E Go Sing Over You

Imagine papa or mama wey bend over baby cot for late night, dey hum one song wey quiet so tey na only di baby fit hear. Now imagine say di one wey dey sing na God, and di one wey dey inside di cot na you.

We dey Jerusalem, more than six hundred years before Jesus. Di king na young Josiah, wey im great-grandfather na di good King Hezekiah. But di city wey surround am no dey well at all. For many years, people dey bow to sun and stars on top dia roof. Judges get long throat. Prophets no dey careful. Priests dey treat holy things like ordinary things. And inside dis city, one prophet wey dem dey call Zephaniah show face. Im name mean something like, di Lord don hide. E be relative of di royal family, and e get hard words to talk.

Most of Zephaniah small book na warning. E talk about di day of di Lord wey dey come, day of darkness and trouble, when God go take lamp search Jerusalem and deal with everybody wey dey talk say, di Lord no go do anything, good or bad. E warn di nations wey surround Judah too: Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush wey dey far, and Assyria wey get power, with im big city Nineveh. Nobody dey wey God no dey see. But for di middle of di warnings, Zephaniah dey leave door open. Una wey humble for di land, make una seek di Lord, e talk. Seek wetin correct. Seek humility. Maybe una go find shelter.

And then, near di end, everything change, like when cloud open. God talk say e go leave people for di city wey humble and low, wey trust im name. Dem no go tell lie. Dem go rest, and nobody go make dem fear. And Zephaniah burst into song. Sing, daughter of Zion; shout, Israel; make you glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. Why? Because di Lord don remove di judgement wey dey against dem. E don drive dia enemy back. And then di most important line of all: di King of Israel, di Lord imself, dey your middle. You no go fear evil again.

Hear how Zephaniah describe God. Di Lord your God wey dey your middle get power; e go save; e go rejoice over you with joy; e go quiet you with im love; e go jubilate over you with song. We don used to say people dey sing to God. Here, na God dey sing over im people. Di mighty warrior wey dey save na di same one wey dey quiet dem with im love. And God make more promises. I go gather di ones wey dey mourn. I go rescue di ones wey dey limp and bring di ones wey scatter back home. I go turn your shame to praise. I go bring you home. For your own eye, I go restore your fortune. God no just wan fix di city. E wan come live inside am, and rejoice there.

Zephaniah first verse talk say e prophesy for di days of Josiah. Di book of Second Kings tell us wetin happen for Josiah reign. As dem dey repair di temple, workers find one scroll, di Book of di Law. When dem read am give di young king, e tear im cloth because e dey grieve. Then e lead di people to renew dia covenant with God, and e clear idols comot from Jerusalem and Judah, including di altars on top di roofs. Plenty scholars think say Zephaniah preaching help prepare di way for dat reform.

Na for di end of Zephaniah you go find dis song, chapter three, verse fourteen reach twenty. Many hundred years after, God really come live among im people, as baby for Bethlehem, while angels dey sing over di fields. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How e fit change your day if you know say God dey rejoice over you?