Zechariah 8
January 29
Reading: Zechariah 8
1 And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, 2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.
3 "Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain.
4 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.
6 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts?
7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness."
9 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the LORD of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong."
14 "For thus says the LORD of hosts: As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD."
18 And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 19 "Thus says 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 seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.
20 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.
23 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
Ten times in Zechariah 8 we read these words, “This says the Lord of Hosts.” God has something to say to His people and He is speaking as the commander of the angelic armies. The point is clear: His people had better listen.
What does it mean that God is jealous for His people? (vss. 1-2) This ought to remind us of commands like Exodus 20:5.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
God wants His people to worship Him and Him alone. He is angry when we do otherwise.
In Zechariah 8:3-13, the Lord is promising to bring blessing for His people, in spite of their history of rebellion, in spite of their disobedience, in spite of their arrogance in ignoring Him. He is promising restoration, prosperity, salvation, and peace. He concludes, “Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” God is so merciful.
In verses 14-18 the Lord is telling His people that, in light of this promised future blessing, those to whom He is speaking ought to live in obedience to Him. They must care for one another and celebrate God’s feast days with joy, rather than performing religious duties to impress God and people.
In verses 19-23 the Lord explains that, as they will someday reflect the joy and blessing of God, the people of the nations who do not know the Lord will come to them seeking God.
Human beings the world over, including you and I, tend to see religion as being about us, how we can get from God and others what we want by doing the things that we are supposed to. This is religion as transaction. It is wrong. True religion is about God, how we can live according to His will so that He can get what He wants in us.