Settled on Their Lees

“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.” Zephaniah 1:12

The lees are the dregs or sediments that settle out of a liquid when it has not been disturbed. Thus, the phrase settled on their lees is an idiom that refers to something or someone who is undisturbed or at ease. God told Zephaniah that He was going to conduct a thorough search (with candles) of Jerusalem, and punish those who were at ease with the spiritual condition of the city. The Lord told Zephaniah what these people were thinking. They thought that God was not going to do anything about the sin of His people. They thought that the Lord would neither do good nor evil. This deistic attitude developed as a result of their carnal thinking and their enchantment with materialism and idolatry. They became complacent in their approach to Jehovah. They assumed that their attitudes did not matter because God was uninvolved in their lives. They believed that nothing they could say or do would cause Him to intervene. Modern day Christians are prone to fall into this kind of thinking, particularly in the areas of prayer and godly living. We may say that we believe that God answers prayer, but do we pray as though we really believe that He will? We understand that God punishes sin, but do we live like we believe that He will? The Lord is pleased when we take Him at His Word and expect Him to be involved in our lives each day.