The Lord Mighty To Save.

THE LORD MIGHTY TO SAVE.

Zephaniah 3:14-18.

The God of justice and judgment (cf. Zephaniah 1:2-4; Zephaniah 3:8) is also the God of forgiveness and hope. He is our King, the LORD in the midst of us (ZEPHANIAH 3:15). He is our incarnate Saviour who, in His love, rejoices over us (ZEPHANIAH 3:17).

This song of rejoicing is not only one in which the people of the LORD are exhorted to raise their voices (ZEPHANIAH 3:14), but also one in which the LORD Himself participates. The covenant LORD “rejoices” over the remnant of His people “with joy”; He “joys” over them “with singing” (ZEPHANIAH 3:17).

The cause of this rejoicing is, yet again, the reversal which the LORD has brought about (ZEPHANIAH 3:15). This is not something which even the so-called ‘faithful remnant’ (cf. Malachi 3:16-18) had brought about by themselves. Rather, it is the work of God in His grace and mercy toward His own covenant people (cf. Zechariah 4:6; Ephesians 2:8-9).

The LORD speaks of a day in which evil will no longer be seen (ZEPHANIAH 3:15). This reaches beyond the immanent Babylonian captivity to speak of our own deliverance from the bondage of sin and death (cf. Romans 6:16) – centred as it is on the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 1:21).

“Fear not,” encourages the LORD – not for the first time, nor for the last. Lift up your weak hands, He continues. The LORD is mighty to save (ZEPHANIAH 3:16-17).

The beautiful picture of the LORD removing our sorrows (ZEPHANIAH 3:18) resonates throughout the Bible (e.g. Isaiah 35:10). It reaches its climax toward the end, when God wipes away all tears, and there shall be no more pain, sorrows or death (cf. Revelation 21:4).