Sing Aloud, Shout and Be Glad

Now, while Zephaniah may not be one of those places in the Bible that we frequent, what we find when we do is not only a message that calls people to accountability in a powerful way, but also one that speaks a message of grace and peace.  It can be challenging to experience both a sense of being held accountable and experiencing grace at the same time.  Because of the mixture, the feelings that accompany them are also often mixed.  Accountability is often not comfortable, particularly when there is much to be held accountable for.  And the situation that Zephaniah was addressing was pretty bad.  People had gone way too far, and were being way too hurtful and destructive to each other.  This was serious business.  We can hear it in the severity of the language.

It is not easy to listen to.  It's not always easy to address things that need to be addressed, especially when things have gotten so bad.  You can read about just how bad it was there in 2 Kings 21-23.  But in the midst of the discomfort, is the assurance that God will not stand by and allow it to go on unchecked forever.  And, in the midst of the message of judgement is the reminder that those who are seeking God will not be forgotten.  God does not lose sight of His people even in the midst of things that seem to be going horribly wrong.   God still honors those that trust Him.

Sometimes it is hard to hang on in the midst of a culture that insists on values that do not reflect those of God's Kingdom - ways of living that do not value people as people, but as a means to an end . . . ways of living that are more destructive than nurturing . . . ways that sometimes even distort religious ideas in ways that use religious motivations toward destructive ends.  

But in the midst of whatever the situation is that we find ourselves in, Zephaniah reminds us that there is still reason to sing, shout and be glad - not because of the destructive forces that seem to operate around us with impunity, but in the assurance that even that cannot ultimately silence the grace of God.  Those who remain faithful to God and His Kingdom are not forgotten, but are invited to stay focused on the deliverance that will come in spite of it all.

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