Zech. 7:1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;
Zech. 7:2 When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
Zech. 7:3 And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?
The time marker indicates that almost two years have elapsed since Zechariah’s night of visions of the previous chapters. At this time some men came as representatives of the people to pray before the LORD at the temple. They had a question for the priests and prophets—“Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, as we have done for so many years?” (NLT)
Guzik: “The Law of Moses only commanded one fast day, on the Day of Atonement.”
Zech. 7:4 Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
Zech. 7:5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
Zech. 7:6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
Zech. 7:7 Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
The fifth month mourned the destruction of the temple.
The seventh month marked the murder of Gedalia, the righteous governor of Judah (2Kings 25).
The LORD gives His answer through the prophet Zechariah. Again, as He often does, He frames His answer in the form of questions. (my paraphrasing)
Was this fasting and mourning done to honor me?
When you did participate in my feasts, weren’t you participating with selfish motives?
Shouldn’t you have responded to the message of My word as delivered by My faithful prophets before Jerusalem was destroyed?
These were questions meant to cause them to look into their own hearts. They were so bound by the traditions of men, that they had a hard time directing their thinking to true worship and adoration of YHWH. The fact that they totally disregarded God’s true prophets and listened instead to the false prophets declared the truth that their hearts were hard and their focus on self. Had they really changed?
Those in the church today would do well to ask themselves the same questions. We need to honestly examine our hearts and look at the motives behind what we do. Are we truly serving God or serving self or just going through the motions? We in the church must also learn to discern between true prophets and false prophets—those that teach the truth of God’s word and those that pervert its teaching. The only acceptable basis upon which to make that discernment is the truth of God’s word as set forth in the Bible. Such discernment requires that one be personally familiar with the scripture. I’m afraid that, just as in the days preceding the Babylonian captivity in Judah, more and more in the church today are giving more heed to the message of the false prophets and teachers than to the actual truth of scripture.
Guzik: “Because their hearts were not right with God, their rituals were not right before God. Everyday obedience would make their times of fasting meaningful, but their neglect of everyday obedience made their fasting hypocritical.”
Zech. 7:8 And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
Zech. 7:9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
Zech. 7:10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
God’s message for the people as delivered by Zechariah was clear:
Execute true judgment. - This would be an admonishment to be fair and unbiased; to be righteous in judgment. I truly think that the courts in America today are dominated by the almighty dollar and serve to preserve the power of the elite. Fair, unbiased and righteous judgment makes a rare appearance in our courts today.
Show mercy and compassion to your fellowman. - This is indicative of an attitude of heart. It’s doing unto others as you would have them do to you—not, do unto others as they do unto you. Our culture today is so focused on “me” and what “I” deserve. We are taught to act so as to receive in return—by example if not in word. It’s no wonder that people of today have a hard time believing in God; unconditional love is just not a reasonable concept according to today’s thinking.
Be kind to the widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. - This type of action takes the focus off self and focuses on helping those less fortunate than you. It’s giving help to those who need help. It makes you realize your own blessings and should result in praising and thanking God in light of those blessings. It’s a way of demonstrating to others the unconditional love of God.
Do not think evil things about your brother or do not think about doing evil things to your brother. - I think both would apply. Again, today’s culture is rampant with this disease of the heart. From terrorists to gangs to elitist power groups this attitude has grown to include large groups of people; it doesn’t just pertain to individual criminals anymore.
Zech. 7:11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
Zech. 7:12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
This was the same message God had consistently delivered to their forefathers through His faithful prophets—beginning with Moses.
Deuteronomy 10:16-20 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.”
Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
Jeremiah 7:5-7 “For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.”
Jeremiah 22:3 “Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.”
Hosea 12:6 “Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.”
God is declaring that He was faithful to instruct His people and warn His people and call them to repentance through the faithful message of His prophets, but the people refused to listen. Their hearts were stubborn and hard; they refused to pay attention to God’s word. It came to the point that God had to judge them in wrath for their sin.
Guzik: “When we lose our hunger for God’s word it is a sobering evidence of the progression of rejection and hardness of heart.”
Zech. 7:13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
Zech. 7:14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
The Lord gives the people a word picture—Just as the people refused to listen to My prophets as they cried out my message, so I refused to hear them when they finally pleaded for deliverance. I scattered them throughout the nations on earth. God is making it clear that although He used other nations to carry out His judgment, it was His judgment. Those nations would never have been allowed to touch “the apple of His eye” without His express empowerment. That judgment resulted in desolating the land of its people and its produce.
There is a serious warning in these verses. There comes a point when repentance is no longer an option. God’s righteousness demands judgment. Just because He is longsuffering, doesn’t mean He is any less righteous or that He is impotent. The important truth to remember is that we cannot presume on God’s patience and compassion.
Zech. 8:1 Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
Zech. 8:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
Zech. 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
All the other eight other translations that I checked, translate verse 2 in the present tense—“I am jealous….” I think the translators of the King James must have been influenced to contrast past and present due to the message of verse 3—“I am returned….” We know that God chose Zion as the place on earth to be directly connected to His name perpetually.
1Kings 9:3 “And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”
The Hebrew defines jealous as zealous, and Webster defines jealous as: “zealous; solicitous; vigilant; anxiously watchful.” In other words, God is very interested in the well being of His land and His people. When you truly want the best for those you love, you are willing to inflict judgment to turn them from wicked, harmful practices. It’s a principle that loving parents employ. God is a very attentive and faithful Father. His judgment did not mean that He had cast off His people forever. It was intended to bring about restored fellowship, and it had. He was now declaring that He had returned to Zion to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and His people.
At this point I think the main thrust of the prophecy jumps much further into the future. Jerusalem has never been known as the “city of truth” since the captivity in Babylon. Although the temple was rebuilt and functional even through Jesus’ lifetime, I’m not sure God would have described it as His holy mountain. This will, however, be true of Zion and the temple that are part of Messiah’s millennial kingdom.
Zech. 8:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
Zech. 8:5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
These verses are not descriptive of Jerusalem in the times of Zechariah or since. It is, however, a part of the description of Jerusalem during the Messiah’s Kingdom as prophesied by Isaiah.
Isaiah 65:18 & 20 “But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy….There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”
Jeremiah 30:19-20 “And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.”
Zech. 8:6 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.
The prophecy of a prosperous, peaceful and safe Jerusalem seemed almost impossible to these returned captives. To God, on the other hand, this is a sure word of prophecy. Nothing is too hard for God; He is the Creator and ultimate authority and power over His creation.
Zech. 8:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
Zech. 8:8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
When the LORD talks about bringing His people home from east and west, He is making reference to the entire planet from the reference point of Jerusalem. The implication is that all the descendants of Jacob will be brought home to Israel, and He will dwell with them physically in Jerusalem. At that time, God will be joined to His people in truth and righteousness.
Again, I believe this is looking forward to the Messianic Kingdom. It’s at that time that all the Jewish people will be brought home to Israel and will be established under the new covenant spoken of by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
I believe this is the time referenced by Paul when ALL Israel will be saved and will never again rebel against God.
Romans 11:26 “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob….”
Zech. 8:9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
Zech. 8:10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.
The LORD is calling the people to pay attention to the prophet’s message. He is encouraging them to stay strong and firm in their commitment to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD. He is reminding them that before they began rebuilding His house, they were hurting for work; and there was nothing but worry and trouble all around them. Why? Because God had caused each one to be looking out for self at the expense of his neighbor. Why? Because their priorities were wrong and they were not rebuilding the temple?
This is one of the harder concepts for me to understand. God is sovereign and ever in control even though He has given us the freedom to make our own choices. He influences those choices for the good or bad according to His purposes. He influences those choices through intervening in the weather, or providing a great environment for the growth of disease-causing bacteria, or increasing the pressure inside the earth to produce earthquakes or volcanoes, or empowering our enemies by allowing them to prosper, or a million other ways that I can’t name. The truth is that He is doing everything within His power short of force to cause us to turn to Him in faith and repentance and to get us to call out to Him for deliverance. I think the prophet Joel words it well.
Joel 2:11-13 “And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
Zech. 8:11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zech. 8:12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
Zech. 8:13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
God gave Zechariah a message to encourage and bless the people as they obeyed Him. Again, however, I think the context points more toward the future millennial kingdom.
Throughout Israel’s history they have had more sorrow than joy and more trouble than prosperity. When Messiah establishes His kingdom, Israel will truly become as numerous as the sands of the sea, the produce of the land will be abundant, and the nation will experience joy, prosperity and security as never before. Instead of always been cursed and despised among the nations, they will be blessed and desired among the nations.
“fear not, but let your hands be strong” – The first thing I thought of in association with this phrase was a verse from Galatians.
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
And then the words of Joshua: Joshua 1:9 “…Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
The Lord is exhorting His people to have faith in Him and not get discouraged by the circumstances that may come their way. He is the covenant-keeping God of Israel. His word never fails; it will accomplish its purpose.
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Zech. 8:14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:
Zech. 8:15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
Just as with the children of the wilderness generation whose parents were not allowed to enter the promised land, the LORD was giving Zechariah’s generation a fresh start in relationship to Him. Their fathers had provoked Him to wrath to the point that judgment was necessary. The LORD’s desire for this remnant generation is to bless them.
Spurgeon: “Did you notice the repetition of the exhortation, ‘Fear not,’ and then again, ‘Fear ye not’? The Lord knows how much mischief doubts and fears do to his people, and therefore many a time, in Scripture, he aims a blow at them. ‘Fear nots’ abound in Scripture; it would be well if you made every one of them into a gallows-tree upon which to hang your unbelief until it died.”
Zech. 8:16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
Zech. 8:17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
God is faithful to again instruct them as to how to live and reap His blessings. They should embrace the same truths that were proclaimed to their forefathers by the prophets.
Always tell the truth.
Exercise righteous judgment based on truth to promote peace.
Do not think evil thoughts about or plan evil acts against your neighbor.
Do not swear falsely.
I couldn’t help but think of the following section in Proverbs.
Proverbs 6:16-19 "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
I believe these verses in Zechariah address each of these things specifically except pride, and that is included since it is only through pride that we choose to disobey God in the first place.
Zech. 8:18 And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying,
Zech. 8:19 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.
According to the commentaries, these fasts were reminders of sad days in their history.
4th month on the 9th of Tammuz – Jerusalem’s walls were breached by Babylon.
5th month – The temple was destroyed.
7th month – Gedalia was murdered (cf 7:5).
10th month – Babylon began the siege of Jerusalem.
The LORD is declaring that these days would become joyful feast days for the people of Judah if they would follow Him in faith and obedience. Therefore—let that be a motivation for you to value truth and peace in your relationship with Me and your fellowman.
Zech. 8:20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
Zech. 8:21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
Zech. 8:22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
These verses are speaking of a time when the people of many nations will come to seek the LORD in Jerusalem, and to pray before Him. Other prophets also speak of this time, and it is obviously yet future. It is descriptive of the Messiah’s Kingdom.
Isaiah 2:2-4 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
Jeremiah 3:17 “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.”
Micah 4:1 “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Zech. 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Though despised throughout the last 2000+ years, Israel will one day be blessed and valued among the nations. During Messiah’s Kingdom, the people of other nations will seek friends among the Jews. God’s blessing upon the Jews will be so obvious that others will conclude that there is blessing in just being near them.
“even shall take the skirt…” – I couldn’t help but think of the scripture regarding the woman with an issue of blood that knew that if she could but touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed.
Matthew 9:19-21 “And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.”
This pictures how the peoples of the nations will feel about their association with the Jews—not because of who they are, but because of the fact that “God is with you.”
Ironside: “When the people of God, in any age, are going on in happy fellowship with their Lord and Saviour, the unsaved will be attracted to Him, and will be found seeking out His disciples, saying, ‘We would see Jesus.’”