One of the special parts of the Christmas and Advent seasons is the songs that are sung. I have grown in my appreciation of songs that are specially meant for this time of year. Some of the songs that we sing during this time of year seem to hit closer to the heart because there is a focus on the theme of the season.

The gift of song is a wonderful gift that has been given to us. You do not have to have a professional voice to enjoy a good song. My mother told me from my teenage years on that I may be able to speak in front of others, but I didn’t have a singing voice fit for the shower. That doesn’t keep me from singing, though.

Songs have been used through the ages to give people a way to share what is on their hearts. There are many reasons that we have for singing. The Bible talks a great deal about singing.

Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

​Colossians 3:16 CSB

For some of us, we may not feel like singing. We may have a difficult time seeing reasons for singing. With our time today, I would like to share with you three reasons for singing during this Advent and Christmas season from Zephaniah 3.

‌Dark Times

Zephaniah was a prophet of the LORD that shared God’s word with the people of Judah during the reign of King Josiah during the later part of the 7th century B.C. It was dark times as the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen into exile. The people of the southern kingdom (Judah) were not doing well either. Many were still involved in practices that went against what the LORD desired for His people (seen in Zephaniah 1). The words of Zephaniah were words that pointed to a coming judgment. If there were reasons not to sing, the people of Judah were going through them.

What we are looking at today is the end of this prophecy that Zephaniah was commanded to share with God’s people. In these final verses of this Old Testament book, we see that there is a reason to sing.

What we today see is the fullness of these reasons because of the season that we are currently in: when Jesus came to earth.

‌The Lord has removed our punishment

In the first part of verse 15, Zephaniah says, “the Lord has removed your punishment.” What punishment is the prophet talking about? It is the punishment that comes from disobeying the Lord’s commands. We call this sin.

The people of Zephaniah’s day were choosing to follow their own ways instead of doing what the Lord had commanded them to do. Does that sound familiar? Sounds a lot like the day that we live, where many live their lives as if they know better than the Lord how to do it.

The apostle Paul reminds us that every single sin has a punishment.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

​Romans 6:23 CSB

The punishment for our sin is death. Death is not just the ceasing of breath and heartbeat. Death is the separation from the goodness of God.

But Zephaniah says that the Lord has removed our punishment. This doesn’t mean that He just overlooks our sin. Someone has to pay for it. When Jesus came, He did exactly that.

Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life so that He could take our punishment. When Jesus went to the cross, He wasn’t paying for His sin (He had none); He was paying for ours.

Because of that gracious gift to us, our punishment can be removed. When we put our faith in what Jesus did for us, the punishment of our sin is removed. That is a reason for singing!

‌The Lord turned back the enemy

Also in verse 15, Zephaniah says the Lord has turned back your enemy. The people of Judah would face a physical enemy that would bring about great pain and discouragement.

We also face an enemy that looks to harm us and cause us to live in fear and defeat.

A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

​John 10:10 CSB

When Jesus came on the scene that first Christmas, He came to push our enemy back into his proper place. It is like when a bully picks on a kid. The bully calls him names and pushes him around. The bully may even hit on the poor kid. But then the kid’s big brother shows up – a brother that is stronger and greater than anything the bully has ever seen. What happens? The bully runs for cover because he knows that he cannot stand against this one.

When Jesus came and carried out the Father’s plan, he took the worst that sin could dish out (death) and conquered it. For those who have trusted in Christ, Jesus stands to defend you against the evil one, and Satan cannot stand against Jesus. Zephaniah would even describe the Lord as “a warrior who saves” in verse 17. That will bring about a song in the heart of any person right there.

‌The Lord is among you

Zephaniah shares one more reason for singing, and this might be one of the greatest of all. In verses 15 and 17, Zephaniah shares an important truth with us: “the Lord is among you.”

One of the titles of Jesus is Emmanuel (“God with us”). I hope that you never get over that amazing fact. Jesus is not a distant and unconcerned God. He is near and very concerned.

Jesus came to us not out of duty but because He loves us. Though we have rebelled against Him, He has loved us with an everlasting love that can never fade.

Zephaniah shares that the Lord rejoices over you with singing (verse 17). Did you know that? Do you realize that the Lord Himself sings over you? I think about how a parent will hold a baby and sing over him or her. I can remember watching my wife, Naomi, sing over our boys countless times. It was a beautiful picture of love. The Lord does that over His children.

You cannot do that from afar. That is an intimate exchange that takes place.

Because the Lord is near us, the reason for living in fear is gone. In verse 15, Zephaniah shares that because the Lord is near, there is no need to fear harm. He watches over you. When you trust in the Lord, you are in good hands – hands that can comfort… hands that can protect… hands that will hold on to you.

‌Conclusion

We can see from the words of this Old Testament prophet that we have many reasons to sing. What the people of Zephaniah’s day may not have understood, we see clearly. The words of hope that Zephaniah shared were about Jesus coming.

We celebrate during this season the fact that the Son of God is Emmanuel. He is with us. He has made victory over sin and the grave possible. He has brought us out of the exile of our sin and into His Kingdom of light.

What song is the Lord putting in your heart today? Is it a song of confession – confessing your sins to Him and receiving forgiveness? Is it a song of victory? Is it a song of praise for who He is and what He has done? I would encourage you to obey the word of the psalmist when he said:

Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples.

​Psalm 96:1–3 CSB