John Calvin Commentary Zephaniah 3:9

"For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent." — Zephaniah 3:9 (ASV)

The Prophet now mitigates the severity of his doctrine, which might have greatly terrified the godly; indeed, it might have completely disheartened them if no consolation had been applied. God, therefore, moderates here what He had previously threatened. For if the Prophet had only said this—My purpose is to gather all the nations, and thus the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of indignation—what could the faithful have concluded but that they were to perish with the rest of the world? It was therefore necessary to add something to inspire hope, such as we find here.

We must at the same time keep in mind what I have reminded you of elsewhere: that the Prophet directs his discourse at one time to the faithful only, who were then few in number, and at another time he addresses the crowd indiscriminately. And so, when our Prophet threatens, he addresses the entire population; but when he proclaims the favor of God, it is as if he turned his eyes only toward the faithful and gathered them into a place apart.

For instance, when a few among a population are truly wise, and the whole crowd unites in hastening their own ruin, a speaker will distinguish between the vast crowd and the few. He will severely rebuke those who are so foolish and live in a way that leads to their own misery; and he will afterwards adapt his message to suit those with whom he finds less fault.

Similarly, the Lord changes His discourse; for at one time He addresses the ungodly, and at another He turns to the elect, who were but a remnant. So the Prophet has until now spoken with reproofs and threats, for he addressed the entire population; but now he gathers, as I have said, the remnant, as it were, by themselves, and sets before them the hope of pardon and of salvation.

Hence he says, But then (for I interpret כי, ki, as an adversative) will I turn to the people a pure lip. God indicates that He would spread His grace more widely, after having cleansed the earth; for He will be worshipped not only in Judea but also by foreign nations, even the most distant ones. For it might have been objected: Will God then let His name be extinguished in the world? For what will be the situation when Judea is overthrown and other nations are destroyed, except that God’s name will be exposed to reproach? His name will be invoked nowhere, and everyone will compete in blaspheming Him.

The Prophet addresses this objection, saying that God has in His own hand the means by which He will vindicate His own glory. For He will not only defend His Church in Judea but will also gather nations from far and wide into it, so that His name will be celebrated everywhere.

But he speaks first of a pure lip: I will turn, he says, to the nations a pure lip. By this phrase, he means that invoking God’s name is His distinctive work; for people do not pray by the prompting of the flesh, but when God draws them.

It is indeed true that God has always been invoked by all nations, but it was not the right way of praying when they heedlessly cast their petitions into the air. We also know that the true God was not invoked by the nations, for at that time there was no nation in the world that had not fashioned an idol for itself. Since the earth was then full of countless idols, God was invoked only in Judea. Besides, even if unbelievers intended to pray to God, they could not have prayed correctly, because prayer flows from faith.

Therefore, God does not promise without reason that He would turn to the nations a pure lip; that is, that He would cause the nations to call on His name with pure lips. From this, then, we learn what I have stated: that God cannot be rightly invoked by us until He draws us to Himself, for we have profane and impure lips. In short, the beginning of prayer is from that hidden cleansing of the Spirit of which the Prophet now speaks.

But if it is God’s unique gift to give the nations a pure lip, it follows that faith is bestowed on us by Him, for both are connected. Just as God then purifies people's hearts by faith, so also He purifies their lips so that His name may be rightly invoked, which would otherwise be profaned by unbelievers. Whenever they pretend to call on God’s name, it is certain that this is not done without profanation.

As to the word all, it refers to nations, not to every individual; for not everyone has called on God, but there have been some from all nations, as Paul also says in the first chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1). For in addressing the faithful, he adds, With all who call on the name of the Lord in every place—that is, not only in Judea; and elsewhere he says,

I would that men would stretch forth hands to heaven in every place. (1 Timothy 2:8)

He afterwards adds, That they may serve Him with one shoulder; that is, that they may unitedly submit to God to serve Him. For to serve Him with the shoulder means to unite, so as to help one another. The metaphor seems to be derived from those who carry a burden; for unless each person assists, one will be overpowered, and then the burden will fall to the ground.

We are then said to serve God with one shoulder when we strive by mutual agreement to assist one another. And this should be carefully noted, so that we may know that our striving cannot be approved by God unless we have the same goal in view, and also seek to encourage others and mutually help one another. Unless, then, the faithful thus provide mutual assistance, the Lord cannot approve of their service.

We now see how foolishly those speak who so greatly extol free will and whatever is connected with it. For the Lord demands faith as well as other religious duties; and He also requires from all, love and the keeping of the whole law. But He testifies here that His name cannot be invoked, as everyone's lips are polluted, until He has consecrated them, cleansing by His Spirit what was previously polluted. And He also shows that people will not take up the yoke unless He joins them together, so as to make them willing. I must not proceed further.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since it is the principal part of our happiness that in our pilgrimage through this world there is open to us a familiar access to You by faith—O grant that we may be able to come with a pure heart into Your presence. When our lips are polluted, O purify us by Your Spirit, so that we may not only pray to You with our mouths but also prove that we do this sincerely, without any pretense, and that we earnestly seek to spend our whole lives glorifying Your name, until, finally being gathered into Your heavenly kingdom, we may be truly and really united to You and become partakers of that glory which has been secured for us by the blood of Your only-begotten Son. Amen.