SETTLED ON THE LEES

“Moab hath been at ease from his youth,
and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied

from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone
into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him,
and his scent is not changed.”
(Jeremiah 48:11)
King James Version

The majority of Jeremiah’s prophesies were to Israel and Judah, but God also gave him prophecies against the surrounding kingdoms. This fulfills the ministry given to the prophet in Jeremiah 1:5-10 that calls him to be a prophet to the nations. In particular, Jeremiah prophesied against the nation of Moab. The Moabites were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Lot and his two daughters escaped God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. The daughters got their father drunk and had an incestuous relationship with him producing Moab and Ammon.
The Moabites were prosperous and arrogant. Jeremiah 48:7 says of Moab, “Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive.” The Moabites had begun with ease, continued with ease and were established in ease. They never pressed in; they were a complacent, lukewarm, passive people, as well as prideful and arrogant regarding their wealth and accomplishments. The phrase ‘settled on his lees’ alludes to wine where the husks of the grape, and other waste parts of the berry were left to settle in the bottom of the vessel. Left alone, the dregs will infect the wine with a coarse, earthy, unpleasant taste, which spoils the wine making it scarcely
drinkable. Spiritual lees could be pride, covetousness, hypocrisy, worldliness, etc. Moab was also guilty of not being poured from vessel to vessel. Once the lees have settled the remaining juice must be gently poured into another vessel. If not poured, the fermentation of the dregs will produce yeast and ruin the wine and the vessel. This can be likened to the process of sanctification in the life of the believer. The result of not being poured out (the self-life or flesh), or not being sanctified, is the taste of the old man remains the same and the scent does not change. Our lives are likened to wine. God is our wine taster. Have you settled on your lees and not allowed progressive sanctification to occur? Not only will God judge the Moabites, but Zephaniah 1:12 says, “I, the LORD, will search Jerusalem with lamps. I will punish those who are satisfied with themselves.”
Have you allowed yourself to become complacent and satisfied in your walk with God? Have you allowed God to pour you from one vessel to another? In 2 Timothy 4:6 the Apostle Paul says, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering.” Never allow yourself to be stagnant or complacent settled on the lees. But rather always yield to the pouring of God into a new vessel.