Settled on Their Lees Zephaniah 1:12

Because punishment was to fall upon the royalty and their children in addition to servants and merchants within Judah and Jerusalem, Zephaniah gave them warning from the LORD who wrote this prophesy of His judgment. The LORD was to be thorough in His “sacrifice”, and no one was exempt. In chapter one and verse twelve, the LORD continued to tell of His judgment by searching for and punishing those who “are settled on their lees” where we read:

And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

The verse begins, “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles,...” Zephaniah began with the single Hebrew word, “'eth” which interpreted is “And it shall come to pass at that time” which means “time of an event, experience, fortune or occurrence” “that I will search” or “think out, devise, test, expose or to disguise oneself” “Jerusalem” which means “teaching of peace” and was “the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split” “with candles” or “a lamp”. In other words, the LORD was going to thoroughly search everyone that was within the city of Jerusalem.

The verse goes on to say, “...and punish the men that are settled on their lees:” Zephaniah went on to share how the LORD was not only going to “search Jerusalem” but also “and punish” or “to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, appoint, look after, care for, observe and assign” “the men” or “mankind” “that are settled” which means “thickened, condensed, congealed and become dense” “on their lees” which are “dregs or the settlings of wine”. “Lees” or “dregs” were the small pieces of grapes which would settle to the bottom of the vessels into which juice from grapes was poured. Vessels were poured from one to another as the “lees” settled to the bottom. If the “lees” lingered in vessels too long, the entire wine would be ruined. The idea is that the LORD will “search and punish” those who have not been poured from vessel to vessel but have stayed too long in their current condition and were spoiled.

Finally the verse says, “that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.” Zephaniah went on to say, “that say in their heart” which means “utter and speak in their inner man, mind, will, heart, soul and understanding” “The LORD” or “Yehovah or Jehovah” who is “the existing One and the proper name of the one true God” “will not do good” or “be pleasing, well, glad and joyful” “neither will he do evil” or “be bad, displeasing, sad, injurious, wicked or evil”. In other words, people believed the LORD was aloof, distant and uncaring and would not do good or evil concerning their behavior.

When we think about the LORD's words through Zephaniah, we may recall the words of the writer of the book of Hebrews who wrote “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do”. God is able to “search and punish” those who have settled into their ways and forsaken Him. We must realize the LORD will pour us from one position to another to keep us from spoiling, and if we are resistant to His pouring, we will be ruined in our stationary and stagnant place. If things are changing in our lives currently, let us look to the LORD Jesus for His “pouring” hand, and if we have not been moved in our walk with Him, may we be sure that we are not “settled on our lees” and remaining unchanged.

Next time Zephaniah tells about houses that are built but never lived in, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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