Zephaniah 3:15, commentary and pictures

The Lord takes away the judgments against His people and Jerusalem, drives out their enemy, and dwells among them as their King, so they will see evil no more and need not fear harm to come. His presence is that of one mighty to save, who saves His people and rejoices over them with delight, resting in His love and singing over them with joy. Those He thus restores are the humble and afflicted remnant who trust in His name, who do no iniquity and speak no lies, whom He gathers, saves, and makes a praise when He turns back their captivity. Because of this deliverance and His indwelling presence, the daughter of Zion is called to sing, shout, and rejoice with all the heart, to fear not and let not her hands be slack. For the sinner this is fulfilled when he leaves Satan's side for Christ and receives Him as an indwelling presence, welcomed by a merciful Father with joy into a moral revival seen in reformed thoughts, words, and actions.

Deliverance and Restoration

The Lord has taken away the judgments resting on His people and on Jerusalem, He has cast out their enemy, and as the King of Israel He Himself is in the midst of them, so that they shall not see evil any more and need not fear future harm. This removal of judgment and driving out of the enemy with the Lord present as King is the ground of freedom from fear of evil.

His presence in the midst is the presence of One who is mighty to save, who saves His people and rejoices and delights over them, resting in His love and singing over them with joy. He will save, He will rejoice over them with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over them with singing.

Those to whom this belongs are the humble, afflicted and poor people left in the midst who trust in the name of the Lord, the faithful remnant of Israel that does no iniquity and speaks no lies with no deceitful tongue in the mouth, feeding and lying down with none to make them afraid. Their shame is turned into praise and fame. This is part of a promised restoration and gathering in which He gathers the sorrowful, undoes all that afflict them, saves her that halts, gathers her that was driven out, and makes them a name and a praise and fame when He brings them again and turns back their captivity.

The promise is a picture of joyful hope and triumph beyond judgment, belonging to the day of final victory over evil when evil will never come to them again. Then all heaven triumphs, angels' harps join human voices in glad shouting and wholehearted rejoicing, as the watching universe celebrates each victory gained over Satan's subtleties by It is written.

Rejoicing and Application

The removal of judgment, the expulsion of the enemy, and the dwelling of the King in the midst so that evil is seen no more are the ground for rejoicing and freedom from fear. Therefore the daughter of Zion, Israel, the daughter of Jerusalem is called to sing, to shout, and to be glad and rejoice with all the heart. She is charged to fear not and to let not her hands be slack, because God in the midst is mighty to save. That rejoicing is sung with glad shouting and wholehearted joy, with angels' harps joining human voices as the watching universe celebrates each victory gained over subtle temptation by It is written.

For the individual, this is what happens when a convicted sinner chooses Christ and breaks the spell of the enemy of righteousness. Stepping from under the black banner of Satan to stand under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel, the soul is saved from death and enters a great moral revival shown by reformation of thoughts, words, and actions. Judgments are taken away and the enemy is cast out because the King is in the midst as an indwelling presence, so evil is seen no more, and heaven shares in the joy of that deliverance. It reveals God as a merciful Father who welcomes the returning sinner with joy and longing rather than wrathful accusation.

For the community, this means God will have His covenant-keeping people stand true to His honor in unity with continual praise to Him. They are to guard one another's interests carefully as brethren, and to steward faithfully entrusted money and advantages so as to minister blessings and gifts to one another. So they become a praise in the earth, whom God blesses with still greater temporal and spiritual advantages and honors above transgressors of His law. Those who realize the nearness of the Lord's coming are to act their faith by being one in mind and heart with the heavenly intelligences and unitedly lifting with His own substance the burdens resting on His institutions, with the promise that He will co-operate with them.

The joyful song is the testimony He desires borne to the world, with His praise continually in hearts and on lips. Such joyful testimony influences others by turning them from self-indulgent efforts to secure happiness and showing them something better in God. As Jesus did not reprove the Samaritan woman for coming to draw water from Jacob's well but presented to her the fountain of living waters of far greater value, so this witness shows the world that God's people have something better than what the world is seeking.