Zephaniah 3:14-17;20
14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home… says the LORD.
Zephaniah 3:14-17;20 QUIETED WITH LOVE – MOTHERS’ DAY
Springford Baptist Church: May 8, 2022.
In a conversation with some of my nursing home residents this week, I was asking them about memories of their mothers. There were memories of mothers who were kind and hardworking and certainly memories of mothers who lovingly prepared delicious food for their families. Then I came to a man who said that he did not have good memories of his Mom. I gently asked him what he would have wanted his Mom to be like. He said that he would have wanted her to be at the door when he got home from school and to ask him about his day and to care about what had happened with him.
We all know what love looks like don’t we? It is obvious to us when we are loved. In a home where there is a loving mother, it will affect those children all of their lives. Sadly, in a home where there is a mother who is not loving, it will affect those children all of their lives. There will always be a sense of something missed.
In today’s Scripture we find a very beautiful and moving description of God who loves us with such tenderness.
Hear again these words referring to our God:
He will take great delight in you;He will quiet you with His love,He will rejoice over you with singing.”
This description reminds me of a loving mother. This description reminds me of my own Mom. Of course, I do not remember her holding me in her arms when I was a baby, but I have seen her hold and quiet her grandchildren with her love. I have heard her singing to them and over them.
In this prophecy from Zephaniah, we have the hopeful promises of God that He will bring restoration. There will be a time of destruction, but then will come a time of blessing and peace. This will be a time when God’s people will be quieted by His love. These are comforting promises of love, mercy, and restoration. This looks forward to the Millenium (the thousand year reign), when as prophesied, Christ will rule as King on the earth.
When God restores the nations to Himself, He will bless His chosen nation Israel. This prophetic theme anticipates Israel’s regathering to Jerusalem as God has promised. Though God must punish sin, He is full of mercies and is always true to His promises. National judgment is assured, but God will not forsake His people. There is comfort here in this promise that God will “quiet His people with His love and rejoice over them with singing.” (vs. 17)
Let me ask you, Where did you learn right from wrong? Our mothers were among the first to instill these lessons in us. They did correct the wrong decisions that we made when very young and they did this out of love. They wanted us to learn how to live well.
It is out of God’s love for us that He corrects what we do wrong. God convicts and challenges our unloving thoughts, words, and behaviours because he wants to restore us to Himself.
After a loving mother has corrected her children she will gather them in her arms and demonstrate her persistent love for them.
This is how God responds to those He loves. Listen in,
14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
There is reason for Daughter Zion (Israel) to sing, shout, be glad, and rejoice with all her heart. The reason is that God will never stop loving her.
We in our desire to know our God can receive the truth on this Mothers’ Day and be assured that God will never stop loving us.
Consider how we see God revealed when we read all of Zephaniah 3:17
17 The Lord your God is with you,the Mighty Warrior who saves.He will take great delight in you;He will quiet you with His love,He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Here we have the images of God both as a Mighty Warrior and a tender comforting Parent.
This is consistent with what I know of determined mothers. I recall hearing a woman describe her mother as a warrior. Her single Mom was relentless in fighting to care for her family and to have them receive what they needed.
God is relentless in fighting for us and confronting the sin that threatens to pull us away from Him.
God wants us to be saved from that sin.
Then God looks forward to restoring us to Him and to expressing His great delight in us. Do you feel the great delight God has for you? Do you know that God longs to quiet you with His love and to rejoice over you with singing?
God said to His people Israel and God says to each of us His children,
20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home… says the LORD.
And because of that conversation at the nursing home this week with someone who longed for a loving mother, I find myself thinking of God who has quieted me with His love, welcoming me home and asking how my day was and what happened with me. In those moments, we know we are so deeply cared for by our God Who does quiet us with His love.