Zechariah 7:1-14
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;
2 When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to praya before the LORD,
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?
4 Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
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?
6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
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?
8 And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Executeb true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
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.
11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
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 byc the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
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:
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 pleasantd land desolate.
A Question Answered Negatively
(vv. 1-7)
The visions and prophecies of the first six Chapter s are connected with the eighth month of the second year of the reign of Darius (Zechariah 1:1). It is two years later when the question ofZechariah 7:3 arises. In this chapter the Lord answers the question negatively, and gives the positive answer in Zechariah 8:1.
The question is asked by men sent to the house of the Lord from Bethel (JND). They had been sent to pray and to ask the priests and prophets in Jerusalem, "Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?" The fast of the fifth month was in memory of the destruction of the first temple. Now the temple was being rebuilt (it was finished within two years after this: Ezra 6:15), was it necessary to continue this fast?
Bethel was one of the two centers where Jeroboam set up his idolatrous worship (1 Kings 12:28) when he separated the ten tribes from Judah and Benjamin. The Assyrian took the ten tribes into captivity before the temple was destroyed (2 Kings 17:6), yet here we find men of Bethel who were mourning the destruction of Jerusalem's temple. It is good to see this evidence of their being drawn back to Judah and the center of worship that God had established in Israel. God's temple now meant enough to them that they were mourning over its destruction, and were glad to see it being rebuilt.
The Lord answered this question through Zechariah. The answer was addressed not only to those who asked the question, but to all the people of the land, and to the priests particularly, who were commonly the representatives of the people. Yet the question is only partially answered in this chapter: the positive side of the answer awaitsZechariah 8:1. The answer begins (v. 5) in the form of another question, "When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months, during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me - for Me?" The Lord adds a fast in the seventh month, which was another fast in memory of the murder of Gedaliah by Ishmael (Jeremiah 41:1). The Lord makes it a serious question as to whether these fasts were out of concern for His glory or whether Israel had selfish motives. On the other hand also, when instead of fasting they ate and drank, were they not doing this entirely for themselves and not eating and drinking to the glory of God? Whether or not the fasts had begun with proper motives, they did not continue that way. They had degenerated into mere formal and selfish observations, just as later on we read of "the Jews' Passover" (John 2:13) and "the Jews' feast of Tabernacles" (John 7:2), though these had been called "the feasts of the Lord" when instituted inLeviticus 23:4.
In verse 7 the Lord reminds Israel that He had spoken by the prophets in this same way to the nation before the captivity took place "when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous." Isaiah's prophecy is most pointed in this matter (Isaiah 58:3). He wrote in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, previous to Judah's captivity. They had before ignored God's messages and suffered for it. Let them take a warning that they may rightly respond now!
A FURTHER MESSAGE FROM GOD
(vv. 8-14)
The message from verses 4-7 has been one of serious reproof. The Lord gives another message beginning with verse 8, this time adding exhortation as to the proper attitude to accompany fasting, while showing that this attitude had been lacking in Israel. As a result the people were scattered among the nations.
If their fast was honestly for God, then they would show it in their attitude toward others. They would execute true judgment, being fairminded in their dealings, which would require showing mercy and compassion. They are told not to oppress the widow. Unscrupulous people will take cruel advantage of a widow's lack of knowledge as to business matters. The fatherless, the strangers and the poor also are in a position that leaves them vulnerable to such people. Yet this is negative: the New Testament goes much further than this, as for example Galatians 6:10, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all." We surely ought not merely to refrain from doing evil, but should positively do good.
Israel had refused to listen to God's prophets, but closed their ears against the truth of God's Word (v. 11). They had deliberately made their hearts as hard as a rock, so the law of God would make no impression, nor His Word sent by His Spirit through the prophets. For this reason the great wrath of God burned against them (v. 12).
Just as God cried loudly to Israel but they would not listen, so when at last they cry out in distress when suffering the results of their rebellion, so God said He would not listen (v. 13). Rather, in His righteous government, He scattered them from their land among many nations where they were strangers (v. 14). Since they did not want God, He put them in the company of those who did not know God, that they might learn by experience the bitterness of being away from the kindness and care of their faithful Creator. Their land was left desolate as an awesome governmental judgment from God, with not even travelers passing through it. This was true during the 70 years of captivity and has since been repeated when Israel rejected the Lord Jesus when He came in grace. Now, after many centuries, God is showing mercy in many returning to the land with the nation of Israel firmly established.
The negative side of the answer of God thus emphasizes that Israel had not learned to take to heart the significance of their fasting. Therefore they are not told to cease their fasting, for despite the little apparent revival God had given them, they had not learned the self-judgment God was seeking to teach them.