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#DailyDevotion Sing, Shout, Rejoice And Exult In Christ Your Savior

#DailyDevotion Sing, Shout, Rejoice And Exult In Christ Your Savior

Zep 3:14-17  Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  (15)  The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.  (16)  On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.  (17)  The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

 

The prophet Zephaniah calls for the people of God to sing aloud, shout, rejoice and exult with all their hearts! Indeed, we as the people of God do have something to shout about. We have something to sing about and rejoice and exult in. But what is that?

 

YHWH, the Lord, has fulfilled his promise as given by the prophet. What is that promise? The Lord has taken away the judgments against us and has cleared away our enemies. Why would there be judgments against us? Because we have sinned. We have sinned in word, thought and deed. We have no excuse. God’s law is plain and clear and we have not perfectly obeyed. Even our good works are tainted by sin, so the Lord says, our righteousness is but filthy rags. Our judgment is death and the eternal fire. But the Lord  himself, YHWH has taken on human flesh. He has become one of us. In his flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ had all our sins laid upon him and he was led out to the wilderness. Our transgressions were laid upon him and he has been sacrificed on the cross and his blood has made atonement for our sins.

 

The King of Israel, YHWH, was in the midst of Zion. He is Jesus who tabernacle among the people calling them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus the King of the Jews instructed the people for 3 years concerning the Kingdom of God and prepared his messengers to continue to proclaim the good news as he ascended to the right hand of the Father from whence he shall return. In the flesh he made sacrifice for the sins of Israel and for the sin of the world. By his death and resurrection Jesus has defeated our enemies, sin, death and the devil.

 

We need not fear these enemies anymore. They have no power over us. Even now, Jesus gives eternal life to all who believe on him. Jesus is coming back. On that day we will rejoice and shout all the more. For we will see with our eyes what the Lord has promised, death and the devil cast into the lake of fire never to threaten us again. He has made our hearts his temple and has promised to never leave or forsake us. He is in our midst when we gather together in his name to hear his word and receive his sacrament.

 

When he walked among us visibly but for the joy set before him he endured the cross and its shame. Even now he rejoices over you and calms you with his love, the love he showed you on his cross. In that day he will continue to sing and exult over you with joy and gladness. Imagine that, we sing and shout with joy and exultation over what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us and he sings with joyous exaltation over us, his holy people whom he redeemed with his own precious blood which put away our sin and cleared away our enemies.

 

Heavenly Father, grant to us faith in the work of your Son Jesus Christ who by his death and resurrection has put away our sin that we may shout, sing and exult in the work of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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