Zephaniah 3:13, commentary and pictures

The promise comes after the Lord rises to gather the nations and assemble the kingdoms to pour out indignation and fierce anger until the earth is devoured with jealous fire, then gives pure speech so that all call on His name and serve Him unitedly, receives the offering of dispersed suppliants from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, removes shame for past transgression, and takes away those who rejoice in pride and haughtiness against His holy mountain. It portrays the remnant in the time of the near coming of the Lord, which is the present time. The remnant of Israel is God's faithful, humble, afflicted and poor people, left in the midst, who trust in the name of the Lord.

They do no iniquity, speak no lies, and have no deceitful tongue found in their mouth. In this present time God's remnant people live without wrongdoing and false speech, with no deceit found in what they say. They feed and lie down with none to make them afraid, secure under God's care and able to rest without fear.

Their security rests on God dwelling among them and saving them, for the Lord has taken away their judgments and cast out their enemy, and the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of them so they shall see evil no more and not fear. The Lord their God in the midst of them is mighty to save and rejoices over them with joy and rests in His love and joys over them with singing. Their condition is part of a picture of God dwelling among and saving His people.

The conditions the verse shows are to exist and stand as a warning. Its warning against deceitful speech applies to people who invent ideas and present their own inventions as if truth were in their hearts and on their lips, causing God's people to go astray and turn away from the righteousness of Christ. The Lord will surely punish every such deceitful, lying tongue. Those who realize how near that coming is must act their faith by being one in mind and heart with the heavenly intelligences and unitedly taking of the Lord's own substance to lift the burdens resting on His institutions, with the Lord cooperating with them.