Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18.
A). A CALL TO REJOICE.
Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Eight out of the nine oracles in the little book of Zephaniah announce God’s just judgment of all the earth (Zephaniah 1:2-3; Zephaniah 3:8); and the just judgment of the LORD their covenant God against Judah and Jerusalem in particular (Zephaniah 1:4).
However, in the ninth oracle (Zephaniah 3:14-20), we discover that the God of justice and judgment is also the God of forgiveness and hope. He is our King, the LORD in the midst of us (Zephaniah 3:15). He is our incarnate Saviour who, in His love, rejoices over us (Zephaniah 3:17).
This song of rejoicing is not only one in which the people of the LORD are exhorted to raise their voices (Zephaniah 3:14), but also one in which the LORD Himself participates. The covenant LORD “rejoices” over the remnant of His people “with joy”; He “joys” over them “with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
The cause of this rejoicing is, yet again, the reversal which the LORD has brought about (Zephaniah 3:15). This is not something which even the so-called ‘faithful remnant’ (cf. Malachi 3:16-18) had brought about by themselves. Rather, it is the work of God in His grace and mercy toward His own covenant people (cf. Zechariah 4:6; Ephesians 2:8-9).
The LORD speaks of a day in which evil will no longer be seen (Zephaniah 3:15). This reaches beyond the immanent Babylonian captivity to speak of our own deliverance from the bondage of sin and death (Romans 6:16) – centred as it is on the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 1:21).
“Fear not,” encourages the LORD – not for the first time, nor for the last. Lift up your weak hands, He continues. The LORD is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:16-17).
The beautiful picture of the LORD removing our sorrows (cf. Zephaniah 3:18) resonates throughout the Bible (e.g. Isaiah 35:10). It reaches its climax toward the end, when God wipes away all tears, and there shall be no more pain, sorrows or death (Revelation 21:4).
The lifting up of the outcast (Zephaniah 3:19) recalls the theme of reversal in the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:8), which is later echoed in the song of Mary (Luke 1:52-53).
The return of the exiles (Zephaniah 3:20) prefigured something greater that was yet to dawn, and which in some measure remains unfulfilled even for us who live between the two advents of Jesus (read Hebrews 9:28). May we continue to live in constant hope and expectation of His return!
The book ends as it had begun:
‘The word of the LORD…’ (Zephaniah 1:1);
“...says the LORD” (Zephaniah 3:20).
B). A.C.T.S. OF SOLIDARITY.
Isaiah 12.
When I was coming to rebirth as a newborn Christian, I remember our Pastor sharing a well-known acrostic as a guideline for prayer. Thus, A.C.T.S. spells out the words: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. It is a familiar device which I even yet, from time to time, fall back upon when I am struggling in prayer.
Looking at our four points in reverse order, and in their respective relationships to solidarity in prayer, we will eventually come to Isaiah 12.
SUPPLICATION
The Apostle Paul exhorts the brethren to ‘pray for us’ (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Similarly, we tell people, ‘I’ll be praying for you.’ This would fall under the head of Supplication, where we were told to pray for others first before ever presenting the Lord with our more personal petitions. We also sometimes pray for people unasked; and indeed pray for those who cannot, or will not, pray for themselves.
Praying for others involves entering into their situation with a measure of solidarity. Thus we can reassure them, ‘You are not in this alone.’ How Jesus yearned for some such empathy on the part of His sleepy disciples as He was pressed beyond measure in the Garden of Gethsemane!
THANKSGIVING
Earlier, Paul had given expression to his sense of compulsion in relation to Thanksgiving: ‘We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren’ (2 Thessalonians 1:3). Paul here felt obliged to give thanks to God for what He had accomplished in the church, and returned the glory to Him. Likewise, when we are praying for others, we must also include thanksgiving for them.
CONFESSION
What about solidarity in relation to Confession: surely a person can only repent for themselves? This, of course, is true. However, there is Biblical precedent for our identifying with the sins of others.
Moses identified with the sins of Israel (Exodus 34:9). Isaiah acknowledged that not only was he a man of unclean lips, but also that he dwelt in the midst of a people of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5).
Ultimately Jesus - who was without sin Himself (Hebrews 4:15) - entirely identified with our sin, and with us, when He died on the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). There He prayed, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34).
Our Saviour effectively says of us as Paul would later say of an escaped slave: 'If he has wronged you, or owes you anything, put that on my account' (Philemon 18). This is echoed in Stephen’s attitude as he met a violent death at the hands of his persecutors: ‘Lay not this sin to their charge’ (Acts 7:60).
ADORATION
Which all brings us to the Praise in Isaiah 12.
The motto of the City of Glasgow in Scotland is, ‘Let Glasgow flourish.’ Though rarely known in full, it continues, ‘by the preaching of the Word and the praising of His Name.’ So not only does the Word of the Lord pass from mouth to mouth, but also His Praise.
We see this solidarity of praise in Isaiah 12.
The writer witnesses to the reader:
“you (singular) shall say, ‘I will praise thee…
God is my (singular) salvation…’” (Isaiah 12:1-2).
The individual’s praise proves infectious to those around. From Isaiah 12:3, “you” is no longer singular - it embraces the whole community:
“Therefore with joy shall ye (plural) draw water…
And ye (plural) shall say,
‘Praise the LORD… make mention that His Name is exalted’” (Isaiah 12:3-4).
The community is not content to sing praises in a corner, but encourages others to join in their joyful song:
“Sing unto the LORD; for He has done excellent things: this is known in all the earth…
the Holy One of Israel is in the midst of his people” (Isaiah 12:5-6).
Pass it on, and tell those others to pass it on. Pass it on to the whole community. Pass it on to all the nations, until ‘the whole earth is full of the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14).
C). REJOICE IN THE LORD - ALWAYS!
Philippians 4:4-7.
It was midnight, and in a certain prison in Philippi, the Apostle Paul and his missionary companion Silas had been left to languish in chains in a dark dungeon. However, if we were to listen in at the door we would not hear the moans and groans and complaints of those who have been unjustly accused and unlawfully beaten - and certainly not the cursing and blasphemy one might otherwise expect - but rather two men lifting their voices in praise to the true and living God. So loud were they there in the inner prison, that the other prisoners could hear them (Acts 16:22-25).
Paul knew what it was like to be “cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). So when he exhorted the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord, always” (Philippians 4:4), he was not just blowing hot air. The Apostle practiced what he preached.
“Joy” is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is ours from the very first day that we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is part of our very being as God’s children.
Joy is not something that we need to pursue in outward things. The “poor in spirit” are already in possession of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). The graces of the Holy Spirit are gift-wrapped, with our name written upon them, waiting to be unpacked and put into use.
So Paul insists, “Rejoice in the Lord - always -and again I say, Rejoice!”
The Apostle does not say, ‘anyway’ - as if we might stoically shrug our shoulders and yield blindly to our circumstances. What Paul does say is, “Always” - which rises above our present situation, whatever it may be, and is a constant through all the changes and challenges of life. For emphasis, he repeats the exhortation.
Joy is not the same as happiness. We can enshrine ‘the pursuit of happiness’ in national constitutions, but happiness is not keen to be found. Happiness depends on circumstances - it is illusive: it soon flutters away.
It will surprise many, but true Joy is not found in the ‘the pursuit of happiness’ - but in the pursuit of holiness! If we seem to lack joy, this lack is an affliction of the flesh. We need to recognise who we are - and Whose we are - and lift ourselves, as Paul did, out of the doldrums.
Mary used an equivalent word in her magnificent song of praise: she “exulted” - or “rejoiced” - in God her Saviour (Luke 1:47). And using both words, Jesus tells us that Abraham “exulted” to see Jesus’ day from afar, and “rejoiced” (John 8:56).
It is because “the Lord is at hand” that Paul goes on to exhort the Philippians - and ourselves - to let our “patient self-control” be manifested to all men (Philippians 4:5).
Our “patient self-control” is akin to Paul’s own, when he was able to sing praises in the midst of adversity, as previously discussed. It arises from the joy that is within. The outward look towards all men is part of letting the mind of Christ Jesus be in us (Philippians 2:5).
The Lord is at hand in two senses. First, Jesus has promised that where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is right there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). Secondly, He is on the sidelines, waiting for the Day that the Father has set for His return to the earth (Mark 13:32).
In saying, “Be careful for nothing” (Philippians 4:6), the Apostle echoes Jesus’ teaching about anxiety (Matthew 6:25-33). Prayerfulness is the cure to carefulness. Our supplications should be seasoned with “thanksgiving” - knowing that our heavenly Father hears and answers prayer.
The result of all this is “peace” (Philippians 4:7). It is not the peace that the world can give (John 14:27), but it is “the peace of God, which is beyond mortal comprehension.” It is peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
It is a holistic peace which garrisons our hearts and minds against all that assails us. It speaks of wholeness, wellness, and completeness. It is another fruit of the Spirit to be unwrapped at this season as the angels sing, “peace on earth and goodwill toward men everywhere” (Luke 2:14).
D). THE TWO ADVENTS.
Luke 3:7-18.
In the fullness of the times (cf. Galatians 4:4), John came ‘preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins’ (Luke 3:1-3). Being 30 years old, you might expect him to be starting his priesthood in the Temple in Jerusalem (cf. Numbers 4:3), but God laid another calling upon his heart. John was to be ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness’, preparing the way before Jesus so that ‘all flesh might see the salvation of God’ (Luke 3:4-6).
Our present passage (Luke 3:7-18) is book-ended by a “brood of vipers” (Luke 3:7) and “many other exhortations” (Luke 3:18). The first exhortation had taken the form of an indictment (Luke 3:7-9); the second the form of practical moral guidance (Luke 3:10-14); and the third re-focussed the Messianic expectations of the people (Luke 3:15-18).
1. There was no compromise with this preacher. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” challenged any hypocrisy on the part of his baptismal candidates (Luke 3:7). “Bring forth therefore fruits unto repentance” (Luke 3:8a) tells them that repentance isn’t just saying, ‘I repent’, but the living of a life less like the vipers’ brood and more in keeping with those who profess to be children of God.
The fiery prophet warns some of them (e.g. the Pharisees and Sadducees, cf. Matthew 3:7-9) not to take it for granted that, just because they come from godly stock, “having Abraham as their father” (Luke 3:8b; cf. John 8:33) that they will automatically be accepted by God. We can’t be Christians only by association, or ride on the back of godly parents or grandparents, but we each must take responsibility before God for our own relationship - or lack thereof - with Him.
Towards the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He scolded those who would have Him scold children for praising Him: ‘I tell you that if these should be silent, the very stones would cry out’ (Luke 19:40). That God can “raise up children from these stones” (Luke 3:8c) may also be a metaphor for the calling of the Gentiles.
Even now, says John, “the axe is laid to the root of the trees” (Luke 3:9a). In another 40 years, the Temple would be destroyed, and the people scattered. So neither descent from Abraham, nor association with institutional religion is what finally counts with God; but rather, individual new birth (cf. John 3:3) and having the same type of faith as Abraham had (cf. Romans 4:3).
In the parable of the barren fig tree, Jesus concludes, ‘If it bears fruit, well: but if not, cut it down” (Luke 13:9). Elsewhere He also says, ‘If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch, is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned’ (John 15:6). John here says, “Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9b).
2. “What shall we do then?” was the question on everyone’s lips (Luke 3:10; Luke 3:12; Luke 3:14). In each of the specific cases addressed by John, he speaks to the besetting sins (cf. Hebrews 12:1) of the people: don’t be greedy, but share (Luke 3:11). Don’t defraud (Luke 3:13). Don’t bully or accuse falsely; and be content with your wages (Luke 3:14). This practical moral guidance is not necessarily out of place in a 21st century setting.
We might also ask, ‘How are we to bear good fruit?’ The fruit must arise from the root. It is only as we enter into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that we even begin to produce ‘fruit unto God’ (Romans 7:4), or ‘fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting life’ (Romans 6:22).
3. So it is to Jesus that John next turns the Messianic expectations of the people. It is good that John’s preaching had got their minds open to thinking: and they were just wondering if John might be the Christ (Luke 3:15)? As John the Baptiser says elsewhere, ‘He must increase, I must decrease’ (John 3:30) - and even in these days of preparation he was already on the lookout for the “mightier” One of whom he was but the forerunner (Luke 3:16a).
I see two Advents here. Jesus was about to be revealed, and suffer all that He suffered on our behalf, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven: all culminating in Pentecost’s “Holy Spirit and (tongues of) fire” (Luke 3:16b). But He will also come again as judge, with His “winnowing fork” in His hand, to separate the wheat from the chaff, gathering “the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17).
So we have come from indictment, through moral guidance, to the Second Advent. Our passage concludes, “And with many other exhortations he preached to the people” (Luke 3:18). May God bless His Word to us, and may we be empowered to bear good fruits of holiness unto Him.
