The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah — Section 22

n.llegilmce to the God of Israel while yet they paid homage also to Baal. They would thus be halting between two opinions, or trying to make a compromise, which on any view of it must degrade the true God. It could only imply either that Jehovah a 11 d Ba.e.l were both real powers over their several nations, and so Jehovah would be merely Iii local or national deity ; or else that they were but different names of the same supreme power, which would thus be made a mere nature-power, such as Baal was conceived to be, not the holy God who had revealed himself to Israel. Then tho prophet speaks (ver, 6) of what ia implied in all this, and lies at the bottom of it all. 'fhese corrupt forms of worship were really a forsaking the Lord; and the beginning of the evil lay in ungodliness; they did not seek the Lord, nor inquire for him. :Many who might not be guilty of any of the kinds of idolatry that prevailed, might yet be liable to this reproach, which is surely the severest of all. They professed that they knew God, but they did not look to him in their times of trouble, they did not seek to know his will from his Law or his prophets, they ilid not call on him for help in time of need-he was to them, in fact, but a name or an idea, not a real, living, personal God.: If this was all their religion, it was no wonder that they shoulrl be easily led to adopt some visible symbol of the Deity, or to cover up the hollowness of their profession by abundance of rites of worship, or to associate their belief in one Lord with the service of the deities of neighbouring countries, which seemed to be more realities tu their devotees. Such were the corruptions of religion in Israel. With these were associated great social evils. . Along with the foreign religious rites there were introduced also foreign customs, that marred the simplicity of the national character. This appeared most prominently in dress, which is here especially mentioned (ver. 8); but that was doubtless only an outward symptom of much more radical evils. According to the Law, Israel was to be distinguished from other nations by their dress as well as. by their religion. Their characteristic dress was to be marked, on the one hand, by simplicity and decency (Lev. xi.x.. 19; Deut. xxii. 11, 12), and on the other hand, by having fringes as a memorial of Jehovah's Law (Numb. xv. 38). But now they were growing ashamed of this outward mark of their religion, and came to adopt the more varied and splendid costume of their neighbours. This probably indicated in general habits of luxury and ostentation, which would naturally begin a.nd lie most prevalent among the princes and courtiers, though from them they would spread to other classes. Such selfish indulgence was especially to be condemned at a time when the natio11 was far from being in a secure or prosperous state. It had sufferep. serious losses, and barely escaped from imminent dangers; and even now the land wa,s much impoverished compared with its former state, and the great empireg around were becoming more powerful and threatening. Surely this was not a time to imitate foreign luxurious customs, and to be ashamed uf the ancient and godly simplicity of Israel's manners. Such luxury could only be maintained by the rich and the princes by means of oppression and extortion; and this is another evil described as the cause of the judgment (ver. 9). Those who leap on the threshold may refer, as some think, to the Philistines, who formed, with other foreigners, the royal body-guard; or they may simply indicate, as others think, the eagerness with which the satellites of the princes intruded into the houses of the citizens, in order, by their oppressive exactions, .to fill the houses of their masters. Anyhow, the verse indicates that, in order to keep up the splendour and luxury of the court, the people were oppressed, and exorbitant taxes or contributions levied from them by a system of fraudulent charges, or forcible domiciliary visitation. This is the natural accompaniment of a selfish oligarchy in an impoverished and declining state. Then, further, the merchant people in Jerusalem, who seem to have had as their place of business the valley between the hills of the old and new city, are as Canaanites in their transactions; the balances of deceit are in their hand; they have laden themselves with silver by usury and fraud. Such illcgotten gains seem to be alluded to in ver. 11, cmd threatened with destruction when the enemy shall burst into the- city by the fish gate at the north-west, its most exposed side; when the cry from it shall only be answered by a helpless howling from the new city and crashing from the higher parts, and tho hollow valley where merchants most did. congregate shall be, as it were, a mortar (Muktesh), in which they shall be trodden down and bruised to pieces by the invading host. At least there is described a prevail- ing avarice and basting to be rich, as one of the causes on account of which this  20 THE BOOK OF ZEPBA.NIA.B. [OH, I, 1-18,