Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.”
This verse answers verse 12, where the Lord searches Jerusalem with lamps and finds men settled in comfort, sure that He will do neither good nor harm. The blow falls on what they own, and the question is why God aims there.
The punishment fits the unbelief
The men in view were not the openly violent. They were the comfortable, who assumed God would never act at all.
William Kelly"At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps." Not only those who were openly violent — no one was to escape, no class or condition. They "say in their heart, the LORD will not do good, nor will He do ill." … Therefore "their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste"; that is, they shall be struck at the very point of their unbelief. … They said the LORD would do neither good nor harm: He was a God who took His ease as they did.
Judgment as exposure
This plundering belongs to a day. When that day comes, a cry goes up from the city gates, and it exposes the thinking that made these men feel safe.
J. N. DarbyThe day of the LORD would bring a cry from the gates of Jerusalem. He would search Jerusalem as with lamps, and make plain the folly of those who denied that He would step in either for good or for evil.
Nothing overlooked, nothing excessive
The blow came through an invading army, and nothing escaped its search. Each case was measured, and no one suffered more than was due.
J. G. BellettIn this day of the Babylonian invasion, which we are looking at here with Zephaniah, everything is judged. The lamp of the Lord searches out those who are complacent, and who despise the fear of judgment. Nothing escapes. All is naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. And the Judge of all the world does right; those who have deserved many stripes get them, while others are beaten with few; for God shows no favouritism. He renders to every man according to his deeds.
The cost of disobedience
This loss was the standing cost of disobedience for an Israelite: you lose the good of your own work. It reached further than houses and vineyards.
Leslie M. GrantWhen disobedient to God, an Israelite might build a house and never live in it, or he might plant a vineyard and never enjoy its fruits. Their livestock might be slaughtered before their eyes, but not for their benefit, or livestock might be taken by force and never returned.
Money buys no way out
Losing goods is only part of it. The people caught in that day look for a way out and find none.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinWhen that day comes the wicked will perish; distress will be upon all. They will walk like blind men, that is, trying to find a way to escape, but not able to find one. Nothing will be able to deliver from the fury of that day, neither silver nor gold will be of any use.
The sentence reversed
The loss is not the last word. The same picture returns in a coming day — vineyards planted, and this time His people drink the wine.
W. T. P. Wolston"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD … I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. … I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them, says the LORD your God." Very wonderful will be the change over the face of creation, and all a testimony to Christ.
Summary
- Settled. The people judged here were not rebels. They were the comfortable, sure God would do neither good nor harm. He struck them at the very point of their unbelief.
- Searched. The lamp that searches Jerusalem exposes the folly of denying that God ever steps in. No class or condition escapes it.
- Seized. Goods, houses and vineyards go, and silver and gold buy no escape from that day. God renders to every man according to his deeds — many stripes or few.
- Sentenced. This was always what disobedience cost an Israelite: a house you never live in, a vineyard whose fruit you never taste.
- Restored. God reverses the picture in the coming day. His people plant vineyards and drink their wine, never uprooted again — all a testimony to Christ.