14-12-13 Podcast script
[Prepare]
In this passage there is almost too much to take in. Pick out one or two phrases and mull them over in your heart.
[Bible passage]
Zephaniah 3:14–20
Everyone in Jerusalem and Judah,celebrate and shoutwith all your heart!Zion, your punishment is over.TheLordhas forced your enemiesto turn and retreat.YourLordis King of Israeland stands at your side;you don’t have to worryabout any more troubles.Jerusalem, the time is coming,when it will be said to you:“Don’t be discouragedor grow weak from fear!TheLordyour Godwins victory after victoryand is always with you.He celebrates and singsbecause of you,and he will refresh your lifewith his love.”
TheLordhas promised:Your sorrow has ended,and you can celebrate.I will punish thosewho mistreat you.I will bring together the lameand the outcasts,then they will be praised,instead of despised,in every country on earth.I will lead you home,and with your own eyesyou will see me bless youwith all you once owned.Then you will be famouseverywhere on this earth.I, theLord, have spoken!
[Explore]
There could hardly be a greater contrast in Scripture than that between chapter 1 and this concluding chapter of Zephaniah. Metaphors of deliverance pile on top of each other. Fears will be dissolved, helpless hands will be empowered, the lame will be rescued, the scattered will be gathered, the lost will be brought home. The One who is mighty to save will delight in his people, he will rejoice over us with singing, and (a delightful phrase in older versions of the NIV) he will ‘quiet us with his love’.
What do these words mean to you, especially if you are the sort who panics easily? It is the language of a loving parent with a fractious child, something that every mother is skilled at doing for her little ones. Our loving Father does it too.
The final phrase suggests that this future prospect is to be like a great home-coming. The feast laid on for the returning prodigal son needed to be preceded by his repentance. Here the feast is of God’s grace, the gifts of his bounty. Nothing has to be earned, nothing deserved. It comes from the Lord’s covenant faithfulness, his boundless generosity.
[Respond]
Let the thought of God’s infinite grace and kindness overwhelm you, and open your mouth to him in heartfelt praise.