Zechariah 7
Zechariah 7:1-3 The people of Bethel (the house of God) send messengers to ask the priests of the house of the Lord (Beth YHWH) if they should fast the fifth month.
Zechariah 7:4-7 The word of the Lord was a reproach phrased as a rhetorical question. When they fasted and when they feasted, was it for the Lord or for themselves? Jesus reproached those who fasted to be seen by others in the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 6:16-18) They have their reward in full. It must be done before God, in secret, for God to see it in secret. The point of fasting is to turn our hearts to God, which can also happen through feasting (as at the Lord’s supper). We don’t hear His voice when we disobey Him (other than the conviction of the Holy Spirit). There is also a distinction between a heartfelt seeking of God, and Pharisaical legalism.
Zechariah 7:8-14 The Lord spoke through Zechariah the commands they already had regarding judgmentalism and treatment of society’s disadvantaged. They knew these commands, but ignored them. Comparing their hearts to flint indicates no hope of repentance (flint being one of the hardest naturally occurring materials), and the Lord Almighty was very angry. He called out to them, but they ignored Him and His prophets. Hence, the judgment resulted in the diaspora and the desolation of the land of Israel. Asking if they should fast ignored the fact that they had ignored His commands and His pleading through the prophets. It wouldn’t do any good to fast unless they were ready to obey Him. They can’t buy God’s indulgence through fasting. And so with us … going to church and tithing and singing in the choir won’t help our position with Jesus unless we turn our hearts to Him in obedience.
Zechariah 8
Zechariah 8:1 There are ten separate statements of what the Lord Almighty says through Zechariah.
- Zechariah 8:2 The Lord burns with jealousy for Zion.
- Zechariah 8:3 The Lord will dwell in Jerusalem. It will be so blessed that others will call it the faithful city and the mountain of the Lord will be called the holy mountain.
- Zechariah 8:4-5 Jerusalem will be so blessed that old people will sit along the streets and watch boys and girls playing in the street. Pretty remarkable when we think of most major cities today being so dangerous that neither of these things would happen. Not to mention that automobiles driven by angry drivers could injure or kill them. But God burns with jealousy for Zion.
- Zechariah 8:6 Will it seem marvelous to the remnant who return to be blessed because they don’t deserve it (God’s love and blessing), or will it seem marvelous to them just because of how wonderful it is. Rhetorically, God asks if it will be marvelous to Him.
- Zechariah 8:7-8 He knows the depths of His forgiveness, and He knows His power to redeem the lost, and to bless.
- Zechariah 8:9-13 The Lord elaborates - the remnant should be strong in the confidence that the Lord will not deal with them as He did with their predecessors. They suffered because they rejected Him and His ways, they were poor and in danger and in conflict with each other. But He will bless the remnant who return and build the temple. He will bless their crops and provide abundant moisture. Going further, as He blesses them, He expects them to be a blessing to others. Although they had been viewed as a remnant cursed by God during the diaspora, when they are strong for Him, this will bless others.
- Zechariah 8:14-17 The Lord has made up His mind to do good for Jerusalem and Judah. This is what it will look like. They will speak the truth to each other, and seek and administer justice. They will not conspire to do evil and will not swear falsely. Jesus went beyond this on the Sermon on the Mount, telling His listeners not to swear at all. (Matthew 5:33-37) But in court, one takes an oath - Jesus’ point is that if you always tell the truth, you shouldn’t need to take an oath because the truth speaks for itself. (John 14:6)
- Zechariah 8:18-19 Truth and Justice permeating society brings peace. The official religious holy days prescribed by Moses become celebrations of God’s goodness. Hence, their faith is practiced both in daily relationship with Him, and in religious rites that honor Him. When they fast physical food, it is to feast on God and His presence. As should still be the case when we fast today!
- Zechariah 8:20-22 The Lord’s blessing on the Jews will be so widely known that other nations from around the world will come to Israel to seek the Lord’s presence.
- Zechariah 8:23 As Jesus would later say, they will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. People will plead with them for the privilege of going with them to be in the Lord’s presence. Does that characterize our faith-life today?
The blessings that the Lord gives to people and communities that live a life of faith in, obedience to, and fellowship with Him do make others jealous. They say things to the effect of obviously we can worship God be cause our lives are so blessed. This reverses cause and effect. But even Satan, who fully understood God’s love and holiness, wanted autonomy - to be able to decide right and wrong for himself. That’s what free will is, for angels and humans. We are free to choose what we want. But we don’t have the power to make bad things produce good fruit. Sowing and reaping is built into existence. Wanting cause and effect to be eliminated simply makes no sense, just as trying to repeal the laws of physics. The Lord’s appeal to us, to everyone, is to recognize the eternal realities of His ways and live accordingly, so that we can reap the blessings that logically follow.
