“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 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.” (Zephaniah 3:14-15 ESV).
In the beginning of this chapter, Zephaniah warned the people of Judah that God’s wrath was about to fall upon them because of their sinfulness and idolatry. He then abruptly shifted his focus to describe the joys of the coming Kingdom that the Lord will establish once He has purified the earth and cleansed it from its wickedness. He will deliver those who put their trust in Him because He loves them so very much. No longer will they be an object of derision and subject to violence and persecution at the hands of their oppressors.
This is cause for great rejoicing. The Lord is surely going to send judgement upon the earth for the sins of mankind. The Lord has sent enough warnings to us in the scriptures and through His church of these coming days of tribulation. These warnings are designed to lead people to Him so that He might have mercy on them and forgive them. The calamities themselves have the same intended purpose as do the promises of a blessed future for those who repent, for it is the humble who will inherit the kingdom, not bullies or arrogant or boastful people.
None of us is saved by our works, but by the unmerited grace of God. It is inappropriate for any believer, therefore, to gloat over the sure punishments which will befall the wicked or to look forward to them with glee. Instead we should pray that we may endure with steadfast faith in God through these rough times. We should also work to show the mercy and love of Christ to everyone that does not deserve it with the hope that they may indeed turn to the Lord and repent.