Matthew Henry Commentary Zephaniah 1
Matthew Henry Commentary
Zephaniah 1
Matthew Henry Commentary
Zephaniah 1
"The word of Jehovah which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. I will utterly consume all things from off the face of the ground, saith Jehovah. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the face of the ground, saith Jehovah. And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, [and] the name of the Chemarim with the priests; and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam; and them that are turned back from following Jehovah; and those that have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired after him." — Zephaniah 1:1-6 (ASV)
Ruin is coming, utter ruin; destruction from the Almighty. The servants of God all proclaim, There is no peace for the wicked. The expressions are figurative, speaking everywhere of desolation; the land shall be left without inhabitants.
The sinners to be consumed are the professed idolaters, and those that worship Jehovah and idols, or swear to the Lord, and to Malcham. Those that think to divide their affections and worship between God and idols will come short of acceptance with God; for what communion can there be between light and darkness? If Satan has half, he will have all; if the Lord has but half, he will have none.
Neglect of God shows impiety and contempt. May none of us be among those who draw back unto perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand: for Jehovah hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath consecrated his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah`s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king`s sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel. And in that day I will punish all those that leap over the threshold, that fill their master`s house with violence and deceit. And in that day, saith Jehovah, there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills. Wail, ye inhabitants of Maktesh; for all the people of Canaan are undone; all they that were laden with silver are cut off. And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps; and I will punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do evil. And their wealth shall become a spoil, and their houses a desolation: yea, they shall build houses, but shall not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but shall not drink the wine thereof." — Zephaniah 1:7-13 (ASV)
God's day is near; the punishment of presumptuous sinners is a sacrifice to the justice of God.
The Jewish royal family will be held accountable for their pride and vanity, as will those who leap on the threshold, invading their neighbors' rights and seizing their possessions. The trading people and the rich merchants will also be called to account. Secure and careless people will be held accountable. They are secure and complacent, saying in their hearts, the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil. This means they deny His dispensing of rewards and punishments.
But in the day of the Lord's judgment, it will become clear that those who perish become a sacrifice to Divine justice for breaking God's law, and because they have no share through faith in the Redeemer's atoning sacrifice.
"The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah`s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land." — Zephaniah 1:14-18 (ASV)
This warning of approaching destruction is enough to make the sinners in Zion tremble; it refers to the great day of the Lord, the day in which he will show himself by taking vengeance on them. This day of the Lord is very near; it is a day of God's wrath, wrath to the utmost. It will be a day of trouble and distress to sinners.
Let them not be lulled to sleep by the patience of God. What is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Let us flee from the wrath to come and choose the good part that shall never be taken from us. Then we will be prepared for every event; nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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