Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Zephaniah 1 ends in total loss: wealth that cannot buy safety, and a land swallowed by fire. The verse raises two hard questions. What is this "day of the wrath of the LORD"? And how far does it reach?
The day of the Lord
This last verse names the day the whole chapter has been building toward. One commentator separates it from "the day of Christ" and marks what it always means in Scripture:
William KellyIt is "the day of Christ" that more directly affects a Christian. "The day of the LORD" in Scripture always deals with the world. It deals with living people and their works on the earth, and at last with the frame and elements of the universe itself... Nothing can be plainer. It is a matter of judgment, and judgment on the world where people live.
The same writer says Zephaniah's whole message turns on that day, and that people have never liked hearing it:
William KellyIs he not clearly taken up from first to last with the day of the LORD on Jerusalem?... God's judgment must clear away every offence, so that righteousness by grace may flourish. Few truths offend the proud and lawless Christian world more than the Lord's unexpected dealing with the living... If the LORD must judge His people, all the world must bow; no nation can escape.
Silver and gold cannot buy safety
Money is the one thing that has always worked. The verse says it stops working. A comment on this chapter puts it bluntly:
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 avail anything.
Riches are not worthless — they are worthless then. Writing on Proverbs, one commentator marks the exact boundary of what wealth can do, and names what takes its place:
William KellyRiches cannot turn away or hold back God's displeasure, however much they may shield and rescue a person in man's day. "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."
The fire of His jealousy
The fire here is not a loss of temper. God is jealous because His love will not share:
C. H. MackintoshHe is a consuming fire, because He is holy. He will not put up with evil, and must burn away what is worthless in us. He is also jealous because He will not allow any rival a place in the hearts of those He loves. He must have the whole heart, because He alone is worthy of it, and He alone can fill and satisfy it forever.
Many people split the God of love from the God of wrath. One writer holds them together, and traces where God's jealousy comes from:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinGod's jealousy has its source in His love for His chosen people... He is jealous over His people, so that they will not serve other gods. And because He is a jealous God, a holy God who hates sin, He must punish whatever is against His character... God is the God of Love as much as He is the God of Wrath. He must be that or He would not be the God of Light and Holiness. He cannot afford to let evil go on forever.
How far the fire reaches
Commentators differ over how far this fire reaches. Older translations read the verse as "the whole land," and one writer takes that to mean Judah:
J. N. DarbyThe whole land should be devoured by the fire of His jealousy. We have here the whole land — Jerusalem and Judah — judged in the great day of God.
Another reads it wider, and points to the rest of the book as evidence:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe land does not mean only Israel's land; it means the earth... The great day comes upon men everywhere (1:17); it is universal (2:4-15); all the isles of the nations are mentioned (2:11).
Why the end is a swift one
The chapter ends with a clean sweep, and the reason lies further back — man's sin had reached beyond himself:
Other AuthorsHe had dragged in even the animals, the birds and the fish. His sin had defiled the whole creation. There was nothing left but for God's judgment to remove him from the scene that Christ is to fill. And so God will make "a full and sudden end... of all the inhabitants of the earth."
The door left open
The sweep is total, yet one door stays open. Summarising the whole book, one writer traces its arc from judgment to comfort:
William KellyHe lets the righteous see ("it may be you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger") that, since it is the day of the LORD, no one should escape... He ends with the richest comfort for the godly remnant. They are called to wait for the LORD until He carries out His sentence on the gathered kingdoms. Then He delivers His people, now poor and meek, rejoices over Zion, and rests in His love.
Summary
- Cause — rivalry. God names the fire after His jealousy, because He will not share the hearts He loves with any rival.
- Currency — worthless. Silver and gold shield a man in man's day; in God's day they buy nothing.
- Substitute — righteousness. What wealth cannot do, righteousness does: it delivers from death.
- Reach — total. Commentators differ on whether "the land" means Judah or the whole earth. Either way, no nation escapes.
- Result — a cleared scene. Sin had defiled creation itself. Judgment clears the scene for Christ to fill, and the poor and meek find comfort and shelter in that day.