Evening Scripture

Zephaniah 3
Jerusalem
Woe to the city of oppressors,
    rebellious and defiled!
She obeys no one,
    she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
    she does not draw near to her God.
Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;
her rulers are evening wolves,
    who leave nothing for the morning.
Her prophets are unprincipled;
    they are treacherous people.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
    and do violence to the law.
The Lord within her is righteous;
    he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
    and every new day he does not fail,
    yet the unrighteous know no shame.

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

“I have destroyed nations;
    their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
    with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;
    they are deserted and empty.
Of Jerusalem I thought,
    ‘Surely you will fear me
    and accept correction!’
Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed,
    nor all my punishments come upon her.
But they were still eager
    to act corruptly in all they did.
Therefore wait for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
    all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
    that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
    and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
From beyond the rivers of Cush
    my worshipers, my scattered people,
    will bring me offerings.
On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
    for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
    your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
    on my holy hill.
But I will leave within you
    the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
    will trust in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong;
    they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
    will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
    and no one will make them afraid.”

Sing, Daughter Zion;
    shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    Daughter 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, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

“I will remove from you
    all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
    which is a burden and reproach for you.
At that time I will deal
    with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
    I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
    in every land where they have suffered shame.
At that time I will gather you;
    at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
    among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
    before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

Evening Reflection

When our son was born, his mother and I would spend each night reading to him. One of our favorite books was from Canadian Children’s author Robert Munsch. In his popular book “Love You Forever”, Munsch tells the story of a mother who sings over her child throughout the course of his life. The song is always the same. “I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” The sentiment is beautiful and heartwarming. 

We don’t read a lot from Zephaniah. Zephaniah is one of the minor prophets – stuck at the back of the Old Testament, often overlooked in favor of the larger books of Isaiah or Jeremiah. But within chapter 3 there is this heartwarming image of God, singing over God’s people. “The Lord God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory!  He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love, he will exult over you with singing.”  Just sit with this truth: God doesn’t yell over you; God sings over you. He doesn’t shout at you from afar; he comes to you and rejoices over your presence.

We can sometimes fear that if God comes close to us, it means reprisal or judgment. But that’s not what Zephaniah depicts. God’s heart for you is one of loving delight. God surrounds you in gracious kindness. God rejoices in who you are because you are God’s beloved child. And because you are so precious to God, God erupts over you with singing. 

Evening Prayer

Gracious God,
Thank you for your presence that surrounds me. Thank you for your grace, which comes to me this night. As I enter a time of rest, may the song of your love blanket me, may it soothe any worries or anxieties that I feel within me. May your gracious kindness create in me a holy stillness, one in which I can rejoice in you rejoicing over me.

Loving Father, help me always to live in the light of your love. Give me the strength to turn to you when I feel afraid. Give me the boldness to rely on you when I feel out of my depth. May each day bring me into deeper fellowship with you, and may that begin this night. I pray all this in the name of Jesus, my Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

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Evening Scripture
<a href="https://www.biblestudytools.com/zephaniah/3.html">Zephaniah 3</a> Jerusalem Woe to the city of oppressors, &nbsp; &nbsp; rebellious and defiled! She obeys&nbsp;no one, &nbsp; &nbsp; she accepts no correction. She does not trust&nbsp;in the&nbsp;Lord, &nbsp; &nbsp; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her &nbsp; &nbsp; are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, &nbsp; &nbsp; who leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are unprincipled; &nbsp; &nbsp; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary &nbsp; &nbsp; and do violence to the law. The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;within her is righteous; &nbsp; &nbsp; he does no wrong. Morning by morning&nbsp;he dispenses his justice, &nbsp; &nbsp; and every new day he does not fail, &nbsp; &nbsp; yet the unrighteous know no shame.
Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant
&ldquo;I have destroyed nations; &nbsp; &nbsp; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, &nbsp; &nbsp; with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; &nbsp; &nbsp; they are deserted and empty. Of Jerusalem I thought, &nbsp; &nbsp; &lsquo;Surely you will fear me &nbsp; &nbsp; and accept correction!&rsquo; Then her place of refuge&nbsp;would not be destroyed, &nbsp; &nbsp; nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager &nbsp; &nbsp; to act corruptly in all they did. Therefore wait&nbsp;for me,&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp; declares the Lord, &nbsp; &nbsp; &ldquo;for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble&nbsp;the nations, &nbsp; &nbsp; to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath&nbsp;on them&mdash; &nbsp; &nbsp; all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed &nbsp; &nbsp; by the fire of my jealous anger.
&ldquo;Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, &nbsp; &nbsp; that all of them may call on the name of the Lord &nbsp; &nbsp; and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush &nbsp; &nbsp; my worshipers, my scattered people, &nbsp; &nbsp; will bring me offerings. On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame &nbsp; &nbsp; for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you &nbsp; &nbsp; your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty &nbsp; &nbsp; on my holy hill. But I will leave within you &nbsp; &nbsp; the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel &nbsp; &nbsp; will trust in the name of the Lord. They&nbsp;will do no wrong; &nbsp; &nbsp; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue &nbsp; &nbsp; will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down &nbsp; &nbsp; and no one will make them afraid.&rdquo;
Sing, Daughter Zion; &nbsp; &nbsp; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice&nbsp;with all your heart, &nbsp; &nbsp; Daughter Jerusalem! The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has taken away your punishment, &nbsp; &nbsp; he has turned back your enemy. The&nbsp;Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; &nbsp; &nbsp; never again will you fear any harm. On that day &nbsp; &nbsp; they will say to Jerusalem, &ldquo;Do not fear, Zion; &nbsp; &nbsp; do not let your hands hang limp. The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;your God is with you, &nbsp; &nbsp; the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight&nbsp;in you; &nbsp; &nbsp; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, &nbsp; &nbsp; but will rejoice over you with singing.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I will remove from you &nbsp; &nbsp; all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, &nbsp; &nbsp; which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal &nbsp; &nbsp; with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; &nbsp; &nbsp; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise&nbsp;and honor &nbsp; &nbsp; in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; &nbsp; &nbsp; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor&nbsp;and praise &nbsp; &nbsp; among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes &nbsp; &nbsp; before your very eyes,&rdquo; says the Lord.
Evening Reflection
When our son was born, his mother and I would spend each night reading to him. One of our favorite books was from Canadian Children&rsquo;s author Robert Munsch. In his popular book &ldquo;Love You Forever&rdquo;, Munsch tells the story of a mother who sings over her child throughout the course of his life. The song is always the same. &ldquo;I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I&rsquo;m living, my baby you&rsquo;ll be.&rdquo; The sentiment is beautiful and heartwarming.&nbsp;
We don&rsquo;t read a lot from Zephaniah. Zephaniah is one of the minor prophets &ndash; stuck at the back of the Old Testament, often overlooked in favor of the larger books of Isaiah or Jeremiah. But within chapter 3 there is this heartwarming image of God, singing over God&rsquo;s people. &ldquo;The Lord God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory! &nbsp;He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love, he will exult over you with singing.&rdquo; &nbsp;Just sit with this truth: God doesn&rsquo;t yell over you; God sings over you. He doesn&rsquo;t shout at you from afar; he comes to you and rejoices over your presence.
We can sometimes fear that if God comes close to us, it means reprisal or judgment. But that&rsquo;s not what Zephaniah depicts. God&rsquo;s heart for you is one of loving delight. God surrounds you in gracious kindness. God rejoices in who you are because you are God&rsquo;s beloved child. And because you are so precious to God, God erupts over you with singing.&nbsp;
Evening Prayer
Gracious God, Thank you for your presence that surrounds me. Thank you for your grace, which comes to me this night. As I enter a time of rest, may the song of your love blanket me, may it soothe any worries or anxieties that I feel within me. May your gracious kindness create in me a holy stillness, one in which I can rejoice in you rejoicing over me.
Loving Father, help me always to live in the light of your love. Give me the strength to turn to you when I feel afraid. Give me the boldness to rely on you when I feel out of my depth. May each day bring me into deeper fellowship with you, and may that begin this night. I pray all this in the name of Jesus, my Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Want More?
If tonight&rsquo;s episode blessed you, be sure to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-nightly-scripture/id1896272962">follow the show</a> so your next nightly scripture is ready when you are.

Your Nightly Scripture — 260-Day Bible Reading Plan for Peaceful Sleep is a calming, Scripture-centered devotional podcast designed to help you end each day with God’s Word. Brought to you by BibleStudyTools.com, this 5-day-a-week Bible reading plan features carefully selected passages from across the Bible, paired with slow, reflective devotionals and gentle evening prayers.

Perfect for bedtime listening, each episode is read at a peaceful pace with natural pauses to create a quiet, meditative experience that helps you rest, reflect, and draw closer to God. From Psalms and Proverbs to the Gospels and beyond, this year-long journey includes special Easter and Christmas readings, guiding you through the story of Scripture with hope, peace, and spiritual renewal.

Your Nightly Scripture &mdash; 260-Day Bible Reading Plan for Peaceful Sleep is a calming, Scripture-centered devotional podcast designed to help you end each day with God&rsquo;s Word. Brought to you by BibleStudyTools.com, this 5-day-a-week Bible reading plan features carefully selected passages from across the Bible, paired with slow, reflective devotionals and gentle evening prayers.
Perfect for bedtime listening, each episode is read at a peaceful pace with natural pauses to create a quiet, meditative experience that helps you rest, reflect, and draw closer to God. From Psalms and Proverbs to the Gospels and beyond, this year-long journey includes special Easter and Christmas readings, guiding you through the story of Scripture with hope, peace, and spiritual renewal.

Your Nightly Scripture

Resting in the God Who Rejoices Over Me (Zephaniah 3)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/447c5d1f-b3e6-4d34-ba61-b44700d15ff8/transcript