 2:1; 3:5). [David W. Baker, “Zephaniah,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 856.] The Lord will also give them a favorable reputation (praise and honor; Deut. 26:19; Zeph. 3:20) in all places where they are held in disrepute (v. 11).
God summarizes by reiterating His plan to restore His people in verse 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.’
Zephaniah repeatedly stresses that these things will occur “At that time” or during the Millennium. Zephaniah ending prochecy summarizes Israel’s yet-future blessings: regathering in the Promised Land (home), a favorable reputation (honor and praise; v. 19) among all the nations, and a restoring of her fortunes. This will all happen before her very eyes. In the Millennium, Israel will possess her land as God promised (Gen. 12:1–7; 13:14–17; 15:7–21; 17:7–8), and the Messiah, Israel’s King, will establish His kingdom on earth and will reign (2 Sam. 7:16; Ps. 89:3–4; Isa. 9:6–7; Dan. 7:27; Zeph. 3:15). [Hannah, p 1534.]
Notice that the Lord “will appoint them for praise and fame”. Previously the people of Israel had received mostly shame, but now they will receive fame and honor. They will enjoy receiving praise. This thought is so important that Zephaniah restates it. [Kaiser & Ogilvie, 240.]
To emphasize the divine authority of his message as well as the certainty of God’s comfort, Zephaniah ended his book with the words, “says the LORD!”
IN CLOSING
At last God will dwell on earth in the midst of His people and the joy of all beings will be unspeakably great. Great is the day of our Lord, the Christ! In that day, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. This is the destiny of man, this is the destiny of life. Every living thing and all creation will join in the grand praise and worship of the God of life, who is also the God of faith.
God’s ultimate desire is not to inflict punishment, even upon those who disobey. Rather, it is to restore everyone to a right relationship with Himself. Whether nationally, as with His people Israel, or individually, in each of our own lives, He longs to be able to restore our fortunes.
A glad day is coming-- is the Lord’s message to His people through Zephaniah. It is also His word to you presently: God will see you through. Therefore, rejoice! For He is rejoicing over You!
OPENING PRAYER: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Lord, You are great and mighty in power; Your understanding is infinite. We exalt You Lord, our God, and worship You. You are Holy. We give You thanks, O God. Your wondrous works decree that Your Name is great. Father, thank You for Jerusalem and for re-establishing the Nation of Israel. Thank You for remaining faithful and steadfast to the covenant You made with Abraham. Thank You for including us as children in Your covenant and for giving us a rich heritage. Lord, You are good. Your mercy endures forever. You are a faithful, loving and compassionate God.
Loving Father, in the Name of Jesus, we pray for peace in Jerusalem & in the world. We stand on Your Word that all who love Jerusalem shall prosper. For the sake of our families and friends, peace be unto you, Jerusalem. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, we will seek what is best for you, Jerusalem. Father God, we, Your peacemakers, sow Your Word, in the Name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The seeds of Your Word of peace will reap a harvest of righteousness and peace in Jerusalem and in Your Kingdom here on earth. Your Kingdom is of people who have right-standing before You and who embrace Your peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We are obedient to Your Word, Father, and know that You, the God of Peace, crush satan under Your feet. Your grace and peace are with us, Your ambassadors of peace, through the knowledge of You, Father, and of our Lord Jesus Christ. We claim all spiritual prosperity, all necessary good, and freedom from fear, agitating passions and moral conflict for the envoys of Your good will.
CLOSING PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, You are the Rock and Redeemer of Israel. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We are sad to see the violence and suffering as men, women, and children are injured and killed on both sides of the conflict. We don't understand why it has to be this way. We pray for mercy. For everyone involved we pray, for governments and peoples, militants and terrorists, we ask for your kingdom to come and rule over the land. May Christ’s Holy Spirit be not simply present, but undeniably known in obvious ways within the hearts and expressions of His truly beloved people—Jew and Arab alike.
May Your truth and light shine in the darkness. Where there is only hatred, may Your love prevail. Help me as a Christian to support those whom You support, Lord, and to bless those whom you bless. Bring your salvation to Israel, dear God. Draw every heart to you. And bring your salvation to the whole earth.
