People of the New Covenant

This morning I am reading from the Prophet Zephaniah. Its always interesting to me how the Lord guides my reading of His Word. I have been reading a book by Kris Vallaton and one of the statements he made, which I have heard before, is that under the new covenant, initiated by Christ Jesus, that there is no punishment. Here in Zephaniah we find reference to that very move of God.

Zephaniah 3:12-20 NIV
"But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. [13] They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. ” [14] Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! [15] The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. [16] On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. [17] The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” [18] “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. [19] At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. [20] At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord."

In verse 15, he says "The Lord has taken away your punishment" and this whole section is clearly pointing to the time of Jesus visitation, and establishment of His Kingdom. In verse 17, he prophesies that the Lord, "in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." I find it interesting that He also prophesies about how the Lord will remove those who are caught up in a spirit of religion, caring more about rules and regulations and appointed feasts, then they do about their relationship with the Father.

The new covenant is the ultimate culmination of the Lord's desire to free us from our sins, to deal with us in mercy and compassion, and to enable us to shine forth with His Glory. He has taken our punishment upon Himself, paid the price for all our sins, set us free to be in relationship with the Father, as sons and daughters, and given us the Holy Spirit to live in us, empowering us and filling us with His Glory. We, the people of the new covenant, are meant to be a people who are blessed beyond all other people! We are supposed to be full of mercy and grace, at peace and at home in His Presence. He takes great delight in us!