The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
What a powerful promise of God; that the Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty and that He will save and that the Lord rejoices over us with joy. When I came to the phrase “he will rest in his love” I was not sure if it the Lord will rest in His own love or if the He was rejoicing over would rest in His love. Here is a comparison of this phrase in several translations.
- With his love, he will calm all your fears. NLT
- He will be silent in His love. Literal
- [He] renews you with His love. GW
- He will quiet you with His love. NIV
- He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]. Amp
- He will refresh your life with His love. CEV
After looking at various these translations it produced within me such a thankfulness for the blessing. Not only will the Lord Himself rest in silent satisfaction, making no mention of past sins or even recalling them because the redemptive power of His blood; but also we as the recipient would be renewed, refreshed and quieted through the effect of His love.
The last verse of this chapter states that the Lord would cause the captivity to be turned back and in some translations it states that He would restore our fortunes right before our eyes. (Zeph 3:20)
In the New Testament the Word of God promises us that nothing will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:35). It also promises us that “The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties.” (Rom 8:37 GW) Let us all learn to rest in and be refreshed by the love of God.
