Please scroll down for the Zephaniah 3:14-20 commentary.

WHEN GOD IS PRESENT - The literary form of this lesson is lyrical and exuberant with the presence of God as its theme which creates great joy. As such, this passage speaks powerfully to the joy-theme of Advent. When God is present people can sing for joy, they can trust in God and be fearless and confident and strong. But the passage also leads joy into mission for when God is present there’s good news a’tellin.

IN THAT DAY - The introductory phrases, "in that day" (11:1, 4), make the songs of thanksgiving into promises: There will come a time when the people of God will experience salvation and will sing. Because the coming of that day is assured, even the present can be a time of joy. The biblical integration of the prophetic and priestly words can serve as a model for contemporary prayer and worship, as songs of praise and thanksgiving respond to the word of God for the future.

A JEWISH PRAYER - This exultant passage is traditionally used in Jewish prayer as part of the havdalah, a ceremony that marks the end of the Sabbath, because it looks ahead to the final redemption God promises to Israel and the nations.

SPIRITUAL INTEGRATION EXERCISE - Recite this song of praise or chant it in a monotone or to a simple melody. Let your heart be open to one phrase that particularly draws your attention. Let that phrase become a breath prayer-a short phrase repeated for a period of time aloud, then continued silently. If you find your mind wandering, simply return to the inner repetition of the phrase, letting it turn your heart and mind toward a sense of God’s goodness.

QUOTE OF THE DAY - When I think of God, my heart is so filled with joy that the notes fly off as from a spindle.

You might want to review-in broad brush strokes-the oracles that lead up to this lyrical lesson. Lots of judgment is heaped on Israel and Assyria et al.

Point out this interlude of joy-ode of joy-that closes out these first twelve chapters. If the oracles have been the sentence, then this hymn of joy might be considered a dash between subject and verb.

Move to the other lessons that combine the theme of joy

Shift to Advent as a season for joy because of God’s entry point into the world through the incarnation.

MUTED SIGNS OF HOPE - Often within prophetic utterances of impending doom and judgment, the reader will also find authentic, though muted signs of hope. Such is our lesson-a muted sign of hope. This hope comes in the genre of hymnody-a song of victory that notes changed circumstances from the previous ominous predictions. "Do not fear" is a line that also sets up the salvation oracle (cf. Is. 40:9; 41:10, 13; 43:1, 5). Thus Zephaniah ben Cushi, "who plumbed the depths of terror awaiting the wicked, could also envision another future for the humble remnant that survived." [1]

GOD WILL COME AND SAVE YOU - Will Judah be able to live without God? Can Judah create a world without God and yet live to tell about it? Will God allow Judah to go her own way? The answer in Zephaniah, of course, is never really in question. Yes, God, the mighty One, the Warrior, is king over all the earth-Judah included. But the miracle is that this Warrior-God is also "mighty to save." In the end, the King of the universe is finally, the King of love, and wills to save God’s people. So comes the purging and transforming work of love that we read about in this poem. [2]

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA - The spiritual and holy Zion-that is the church, the holy multitude of the believers-is justified in Christ and only in him. By him and through him we are also saved as we escape from the harm of the invisible enemies . . . he is the armor of good will, the peace, the wall, the one who bestows incorruption, the arbiter of the crowns, who shut down the war of the incorporeal Assyrians and made void the schemes of the demons. [3]

In the middle of troubles and pain, our lesson speaks a promise of joy. Using the image of a mother who comforts a child she has disciplined, God reminds us of God’s great love. Reread the passage slowly, noting the words or phrases of promise that particularly speak to you. Use these words or phrases to write a prayer based on this passage. Ask God to fulfill the promises you are waiting on to be fulfilled. Praise God for making such wonderful promises. [4]

 

One proclaimer suggests viewing the joyful tidings of Zephaniah through the fulfillment of Jesus Christ . . . in Christ, the King of Israel is present in our midst (v. 17a), as we gather around the Table, Christ is present; God’s judgments are removed (v. 18a) by the peace with God offered in the outstretched hands of the Lord; our enemies are cast out (18b) through the empty tomb and the last enemy, death, is destroyed; our hands and hearts are strengthened (v. 16c) and made courageous down through the centuries by Christ’s abiding presence. The church is caught up in the song of victory (v.14) by the ‘angels, archangels and all the company of heaven.’

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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible VII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), page 666.
[2] Elizabeth Achtemeier, Interpretation Series: Nahum—Malachi (Atlanta: John Knox, 1986), p. 85.
[3] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture XIV (InterVarsity, 2003), page 218.
[4] The Spiritual Formation Bible (Zondervan, 2002), page 1247.