A Life Aimed Toward God (Zechariah 7:1-7) Series

This morning, we continue our study of the book of Zechariah. Today, we find ourselves entering into a new section of Zechariah that runs from chapter 7 to chapter 8. This little section of Zechariah is often described as being a collection of prophetic sermons. It's mostly pretty straightforward, and I think we will find ourselves appreciating wrestling with something a little easier. This sermon section picks up many of the themes from the visions that we've studied, but it does so in a simpler way.

This morning we will grab Zechariah's first prophetic sermon, working through Zechariah 7:1-6. Arguably, there are two halves to this sermon, with the sermon continuing through verse 14. But there's also a break in the middle, and so it kind of makes sense to split it up. In the first half, God asks three questions, and leaves it up to Zechariah's hearers to figure out how they should answer those questions. In the second part, the Word of Yahweh comes back to Zechariah a second time, to indirectly give the answers to those questions-- just in case Zechariah's hearers are a bit dense, and can't come up with the right answer.

Let's start by reading verses 1-3:

(1) And then, in the fourth year of King Darius, the Word of Yahweh came to Zechariah on the fourth day, of the ninth month, in Kislev,

(2) and Bethel sent Sharezer, and Regem-Melech and his men, to seek favor/ask a request before the presence/face of Yahweh, (nearly the same expression in Exodus 32:11)

(3) saying to the priests who were at the house of Yahweh of Armies, [cf. Haggai 2:11-14]

and to the prophets, saying,

"Shall I weep in the fifth month [on the anniversary of the first temple's, and Jerusalem's, destruction; 2 Kings 25:1-12],

doing acts of self-denial just as I have done already for so many years?,"

The city of Bethel, which was a hotbed of apostasy and idolatry in Israel for centuries, does something remarkable in these verses. It recognizes the spiritual authority of Jerusalem-- that Jerusalem is the legitimate place of worship, that it's the place you should go to seek God's face. It also recognizes that something big is happening in Jerusalem.

At this point, the rebuilding of God's temple is coming right along. The city of Jerusalem itself is being restored-- people are returning. Prophets are active in its midst-- Haggai, and Zechariah. Other prophetic words (in Jeremiah, and Isaiah 40-55) are being fulfilled. All of this is evidence that God's favor again rests on his people in Jerusalem, and that a new age of blessing, and prosperity, is at hand (*Mark Boda). The city of Bethel sees all this happening, and they want to join in. The favor resting on Jerusalem, is something they want for themselves. They also have a question that they would like answered. Should they continue weeping in the fifth month, grieving the destruction of Jerusalem and the first temple? Should they give stuff up, denying themselves in some way, along with that?

Now, it might seem odd to us that Bethel would send representatives to priests. Why priests? We might think of priests as being the ones who would help you offer sacrifices to God. They did that, but the other part of their job was to teach and explain to people how this whole special covenant relationship with God worked. Sometimes, the OT law didn't quite explain in perfect detail what exactly God wanted from his people. What's allowed on a Sabbath, and what's not? And the OT didn't always give you specific advice, telling you exactly what God wants for you now, in your unique situation. When you find yourself unsettled about what it looks like to obey God, you really don't want to have to guess, or rely on your own best judgment. If you're unsure, God wanted you to seek a word from priests or prophets. So Bethel does really well here, in every possible way. They recognize that God is at work in Jerusalem, and that Jerusalem is being blessed with God's favor. They seek God's face in the right place. And they ask a really thoughtful question, that reflects the very different situation God's people are suddenly finding themselves in.

The reason they have to ask this, is that what they've been doing, for many, many years, is starting to seem inappropriate, given what's happening.

Should you be grieving the loss of the first temple, when Zerubbabel's making fine progress rebuilding a second temple? Should you be grieving the destruction of Jerusalem, when people are hard at work rebuilding it?

Grieving that temple, when God is hard at work, and the people are hard at work, rebuilding a new one, just seems off. Imagine having a beloved pastor who dies, or retires, and people mark the anniversary of his final sermon with grieving, and acts of self-denial. Do you keep that up, when a new pastor joins the church? Or is that kind of a confusing, maybe even ugly, thing? Is it time for history to move on, to move forward?