Even though the events mentioned in verse 15 hadn’t yet happened, they’re presented in the past tense. When it comes to God’s promises, they are so certain, it’s as if they’ve already occurred. We can trust Him to come through. The judgment sentence the Lord passed on the nation is lifted. Receiving God’s love and grace should automatically bring joy to a repentant sinner. The Lord also turned back the enemy. Zephaniah doesn’t specify what enemy he meant, but it really doesn’t matter. The LORD, the Holy God of Israel, is greater than any enemy. God was with them, so they needn’t fear any attack, any disaster, any evil. Think about this for a minute: punishment removed; enemies conquered; the LORD nearby…fear removed. Are these not cause for great celebration?
You May Also Like
A constant infusion of strength
This is one of the most oft-quoted scriptures in the Bible, and more often than not it’s probably quoted out of true context. You see, this strength references a constant infusion of strength to the believer through relation with and dependence upon Christ. Power from God comes from within the…
Contentment
Contentment is something that seems to be in short supply in our world. Our culture doesn’t encourage contentment, but instead pushes us to think we need the newest and biggest and most expensive to be happy. But true contentment—the kind of contentment Paul is referencing from his prison cell—is found…
Declaring God reigns
Verses 6-8 mentions Moses, Aaron, and Samuel as priests who called upon the LORD on behalf of the rebellious people. These weren’t perfect men, but they strove to keep God’s ordinances. And God responded to their pleas. The LORD is always attentive to the cries of the people (even when…

