Sing, O Daughter of Zion Zephaniah 3:14-17, NIV Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! 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. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Hallelujah! I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Sing, O Daughter of Zion,” which is based on Zephaniah 3:14-17. Please repeat after me: Sing, O Daughter of Zion - Sing, O Daughter of Zion. As Christians we must give thanks and praise to God throughout our lives. Once wretched sinners; we have become, through faith in Jesus, the children of God. We should then always be thankful and joyful. When we look inward we soon see that we are full of sin. There is nothing in us that we can boast about. We are stubborn. We are hot tempered with little if any self-control. We offend others and are quick to take offense from others. Despite all things; by the power of His Grace God has chosen us and caused us to believe in Jesus. He has adopted us as His children. We must, over and over again, thank God for His grace. We must be joyful and grateful. We must daily hold on to the Cross of the Lord Jesus and march forward with faith. About 2,600 years ago, the prophet Zephaniah proclaimed the message of God’s blessings and hope to the Jews of Judah who were steeped in sin and hopelessness. This is today’s Scripture. The Israelites sinned and degenerated because they worshipped idols and lived unrighteously. God’s judgment was upon his people and He allowed them to be destroyed by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Judah was completely destroyed by the Babylonians; and all captives were taken into Babylon for seventy years. At the height of Judah’s national disaster, when people greatly despaired at the fall of their kingdom; the prophet Zephaniah proclaimed a message of hope and God’s blessings, saying, “God will deliver you and bless you in the future.” I would like to meditate on this message through this Scripture passage. First, we must give praises and thanks to the Lord throughout our lives. Zephaniah 3:14 says: “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!” Here, the daughter of Zion represents the Israelites-the people of God who are saved and called by His name. “People of God, you saved souls, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise your God for He has loved you so much so far. He still loves you now. And He will love you to the end. Praise the Lord!” By faith in Jesus, we have become the children of God. We have come into the kingdom of God by the power of His grace. We are now living in His grace; and we will live in His grace forever. We must therefore give thanks for His unfailing grace. Psalm 103:1 says: “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” Psalm 106:1 says: “Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” The prophet Zephaniah told the Jews to rejoice and give praises to the Lord in the midst of their suffering which they caused by their own sin; that God would, in His time, wonderfully bless them in the near future. God takes care of His chosen people. He keeps them and leads them into His blessings and grace. Even though He judges them when they become unrighteous and sinful; His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts forever. Psalm 30:5 says: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Suffering is a tool of blessing God uses to transform us into His faithful children. When the night is darkest; the stars in the sky seem to shine the most clearly and brilliantly. Equally, as the night of suffering is darkest and deepest; the light of God’s grace shines most brilliantly. The negatives of beautiful photographs are developed in a dark room. A film will be ruined if it is exposed even to a small amount of light. This is so with God as well as He disciplines and develops us in a dark room of suffering; and transforms us into beautiful masterpieces. Therefore, we must give thanks to God in times of suffering. We must give thanks to the Lord. Daniel was an exile from Judah but God still made him one of the highest officials of Babylon. Daniel served numerous Babylonian kings as a high rank administrator. He became one of the Babylonian governors because he was wise and excellent in every aspect. The following events happened during the reign of King Darius of Medes. Darius divided the country into three and appointed three governors, Daniel the Jewish exile, being one of these governors. This made many lower ranked officials of the king jealous of Daniel. They wanted to find fault but with one exception; Daniel had no faults. He would open the window toward Jerusalem three times a day and pray. With this information at hand; these jealous officials decided to scheme against Daniel. These officials went to the king and said: “O King Darius, issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.” King Darius put the decree in writing without knowing what these officials had in mind. They were scheming against Daniel but the king did not have a clue. But even after this decree was published; Daniel continued to open his windows three times a day towards Jerusalem, get down on his knees and pray with thanksgiving to his God. He continued to do what he had always done as an act of worship to God. Daniel 6:10 says: “Now when Daniel learned that, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Prayers of thanksgiving bring miracles. At the risk of his life, Daniel kept on praying to God; which brought him to judgment of disobeying the decree King Darius signed. Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den; but God compelled the lions to not harm him. Daniel slept with the lions with peace in his heart. After reading the story of Daniel in the bible, a Belgian painter Peter Paul Rubens painted his picture entitled “Daniel in the Lions’ Den.” Daniel is looking up to heaven as the lions are restfully sitting in their den. Daniel reclined comfortably on a carpet of lion’s leather and fur. Miracles will take place when we give an offering of thanksgiving to God. Wonderful grace will be poured upon us as God poured it upon Daniel. After Daniel was brought out of the lion’s den; God raised his position in life even higher than it was before. Even after the kingship was changed, Daniel continued to serve the royal court and give the glory to God. Daniel 6:28 says: “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Daniel lived long and in prosperity. Such a miracle will take place in our lives as well when we give thanks to God. God will bless us. I pray that you will always give thanks to God no matter what kind of problems or trouble may sweep over you. God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh but Jonah disobeyed and went aboard a ship bound for Tarshish instead of Nineveh. A violent storm threatened to sink both man and ship. Jonah confessed to the ship crew that God’s judgment was upon him and that the storm would cease if they threw him overboard. Jonah was thrown into the deep waters of the sea and God caused a great fish to swallow him. In the depths of the bowels of that fish Jonah repented of his sin and gave thanks to God. Jonah 2:9-10 says: “‘But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.’ And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” I pray that you will rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to Him. I urge you to rejoice and to give thanks to God even when problems occur and you are in trouble or sorrow. The apostle Paul exhorts the Philippians to do this. Philippians 4:4 says: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Paul was in custody but he was filled with the joy of the Lord. Writing from his prison cell, Paul exhorted the Christians at Philippi, who were free from chains to rejoice: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ” A Christian’s joy and thanksgiving goes beyond all hopeless situations and sorrows. Jean Francois Millet’s painting “The Angelus” is a famous masterpiece. I am sure you have seen it. It depicts a peasant couple standing before a basket of fruits and vegetables at sunset saying the Angelus prayer. Originally, Millet painted the coffin of a small child depicting the despair and sorrow of grieving parents over the loss of their lost child. Millet reconsidered and replaced that picture of the coffin with a basket of fruit and vegetables filling that picture with hope and life. In 1963 another famous painter Salvador Dali, had “The Angelus” put under x-ray. Sure enough the pigment of the basket of fruit and vegetables was indeed painted over a shape which was like a coffin. Millet transformed a picture of a parent’s grief for their lost child into hope and life. Millet, a man of faith, was inspirited to paint “The Angelus” by a story his grandmother told him about two peasants praying for their lost child in a field at sunset. Inspired, Millet changed that place of sorrow into a place of joy and glory. It is true, armed with the life of resurrection in the Lord; Christians are not afraid of the time and place of death. We are blessed people of God who will go beyond death into the world of eternity. Therefore, let us approach the Lord with joy and thanksgiving, even in times of suffering, trouble and hardship. Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” I pray that you will approach God through praises and thanksgiving in the name of the Lord. Second, we must believe that God solves our problems. Zephaniah 3:15-16 says: “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. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, ‘Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.’ ” The Jews were being punished because of their sins. Nonetheless, God was gracious and compassionate enough to say: “The LORD has taken away your punishment; he has turned back your enemy.” God has saved us by His love and compassion even though we deserve to be forsaken by the Lord and we were doomed to live in hopelessness under His eternal curse. He has removed all the punishment on our sins, curses, poverty, and sickness. God has forgiven all our past, present and future sins through the Cross of Jesus. As long as we come to the Lord with repentance, as long as we confess all our sins with cries and wailings, hitting our chests with our fists; He will forgive us. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” When we come to the Lord with tears of repentance, holding on to the Cross of the Lord, even after we have committed sins, making ourselves unrighteous and debauched; God will forgive all our sins and will remove all punishment. The Lord has forgiven all our sins completely and unconditionally even though we did not deserve to be saved from them. The Israelites were living steeped with many sins. They had not yet repented. God proclaimed through Zephaniah that He would forgive the Israelites and would remove their punishment even when they were still in a state of unrepented sins. God demonstrates His love for us as well through this act of unconditional love towards the Israelites. Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God demonstrated His love for us through the death of Jesus Christ as well. While we were still sinners, while we were unrepentant, without any desire to go to the Lord Jesus who died on the Cross; he died for us. We must therefore confess our sins. 1 Corinthians 15:10 says: “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” We were destined to die because of our sin but we are saved by the enormous grace of God. We have become the blessed and precious children of God. Zephaniah 3:15 says: “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.” The Lord took away our punishment. He removed the punishment for our sins. He also turned back our enemy. Here “your enemy” means Babylon and Assyria which had attacked and tormented Israel for a long time. They destroyed Israel and Judah. The Babylonians captured and took their Jewish captives to Babylon and ruled them for 70 years. The prophet proclaimed that God would destroy the enemy in God’s time. There may be many enemies who torment us but God will eventually drive them away from us without a trace. Hallelujah! God judges His people with justice for their unrighteousness and debauchery when they sin. At the same time, the Almighty God stands by us and turns our enemies back when we return to Him in repentance. Only God can solve our problems. He is the only one who can solve the problems of sin, diseases, poverty and curse. We can receive this free grace of God through the power of the Blood of Jesus which was shed on the Cross and by our faith in Jesus. We must therefore give thanks to the Lord for this marvelous grace. Even now the Almighty God is doing His work among us. God is doing His work of salvation through the Cross of Jesus Christ. God is sanctifying us and filling us with the Holy Spirit through the Cross of Jesus Christ. God is healing us through the Cross of Jesus Christ. God is blessing us with prosperity through the Cross of Jesus Christ. God is preparing eternal heaven and the second coming of Jesus for us through the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Scripture says that the Almighty God is with us. Zephaniah 3:15 says: “The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.” The Lord says: “I will be with you. Do not fear. Do not worry. Do not be fret.” Zephaniah 3:16 says: “On that day they will say to Jerusalem, ‘Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.’ ” The Lord says to those who are weary and slumped in the middle of despair and frustration: “Do not let your hands hang limp. Chuck out your chest. Stand up with confidence. You are no longer under the power or control of hopelessness. I will always be with you, never leaving you like an orphan. Rise up. Have strength.” The devil constantly tries to attack us; causing us worries, problems, and trouble in our lives. This bothers us, upsets us, hurts our hearts, makes us sad and sleepless, causes diseases, makes us hate other people, provokes us to anger, and puts us to death. This is what the devil does. However, after believing in Jesus; the Lord is with us. The devil has no power over us anymore. It may bother us temporarily but we are more than conquerors in the Lord. We will see the army of the Lord encamping around us when we open our spiritual eyes. The army of the grace of forgiveness encamps around us. The army of the grace of sanctification and the fullness of the Holy Spirit encamps around us. The army of good health encamps around us. The army of the grace of prosperity and blessings encamps around us. The army of the grace of eternal heaven and eternal life encamps around those who especially fear the pain of death. There is therefore nothing we should fear. We must proclaim the grace of the Lord with confidence. Psalm 91:9-11 says: “If you make the Most High your dwelling-even the LORD, who is my refuge-then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” No enemy can destroy us because He commands His angels to guard us in all our ways. An enemy may come and temporarily bother us but that is all it can do. However, guard your heart! When you feel heartbroken, uneasy, or sad, the devil may sneak into you through this. I urge you to guard your heart. Proverbs 4:23 says: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” In 1871 300 people were killed and over 100,000 were pushed to the streets as their homes burned during the Great Chicago Fire that swept through the city. Horatio Spafford, a prominent Chicago lawyer lost almost everything he owned in that fire. He was both a businessman and professor; but more important than these two occupations, Spafford was a faithful Christian. His professorship in college and business profession came second to him serving and preaching Jesus. Spafford had four daughters and one son who died from pneumonia. Although Spafford lost his son to a disease and all his wealth to a fire; he was not dismayed. He continued to concentrate on Jesus and profess his faith to others. Two years after the Chicago fire; Spafford decided his family should travel to Europe for a vacation. He chose England because that was where his friend D.L. Moody would be preaching that fall. Stafford sent his wife and four daughters ahead on a French steamship because he was delayed due to business. On November 22, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic on, their steamship The Ville du Havre was struck by an iron sailing vessel. The ship sank rapidly, claiming the lives of 226 people. There were only 47 survivors, Spafford’s four daughters not being any of them. Mrs. Spafford fainted and survived the tragedy but none of the four Spafford’s daughters were saved. Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie Spafford perished in those icy waters. When his wife arrived in England she sent a telegram to Spafford beginning “Saved alone.” This telegram stunned Spafford. He then proceeded to sail to England crossing over the area of his daughters’ deaths. The captain of the ship came to him and said, “This is where the two ships collided and sank.” Uncontrollably grieved Spafford went to his cabin and prayed with cries to the Lord: “Heavenly Father, why did such a tragedy happen to me?” While in this condition of tears and grief, Spafford suddenly felt a flow of supernatural peace and comfort He had first lost his son, then all his possessions, and later his four daughters; but at the place where his daughters perished, he felt a flow of supernatural peace. With tears of gratitude, looking at the rolling sea waves; Spafford wrote these thrilling words that we call Hymn No. 470 in the Korean hymnal. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. He turned to the sea and saw the roaring waves as if sweeping over him. He wrote verse 2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. When he looked at himself, he realized he was a shameful sinner before the Lord. So he wrote verse 3. My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! He looked up to the sky and saw cumulous clouds in the sky. He felt as if his daughters were waving to him from the clouds, saying: “Daddy, we are in heaven.” He wrote verse 4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pain shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. It is well with my soul, It is well; it is well with my soul. Hallelujah! With his spiritual eyes of faith, Spafford could behold his daughters in the bosom of Jesus in heaven; even though he was struck by deep sorrow when he lost his four daughters. So he sang, “It is well with my soul.” I pray that you will have such great faith. We too should be able to sing: “It is well, it is well with my soul;” no matter what kind of suffering, problems, hardships, or even threats of death may try to sweep us over. Nothing or nobody can overthrow us since the Lord is with us. Third, God is the Almighty God Who gives salvation. Zephaniah 3:17 says: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” What kind of God is He, who walks along with us? He is the mighty God of salvation. Zephaniah 3:17 says: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.” Our God is the mighty God who can save us. He is the only one who is mighty enough to save. There is no religion or leader who can save us from sin and death. Our Almighty God alone has opened the door to salvation for humankind by letting Jesus die on the Cross. Whoever believes in Jesus will be saved. He will become the child of God-a blessed child of God. The Almighty God is with us, performing wonderful things for us. If we trust in the Lord and march forward with faith; the Lord will perform His miracles, covering us with His grace and blessings even when problems and hardships rush toward us. God delivered the Israelites from 430 years of slavery to the Egyptians but the Red Sea was before them. Moses comforted the terrified Israelites. Exodus 14:13-14 says: “Moses answered the people, ‘The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ ” Moses told them to stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord would bring them. They received what Moses said in faith as he stretched out his hand over the sea. The waters divided and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground. Hallelujah! God is with us even now. Moses stretched out his staff with faith and the sea was divided. Likewise, when we march forward with faith, the sea of problems will divide. Problems will be solved. And miracles will take place. The Almighty God takes great delight in us. Zephaniah 3:17 says: “He will take great delight in you,…he will rejoice over you with singing.” Why should He delight in us so greatly? Why should He love us this much? God takes great delight in us since He let His one and only Son Jesus die on the Cross and purchased us by His blood. He delights in our very existence. He rejoices over us because He purchased each and every one of us with the blood of Jesus. We are not qualified for salvation. When we look back in retrospect, we see nothing but shame. There are so many filthy and ugly things in us. Nevertheless, since we believe in Jesus, since we are born again through the power of the Blood of Jesus; God takes delight in us. He loves us because of our faith in Him. God will take delight in us, rejoicing over us when we live in the Lord, living in accordance with His will and for His glory. The Scripture describes the love of God in the following way. Zephaniah 3:17 says: “…he will quiet you with his love.” He will quiet you with His love. Love that is deep and intense is beyond description. He loves us quietly. His love is like an ocean. There are no rolling waves deep in the ocean. It is always peaceful and quiet. God loves us with love like an ocean. Many people act like shallow waves coming and going near the seashore. They say they love but their love changes frequently as their mood constantly swings. God’s love is different. His love is eternal. His love never changes. He quiets us with His love. He loves us with His unfailing and unchanging love. He is saying to us, “I love you. I take great delight in you.” The Lord will always love us and will deliver us from all hopelessness even when we are in utmost pain. He will hold us in His arms of love so that we will rest in Him. So, do not be dismayed. Do not give up. Never step backward. March forward with faith fixing your eyes on Jesus. I want you to kneel down before the Lord and pray with tears, saying: “Lord, I have come to You. I am nothing. Please, help me.” Never forget one thing. Among all the people in the world; God deeply loves each and every one of us. Repeat after me: “I am loved by God. I am loved by God very much.” Hallelujah! Who in the world is loved by God as much as we are? God purchased us with the Blood of Jesus and continually shows us His great and quiet love. We cannot but give thanks to the Lord. Our worries or problems are nothing. God loves us so much that we can more than adequately overcome all problems. Do not be dismayed. Do not give up. Never step backward. Our Almighty God is with you, taking great delight in you and quieting you with His love. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we thank You for taking great delight in us and loving us quietly. We are so weak and absurd that we carelessly hurt others, wounding ourselves in the process. We repent of our weakness as we have been dismayed and frustrated over little problems. The Lord God is with us. You are mighty to save. We thank You for quieting us with Your love. Pour Your grace upon us so that we will give thanks to You for Your love, giving glory to You. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen. 12