This last week, I heard a person quote a statement (I do not remember the source of the quotation) saying that, apart from eternity and the blessings and punishment handed out there, the Christian life does not add up and does not make sense. Though I have forgotten the source, the statement has stuck with me, and I think it is exactly right. The reason that the Bible focuses so much attention on the future (and the reason we should meditate on the future) is because life will not make sense if we neglect to think about that future. The difficulties that we experience in life will make no sense without looking at them through the lens of the future. The struggles and sufferings of this life will make no sense without looking at them through the lens of the future. In fact, this is the way Jesus endured the suffering in His own life. The author of Hebrews describes Jesus as “the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). Jesus endured the incredible shame and pain of the cross because of the joy that was set before him. The future, and all that the Bible tells us it contains, is vitally important for us as Christians.
I say all that so that we will understand the importance of Zephaniah for our lives as Christians. Zephaniah is a book about the future. As we have seen, it is focused entirely on the Day of the Lord. Moreover, it is a book that focuses our attention on what will happen in the future, so that we will live faithfully and rightly in the present. As we have seen, God repeatedly promises judgment on those who persist in their sin. And in the midst of that, he does give glimpses of hope for those who turn to him in humility and for the faithful remnant of His people. The point of this is to direct our attention to the future so that we will live rightly in anticipation of that Day.
With that in our minds, we come to Zephaniah 3 today as the final part of the book. As we will see, this chapter is also the climax of the prophecy. Throughout the first chapters of Zephaniah, though there have been glimpses of hope, the dominant theme has been punishment. While this emphasis will continue a bit in the final chapter, Zephaniah’s prophecy actually closes with a resounding crescendo of hope and life and joy among God and His people. As we will see, the central point is that all of the punishment and wrath doled out by God occupies a secondary position to the glorious redemption that will happen on that Day. This is the central message of the last chapter of Zephaniah’s prophecy. Hope is the final word.
After pronouncing woe on the enemies of God’s people in chapter 2, this final chapter begins with a very familiar refrain by highlighting the sinfulness of God’s people. God declares, “Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law” (3:1-4). Just as we have seen throughout Zephaniah’s prophecy, the people of Judah have some serious problems with sin. The people are rebellious, and they have defiled themselves with sin. The people whom God brought into existence refuse to listen to Him or draw near to Him. Moreover, her leaders – who were meant to lead the people of God as shepherds who care for their flock – are ravaging that flock for their own indulgence. They are lions and wolves instead of shepherds. And her religious leaders – who were given to point the people to God and to obedience – are refusing to obey the law themselves! Once again, God is making very clear that the people are wallowing in sin.
Interestingly, after recounting again the wickedness of the people, God highlights his mercy in demonstrating to the people His righteousness and faithfulness. He says, “The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame. I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt” (2:5-7). Amazingly, in the midst of the sinfulness of God’s people, He was still making clear to them His hatred for sin and His wrath against sin on other people so that they would turn and repent. At this point in Judah’s history, they had seen God punish the wicked numerous times. God had used Amaziah to punish Edom (2 Chron. 25:5-13), Uzziah to punish the Philistines and Ammonites (2 Chron. 26:6-8) and Hezekiah to punish Assyria (2 Chron. 32:20-23). According to the words of Zephaniah 3, at least part of the reason for these punishments was so that Israel would fear God and accept His correction. Sadly, Israel refused, and, in fact, “all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.” God mercifully gave His people opportunity to repent and they refused.
In light of this refusal to repent and this eagerness to walk in corruption, God makes clear to the people that He will gather together all the nations so as to pour out His fierce wrath on their wickedness. Zephaniah writes, “’Therefore wait for me,’ declares the Lord, ‘for the day when I rise up to size the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed” (3:8). The Lord makes clear that His patience will not last forever. There will come a Day – the Day that has been described throughout Zephaniah to this point – when the wrath will be held back no longer and everything on earth will be swept away. Peter makes the same point in his second letter when he makes clear that God is patient in allowing people to repent before making clear that the patience will not last forever (2 Peter 3:8-10). It seems that God is pointing His people to the judgment to come.
Since this is our last week in Zephaniah, I want to take the opportunity to highlight a point one final time that this portion of our text makes very clear: God hates sin. He is perfectly holy and righteous, and we can never exaggerate His hatred of sin too much. This is crucial for every person in this room. If you are not a Christian, you should never feel comfortable in relation to God. You are not “okay” with Him because you are an object of His wrath. You need to know that God hates, and will not tolerate, sin. And for those who are believers, we also must never forget God’s hatred for sin. It helps us understand better the work of Jesus Christ, and it also moves us to fight the indwelling sin in our own lives. The fact of God’s holiness must stay ever before our eyes and hearts.
As we come to the second part of our text, we expect to hear the same pronouncements of woe that have characterized the first two chapters. Throughout Zephaniah’s prophecy, we have seen God highlight sin in the people and then describe the judgment that will be poured out on that sin. However, when we read verse 9, we see something entirely different. In place of judgment, we see mercy, and in place of wrath, we see forgiveness.
Beginning in verse 9, God declares, “For at that time I will change the speech of the people to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering” (3:9-10). The shocking nature of this declaration is heightened when we read this text alongside the judgments pronounced in chapter 2. God has made very clear that the nations who were enemies of His people are going to be judged and destroyed. Even in 3:8, God made clear that He was gathering the nations so as to pour out his indignation on them. No doubt, this judgment will be a part of that last Day, and there will be many who have God’s wrath poured out on them. However, 3:9-10 also makes clear another reality about the nations: God is going to change the speech of those nations so that they call on Him rather than taunting Him and His people. Moreover, He is going to change them so that they serve Him in unity. In these verses, we see an incredible reality about God: He does not just overlook the sin of the nations but rather He actually changes their very hearts so that they no longer oppose Him. This is mercy ratcheted up a notch. In the words of David Powlison, this is God demonstrating a love that is better than unconditional because it is transformational. God is not just forgiving the sin of these enemies but changing them from enemies into servants.
As we go on, we see that God does not merely promise to do this for the nations but for His own people as well. He continues, “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. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, 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” (3:11-13). Once again, we see God showing mercy to those who have sinned. Just as chapter 2 highlighted the sinfulness of the nations, chapter 1 of Zephaniah highlighted the sin of God’s people, and we saw God promise judgment on that sin. No doubt, this judgment will be carried out as even 3:11 makes reference to God “removing the proudly exultant ones” from His people. However, these verses also make clear that God will forgive the rebellious deeds of His people. Rather than being put to shame, God’s people will seek refuge in Him and live righteous lives that honor Him. Once again, we see the sheer mercy of God in forgiving, changing, purifying, and protecting His people on that Day.
As we sit back and consider these realities, we find ourselves almost overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of God’s mercy and love. The entire book of Zephaniah has drenched us in the fierceness and ferocity of God’s wrath. But now, in this final chapter, we find out that the only thing which will stay God’s wrath in that Day will be His mercy. And, wonder of wonders, God will grant such mercy on that Day.
But this reality presents us with an incredible conundrum – how can God do this and be just? If God is holy (as He is) and this perfect holiness must see that all sin is punished (as it must), how can God forgive sin and grant mercy to these people on that Day? It is fine that He can change them so that they no longer sin, but what about the sin that has been committed? The answer to these questions is not found in Zephaniah but in the good news of Jesus Christ that came so many hundreds of years later. The reason these people can step into God’s presence on that day is because God put forward Jesus Christ as a propitiation for their sins (Rom. 3:25). The reason God can justify these people and still remain just is because He has made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that in Him they might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). On the Day of the Lord described by Zephaniah, grace will be on magnificent display as former enemies of God go to be with the returning King, Jesus Christ, because they have trusted in Him and followed Him. God, in His incredible mercy and love, has made a way for sinners to be forgiven as well as transformed into faithful followers of Him.
This is incredibly relevant for us as readers of Zephaniah today. In the midst of the incredible gloom and doom that has permeated the book of Zephaniah, this is an incredible message of hope. For those who have never trusted in Christ, there is hope to escape the wrath of God on that day! God sent His Son to die on the cross and then He raised him from the dead so that, by faith, your sins could be forgiven. Your sin separates you from God and merits His wrath, but the One who is offended has made provision. Trust in Christ. And for those who do follow Christ, this helps us understand better the glorious work of Christ. It was absolutely necessary so that the picture of Zephaniah 3 could take place. Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and we can rejoice as those sinners who have been saved.
After describing the mercy that will be poured out on that day, the rest of the chapter is taken up with descriptions of what it will be like when that Day occurs. Zephaniah begins by describing the actions of God’s people as he declares, “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 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” (3:14-15). Here is Zephaniah pointing the people of God to the Day when all of their sins as well as the condemnation and judgment due to their sins will be taken away. He points them to the day when their enemies will be taken away and God will dwell in their midst. Further, he makes clear that that Day will be cause for great rejoicing. On that day, the people should (and will) sing and rejoice and exult with all of their hearts. On that day, the people of God will praise Him perfectly and joyously without any pain or suffering. The grounds for this rejoicing will be the sovereign work of God on behalf of His people, and He will be worthy of every bit of praise His people give Him.
The next two verses detail something quite amazing. The fact that God’s people will praise Him on this Day is probably not a surprise to us, but the next two verses lay out something that could be a great surprise: God will rejoice over His people on that Day! Zephaniah says, “On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 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’” (3:16-17). This is an amazing reality. The God who made the world and everything in it and deserves to be worshiped by everything that He has created is going to rejoice with gladness over the people that He has redeemed. He will quiet their souls with the sheer graciousness of His love, and He will exult over them with singing. This is a picture of joy and delight because God takes great delight in His people. He does not love them just because he must or ought to do so but because He, of His own free will, chooses to do so. God’s people are a delight to Him. He loves them, and He actually likes them – more than we can fathom or imagine. This is no doubt the love Paul was thinking about when he prayed that the Ephesians would “have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:18-19a). God absolutely delights in His people, and that delight will be clearly manifested on the Day described in Zephaniah. His people will have no need to fear because the Lord their God will be in their midst.
Finally, in another astounding reality, Zephaniah makes clear that God will make His people the objects of renown and praise in that Day. He declares, “’I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 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” (Zeph. 3:18-20). Here is the very thing that I described at the beginning: on this Day, God is going to make right every wrong that His people endured on the earth. Those who were taunted and reviled on the earth will be praised and renowned on that Day. Those who were abused and defeated will be victorious on that Day. Those who were humble and lowly on this earth will be lifted up on that Day. The last truly will be first. And all of this will be the powerful work of the sovereign God who will gather those who have been reproached and judge their enemies. He will gather the lame and the outcast and restore their fortunes. God is making clear that He will make everything right for His people on that Day. The final word will be their victory and triumph because they have allied themselves with the sovereign King who will be victorious and triumphant on that Day.
All in all, this final section of the text is full of glorious realities that the people of God, in particular, must understand and grasp. First of all, we should take note of the fact that the people are told to rejoice on that Day because the judgments against them have been taken away. As those who know that there is no condemnation remaining against us (Rom. 8:1), we should already be singing aloud and shouting and rejoicing and exulting with all our heart to the One who has taken away our condemnation by sending His Son to die for us. Our hearts should be moved to rejoice by this reality.
Second, we should take note of God’s incredible love toward us. We should try to understand the incredible depths of God’s love and the fact that He delights in us. He does not delight in us because we have earned it but simply because we belong to Him. The basis of His delight in us is what He has accomplished in us through Christ, and we can be sure that nothing will separate us from that love.
Third, we should take note of the fact that there is coming a day when everything will be made right. The reason that we can endure suffering and pain and hurt in this life is because we look to the day when all of that will be taken away and overcome. We can endure the hardships of this life because we are looking to a Day whose glory is not worth comparing to those hardships. As we said at the beginning, the Christian life will never make sense and will never be worth it if we neglect to look to the future Day of the Lord. This is the reason the New Testament constantly points us forward. Paul prayed that the Ephesians would “know what is the hope to which he has called you” and “what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18b). Peter made very clear that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:3b-4). Without looking to the future, the Christian life does not make sense, so we must always look to the future.
As we come to the table, we are coming to exalt the One that makes Zephaniah 3 a reality. As we saw earlier, the only way that God can dwell in the midst of sinful people is because of Jesus Christ’s work. That is why Paul declares, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor. 5:19). It is because of Christ that our sins can be forgiven and that we can look forward to the Day of the Lord with joy and hope instead of fear and dread. Let us exalt Him today. Amen.