OUR ORIGINAL RELATIONSHIPS

“I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. 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.” —Zephaniah 3:12, 13

The restoration that God promised to the remnant of Israel included the renewal and restoration of the relationships He intended for all people.

The brokenness of these relationships—with God, ourselves, and others, as well as the rest of creation—stretches back to the story of Adam’s and Eve’s choice to believe the lies of the serpent. Their fear and shame led them to hide from God, so when God promised that fear and shame would be no more, He was talking about a truly restored relationship and a renewed trust between Himself and His people. “On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me” (Zephaniah 3:11).

He promised to renew their lives and their characters as His humble people. The language in Zephaniah would be echoed in the description of the 144,000 redeemed who fully trust God with their lives and who will one day stand and sing on the heavenly Mount Zion. “No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless” (Revelation 14:5).

The authenticity of the people of God restores relationships between them. No longer will they be in competition with others, with its temptations for exploitation and unfair advantage. God’s people will be trustworthy and safe to be around.

And with God among them, they also will be able to live in safety, enjoying the good things of God’s new creation, free from all fear.

This will be a return to Eden in the relational sense, with humanity restored to the relationships in which and for which God created us.