Holding Onto the Promises and Ignoring the Commandments

Zephaniah 3:17
"The LORD your God is in your midst, he is mighty to save  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

This verse is a perfect example of believers holding onto the promises and ignoring the commandments … and the warnings. In context, we see that Zephaniah 3:1 is a warning to a rebellious city.

Zephaniah 3:1
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city!

A quick word-study shows that "REBELLIOUS" means to go against His command and not obey His Words - in ALL that He commands ... as we see here:

Joshua 1:17
"Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses.

1 Samuel 12:14-15
(14) "If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.  (15)  "If you will not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

Psalms 107:10-11
(10) There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains,  (11)  Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High.

Also, in context, we see that this ever-so popular "word of promise" from Zephaniah 3:17 is spoken to none other than the remnant of Israel:

Zephaniah 3:13
"The remnant of Israel will do no wrong And tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie down With no one to make them tremble."

To do no "wrong" as seen in Zephaniah 3:13 means to do no: H5767b עולה avlah (732c); from the same as H5766; injustice, unrighteousness, wrong: - iniquity (3), injustice (4), injustices (1), unjust (1), unjustly (1), unrighteousness (9), violence (1), violent injustice (1), what is unjust (1), wicked *(3), wickedness (4), wrong (3), wrongdoers (1).

We see that to "lie" as mentioned in Zephaniah 3:13 is to be deceitful and, in most cases, deceitful in opposition to His Truth and can be confirmed by looking at the following verses:

• Proverbs 23:3
  
• Proverbs 21:28
  
• Psalms 4:2
  
• Psalms 5:6
  
• Proverbs 19:22
  
• Psalms 62:9
  
• Ezekiel 21:29
  
• Judges 16:10
  
• Psalms 40:4
  
•  Psalms 58:3
  

• Psalms 62:4
  
• Proverbs 6:19
  
• Proverbs 14:5
  
• Proverbs 14:25
  
• Proverbs 19:5
  
• Proverbs 19:9
  
• Proverbs 30:8
  
• Isaiah 28:15
  
• Isaiah 28:17
  
• Ezekiel 13:8
  

• Ezekiel 13:9
  
• Ezekiel 13:19
  
• Ezekiel 22:28
  
• Daniel 11:27
  
• Hosea 7:13
  
• Hosea 12:1
  
• Amos 2:4
  
• Ezekiel 13:6
  
• Ezekiel 13:7
  

So, Yahweh is mighty to save indeed! However, this promise is to the remnant of Israel and remnant are expected to follow Yahweh's commandments, obeying His Torah and THEN they receive the promise!

Shalom Aleichem!
The H.U.B.