When God Shouts for Joy
When God Shouts for Joy
Zephaniah 1-3
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (3:12).
Reading through the prophets is often difficult because it seems the prophets continually beat the drum of God's judgment. One of the greatest mistakes people make is believing that God will not judge us or condemn our sin. However, through the prophets, God makes it clear that there will come a day of judgment when God condemns sin and those who practice it.
However, as dark as the prophetic messages may seem, there is also interwoven throughout the prophets another message. It is a message of hope and affirmation for those who seek him. God never judges unjustly. He does not overlook sin. However, he also never judges those who have set their hearts upon him. Thus, we find in the prophets the delight God has for his people. This confronts us with the question, “Who are those that God delights in and will experience the blessing and salvation of God?” This is the most fundamental question we must ask. While God judges the proud, those who set themselves up as God or worship other gods, he delights in the humble and lowly. This is not a reference to one’s economic or social status, but to the attitude of the heart. In 3:12, we see that God saves and protects the humble. The person who is humble recognizes their moral and spiritual condition apart from God. The humble person recognizes their sin and unworthiness before God so that they no longer rely upon their own righteousness or trust in their own moral reason. They recognize the futility of sinful man to gain any merit before God. As a result, they rest solely upon God’s grace for their salvation. This is further highlighted by the word lowly. The lowly are those who have nothing to offer. The spiritual lowly recognize that they have no merit to gain favor with God. The humble and lowly realize that salvation is not based upon our merit or worthiness, but solely upon God’s grace. Instead of trusting themselves, they surrender completely to God.
When we recognize our spiritual and moral bankruptcy and trust only in the mercy and grace of God, how does God respond? The answer is found in 3:17. This verse presents a picture that is impossible for us to fully comprehend. When we trust in God, “He will exult over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” This should arrest our attention. The God of the universe shouts for joy because of us. Elsewhere we are told to rejoice because of God’s salvation with shouts of joy, but here the God of the universe shouts for joy over us! It is beyond our comprehension that the God of the universe would experience exuberant joy because of us. But this is what he does when we trust in him. If we refuse to accept his salvation and refuse to obey him, we should be terrified. But when we trust in him, we can find joy, for instead of his anger we experience his unrelenting joy over us. When we trust in God, he does not just remove his threat of judgment; he shouts for joy in the throne room of heaven as a loving father shouts for joy for his children. When you surrender your life to God and submit to him, God does not just indifferently write your name in his book of life, he shouts for joy!!!!
Zephaniah 1-3
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (3:12).
Reading through the prophets is often difficult because it seems the prophets continually beat the drum of God's judgment. One of the greatest mistakes people make is believing that God will not judge us or condemn our sin. However, through the prophets, God makes it clear that there will come a day of judgment when God condemns sin and those who practice it.
However, as dark as the prophetic messages may seem, there is also interwoven throughout the prophets another message. It is a message of hope and affirmation for those who seek him. God never judges unjustly. He does not overlook sin. However, he also never judges those who have set their hearts upon him. Thus, we find in the prophets the delight God has for his people. This confronts us with the question, “Who are those that God delights in and will experience the blessing and salvation of God?” This is the most fundamental question we must ask. While God judges the proud, those who set themselves up as God or worship other gods, he delights in the humble and lowly. This is not a reference to one’s economic or social status, but to the attitude of the heart. In 3:12, we see that God saves and protects the humble. The person who is humble recognizes their moral and spiritual condition apart from God. The humble person recognizes their sin and unworthiness before God so that they no longer rely upon their own righteousness or trust in their own moral reason. They recognize the futility of sinful man to gain any merit before God. As a result, they rest solely upon God’s grace for their salvation. This is further highlighted by the word lowly. The lowly are those who have nothing to offer. The spiritual lowly recognize that they have no merit to gain favor with God. The humble and lowly realize that salvation is not based upon our merit or worthiness, but solely upon God’s grace. Instead of trusting themselves, they surrender completely to God.
When we recognize our spiritual and moral bankruptcy and trust only in the mercy and grace of God, how does God respond? The answer is found in 3:17. This verse presents a picture that is impossible for us to fully comprehend. When we trust in God, “He will exult over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” This should arrest our attention. The God of the universe shouts for joy because of us. Elsewhere we are told to rejoice because of God’s salvation with shouts of joy, but here the God of the universe shouts for joy over us! It is beyond our comprehension that the God of the universe would experience exuberant joy because of us. But this is what he does when we trust in him. If we refuse to accept his salvation and refuse to obey him, we should be terrified. But when we trust in him, we can find joy, for instead of his anger we experience his unrelenting joy over us. When we trust in God, he does not just remove his threat of judgment; he shouts for joy in the throne room of heaven as a loving father shouts for joy for his children. When you surrender your life to God and submit to him, God does not just indifferently write your name in his book of life, he shouts for joy!!!!
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Who do we listen to?God's Patience and the Certainty of JudgmentThe Present Implications of the FutureAcknoweldgement, Confession, and ForgivenessThe Mark of a Genuine DiscipleThe Unchanging WordThe Lost ARt of DiscernmentA Life that Pleases GodThe Subtle Danger of Spiritual PrideContending for the FaithThe Judgement of False TeachersKeep Our Faith in a Fallen WorldSecurity in a Insecure WorldThe God who Controls HistoryThe Terrifying Majesty of ChristThe Majesty of GodThe Praise of God's JusticeHaving Right Priorities in Life
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