Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NRSV)
Read Zephaniah 3:14-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 14Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! Verse 15The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. Verse 16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. Verse 17The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing Verse 18as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. Verse 19I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. Verse 20At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.
Devotion
The prophet Zephaniah has spent two-and-a-half chapters proclaiming God's judgment and destruction against both Judah and foreign nations. To read here about the imminent restoration of Jerusalem can be a little disorienting. Yet this pattern is repeated over and over throughout the Old Testament, which testifies to God's continuing fidelity to and love for Israel, even when God's people seem to invite nothing but destruction.
The promise of Advent continues this pattern of God's faithfulness: into a world full of brokenness and sin, God will send a savior. However, unlike the vision of Zephaniah, which sees God as a warrior-king, this coming savior will be born into poverty and scandal. Instead of repelling military enemies, this coming savior will die the shameful death of an enemy of the state. This is all very disorienting indeed. And yet this is exactly what Advent is about: the world will soon be turned upside-down.
Prayer
God of surprises, thank you for continually upending our expectations. Keep us watchful this season for the coming wonders of your salvation. Amen.