Zephaniah 3:15 - Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bible Comments

The Lord hath taken away thy judgments - Her own, because brought upon her by her sins. But when God takes away the chastisements in mercy, He removes and forgives the sin too. Else, to remove “the judgments” only, would be to abandon the sinner. “He hath cast out,” literally, “cleared quite away” , as a man clears away all hindrances, all which stands in the way, so that there should be none whatever left - “thine enemy;” the one enemy, from whom every hindrance to our salvation comes, as He saith, “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. The King of Israel, even the Lord” John 12:31, Christ the Lord, “is in the midst of thee,” of whom it is said, “He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them” Revelation 7:15, and who Himself saith, “Lo I am with you always unto the end of the world” Matthew 28:20. “Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of you” Matthew 18:20.

He who had removed “from the midst of her” the proud, Who had left “in the midst of her” those with whom He dwelleth, shall Himself dwell “in the midst of her” in mercy, as He had before in judgment Matthew 18:11-12, Matthew 18:15, Matthew 18:5. He cleanseth the soul for His indwelling, and so dwelleth in the mansion which He had prepared for Himself. “Thou shalt not see evil anymore.” For even the remains of evil, while we are yet in the flesh, are overruled, and “work together to good to those who love God” Romans 8:28. They cannot separate between the soul and Christ. Rather, He is nearer to her in them. We are bidden to “count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations” James 1:2, for all sorrows are but medicine from a father’s hand. : “And truly our way to eternal joy is to suffer here with Christ, and our door to enter into eternal life is gladly to die with Christ, that we may rise again from death and dwell with Him in everlasting life.”

So in the Revelation, it is first said that God should dwell with His people, and then that all pain shall cease. “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and be their God. And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain, for the former things are passed away” Revelation 21:3-4. Cyril: “In the inmost meaning of the words, he could not but bid her rejoice and be exceeding glad and rejoice with her whole heart, her sins being done away through Christ. For the holy and spiritual Zion, the Church, the multitude of believers, is justified in Christ alone, and we are saved by Him and from Him, escaping the harms of our invisible enemies, and having in the midst of us the King and God of all, Who appeared in our likeness, the Word from God the Father, through whom we see not evil, that is, are freed from all who could do us evil. For He is the worker of our acceptableness, our peace, our wall, the bestower of incorruption, the dispenser of crowns, Who lighteneth the assaults of devils, Who giveth us to ‘tread on serpents and scorpions and all the power of the enemy’ Luke 10:19 - through whom we are in good hope of immortality and life, adoption and glory, through whom we shall not see evil anymore.”

Zephaniah 3:15

15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.