Zechariah 7: 1 – 14
The Real Heart Of The Matter
1 Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, 2 when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the LORD, 3 and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? 6 When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’” 8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’ 11 “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. 12 Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. 13 Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts. 14 “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”
I have put together a couple of Proverbs of my own. Let’s see if you can figure them out, then I will tell you my answer.
#1 Do not give anyone the fuel to burn you
You do not volunteer information that people can use against you. As the bible says in these passages;
Proverbs 23: 9, ‘Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.’
James 1: 19, ‘So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;’
#2 Problems that you have with other people are usually the result of some other person or situation.
When a person blows up on you it usually isn’t your fault. Probably, someone or some other incident upset them. You just happen to be the wrong person at the wrong time coming into contact with them. I considered these Scriptures;
Job 8: 2, ‘So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;’
Job 35: 16, ‘Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.”
Psalm 19: 14, ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.’
Psalm 36:3, ‘The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.’
There are more verses but I think you got the point. You might be asking yourselves why am I speaking about this? Well, in a way it covers some of the thoughts that chapter 7 of Zechariah brings out. We are going to discuss some questions that the people are going to ask God. However, what are the thoughts behind the questions are the true points to be uncovered.
In the last chapter we had studied the prophecies about our Messiah The Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the returning exiles brought silver and gold for the crown of the high priest Joshua. He was a symbol or forerunner for the future BRANCH, the Mighty Joshua, Who translated from Greek to Hebrew is the name above all names – our Lord ‘Jesus’ They had the right heart. We are going to study a group of people in chapter 7 who had the wrong heart or motives. The first group revealed hearts of faith and hope. The second group revealed hearts that were seeking self-aggrandizement and satisfaction.
In the Gospel of Luke we have run into two unique individuals who had the wrong thinking. One was innocent the other should have known better. Please look with me at chapter 1, 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.’
Zacharias was a priest. He knew from his studies of the sacred Torah that Abraham and Sarah conceived when it was impossible according to human standards. He should have known that with God all things are possible. His question posed a lack of faith in the power of Almighty God to grant him and his wife Elizabeth a child. On the other hand Mary was asking a simple question in regards to how could she have a baby when there was no man involved in the process. The outcome was that Zacharias was disciplined while Mary was encouraged.
1 Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev.
We now have skipped two years since the visions. The fourth year of king Darius’s reign was in 518 BC. The returning exiles had lived in Babylon for 70 years and they were use to Babylonian language, culture, and ways. The month Chislev is the ninth month of the year which is our November/December.
2 when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the LORD, 3 and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”
There are some words we refer to as oxymorons - for example; Jumbo shrimp, a little pregnant, a fine mess, accurate estimate, arms limitation, and a new classic. I am sure you can add a few of your own. If somebody used the term, ‘honest Sam’s’, what would be your reaction? The guy is probably a thief. We read in the bible the name of Jerusalem means the city of peace. I do not think this city ever had peace. It will have peace, some day, when its king, the Prince of Peace comes. For now, though, it is a cup of trembling. Why do I mention these thoughts? Yes, because it is because it has reference to what we are studying. The emphasis of the reference, ‘to the house of God’ means Bethel. Those from the ‘house of God’ came to the seek answers at ‘the house of God’. If your have ever been in church leadership, you would understand how so many bizarre questions are asked. How about these;
1. Where did Adam get his wife?
2. Can you lose your salvation?
3. What was Peter’s wife’s name?
4. What about dinosaurs?
5. Are people held responsible who have never heard the Gospel message?
The people while in exile were holding fasts and came to inquirer if they should continue them. There was only one fast in which our Holy Lord God told the Israelites to keep and that was on Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement. The people added these additional days as days of fasting;
1. On the 4th month the people mourned the capture of Jerusalem by Babylon. We find this out in the book of Daniel chapter 1, 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
2. On the 5th month [July/August] the people mourned the burning of the city of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple as told to us by the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 52,’ 12 Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. 17 The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the bowls, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 19 The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 20 The two pillars, one Sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under it, and the carts, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD—the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 21 Now concerning the pillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, a measuring line of twelve cubits could measure its circumference, and its thickness was four fingers; it was hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar, with pomegranates was the same. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates, all around on the network, were one hundred.’
3. The 7th month the Israelites established a fast in honor of the murder of Gedaliah. In the book of Jeremiah chapter 41 we read, 1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah. 2 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.”
4. On the 10th month the Jews fasted for the recognition of the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. We find this situation out from the book of Daniel chapter 1 which I have listed above.
4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? 6 When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’”
We mentioned the fact about how everything here shows the intention behind the words, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me?’ Do you see what our Lord did here? This rhetorical question from our Holy Lord was designed to confront both the regular citizen and the priests’ hearts. Our Holy Lord had only required one day to fast and that was on the Day of Atonement as instructed by our Holy Master in Leviticus chapter 16, 29 “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. 32 And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; 33 then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.’
The people needed to take a hard look at themselves and see that fasting was self-centered. They had lost the right reason of fasting and that was for a desire to have a loving relationship with their Holy Maker. The prophet informed them that they had been fasting without a proper attitude of repentance or worship. Everything they did was for show or for fulfilling tradition. They did not think of how they and their ancestors had sinned against their Holy Master which caused their exile.
How about you? Please take a hard look at yourself. Are the things you are doing for the right reasons? Do you serve, worship, or live for the wrong reasons and attitudes? Our Holy Father says that doing these things with the wrong attitude will end badly. Probably, the scariest Scripture is in the Book of Matthew chapter 7 which says, 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
If you are like me then the first thing you need to do is ask, “Lord, please instruct me to do what is necessary and right in Your eyes.’ So He says,
8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’
Our Holy Father informed them that acts of mercy and justice were more important that fasting. This was because it not only cost them something but they had to plan, seek, and do good for their fellow man. First of all they had to ‘execute true justice’. Judicial decisions were to be made without partiality or bias. Do you know what the opposite of Justice is? – Compromise. Our Holy Ruler is Just and Righteous to us. Should we not conduct our social dealings similarly? :Look at what our Holy King says through the prophet Isaiah chapter 1, 16 “ Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “ Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’
Our Precious Adoni Yahweh also says for us to, ‘show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother.’ Pure love should be the driving force in our thoughts and actions towards others. Failure to allow the love of the Lord motivate us develops a judgmental attitude. The prophet Micah in chapter 6 has informed us what our Holy Jehovah Roi – The Lord our Shepherd wants – ‘8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’
He also takes notice of how we treat others,’ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.’ We are to help the less fortunate not take advantage of them. Look at some of these passages to get the right point from our God;
Psalm 72, ‘4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor.’
Isaiah 1: 17 ‘, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.’
Exodus 22, 22 “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24 and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.’
The people of Israel and us develop indifferent attitudes. When we see someone in need, we think that it is someone else’s responsibility to help them out. Some things that bug me are when I have someone walk into church and ask for help. Now, I do not mind helping anyone, but the thing that bothers me is this. The person will say that a friend of theirs told them to just go to the church for a loan. I will ask what is the name of the person who sent you. Then I will call the person and ask them what they did to help the person. Usually they say that they just told them to go show up at church for help. Do you see what I am getting at? If our God has placed this person in need in a Christian’s life then they need to do something also, even if it is something small, like bringing the person to church themselves, giving them some food or other necessities themselves. Do you see my point.? The work of the ministers is the equipping the saints to go and do for their fellow man, not for the church to be the First National Bank.
Then Almighty Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness informs us to avoid evil in our hearts, ‘let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’ Our Lord knows our very thoughts yet alone our acts. Our Loving Father will deal with any evil scheming seriously.
11 “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. 12 Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. 13 Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts. 14 “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”
Sadly all the Lord’s discipline, encouragement, and instructions were all in vain. Look at the indifference acts of the people to His Loving analysis of their conditions. First of all they, ‘But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.’ The people refused to listen. Look at what they did, ‘ they shrugged their shoulders’. In other words they all had flat foreheads and bad postures. Our God has asked them meaningful questions. They just shrugged their shoulders in not knowing the answers. When told they smacked their foreheads like they knew the answers and didn’t come up with or apply. When they were asked what they had heard , they stopped up their ears in order not to hear the truth. We see this happen when confronted by the martyr Stephen in the book of Acts chapter 7, 54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.’
Please notice also that they resisted what our Lord had said, . ‘12 Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets.’ To be adamant like flint is that you cannot engrave or pierce. Other words nothing of importance or the truth can penetrate. That is how hard their hearts had become.
As we become hardened, each repetition of sin is easier. Ignoring or just plain refusing our Holy Father’s warnings just harden us each time we sin. We need to be doers of His Word, not just hearers. If we do what is right then instead of becoming hardened, we become more sensitive and submissive to the choices that infiltrate our lives. The end result is success not hardship.
So, since they had let themselves become hardened, then look at the wrath that resulted, ‘ Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. 13 Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts. 14 “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known.’ Our Lord replies to them, that since they did not listen to Him, then He would not listen to them when they cried out for help and relief.
Lastly look at how all this rebellion affects the land, ‘Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.” A land that flowed with milk and honey now became a desolate wasteland. So also, does this occur in our own lives.
How do we turn this around? The book of 2 Chronicles chapter 7 should be ever on our lips and hearts, ‘14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’ Please forgive us dear Lord and help us walk in Your Holy Ways.
