February 21 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 1-3; Mark 3

God's Joyful Singing

The Lord your God is with you. . . He will take great delight in you. . . [he] will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

READ Zephaniah 3:14–17

When Micha learned that her unborn baby had Down Syndrome, her first reaction was fear. Disability means doing things differently, so she grieved the straightforward expectations she’d had for her life and family. But when Ace was born, with sandy-coloured hair and a cute round face, there was nothing but rejoicing. Micha treasures her son, who is gentle and watchful, and Ace’s brothers sing his special song over him as he smiles.

Though Ace has some disadvantages in terms of physical ability, his difference is also his strength. As Micha explains, “He—even as a baby—doesn’t seem to grasp for power . . . He simply longs to love and be loved, to know and be known. And when he is seen, he erupts in smiles. He claps his hands.”

This image of Ace’s pure, unsullied delight in his family (and theirs in him) is very similar to one Old Testament picture of God. Zephaniah was prophesying Israel’s long-awaited return from exile, promising, “Never again will you fear any harm” (Zephaniah 3:15) No wonder Israel is told to “Be glad” (v. 14). “[God] will take great delight in you . . . [he] will rejoice over you with singing” (v. 17).

This is the exuberant, joy-filled, abundant, unconditional, passionate love of God. Through Jesus, we know—and are known by—God. When we’re feeling forgotten, we can rest in the Lord’s love, knowing He delights in and rejoices and sings over us.

By Tanya Marlow

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Zephaniah, whose name means “Yahweh hides,” is one of the twelve minor prophets. He ministered to Judah during the reign of Josiah (640–609 BC; Zephaniah 1:1), Judah’s reformist king (2 Kings 22–23; 2 Chronicles 34–35). As the great-great grandson of the godly king Hezekiah, Zephaniah was part of the royal family and probably a distant relative of the incumbent King Josiah. Like many of God’s prophets, Zephaniah prophesied of the future “day of the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:7 ), “a day of [God’s] wrath” (v. 15) when God will bring to a close human history “[sweeping] away everything from the face of the earth” (v. 2). Zephaniah proclaimed God as the sovereign Judge of history and nations (1:2–3, 7; 2:4–15; 3:6–8) and warned that He would punish Judah for her unfaithfulness (1:4–2:3; 3:1–7 ) while promising restoration for the faithful and purified remnant after the judgment (3:9–20).