Quieted by His Love
By: Emily Burnette

Zephaniah’s prophecy came near the beginning of King Josiah’s reign. King Josiah was trying to reform Judah after two previous kings had established evil trends in Judah. Zephaniah was a descendent of King Hezekiah.

Zephaniah’s message was one of judgment for sin and then hope for the future. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the judgment of Judah and the nations.
Chapter three begins with Zephaniah addressing Jerusalem’s apparent stage of rebellion and sin. After describing in detail the sins of Jerusalem, Zephaniah reminds the people of Judah about God’s previous judgments. However, Zephaniah concludes the chapter on a joyful note. He reminds Judah that after judgment comes, there will be blessing for those who remain.

Through Zephaniah, God is quieting Judah with His love. When I first tried to imagine what it would look like for God to quiet me with His love or to rejoice over me with singing, especially if I was a part of such a rebellion as Judah was at the time, I couldn’t even put into words how it would feel. After further reflection, I was able to describe how it would feel through an image. I came up with an image of a sunset on the ocean that I couldn’t shake from I head. I then realized that for God to quiet me at a time of such rebellion of Judah, I would be in complete awe and totally still before the Lord. What would it look like for the Lord to quiet you with His love or rejoice over you with singing, especially if you were a part of such a rebellion as Judah was at the time?