“‘Therefore wait for Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal. For then I will RESTORE purified lips to the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder’” (Zeph 3:8-9).
The book of Zephaniah ends with an incredibly gracious reversal, which is signaled by the word “restore” in Zephaniah 3:9. The word “ehpoch,” though not easily translated into English, carries the connotation of a complete reversal in the Hebrew Bible. A few examples from the Book of the Twelve help make this clear: “The sun will be FLIPPED/TURNED to darkness” (Joel 3:4). “I have FLIPPED/TURNED your celebrations into mourning” (Amos 8:10). “In another forty days, Nineveh will be FLIPPED/TURNED UPSIDE DOWN/CHANGED” (Jonah 3:4).
The God of the universe turns Israel’s solo into a duet, transforming a song of worship into a love song between a husband and his bride.
The great reversal in Zephaniah takes place when God gathers the nations for a day of judgment by fire (v. 8). Rather than destroying, this fire purifies, leaving behind peoples, both Jew and Gentile, whose lips are purified (v. 9). With these purified lips, there will be a people exulting in the LORD (v. 14), instead of exulting themselves above the LORD (Zeph 2:15; 3:11). In place of the proud and arrogant, there will be a gathering of those who are poor in spirit (vv. 11-12, 18-19).
The most encouraging reversal in the book is signaled by singing. In Zephaniah 3:14, we find the daughter of Zion, Jerusalem, singing joyfully to the LORD with all her heart. Then, remarkably, we find God Himself singing joyfully over His redeemed people (v. 17). The God of the universe turns Israel’s solo into a duet, transforming a song of worship into a love song between a husband and his bride.
Such is the transformative power of grace and love, the exceedingly good news of the gift of a new covenant (compare Zeph 3:17 with Deut 30:9, and Zeph 3:20 with Deut 30:3). This divine transformation through the new covenant is not only a gift for the saved remnant in the last days, but is graciously given by God to all who put their faith in His Son.
“Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17).
