Throughout the scriptures and throughout the centuries of mankind serving God, prophets and other saints have “pulled down” and applied particular verses and promises at particular times, as they were led by the Spirit, into the circumstances of their time. Paul (1 Cor 14:21) pulled down Isa 28 to describe praying in tongues (as the sign of an invading HEAVENLY kingdom) – when in reality it was primarily prophesied to foretell of the invasion of Assyria into Jerusalem many hundreds of years earlier. Perfect-Jesus omitted a portion of Isa 61 (“the day of vengeance of the Lord”) when He spoke in the synagogue, because the beginning of His earthly ministry at THAT time was not THE time for the fulfillment of that particular phrase. All well and good, and gloriously mystifying – to think that the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon a man or woman could accurately illuminate a portion of the eternal word and breathe immediate relevancy into its application at a specific time and place (Reason #764 why we need to spirit led).
Of course this kind of “living word” application can get dangerous, if/when folks start pretending they are hearing from God, and start spouting off scriptural phrases out of season, or out of the will of God. Dealing with that religious silliness is a charge to church leadership, and also we often leave such dealings directly with God Himself, Who over the centuries and millenniums has proven Himself quite able and active in defending His word, and dealing with the false-religious or the goofy or the unlearned who handle His word, warnings and promises as if they were a goody-bag to impress the naïve or simple. Consider Hananiah, who seemed to have a much happier and more optimistic word for the oppressed (by God) disobedient children of Israel, than did Jeremiah (boy, Hananiah probably was invited to speak at way more conferences than was Jeremiah):
Jer 28:10-17 (NKJ)
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it.
11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.'” And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.
12 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
13 “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron.”
14 ‘For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. I have given him the beasts of the field also.”‘”
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie.
16 “Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD.'”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
All that said, we would do well to tremble at the word of God (the God Who does not change), treat it with respect and awe (in Hebrew, “awe” contains a significant element of holy dread and fear).
All THAT said, it is also healthy and correct to understand that the word of God deserves, and indeed requires, that it be especially embraced in the context in which it is written. Once again, it’s great, when spiritually appropriate, to pull down and apply scriptures into additional situations – situations other than their obvious biblical context. But it would be foolish to utilize the word of God for those “other” situations and fail to recognize their obvious original prophetic context. Ezekiel’s “dry bones” prophesy has been preached and promised to encourage many saints who simply were dried up and out of gas. Go at it. Wonderful. But how can anyone NOT apply those scriptures to the prophesied revival of end-times Israel? After all – God Himself tells Ezekiel (Ez 37:11) that THAT is the true context of that prophesy.
One passage of note, on topic with this writing, is Zephaniah’s prophetic promise of God Himself singing over His people. What an amazing illustration of His heart, and His love for those who love Him, always and throughout time.
Zeph 3:17 (NKJ)
17 The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you with His love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Yea, yea, and amen. But let’s not neglect addressing that amazing promise within the context of that prophetic writing. It is written to describe the conclusion of the return of Messiah, after the nations have been judged, and also after the people of God have been dealt with. This is about end times – about righteous God dealing with a predominantly wicked world, and also, necessarily, with His own disobedient people. This is about people still on earth at the time of that judgment, after His return. That may poke some holes into certain end-times theories. It also provides us somewhat of a clearer picture as to how God will return to earth, and what that return will look like, and what it will entail. We do not want to be offended by God when He returns, as God, and acts like the God of scripture. Of course feel free to read all of Zephaniah, but let’s simply look at chapter 3.
Zeph 3:1-20 (NKJ)
1 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city!
(The city is not yet named in this first verse, but we’ll soon see who she is)
2 She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God.
(This city had been spoken to by God Himself, and had chosen disobedience to that which had been spoken in the past. It’s a city that God wanted to correct, and that had been called to trust in the Lord, and in fact God is referred to as HER God. We’re talking about Jerusalem, folks. His special city)
3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning.
4 Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
(The city had prophets, priests, and leaders. Corrupt, out of order, ravenously devouring the people. This city HAD the law, but it had been used for corrupt purposes. The prophets and priests had been manipulating the word of God).
Jer 5:31
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?
Jer 14:14-15
14 And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.
15 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’–‘ By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed!
5 The LORD is righteous in her midst, he will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; he never fails, but the unjust knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, with none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; there is no one, no inhabitant.
(God – we’re back in Zeph – points to how He deals/dealt with other nations, and warns His own people to rightly fear Him – but they don’t)
7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction’– so that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.
8 “Therefore wait for Me,” says the LORD, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; my determination is to gather the nations (re: Zech 14:2) to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all my fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.
(God, via Zephaniah, is saying that it will all come out in the wash. There will indeed be a day and a time when He will come back and get make all things straight, including His own people, over whom He has expressed jealousy. There’s no singing or dancing yet. It is a time of prophesied indignation, wrath and fierce righteous anger)
9 “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring My offering.
(Here our great God is prophesying revival among, and from, nations, after His return – There will indeed BE nations after His return to rule on earth)
11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against Me; for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain.
(Those will be days when national Israel will have been sifted out by God, and the remnant will no longer have to look back on the sinful deeds committed over the centuries, for which they will have suffered immensely)
12 I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
(“meek” and “humble” – in Hebrew, have a sobering component of brokenness to them. Western-Church would prefer to avoid that refining work of the Spirit, but it exists in biblical context. Western-Church would rather have the singing/dancing God singing and dancing now and forevermore. We’re getting to it, but we do need to get to it scripturally. Zephaniah was not anointed by a God Who did not know or plan for Jesus to come. This yet-to-be-fulfilled prophetic book was breathed by a God Who totally understands the true grace of Jesus, and still we are told of sobering things yet to come – prior to verse 17 kicking in)
13 The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.”
(Above we learn, as we do in other verses, that what will be left of Israel is a truly holy remnant. Paul told us – Rom 9:6 – they are not all Israel who are Israel)
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
(It will indeed by holy-party-time. It will be a time when wickedness has been dealt with, by our God, both in the enemy nations as well as in the religious hypocrites in both the synagogue and church who have turned people away from God and His holy goodness).
15 The LORD has taken away your judgments, he has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
(Finally, IN THAT DAY, Jerusalem will not have to fear – because God has done the work He has promised to do. They will have looked upon the One who they pierced. They will have cried out “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” And He will have entered the city called the apple of His eye. Oh yeah!).
17 The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you with His love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
(HERE WE GO – God is partying with His people. It is rejoicing time, and He will lead us/teach us how to sing and dance and go wild in Him, and with Him. Here is the correct prophetic time. Other singing-God times? Fine. Go for it. But let’s recognize what our God has revealed through Zephaniah, for us – after the bloody and righteous judgment of the nations, there will be rejoicing. God’s complete plan will happen. HHY – Hasn’t Happened Yet. But it will).
18 “I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom its reproach is a burden.
(God will reward those who grieved and sorrowed over corrupt and inappropriate and ungodly assemblies, those who knew in their spirit that what was presented to the world as “holy-convocation” simply was not).
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will bring you back, even at the time I gather you; for I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your eyes,” says the LORD.
Yea God! Sing and dance! And the redeemed of the Lord will dance with you. It will be the wildest and most glorious Jewish wedding ever. And all Jews by faith (Jewish blood, or Gentile blood) will be dancing, as will the Groom. You can’t help but wonder whether the bride will be on sitting on a chair, held up high over the heads of the attendees……L’chaim.
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