Lesson: Zechariah 7:8-14
Golden Text: “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 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” (Zehariah 7:9-10).
INTRODUCTION. When we hear the word justice, it most often brings to mind making sure evildoers get what’s coming to them. Of course, that’s part of it, but mainly, justice relates to moral rightness and fairness. This is what God demanded of the returning exiles to their homeland in our text: that they “Execute true judgment” (see Zechariah 7:9). In other words, we are to pursue and promote genuine justice by being fair in the way we treat each other. This week’s lesson has to do with how the Jewish exiles had to live after they returned to Jerusalem, having finished their term of punishment from the Lord. The period of punishment, discipline, and exile was not easy to bear, but they still had to be reminded of the errors of their ancestors so that they could avoid repeating them. As Zechariah called God’s people back to Him, justice was at the forefront of his message.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON. After seventy years in captivity (see Jeremiah 29:18), the first return of the exiles took place in about 538 B.C. in the first year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia. The Persians had defeated the Babylonians in 539 B.C. and Cyrus decreed that captives in exiles could return to their homelands (see Ezra 1:1-11). Zechariah and Haggai were among the first group to leave. Zechariah was both a priest and a prophet, and began to minister in Judah at the same time as Haggai between 520 and 518 B.C. Both prophets encouraged the returning exiles to rebuild the temple. In the fourth year of King Darius’ reign, a group of people were sent to the temple to pray about whether they should continue fasting as they had practiced it while in Captivity (see Zechariah 7:1-2). They also consulted with the priests about this matter asking “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?” (see Zechariah 7:3). In other words, they asked the priests and prophets whether they must continue their traditional custom of fasting and mourning during the month of August each year, as they had been doing for so long. For the previous 70 years of captivity, the people had been holding a fast in August to remember the destruction of Jerusalem (see II Kings 25:8-10). The fast that they were referring to was wholly of their own will and was not commanded by the Law, or directly by God. No doubt that when they began to recognize this fast each year while in captivity, there was sincere contrition. However, since they had returned to their homeland, this fast had become simply a ritual. So the people began to wonder if they needed to continue to keep it. Then the Lord came to Zechariah again saying “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? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?” (see Zechariah 7:5-6, The Living Bible Version). Since returning home, the people had continued rituals which included fasting twice a year in the fifth and the seventh months (see Zechariah 7:5). God had not ordained these fasts. They were for their own benefit and had no spiritual meaning. Therefore God continued to say “Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’” (see Zechariah 7:7, The NIV). Then the Lord spoke again to Zechariah describing what He had said to His people through the earlier prophets. This is where our lesson begins.
III. AN OPPORTUNITY FROM GOD (Zechariah 7:8-10)
A. A word from God (Zechariah 7:8). Our first verse says “And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying.” This statement was to assure Zechariah that “the word” or message he was about to hear was coming directly from “the Lord.” The message God was about to give to Zechariah was to remind this present generation who had returned to their homeland, what caused the previous generation to be carried into captivity, and what He expected these returning exiles to do to avoid it happening again. Note: Twice the prophet wrote that the word of the Lord had come to him, here and in verse 4. That the word came from God is assurance that the Lord Himself sent the messages. We have that same assurance of His messages to us in the knowledge that the Bible is God’s Word and was given by inspiration, intended for our understanding of doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (see II Timothy 3:16). It’s our means of spiritual growth and maturity (see II Timothy 3:17).
B. What God wanted from the previous generation (Zechariah 7:9-10).
1. (vs. 9). This verse goes on to say “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother.” Zechariah was to speak to God’s people beginning with “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying” so that the people would know that the prophet’s message was not his, but it came directly from “the Lord of hosts.” The word “hosts” means armies and refers to His power. God has armies of angels under His command ready to intervene on behalf of His people (see II Kings 6:15-17). Like the previous generation, the people had been hypocritical in their worship that they had established while in captivity, so God wanted to remind them of what He really wanted. The Lord was more concerned about their heart condition and how they treated others than He was about their formal religious activity. Fasting was part of their religious activity, but God wanted external actions that demonstrated a heart that was right with Him. Therefore, first God said that He wanted them to “Execute true judgment.” The word “judgment” means “justice.” God had commanded His people before the Captivity to perform genuine justice, and now He expected the same actions from the present generation. He expected them to do what is right and fair. Isaiah described this behavior when he wrote: “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (see Isaiah 1:17). All people deserve true justice. God also expected His people to “shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother.” This means that God requires us to demonstrate an inner attitude of loving kindness that replaces selfishness. “Mercy” is giving others what they don’t deserve. It’s demonstrated by a forgiving and loving spirit. The Hebrew word translated “mercy” is chesed, a word that speaks of the loyal, covenant love that God has for His people. The Lord had been merciful to His people time and time again, so mercy reflects the character of the true God (see Psalms 136:1-16). He expects no less from us (see Luke 10:30-37). The word “compassion” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to have pity” (see Psalms 103:13; Micah 7:19). It has the idea of relieving one from difficulty. In scripture, it’s often used in place of the word “mercy.” The Lord expected “mercy” and “compassions” to be demonstrated to “every man to his brother.” In other words, no one was to be left out. This is seen in the next verse. This is basically the same message God gave to those who were in Judah just before the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and took the people captive (see Jeremiah 7:5).
2. (vs. 10). In this verse, the Lord continued to describe what He expected from His people, and to identify those to whom mercy and compassion was to be shown. He said “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.” This was also another reminder to this new generation of what God had told those who were eventually taken captive (see Jeremiah 7:6). Here the Lord declared that He expected His people to “oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor.” These people were the disadvantaged and weak, so they needed justice, mercy and compassion. God also said “and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” In other words, no evil was ever to be planned or carried out against the widow, the orphans, or the poor. They were the disadvantaged and weak so God said to treat them as a “brother in your heart” meaning they were to be treated like members of their own families for whom they had special concern.
IV. A SCATTERING FROM GOD (Zechariah 7:11-14)
A. What the previous generation did (Zechariah 7:11-12). As we have already noted, in the context of this lesson God is describing the behavior of the former generations (see Zechariah 7:7). God was reminding this new generation not to act like their ancestors.
1. (vs. 11). After telling this new generation what He had expected from their ancestors, in this verse God described what they did in response to Him. He said “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.” The Lord commanded the previous generation to execute justice, show mercy and compassion, and care for the disadvantaged (see Zechariah 7:9-10), “But they refused to hearken.” God didn’t want this new generation of Jews to repeat the behavior of those who ended up in captivity (see Jeremiah 11:10). The Hebrew word for “hearken” is qashab and it literally means “to prick up, or raise up the ears” so as to pay attention to what is being said. But they were not paying attention. It’s quite possible to hear something being said without paying attention. God’s people chose to ignore Him, thus being disobedient. However, when “hearken” is used of the relationship of men to God as it is here, it means to hear and obey. The former generation adamantly “refused” to obey God’s commands and He described their refusal to obey in graphic terms. First, they “pulled away the shoulder.” In other words, they turned a stubborn shoulder toward the Lord like an animal that fights against a yoke (see Nehemiah 9:29). Today, we might see this as shrugging of the shoulders indicating a don’t care attitude. Second, the people “stopped their ears, that they should not hear.” This describes a person placing their hands intentionally over their ears so they won’t be able to hear what the prophets were saying. This pictures God’s people doing everything they could to keep from hearing the warnings God gave through His prophets.
2. (vs. 12). In this verse, God continued to say “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.” The word “Yea” is used here to further confirm the people’s refusal to hear. It means “yes.” God said, yes, “they made their hearts as an adamant stone.” This further indicates how hard their hearts had turned toward God. The Lord said that they “made” their hearts like stone or hard rocks. In other words, they intentionally hardened their hearts against God “lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets.” They didn’t want to hear God’s “law” meaning His teachings, because it wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They only wanted the prophets to prophesy good things (see Jeremiah 5:12-13, 31; 6:13-14) not judgment. The phrase “the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets” refers to the many messages of warnings that had been given by the prophets of old. These messages were given to the prophets by God’s spirit. The Lord’s power to do this is expressed with the words “the Lord of hosts” or the Lord of armies. God gave His people messages that if obeyed would allow them to remain in the land, but they refused to listen and ignored them (see Jeremiah 7:3). Note: This description of an unwilling to listen people no doubt is etched in the memory of every parent who at one time or another has seen the same behavior in his or her child, especially during the teenage years, or what I like to call “the stupid years, 13-19.” There are those exasperating times when the child turns and walks away, shrugging their shoulders and saying that they don’t want to hear what the parent has to say. The child has reached the point that he wants to run his own life and not be told what to do any longer. But as every parent knows, this requires some type of disciplinary action. Because of their unwillingness to hear and obey God’s law and words from the prophets, God said “therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.” Just as a parent must render some type of discipline to a disobedient child, God does the same thing. The former generation of Jews had hardened their hearts against His words which had come through His Spirit ministering through the prophets. God simply couldn’t stand by and let them get away with that, so the judgments He warned about came to pass. Zechariah described God’s response as “a great wrath.” Note: It was a rage coming from God against those who dared to presume that He could be ignored. The Bible is clear about the fact that God means what He says (see Numbers 11:23; 23:19; I Kings 8:56). The Lord’s refusal to force His will on His people allowed them to make their own choice, but when the wrong choice was made, the consequences followed. No less will happen to Christians today if we fail to obey God’s Word. God’s anger was shown against His people by sending them into Babylonian Captivity for 70 years (see Jeremiah 25:11: Zechariah 7:5) as He had promised. Even though it is given to Israel, the principle holds true for all of God’s people: blessings come with obedience and curses come with disobedience (see Deuteronomy 28:1-62).
B. What God did (Zechariah 7:13-14).
1. (vs. 13). In this verse the Lord said “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.” Zechariah declared that as a result of the former generation’s disobedience, it came to pass “that as he (God) cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear.” The pronoun “he” refers to God, “the Lord of hosts” who “cried” or yelled out to His people seeking to draw them back to Himself. But they ignored Him “and they would not hear.” Since they wouldn’t hear the “Lord of hosts,” God said “so they cried, and I would not hear.” In other words, He refused to hear and deliver them. After repeated warnings over a long period of time, their destruction came. Then they cried to God, begging for deliverance, but because they had refused to listen to Him for so long, He had determined not to hear them, and that the time for punishment had come. Truly, we are in a very bad situation when God refuses to hear us. But if it happened to disobedient Israel, it will certainly happen to believers today (see Psalms 66:18). Note: There is a similar message for us today in Proverbs 1:20-23 where wisdom is personified as a woman calling to people to listen to her words of instruction. She promises that if they respond she will help them understand. But there are serious consequences when wisdom is ignored. Proverbs 1:24-32 describes how wisdom will turn away when she is refused and then sought during desperate situations. As we know, the words of God cannot be ignored without repercussion. Wisdom speaks as if she were God offering divine counsel saying in Proverbs 1:24-30 “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.”
2. (vs. 14). In our final verse, God says “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.” Instead of hearing the cries or prayers of the former generation, God said “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not.” The Lord was telling this new generation who had returned from captivity that their ancestors had reached the point that He would no longer respond to them. Therefore, He scattered them as if it was done by a whirlwind among “nations whom they knew not” or never knew. The northern kingdom of Israel was scattered by the Assyrians, and of course the southern kingdom of Judah was scattered by the Babylonians. The result of this scattering or dispersion of Israel was “the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned.” In other words, after God removed them from the land, it became “desolate” or abandoned so much so that the Lord didn’t allow anyone else to settle in their land. The last phrase of this verse shows just how much God’s people gave up because they refused to listen and obey Him. God said “for they laid the pleasant land desolate.” As it should have been, God placed the blame for the land lying desolate where it belonged---on His people. This wasn’t just any ole land. God called it the “pleasant land.” It was indeed a land flowing with milk and honey, thus a “pleasant” or good land (see Exodus 3:8; Jeremiah 11:5; Ezekiel 20:6). Note: The former generation had given up this good land that God gave only to them for an interrupted normal life by an invading army. When that happened fear would overcome them as the enemy surrounded Jerusalem. Once the enemy entered the city, they would wreak havoc causing the people to shout, scream, wail and cry while many were being killed. All of this would be followed by the enemy taking the people away, marching them in brutal conditions to a distant and foreign land where everything would be strange. Now tell me, is disobeying God’s Word worth the consequences? I think not! Just think how bad it will be for that person who dies without accepting Jesus as his or her personal Saviour. In order to avoid the consequences of hell, salvation through Christ should be everyone’s priority. Trust me, hell ain’t no joke!
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