The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah — Section 21

mip;ht defy the invader; but against them sh~ll be raised the sound of the war-trumpet, and the battle-shout of a great host, before which they shall not be able to stand. Skill and wisdom shall not be able to save them. These have often enabled armies very much inferior in numbers to conquer great hosts; but now there shall be perplexity nnd dismay, and. men shall be gropin~ like blind 1:1en in the dark, unable to devise any means of resistance or escape, bewildered and disheartened. Wealth sometimes may be used to buy off an invading monarch or army. Sl) in former days kings of Judah bad repeatedly obtained relief from foreign foes by giving up to them the treasures of the. palace and temple. But in this invasion neither silver nor gold shall be of any avail to deliver them. The prophet does not indicate more particularly from what quarter this terrible invasion shall come-that is left to be made manifest by the event. For the terribleness of the judgment did not arise merely from the fact that it was to be inflicted by a great worldly power, which would be overpowering in force and would not care for bribes; but from this, that that power, whatever it might be, was to be the instrument of Jebovah's wrath against the nation. Israel bad often been saved from fierce attacks of mighty ?ati?ns before, and enabled to defy their rage; but that had not been because of their Wisdom or courage, but because they trusted in God, and had his protection. Now, however, there was coming on them the day of the Lord's anger ; he was to hide his face from them, and therefore it would be to them a day of such darkness, dismay, and despair. This brings us somewhat nearer the centre and heart of this prophecy, and leads us to consider- II. THE CAUSES OF THE JUDGMENT, ANNOUNCED AS BO SWEEPING, NEAR, AND TERRIBLE. These are the sins of the land, of which a long and dark catalogue is unrolled (vers. 4-12). First comes what was the great besetting sin of ancient times, as it has ever been of men who possess not or will not receive God's revelation of himself, idolatry, the worship of the seen and earthly as Divine, instead of the only true God who is invisible and spiritual, the worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator. The invisible things of God, his eternal power and Godhead, are seen and understood by the things that are made; for "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork." But men, uot liking to retain God in their knowledge, keep back this truth in unrighteousness, and come to regard the powers of nature as themselves Divine; and worship the heavens, the earth, the sun, the ,stars, as gods, instead of regarding them as the works of the true God, who is above them all. Tbus they fall into a religion that is purely sensuous, requiring no elevation of the soul above what can be seen and heard and felt-a religion also that is divorced from morality, for when men come to regard the processes of nature as the highest thing that there is, they can see in them no moral law or or<ler. Such was the corrupt religion of the heathen world, left by God to its own way, and against this his revela- tion to Israel was designed to testify, declaring him to be a Being spiritual and holy, the one living and true God. But the chosen people were ever tempted to fall back to that sensuous and immoral conception of God that found expression in the idolatry of the surrounding nations. Various forms of such idolatry as was then common are here alluded t.o. There was the Phrenician worship of Baal, which had been introduced long ago by Jezebel into the northern kingdom, and through .Athaliah into Judah; and there was also the more recently imported worship of the stars e.nd heavenly bodies, the form of idolatry that prevailed in the Eastern countries with which Judah was now beginning to be acquainted. This worship was performed by burning incense and offering sacrifices on the flat tops of the houses, looking up to the sky and host of heaven. But along with these gross forms of idolatry there is also rondemned the cor:rnpt worship of Jehovah. The_ worship at th~ high places, with which the kohanim (ver. 4) were connected, was rndeed a worship of Jehovah, but had. become in course of time thoroughly idolatrous in its character; the pillars or groves placed beside the altars came to be worshipped as symbols of the Deity, and, as in Be1hel and Dan, idols were identified with him. Thus the true invisible God was degraded to the likeness of the idols of the heathen, and this worship, at the high places had to be utterly condemned and swept away. .Another corruption of the pure worship of Jehovah was the combination of it with that of the heathen deities. There were those who worshipped and swore to Jehovah, and at the same time swore b_y Malcham (ver. 5) their killg, i.e. Baal. They thought that they could preserve theu OB. L 1-18,] THE BOOK OF ZEPHANI.AH.