Zephaniah 3:17  The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Anyone who has read Romans chapter 11 can see that the olive tree represents Israel. God has not abandoned Israel for the Church – Israel remains the olive tree. But now, the Church is grafted into the tree as its branches. It does not mean that we must follow Jewish traditions and laws. It means that as Israel is part of God’s redemptive plan through their Messiah, the Church is also part of God’s redemptive plan because of Israel’s Messiah, our Saviour Jesus Christ! Because of Jesus’s death on the cross and His shed blood is for all (John 3:16), the Gentiles can now have salvation through the Jewish Messiah! Praise the Lord!

Certainly not all promises made to Israel pertain to the Church, as we see throughout Scripture, and specifically the Tribulation prophecies. However, there are some verses that we as believers can enjoy and be comforted by. Today’s verse is one of those verses that I find great comfort and pleasure. Let’s pick it apart and I will share what the Lord has blessed me with:

• The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: Jehovah God is not in the midst of Israel only but He is in our midst as well! Jesus’s presence, through the Holy Spirit of the Living God, walks in the midst of the Church!
  • Revelation 1:12-13  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  (13)  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
• He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy:
  • Luke 15:10  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Psalm 147:11  The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
• He will rest in his love:
  • Matthew 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
• He will joy over thee with singing: Because we are part of the olive tree, and God’s character never changes, we can rest in knowing that the Lord joys over the Church with singing as well. One of my favorite hymns in “Beulah Land”! The Church longs for Beulah Land just as much as our Jewish brothers and sisters.
  • Isaiah 62:4-5  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.  (5)  For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

If you happened onto this page, I pray you have received a blessing! If you are not 100% certain that you would go to Heaven when you die, please follow this link and you can read the Scriptures for yourself that will guide you to salvation!