Zephaniah 3:17, commentary and pictures

The Lord God Himself is present in the midst of His people as One mighty to save and deliver them, delighting in them with gladness, resting in His love for them, and celebrating over them with singing.
It is spoken to the daughter of Zion, called to sing and rejoice with all the heart, after her judgments are taken away and her enemy is cast out, with the King in her midst so she shall see evil no more and need not fear.
Above all it reveals heaven's triumph over one sinner who repents, when Christ and the Father rejoice with singing as hearts open to pardon, confess, believe, and return to lay the burden at the cross.
That is Christ's joy in seeing souls snatched from Satan's power and delivered from the bondage of sin as trophies of His sacrifice, the joy set before Him for which He endured the cross and despised the shame to bring eternal life to all who believe.
His love is a steady resting place that comforts, and it points forward to the day of final victory when evil is seen no more and angels' harps and voices join His song of triumph over His restored people.

Setting and Surrounding Promise

The promise is spoken to the daughter of Zion, to Israel, to the daughter of Jerusalem, to Jerusalem and Zion herself, who is called to sing and shout and be glad and rejoice with all the heart. That call to wholehearted joy rests on the assurance of God's presence and saving love among His people as their mighty King.

It is given after the Lord has taken away her judgments and cast out her enemy, with the King of Israel in her midst, so that she shall not see evil any more. Because He has removed judgments and enemies and dwells in her midst as mighty to save and deliver, Jerusalem is told to fear not and let not her hands be slack, and need not fear or lose heart.

It describes the afflicted and poor people left in the midst who trust in the name of the Lord, the remnant who do no iniquity and speak no lies. The Lord dwells in the midst of that remnant as mighty to save, rejoicing over them with joy, resting in His love, and joying over them with singing.

It comes after the Lord punishes every deceitful, lying tongue that caused His people to err and to turn from the righteousness of Christ. It leads to gathering them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, undoing all that afflict them, saving her that halteth, and gathering her that was driven out. It leads on to getting them praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame, bringing them again and making them a name and a praise among all people of the earth when their captivity is turned back before their eyes.

God Present to Save

The Lord thy God is in the midst of His people and of Jerusalem as One mighty to save and to deliver them. He has taken away their judgments and cast out their enemy, and with the King of Israel in their midst they shall see evil no more, therefore they are told to fear not and let not their hands be slack. He saves them and delights in them, resting in His love for them and rejoicing over them with joy and with singing. The promise belongs to the daughter of Zion, Israel, the daughter of Jerusalem, when she sings and shouts and is glad and rejoices with all the heart. It comes after He punishes every deceitful, lying tongue that caused His people to err and to turn from righteousness, and it leads to gathering them that are sorrowful, undoing all that afflict them, saving her that halteth, gathering her that was driven out, getting them praise and fame where they were put to shame, and turning back their captivity before their eyes.

It describes the position He purposes His people to have before the nations. He is present among His covenant-keeping people to save and bless them. He entrusts money and advantages to His stewards to guard one another's interests and to impart blessings and gifts to one another as His hand of ministration in His sacred work in the earth. As they stand true to His honor in unity with continual praise to God, He blesses them with still greater temporal and spiritual advantages and makes them a praise in the earth, honoring them above the transgressors of His law.

That presence to save means the Father gave Himself in His Son, giving all heaven in that one great gift to seek and save that which was lost. Christ in human form suffered, was lacerated with stripes and bruised for iniquities, bore the chastisement of peace, and poured out His life on the cross for the one lost sheep. He stands as advocate of the sinful human family so that His love as a mighty Helper might flow to suffering human beings. By this the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent are made known, with all heaven enlisted and all its resources at the command of workers to recover perishing souls.

Joy Love and Song

The Lord God is in the midst of His people as One mighty to save and deliver them. After He has taken away their judgments and cast out their enemy, with the King of Israel in their midst so they shall see evil no more, He bids Jerusalem fear not and let not her hands be slack. He saves them and delights in them, rejoicing over them with joy and gladness, resting in His love for them, and joying over them with singing and song. This belongs to the daughter of Zion, Israel, the daughter of Jerusalem, when she is called to sing and shout and be glad and rejoice with all the heart. It comes after the punishing of every deceitful, lying tongue that caused His people to err and to turn from righteousness, and it leads to gathering them that are sorrowful, undoing all that afflict them, saving her that halteth, gathering her that was driven out, getting them praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame, and bringing them again to a name and a praise among all people of the earth when their captivity is turned back before their eyes. It describes the position He purposes His people to have before the nations.

His love is a steady place of rest that comforts His people. It gives comfort, peace, and joy to her who rests in His love and to the one who has given the heart to Jesus. He comforts in His love the one who has made a covenant with Him by surrender and sacrifice of all, having come in to such a one and looking lovingly upon them and holding the deepest interest in them as a member of His family, so that even in sickness and weakness resting in His dear arms is doing His will until the Spirit imbues with strength to work again for those for whom He died. His joy over them is pictured as a father celebrating the return of his lost son, and is linked to the joy of the Father in receiving back the lost sheep through the saving work of His Son. It is applied as assurance that one loved by Jesus may have His peace and rest in His love.

The Lord Himself joins the rejoicing and sings with joy and gladness over His people and church when the lost are saved. When the shepherd cries for others to rejoice with him because the lost sheep is found, angels in heaven take up the glad strain from the weary but rejoicing shepherd, and the Lord joins in the anthem, rejoicing with joy, resting in love, and singing with joy over the one saved. This reveals the joy in Christ's heart over His people, and shows Him as joyful over His church and not a distant or joyless Saviour. When His saved people sing together in Sabbath worship He sings with them, so that their singing on earth is joined by singing in the heavenly courts and earth is joined by heaven.

This joy points forward to the day Christ brings His people home. He brings them home as His bride. Then the redeemed rejoice with their Redeemer at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Joy Over Sinners Returning

Christ and the Father rejoice with joy and singing over the salvation of a lost soul when sinners confess their sins, express faith, repent and return, laying the burden at the cross and choosing Christ. God is present and mighty to save those who take their stand with Christ, and He Himself rejoices over them with joy, resting in His love and singing over the repenting sinner. There is triumph and rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents, with the highest joy and gladness expressed by the angels when one soul receives Jesus, causing gladness through the heavenly universe. Heaven welcomes the convicted sinner who chooses Christ and is freed from Satan's power, and peace and happiness come when the burden is laid at the cross.

When human hearts open to receive light and love and pardon and bear the impress of Christ, angels rejoice to see it and heavenly beings take up praise as thanksgiving rises, calling the redeemed soul to return love and homage to the sin-pardoning Saviour. God and all heaven are deeply interested in souls whom Christ created and for whom He died, with joy in heaven over every soul led to the Saviour as God delights, rests in His love, and sings over them. His rejoicing over the one found reaches the heavenly courts, and the conversion of even one soul fills all heaven with triumphant exultation, with angels singing for joy. Christ does not fail nor become discouraged by feebleness and unbelief, but is filled with joy when souls are delivered from the thralldom of sin.

He saves the lost as the Good Shepherd who left His home on high to seek the lost sheep in the desert until He finds it and carries it in infinite love. When the shepherd cries for others to rejoice with him because the lost sheep is found, angels take up the glad strain from the weary but rejoicing shepherd, and the Lord Himself joins the anthem of joy and gladness, rejoicing with joy, resting in love, and singing with joy over the one saved. That Shepherd's joy reflects the Father's joy, for the Father shares the Shepherd's joy when the lost are found. Sharing that joy is a privilege for others.

That rejoicing is Christ's joy in seeing souls delivered from the bondage of sin and snatched from Satan's power as trophies of His sacrifice. It is the joy set before Him for which He endured the cross and despised the shame, rejoicing that by the agony of the cross He could bring life, eternal life, to all who believe. He welcomes the returning sinner as a loving Father with yearning love and joy rather than meeting the sinner with angry accusations, like a joyful feast celebrating the sinner's return. His love is a place of rest, and His joy is pictured as a father celebrating the return of his lost son. The joy over the saved is the joy of the Father in receiving back the lost sheep through the saving work of His Son.

The verse is God's word to backsliders in 1897 as to Israel who had chosen to serve Him, calling them to return to the Lord at once with no delay. It means the Lord gives a heart to know Him, gives minds to understand and know Him, reveals through Jesus the character He wishes each person to reveal, and increases grace to them. It shows the interest of the heavenly universe toward souls that break away from Satan's power to come back and stand under the bloodstained banner of Prince Immanuel. The Lord in the midst is mighty to save the returning one, rejoicing over him with joy, resting in His love toward him, and singing over him, more pleased at his return than any human can be.

It comforts troubled hearts with assurance that Jesus has not forgotten those who believe on His name but is preparing mansions in the kingdom of glory for them. He will receive all who come to Him without casting them out, and calls them to keep eternity in view and be prepared to see the King in His beauty at His soon coming. That rejoicing follows a complete work by believers who do not leave the work incomplete but give every advantage of personal labor, healthful food and facilities for clean bodies and clean clothing to awaken gratitude, opening the Word and bringing souls to Jesus the great Healer who gave His life to redeem them. While they do this the Holy Spirit cooperates by working on the heart and reproving of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come, so that the image of God is restored in poor forsaken souls and God and angels rejoice over them with singing.

Heavenly intelligences rejoice with singing as they look upon the fresh beauty and vigor of newly implanted life in the soul. This comes when full and free salvation is presented to those perishing in ignorance and sin so that complete renovation takes place, when souls feel the cleansing efficacy of Christ's blood, when His valuation of blood-bought souls above gold or silver or precious stones is realized, and when growth in grace is maintained by exercising every capability of money or influence to uplift others and point out the remedy for sin. Upon those who engage in this work the Sun of Righteousness arises with healing in His wings. In the day when all cases are decided and destiny for eternity is fixed, God sings for joy over those whose religious advantages were limited but who made diligent, persevering effort to lay hold on eternal life. His delight rests on the lowly and faithful in contrast to those who had privileges and light upon light yet rejected mercy, lived careless and self-indulgent, and placed themselves on Satan's side.

Final Victory and Restoration

The verse describes the day of final victory in the conflict between good and evil, when all the universe of heaven triumphs over evil. Then judgments are taken away, the enemy is cast out, and evil will be seen no more, because the King of Israel is in the midst of His people in Jerusalem and Zion, so fear is gone and slack hands are strengthened. There the Lord God in the midst is mighty to save and deliver, rejoicing over His delivered people with joy and gladness, resting in His love, and celebrating over them with singing. The inhabitants of unfallen worlds and the heavenly courts, who watch the conflict with intense interest and rejoice over every victory against Satan and his subtleties, will then triumph together, with angels' harps and voices singing this promise as heaven's song of triumph, while every victory gained becomes a gem in the crown of life. Then the harps of angels send forth precious music accompanying the melody of voices singing and shouting with gladness. It belongs to the prophecy of His people's deliverance and restoration and freedom from fear, promising that the Lord is present among His people as the mighty one who saves them.

Praise Courage and Obedience

The command joined to the promise is to fear not and let not the hands be slack, for the Lord is present among His people as a mighty Saviour who has removed judgments and enemies. Those who labor are therefore to work with courage and faith without disappointment, discouragement, or fear, praying and believing until they see God's salvation. Amid reproach and trial they are to seek the Lord earnestly and keep at work without failing, remembering He is a present help in every trouble who is mighty and will save. Heaven itself rejoices when people faithfully carry out the work God has given them.

His people are to bear this testimony of His saving help and loving joy to the world through continual praise. The assurance of His presence and saving love gives reason to keep His praise in hearts and on lips. Their joyful testimony can lead others toward a better source of happiness and show the world something of greater value than what it seeks.

The promise belongs to those who realize the Lord's nearness and act faith by becoming one in mind and heart with heavenly intelligences. Such show interest when one of His instrumentalities is languishing or in peril, and unitedly take of His own substance as His stewards to lift the burdens resting on His institutions, with the Lord cooperating with them. Those laboring for souls dead in trespasses and sins have divine help, with every angel interested and helping and all heaven enlisted with all its resources at the command of workers to recover perishing souls. They can therefore strive, love, and work by faith as laborers together with God, relying individually on divine influence and implicit trust in His Word to please Christ whose purchased possession they are by creation and by redemption.

The redeemed soul is called to return love and homage to the sin-pardoning Saviour, and those on earth who are subjects of such gladness in heaven should rejoice also. God rejoices over those who imitate Christ's virtues and serve in His spirit, becoming one with Christ as Christ is one with the Father. He rejoices over students and others who heed His word and instruction and develop intellectual and moral powers under His discipline. He sings with joy over those who watch and pray, make earnest efforts in the right direction, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, heed the Word, and place themselves under His discipline until physical, mental, and moral powers harmonize and faculties are fully developed, causing even angels to rejoice.

He Himself sings in joy over His people when they reflect heaven's light and joy, revealing the power of His grace before the synagogue of Satan, the heavenly universe, and the world so men and angels may know Christ has not died in vain. This happens when they are reconciled, seek Him with the whole heart, leave their rut, and walk and talk with God. It is assurance that one loved by Jesus may have His peace and rest in His love, expressing the joy and assurance that fill those who receive Christ by faith and look toward the home He has prepared. The Lord comforts in His love the one who has given the heart to Jesus by covenant surrender and sacrifice, coming in, looking lovingly, and holding deepest interest as a family member, so that even in sickness and weakness resting in His arms is doing His will until strength is given to work again for those Christ died for.

Whenever souls yield to the softening, subduing influence of the Spirit under angel ministration, and when an individual says I will to believe and unite interests with Christ, God Himself rejoices with singing and heaven rejoices as they strive together to win the crown of life. Happy and blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God, for His love for every soul who believes on Jesus with full assurance and not surface faith is a precious treasure, as He beholds in His children the image of His Son, looks on them with inexpressible love, enfolds them in His arms, and rejoices over them. His love stays strong toward those who once knew the Father's love but separated and were led captive, setting influences in motion to bring them back, receiving them upon repentance with rejoicing in the heavenly courts over restored people. His joy over those saved is reflected in heavenly rejoicing when the lost are restored.