Context for Zephaniah 3:8-20
God promises to gather His people to Him and to remember their sins no more. This promise extends not only to the people of Jerusalem, but to everyone who has faith in God’s promises from then until now.
In Zephaniah 3:1-7, God promises to preserve among His people a remnant faithful to Him. From that remnant, He promises to send His salvation. In today’s verses, God tells us the result of that preservation and salvation, that He will gather His remnant back to Him and restore Jerusalem as His holy city.
This promise gives comfort not only to the faithful of Zephaniah’s day, but also for us today because it is a promise destined for all of God’s people. God’s promise is that He will preserve us if we remain faithful to Him and that He will bring us to Him when the time is right.
How do we remain faithful when our faith is a gift we cannot achieve? We do so by remaining steadfast in the Word and the Sacraments and seeking God’s will in our lives by looking for the work He has given for us to do. In other words, we remain faithful by seeking the Kingdom to which our God will show us the road. It is that road that brings us to the promised gathering of His people.
