The Lord is
"righteous" (Zephaniah 3:5). His people are "rebellious" (Zephaniah
3:1). The people were not served well by their "prophets" and "priests"
(Zephaniah 3:4). Could this situation be turned around? Could the people
be led back from rebellion to righteousness? From the human side, there
is no returning to the Lord. The human side is not all that there is.
There is God - and He refuses to give up on His people: "Then I will
give all people pure lips to worship the Lord and to serve Him with one
purpose" (Zephaniah 3:9). To His people, God says, "I will remove your
arrogance" (Zephaniah 3:11). Rebellious people can be changed by God's
saving grace. How many will return to the Lord? - God speaks about "a
faithful few" (Zephaniah 3:12-13). "They will seek refuge in the Name of
the Lord" (Zephaniah 3:12). Any good thing in us has come from the
Lord, When we consider all that the Lord has done for us, we are to
worship Him - "Sing happily, people of Zion... " (Zephaniah 3:14). What
reasons do we have for singing praise to the Lord? - "The Lord has
reversed the judgments against you. He has forced out your enemies. The
King of Israel, the Lord, is with you" (Zephaniah 3:15). We rejoice in
the Lord, and He takes delight in us - "He... celebrates over you with
shouts of joy" (Zephaniah 3:17).
“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46). This joyful thanksgiving is only a foretaste of the greater joy and thanksgiving of heaven: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). In the city of God, “the glory of God” will be shining with everlasting brightness (Revelation 21:23). The Church of God will be “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). The beautiful picture of the godly wife in Proverbs 31 gives us an outline of what God is seeking to do in His people. It is summarized in Proverbs 31:30: “A woman who fears the Lord is to be
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