John Calvin Commentary Zephaniah 1:6

"and them that are turned back from following Jehovah; and those that have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired after him." — Zephaniah 1:6 (ASV)

The Prophet seems here to include, as it were, in one bundle, the proud despisers of God, as well as those idolaters about whom he had spoken. However, it may be that he describes the same persons in different words, meaning that they were addicted to their own superstitions because they were unwilling to serve God sincerely and from the heart, and even shunned everything that might lead their attention to true religion.

I mostly approve of this view, for the idea some have—that their gross contempt of God is pointed out here—is not sufficiently supported. Therefore, I rather think that the idolaters are reproved here so that they might not suppose they could wash away their guilt by subterfuges. For they were accustomed to cover themselves with the shield of ignorance when they were refuted and their impiety was fully proven: 'I did not think so; but, on the contrary, my purpose was to worship God.'

Since, then, the superstitious are accustomed to hide themselves under the covering of ignorance, the Prophet here defines the idolatry of the people and briefly shows that it was connected with obstinacy and wickedness.

They did not seek Jehovah; but, on the contrary, they willfully turned away from Him and sought, as if intentionally, to extinguish true religion. Nor was it surprising that such a grievous and severe sentence was pronounced on them, for they had been taught by the Law how God was to be served.

How was it, then, that such gross errors had crept in? Undoubtedly, God had kindled the light of celestial truth, which clearly showed the way of true religion. But as people always seek to perform some frivolous trifles, the Israelites and the Jews, when they felt ashamed to reject the true God openly and manifestly, at the same time labored to add many ceremonies, so that their impiety might be concealed in this way.

This is the reason why the Prophet says that they turned back; that is, they could not be excused on the ground of ignorance, but were treacherous and apostates who had preferred their own idols to the true God. Even though they knew that He could not be rightly worshiped except according to the rule prescribed in the Law, yet they neglected this and heaped together many superstitions.

And undoubtedly, we will find that the source of all false worship is this: that people are unwilling to serve God truly and from the heart, and at the same time, they wish to retain some appearance of religion. For nothing is omitted in the Law that is necessary for the perfect worship of God. But as God requires a spiritual worship in the Law, this is why people seek hiding-places and devise many ceremonies for themselves, so that they may turn back from God and yet pretend that they are coming to Him.

While they diligently labor in their own ceremonies, it is indeed true that the worship of God and religion are continually on their lips. But, as I have said, it is all hypocrisy and deception, for they accumulate ceremonies so that there might be something intervening between God and them. It is not, therefore, without reason that the Prophet here accuses the Jews that they turned back from Jehovah, and that they sought Him not. How so? For there was no need for a long, difficult, or perplexing inquiry, because the Lord had freely offered Himself to them. How, then, was it that they were blind in the midst of light, except that they knowingly and willfully followed their own inventions?

The same is the case today with the Papists: for though they may proclaim loudly a hundred times that they seek to worship God, it is quite evident that they willfully go astray, since they so delight in their own inventions that they do not purely and from the heart devote and consecrate themselves to God.

We now see, then, that this verse was added as an explanation by the Prophet, so that he might deprive the Jews of their false plea of ignorance and show that they sinned willfully. For they would have been sufficiently taught by the Law, had they not adopted their own inventions, which dazzled their eyes and all their senses. It follows—