Sunday School Lesson
Lesson:
Acts 4:23-31
Golden
Text:
“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where
they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
they spake the word of God with
boldness”
(Acts
4:31).
INTRODUCTION.
Throughout the Bible, we are commanded to pray.
While many of us spend a lot of time praying about our own needs, we are
also urged to pray for one another, especially in times of crisis.
During His ministry, Jesus prepared His followers to face hostility and
opposition. In this week’s lesson we find that persecution had
begun. Up to this point, there had been no floggings or long
imprisonments. However, two apostles had been arrested and ordered
to stop speaking in Jesus’ name. So where do we turn in times of
trial and hardship? Our lesson teaches us to turn to the Lord and
to our fellow saints.
II.
BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.
On the Day of Pentecost and for
many days after, “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”
(see Acts 2:47). But as the church grew, there was also increased
opposition to the gospel. During this time, God used Peter and
John to heal a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple (see Acts
3:1-11). After this miracle, a crowd of people gathered to see
what it was all about. This gave Peter another opportunity to
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, reminding his hearers that the death, burial,
and resurrection of Christ had been prophesied (see Acts 3:13-18).
But he also told them that they still needed to repent of their sins (see
Acts 3:19) in order to be forgiven (see I John 1:9). The religious
leaders were upset by all of this, and they brought Peter and John before the
Sanhedrin Council to question them about what they were teaching (see Acts
4:1-7). Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly told them that
salvation was only through the Lord Jesus Christ (see Acts 4:12).
Since the religious leaders could not deny that a real miracle had taken
place (see Acts 4:16), they threatened Peter and John and let them go (see Acts
4:13-22). This is where our lesson begins.
III.
PERSECUTION EXPERIENCED (Acts
4:23).
Our first verse says “And
being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief
priests and elders had said unto them.”
After the religious leaders
released Peter and John, “they went to
their own company.” In other
words they went and found their friends or fellow believers. They
had a spiritual home and family to go to. This shows that the
concept of the Christian community was present in the early church. After Peter and John rejoined their
fellow believers, they “reported all that the chief priests and elders
had said unto them.” These two apostles told their fellow
believers everything that the religious leaders, identified here as “the
chief priests and elders” had said to
them.
IV. PRAYER
OFFERED (Acts 4:24-30)
A. Freedom to pray
(Acts 4:24).
This verse says “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to
God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.”
The phrase
“And
when they heard that” refers to
the report that Peter and John shared with their fellow
believers regarding what happened before the religious leaders.
When the believers heard the report “they lifted up their voice
to God with one accord.” In other words, they began to
pray. The fact that they did so “with one accord”
means that they prayed with a united voice.
Here, they prayed together for the same things. First, they
said “Lord, thou art God.” This statement
demonstrated that these believers had a proper understanding of the Lord.
They acknowledged Jehovah as the true God. Next in their
prayer they described God as He “which hast made heaven, and earth, and
the sea, and all that in them is.” This statement
confirms the absolute authority of God, declaring Him to be the Creator of all
things. Likewise, our prayers, both public and private should
include a declaration of our belief in God as the Creator who deserves our
unrivaled devotion.
B. The futility of those who opposed Christ (Acts
4:25-26).
1.
(vs. 25).
Still praising God in their prayer, the believers
continued to pray saying “Who by the mouth of
thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine
vain things?” The noun “Who”
refers to God. It was the Lord speaking “by the
mouth of thy (His) servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the
people imagine vain things?” In other words, the
believers were saying to God, “you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our
ancestor King David, your servant, saying ‘Why do the heathen rage against the
Lord, and the foolish nations plan their little plots against Almighty
God?” (The Living Bible). The
fact that God spoke through His servant David confirms that David was also a
prophet (see Acts 2:29-31). Like all prophets, the Lord spoke
through them by His Spirit normally by inspiration. The New
Testament confirms this when it says “All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness” (see II Timothy 3:16). In
addition, II Peter 1:21 says “For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.” The question David is said to have asked in this
prophecy that was quoted by these believers (see Psalms 2:1) was “Why
did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?”
In the context of David’s prophecy “the
heathen” describes the Gentile nations who attempted to rise up against
the God of Israel, but also pointed toward the future opposition to God’s
anointed One, the Messiah. In the context of our lesson passage,
“the heathen” was most likely a reference to the Romans who
actually carried out the crucifixion of Christ. Their
“rage” was against God and Jesus Christ. David
also asked why do “the people imagine vain things?”
The phrase “the people” was a common way of
referring to Israel. Here, in the believer’s prayer, Israel is
seen as joining forces with the Gentiles, the Romans in
particular, to oppose the Messiah. However, in colluding with the
Gentiles or heathens, they “imagine vain things” meaning they
devise futile plans in their efforts to halt God’s plans. The
people’s plans to stop God’s plans were futile because there was no chance of
succeeding. Note: It’s clear that this prayer poured from the hearts of
those who had been nurtured in the Scriptures. Like these
believers, we should pray biblically, in accordance with the Word God has
given. It pleases God when we pray using His own words from the
Scriptures. Prayer and the Scriptures go hand in
hand.
2. (vs. 26). In this verse they continued
to pray repeating the second verse of David’s prophecy from Psalms 2:2.
The believers said “The kings of the earth stood up, and the
rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.”
Again, this is part of David’s prophecy.
“The kings of the earth” is a future reference to Herod
and Pontius Pilate who are mentioned in the next verse.
“The rulers” refer to the Jewish Sanhedrin
Council, which was the chief legislative and judicial body during the
first century in Israel. It was made up of chief priests, scribes,
and elders (see Matthew 26:59; Mark 14:53, 55; 15:1; John 11:47).
Some were Pharisees and some were Sadducees (see Acts 23:6-10).
It should be noted that the majority of the members of the Sanhedrin
consented to Jesus’ death, but not all of them (see Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:43;
John 7:50-51; 19:38-42). These praying believers were using
David’s prophecy rightly applying it to Christ. They stated that
both the “kings of the earth” and the
“rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his
Christ.”
C. The fulfillment of prophecy (Acts
4:27-28).
1.
(vs. 27).
The prayer continued with “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou
hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people
of Israel, were gathered together.” With the phrase “For of a truth”
the believers were saying “indeed” or “that’s what’s happening
today.” For it was no secret that Jesus was God’s “holy
child” or holy Son who God “hast anointed.”
The word “anointed” means God’s very own, set
apart and commissioned for service. Christians today are God’s
anointed (see II Corinthians 1:21). Here, however, the term
“anointed” refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ and it means
“Christ.” He was the One against whom “Herod, and Pontius
Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered
together.” “Herod” was a family name of
kings set in place over Judea by the Roman government. This
“Herod” was Herod Antipas, tetrarch or governor of Perea and
Galilee (see Matthew 14:1; Mark 6:14; Luke 3:1). “Pontius
Pilate” was the Roman governor over Judea. He was the
typical politician who would do anything to maintain power.
Although he declared Jesus to be innocent three times (see John 18:38;
19:4, 6), he still had Him crucified in order
to please the Jews (see John 19: 15-16). The
“Gentiles” refers to non-Jews, most likely other Romans who
were involved in Jesus’ death. The “people of Israel”
was a reference to the Jews in general who were represented by their
leaders. This made the whole nation guilty of Christ’s death (see
Matthew 27:24-25; Acts 2:36; 3:12-15). These all conspired
together against Jesus to kill Him.
2. (vs. 28). This verse is a continuation
of the previous verse where the believers identified the persons who conspired
together to kill Jesus. In this verse they said to the Lord that
these persons had come together “For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy
counsel determined before to be done.” In their prayer,
these believers recognized God’s sovereign control over the opposition that
Jesus faced. Herod and the others mentioned in the previous verse
thought they were in control of Jesus’ destiny. But what they
didn’t realize is that they did “whatsoever thy (God’s) hand and thy
(God’s) counsel determined before to be done.” In other
words, the Jewish and Roman officials were really carrying out God’s plan for
His Son to be crucified and offered as an atonement (see Isaiah chapter
53). God, in His sovereign wisdom had determined beforehand that
His Son would die. However, those who took part in it would do so
by their own choice. In his Pentecostal sermon, Peter made the
same point when he said “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of
Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also
know: Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands
have crucified and slain” (see Acts
2:22-23). Note: One of the puzzling things about Scripture is that God
ordains certain events to happen and also controls how those events will
happen. However, this does not mean that people who make evil
choices are not held responsible for those choices. Neither does
it mean that God forces us to make those choices. In His
omniscience, God knows beforehand how people will react or perform in any given
situation. For example, the psalmist prophesied that Jesus would
be betrayed by a “familiar friend” (see Psalms 41:9), but the name of the
betrayer is not given. Anyone of Jesus’ friends could have
betrayed Him, but Judas was the one because his character fit someone who would
betray the Master. Judas was a thief, and therefore greedy and
would do almost anything for money (see John 12:4-6). It was his
choice to betray Jesus, but in His foreknowledge, God knew it would be done and
who would do it.
D. The fear of opposition replaced with
boldness (Acts 4:29-30).
1.
(vs. 29). In this
verse, the believers continued their prayer saying
“And now, Lord,
behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness
they may speak thy word.” The phrase “Lord, behold their (those opposing the
beleivers) threatening” is not a request for God to see that His people
were being threatened. Of course, we don’t have to advise the Lord
of anything. He already knows everything (see Isaiah 46:9-10;
48:3). The Lord was well aware that these believers were being
threatened. They were not asking for relief from opposition
because they knew it was part of God’s plan for their lives (see John
15:18-21). Instead, they prayed that the Lord would “grant
unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.”
In other words, they prayed for “boldness” to
speak the Word of God which was the very thing that had brought opposition in
the first place (see Acts 4:1-3, 21). No doubt Jesus’ followers
were focused on the Great Commission He had given them: “But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Therefore, they
didn’t pray for a life of ease, instead they prayed for help so that they might
carry out their task with boldness.
Note: It’s not surprising that today it is politically
incorrect to witness for Christ or to share the truth of God’s Word in most
circumstances since there are so many religions. But like the
believers in the early church, we need to pray for courage, confidence and
boldness when it comes to sharing the gospel message. It may not
appear that Christians suffer persecution in America today, but we do.
It’s just that the persecution today is much more subtle than what the
early Christians in our lesson
experienced.
2. (vs. 30). In this verse, the believers
asked God for what they thought would give them the boldness to speak of
Christ. They said it would be “By stretching forth thine
hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy
child Jesus.” These believers were asking the Lord to
validate their bold witness by granting them power “to heal”
and to perform “signs and wonders.” In case we
may think that the believers were asking for something out of the ordinary, they
were not. This was a valid request to make in the first century
because one of the purposes of “signs and wonders” or miracles,
was to confirm the truth of the message of the apostles (see Mark
16:15-18). Just as the miracle performed on the lame man had led
to many people being saved (see Acts 4:4), for sure more demonstrations of God’s
power could reach many other lost souls. If God stretched forth
His hand to empower the believers “to heal” and perform
“signs and wonders,” they all declared that it would be
“done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.” No
one could take credit for any miracles these followers of Christ performed
because they could only be done in the name of Jesus.
V. PETTITION GRANTED (Acts
4:31).
Our final verse says
“And when they had
prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with
boldness.” God
answered their prayer immediately and in an amazing way. We are
told that after they finished praying “the place was shaken where they
were assembled together.” First, in
answer to their prayers the Lord sent some kind of physical phenomenon where
they were gathered, maybe an earthquake to show His presence.
However, this was probably only felt by those gathered together in that
special place. Second, in answer to their prayers “they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” This was another
indication that God was moving among them. This was a fresh filing
of the Holy Ghost providing the power necessary for them to again speak boldly
(see Acts 1:8) as they had done on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1-2, 4).
Finally in answer to their prayers, “they
spake the word of God with boldness.” It’s important to
note that the infilling of the Holy Ghost was necessary for the believers to be
bold enough to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Likewise, when
we are given the opportunity to witness for Christ, let’s not neglect to pray
that the Holy Spirit will provide the power we may need at that very
moment. Without God’s Spirit we can do nothing (see Zechariah
4:6)! Note:
This was a historical
event for sure, but it has some important lessons for us. It teaches us that
opposition is not a roadblock, but an opportunity for us to trust God, to
earnestly seek Him in prayer, and to boldly proclaim Christ in dependence upon
the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
VI.
Conclusion. Too many
Christians today find it too easy to do and say things that don’t
please God. We use vulgar language, call each other unthinkable
names, mistreat one another and avoid sharing the gospel as much as
possible. This leads me to believe that we need to practice
praying for each other as the early church did. But how can
we increase the practice of praying? Well, we can attend our
midweek prayer meetings and pray earnestly and diligently for each other.
Among other requests, we should certainly pray that all of us will speak
boldly for the Lord. We can also ask our Christian friends to
share their prayer needs, and then remember those needs in our prayers.
One of our responsibilities as part of the Christian community is to pray
for each other. If we do it more often, who knows what changes God
will cause in our behaviors.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Return to a Just God
Sunday School Lesson
Lesson: Malachi 3:1-10
Golden Text: “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6).
1. (vs 1). Our first verse says “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” This announcement that the Lord would send His messenger is His response to the questions the prophet said the people asked in Malachi 2:17. The two basic questions asked in Malachi 2:17 were “Wherein have we wearied him (God)?” and “Where is the God of judgment?” Even though the people were back in the land and their temple was rebuilt, they were out of fellowship with their God. The fact is, they were wearying or tiring God. They believed that all of God’s threats of judgment were just empty words. By asking those two questions, the people were accusing God of favoring those who were doing evil, even calling upon Him to show His judgment or justice as if He couldn’t. In reality, Malachi 2:17 which is the last verse in chapter 2, belongs with chapter 3. We must remember that the chapter divisions in our English Bibles were placed there by man and are not inspired. The answer to those two questions is introduced with the word “Behold” which is used twice in this verse in order to get the people’s full attention. The Lord went on to say “I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.” God’s answer through Malachi pointed toward the future. The “messenger” here refers to the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. We know this to be true because Jesus quoted Malachi 3:1when describing John the Baptist (see Matthew 11:10-11; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27). John the Baptist would be the “messenger” who God said would “prepare the way before me.” In other words, God would send someone to prepare the way for Him to reveal Himself to mankind. This prediction is also made in Isaiah 40:3, and both of them were based on the practice of kings sending men ahead of them to remove all obstacles in their paths. The first part of this verse “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me” refers to Jesus’ first advent or coming. Malachi, like other Old Testament prophets saw both comings of Christ as one event, but they didn’t see the church age which separates the two advents (see Ephesians 3:3-6; Colossians 1:25-27). also said that “the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.” This phrase refers to Christ’s Second Advent or coming. The word “suddenly” implies that His coming will be unexpected, especially to those who allow themselves to be put to sleep by the long wait, or other concerns (see I Thessalonians 5:1-4; I Peter 3:10). It’s possible that the phrase “shall suddenly come to his temple” refers to Jesus’ appearance in the temple at His first coming when He ran the buyers and sellers out of the temple courtyard. However, in the context of the remaining verses, it’s more likely that it refers to the Messiah’s second coming as Judge to cleanse His people the Jews, which will result in many repenting. It’s true that Jesus, Israel’s true Messiah did cleanse the temple at His first advent, but Israel didn’t repent at that time. When the Lord returns, the temple will have been rebuilt. Malachi also described the Messiah as “the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in.” The word “messenger” can be translated “angel” and here it’s most likely a reference to the Angel of the Lord, who accompanied the covenant people during their journeys (see Exodus 23:20; 32:34). As the Angel of the Lord, He is also “the messenger of the covenant” that God made with His people (see Judges 2:1). Malachi also described the coming Messiah as “whom ye delight in” which was a reference to all those in Israel who sincerely longed for His coming (see Luke 2:25) and would rejoice at seeing Him. However, in light of the people’s questions in Malachi 2:17, it maybe that the phrase “whom ye delight in” might have been spoken in irony, reminding the people of how little they really did delight in their God. Finally in this verse, Malachi once again said “behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” The prophet made it clear that the Messiah was certainly going to appear, because God had placed His words behind it: “the Lord of hosts” said it. If Israel wanted justice as they asked in Malachi 2:17, the Lord would give it to them, but His appearance and justice would not be as pleasant as they hoped it would be.
B. The Messenger will judge (Malachi 3:2-3).
1. (vs. 2). Malachi goes on to say in this verse “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap.” The second coming of Christ is primarily in view here. The word “But” indicates that the Messiah’s coming to judge might be more than Malachi’s listeners had bargained for. God through Malachi asked the questions “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?” To ask the questions was to answer them, for the answers to both questions is no one. God’s judgment, judgment that the people thought would never come, will come in severity. No one will be able to escape it or withstand it. Malachi uses two analogies to explain why no one will be able to “abide” the day of Christ’s coming, or “stand when he appeareth.” It’s because “he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap.” First, like a refiner who burns the dross off of metals to reveal the pure metal, Christ will purge the dross or sin from Israel and make His people pure. A “fuller” is a launderer or one who cleans clothes. Like a launderer, Jesus would apply the strongest cleaning agent to remove the dirt from the fabric, or heart of the nation. Both the “refiner's fire, and fullers' soap” are used as symbols of God’s purifying or cleansing process. Those who contaminate the spiritual life of Israel will not be spared from judgment. What soap and fire does in separating dirt from clothes and dross from metal, the cleansing word of God will do the same for His people (see John 15:3;17:17).
2. (vs. 3). This verse says “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Continuing his analogy from the previous verse, Malachi said that the Messiah “shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Like the refiner who purifies silver by fire to remove the dross, Christ will “purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver.” Christ will start His judgment with “the sons of Levi” or the priests, the religious leaders who were the foremost offenders of God’s law. In fact, God addressed them in Malachi 1:6 as, “O priests that despise my name.” They were treating God’s name with contempt, and they led the people astray (Malachi 1:6-11). The corrupt priests carried on their work as mere professionals, not like ministers of God. They even offered blemished animals as sacrifices (see Malachi 1:6-2:9). But the bad example set by the priests didn’t excuse the people of their sins. They, too, were sinning grievously (see Malachi 2:10-17). Messiah will “purge them (the priests) as gold and silver” purifying them of all corruption. Christ’s cleansing and purifying of the priests is required so that “they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” When the religious leaders have been judged and purified or cleansed, they will offer sacrifices of “righteousness” meaning acceptable sacrifices. When the lives of the Levites are set in proper order, they will make sure that the lives of the congregation are in order. Christ’s appearance, then, will purify all the people, from the top of the leadership to the common working person. Through this cleansing and refining process there will emerge a group of people who will sincerely serve the Lord.
C. The Messenger will protect (Malachi 3:4-5).
1. (vs. 4). Malachi continues to say in this verse “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” The word “Then” refers to what will happen after the divine judgment when Messiah cleanses His people and they offer righteous offerings. At that time “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord.” Israel’s sacrifices were intended to be “a sweet savour (smell) unto the Lord” (see Leviticus 1:17), pleasing Him because they expressed the genuine devotion of the worshippers. This future genuine worship that will please God will be done by Israel just like it had been “in the days of old, and as in former years.” This phrase probably refers to the first years that Israel wandered in the wilderness under Moses before the priesthood became corrupt. Note: This passage teaches us the practical lesson that God desires worthy gifts from righteous people (see Psalms 4:5). Believers today don’t need a special priesthood because we come to God through one High Priest, Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 3:1-2; 4:14-15; 5:5, 10; 6:20). But we need to look closely at ourselves to determine whether our prayers, service, and offerings come from clean hearts and worthy motives (see Psalms 24:4-5; 51:10; 73:1). Even the most valuable gift is worthless when it comes from an unclean giver. We cannot offer unto the Lord any right performances in religion, i.e., attending church, giving financially, praise and worship unless we have been justified and sanctified. Until we ourselves are refined and purified by the grace of God, we cannot do anything that will result in the glory of God. Remember, God had respect to Abel first, and then to his offering. Therefore, God purges his people, that we may offer our offerings to him in righteousness, as we worship Him in spirit and truth (see John 4:23-24).
2. (vs. 5). In this verse, God goes on to say through the prophet “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.” Suddenly the judgment of God will come upon the transgressors. The Lord said “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness.” This would be God’s answer to the people’s question in Malachi regarding God’s “judgment” or justice. They asked “Where is the God of judgment (justice)?” (see Malachi 2:17). As a swift witness” God Himself will bring His unbelieving people to justice, and He will be an expert witness and testify about the evil things they have done. Then the Lord listed some of the sins and the sinners against whom His judgment will fall.
a. “Sorcerers:” The sin of sorcery involves divination, using the aid of evil spirits through such things as witchcraft, magic, and enchantments. Contrary to God’s instructions in the Law, some Jews had married Gentile or foreign wives. Through this sin Jews fell into the sin of sorcery (see Deuteronomy 7:1-6; 18: 9-14). Note: Not only did Jews sin by intermarrying with Gentiles, but they also violated God’s law regarding marriage by putting away their wives by divorce (see Malachi 2:15-16; Matthew 19:9).
b. “Adulterers:” The sin of adultery was intercourse between two married people who were not married to each other. This was a violation of the sixth commandment (see Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18; Proverbs 6:32). The Law instructed Israel to put adulterers and adulteresses to death (see Leviticus 20:10). Many Jews were guilty of both physical and spiritual adultery (see Matthew 5:28, 32; James 4:4) as are many people today.
c. “False swearers:” These were people who lie yet swear that something is true. In particular, it referred to those who lied, then swore in God’s name so that the lie would be accepted (see Leviticus 19:12; James 5:12).
d. Those “that oppress the hireling in his wages” were guilty of the sin of cheating hired workers out of their full wages (see Leviticus 19:13; James 5:1-4).
e. Those “that oppress the widow, and the fatherless” were guilty of the sin of taking advantage of the disadvantaged: the widows and orphans. This also violated God’s law (see Exodus 22:22-24). Human nature is the same in every age for we see this type of attitude today.
f. Those “that turn aside the stranger from his right.” This sin involved depriving strangers of justice. There were those who defrauded, or took advantage of strangers that lived among God’s people. The Law of Moses was very plain concerning the treatment of strangers. They were to be accepted in love as one would accept another Israelite (see Leviticus 19:33-35).
g. The last group mentioned God described as those that “fear not me.” This sin is simply failing to fear or reverence God. This does not mean being afraid of God, but failing to reverence or respect Him. Therefore, this sin provides the basis for all sin. Sin originates from a disregard for God and His commandments (see I John 2:3-5).
IV. THE JUST GOD RESPONDS (Malachi 3:6-10)
A. The God who is unchanging (Malachi 3:6-7).
1. (vs. 6). After all God had endured with this rebellious people, He surely had good reason to destroy them. But He didn’t. In this verse, the Lord declared “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” The first phrase literally reads “For I, Yahweh, do not change.” God used His name “Yahweh” or “Lord” to stress His unchangeableness. It was also God’s covenant name that He used to emphasize His covenant relationship with Israel. This name means the “One who exists eternally.” Even though God is gracious and compassionate, He cannot change His moral standards to accommodate sinners. That would violate His essential nature. Because God does not change, He said “therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” The Lord had made an unconditional covenant with Abraham and his descendents (see Genesis chapter 15) and confirmed it with Isaac (see Genesis 26:3-4, 24) and Jacob (see Genesis 28:13-14). The Jews, as the “sons” or descendents of “Jacob,” God had not destroyed them, because by His very nature He does not change. He does not go back on His promises (see Psalms 119:89; James 1:17). After God established a covenant relationship with Israel He promised that He would not destroy them (see Deuteronomy 4:30-31). The fact that there were still Jews in Malachi’s time was due totally to God’s faithfulness. Israel had deserved destruction, but God was absolutely faithful and changeless. He will never break His word. Note: The unchangeableness of God does not mean that He has not changed His way of dealing with man. His standard remains perfect, but the demonstration of faith in order to be reconciled to God has changed. Believers in Israel offered sacrifices and kept the Mosaic Law by faith. Believers today accept Christ for forgiveness and then show faith through godly actions and godly speech. God’s dealing with man may change, but neither He nor His standards never change.
2. (vs. 7). God continued to say in this verse “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?” While God was faithful, Israel had been wayward. He indicted them saying “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.” The rebelliousness of previous generations had resulted in exile from their land. Now their spiritually rebellious descendents were reverting to the same old ways, not keeping His “ordinances” or commandments. Violating God’s ordinances had become the norm for Israel, and obedience was the exception. Unfaithfulness characterized the people of Israel all through their history and God reminded them of that. Both they and their ancestors had rebelled against God and repeatedly disobeyed His commands. But in spite of their stubbornness and persistence in sin, God extended the opportunity for them to restore fellowship with Him. Therefore He said “Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.” Their repeated unfaithfulness had not changed His love for them. He would forgive them yet again, but they had to take the first step. Repentance or a change in behavior was the response God required. The word “Return” implies a genuine conversion in which they both confessed their sins and changed their ways. If they returned to Him in repentance and obedience, He would return to them in blessing. Instead of responding to their gracious God in repentance, the people asked “Wherein shall we return?” In other words they were asking “How do we return?” This question implies that this complacent generation had not only wandered from God, they had also lost all sense of guilt over what they had done. They were so satisfied with themselves that they were not even aware that they had gone astray. Note: We don’t have to wonder why many sinners today are not bothered when they are faced with their blatant violations of God’s standards. They have simply set aside the Bible, considering it to be irrelevant, and they have formed their own standards. Trust me; this is a dangerous attitude to have!
B. The God who is robbed (Malachi 3:8-9).
1. (vs. 8). In response to the people’s question regarding how can they return to Him, God asked “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” The word “rob” means “to defraud” or “cheat” (see Proverbs 22:22). The question “Will a man rob God?” implies how unthinkable it is for a mere human to try to defraud God. Yet that’s exactly what they were doing, for the Lord went on to answer His own question saying “Yet ye have robbed me.” This Jewish remnant that had returned to Jerusalem was stealing from the Lord. Instead of agreeing with God, they seemed not to believe or understand the charge, so they challenged God’s statement by asking “Wherein have we robbed thee?” They wanted to know how they had robbed Him. God was quick to reply saying “In tithes and offerings.” The people had not obeyed the laws regarding tithes and offerings. The “tithes” of the Israelites consisted of several things. First, they were to give a tenth of all their produce and livestock for the support of the Levites (see Leviticus 27:30-33; Numbers 18:24). Another tithe was to be given every third year for Levites and the destitute people of the land (see Deuteronomy 14:28-29). In addition there were various “offerings” that were set aside for the support of the priests (see Numbers 5:9-10; Deuteronomy 18:1-5).
2. (vs. 9). In this verse God said “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” In robbing God, the Jews were really robbing themselves of God’s blessings. If the people had “robbed” God in order to increase their own possessions, they had not succeeded. He declared “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me.” God had earlier stated that He would send a “curse” upon their blessings if they would not obey (see Malachi 2:2). They had not obeyed so the “curse” had fallen upon them. God said that it was because “ye have robbed me.” Malachi 3:11 tells us what this “curse” included. The crops were attacked by insects, and the grapes fell from the vines prematurely. The people had decided not to give the firstfruits or the tithes in order to have more for themselves, but in the end they had nothing at all (see Haggai 1:4-6, 9-11). The Lord also said “even this whole nation” was guilty of robbing Him. Therefore, the “curse” had fallen upon the entire land. Surely this does not mean that every single individual in the nation was at odds with God. There must have been some who remained faithful, because God always has a remnant who will honor Him (see Ezra 3:8; Isaiah 1:9; 10:22; 46:3-4; Jeremiah 31:7; 42:2-4; Joel 2:32; Micah 7:18-19; Zephaniah 3:13; Haggai 1:12; Romans 9:27; 11:5). However, the sin was so widespread, especially among the leaders, that the “whole nation” was implicated.
C. The God who blesses (Malachi 3:10). In our final verse, God told the people to “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” The cursed situation that the Jews found themselves in didn’t have to continue. God indicated that circumstances could change if the people would “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.” The words “all the tithes” implies that some had stopped tithing and they needed to resume giving the tithe. It can also imply that many people had been giving but were holding back a part of what the law required. We all know what happened to Ananias and Sapphira who kept back part of what belonged to God (see Acts 5:1-5). The “storehouse” refers to chambers in the temple set aside for the people’s gifts (see II Chronicles 31:11-12; Nehemiah 10:34-39). Things had gotten so bad that Nehemiah found that some of the temple storage rooms had been converted into a private apartment for Tobiah, the Ammonite (see Nehemiah 13:7) who led the opposition against the rebuilding of Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:10, 19; 4:3, 7-8). The word “meat” means food and here it refers to meeting the needs of the Levites and priests according to the Mosaic Law. The food was necessary to sustain the priests and Levites so that they could spend all their time serving God, which was also serving His people. The Lord then challenged His people by saying “and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.” The words “prove me” means to “put someone to the test.” God invited His people to test Him by bringing all their tithes and He would respond by giving to them. He likened His giving to them to opening windows of heaven and pouring out upon them much blessing. In that dry land, abundant rain was a great blessing. Here it symbolizes God’s favor and blessing in all areas of life. If the people gave as God had directed, His blessing would be so great that He said “that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
V. Conclusion. Our passage this week discusses the results of serving a God who demands that His people demonstrate justice to everyone. First, we can rest assured that one day God will come to judge all the injustice in the world. Second, God’s justice will show up in our present world in the form of an unchangeable God who rewards those who don’t neglect bringing their resources to Him.
Lesson: Malachi 3:1-10
Golden Text: “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6).
I.
INTRODUCTION.
After the Babylonian Captivity ended, a
remnant of Jews returned to the Holy Land (see Ezra 1:1-5; 2:1) to rebuild the
temple and the city of Jerusalem. At the time Malachi
ministered, some one hundred years after the first exiles returned to Judah, the
temple had been rebuilt and the city was restored, but the people’s hearts were
not right with God. They had not been living up to the covenant
they had with the Lord and they were losing enthusiasm for worship.
Many were skeptical of God’s promises. Malachi called God’s
drifting people to repentance, reminding them of God’s reward for
faithfulness.
II.
BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.
Nehemiah led a third major return of exiles
back to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. with the goal of
rebuilding the walls around the city. He led the completion of
this task and remained in Jerusalem as governor for 12 years (see Nehemiah 5:14)
before returning to Persia. He and Ezra also led the nation of
Judah in spiritual revival (see Nehemiah chapters 7, 8). However,
after he returned to Persia, the people went back to their old wicked
ways. Nehemiah then returned some years later around 430
B.C. and found that the tithes were not given, the
Sabbath Day was disregarded, intermarriage with foreigners was widespread and
the priest became corrupt (see Nehemiah 13:10-31). At this time,
Malachi had begun his ministry in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, most
of Malachi’s prophecy consisted of rebuke for sin. The priesthood
was being defiled (see Malachi 1:6-14; 2:1-9), marriage was being taken lightly
(see Malachi 2:16) and temple worship was lacking financial support (see
Nehemiah 13:10-11). It was in this context of moral corruption
that Malachi ministered.
III. THE
JUST GOD COMES (Malachi 3:1-5)
A. The messenger
preparing the way is coming (Malachi 3:1).
1. (vs 1). Our first verse says “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” This announcement that the Lord would send His messenger is His response to the questions the prophet said the people asked in Malachi 2:17. The two basic questions asked in Malachi 2:17 were “Wherein have we wearied him (God)?” and “Where is the God of judgment?” Even though the people were back in the land and their temple was rebuilt, they were out of fellowship with their God. The fact is, they were wearying or tiring God. They believed that all of God’s threats of judgment were just empty words. By asking those two questions, the people were accusing God of favoring those who were doing evil, even calling upon Him to show His judgment or justice as if He couldn’t. In reality, Malachi 2:17 which is the last verse in chapter 2, belongs with chapter 3. We must remember that the chapter divisions in our English Bibles were placed there by man and are not inspired. The answer to those two questions is introduced with the word “Behold” which is used twice in this verse in order to get the people’s full attention. The Lord went on to say “I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.” God’s answer through Malachi pointed toward the future. The “messenger” here refers to the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. We know this to be true because Jesus quoted Malachi 3:1when describing John the Baptist (see Matthew 11:10-11; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27). John the Baptist would be the “messenger” who God said would “prepare the way before me.” In other words, God would send someone to prepare the way for Him to reveal Himself to mankind. This prediction is also made in Isaiah 40:3, and both of them were based on the practice of kings sending men ahead of them to remove all obstacles in their paths. The first part of this verse “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me” refers to Jesus’ first advent or coming. Malachi, like other Old Testament prophets saw both comings of Christ as one event, but they didn’t see the church age which separates the two advents (see Ephesians 3:3-6; Colossians 1:25-27). also said that “the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.” This phrase refers to Christ’s Second Advent or coming. The word “suddenly” implies that His coming will be unexpected, especially to those who allow themselves to be put to sleep by the long wait, or other concerns (see I Thessalonians 5:1-4; I Peter 3:10). It’s possible that the phrase “shall suddenly come to his temple” refers to Jesus’ appearance in the temple at His first coming when He ran the buyers and sellers out of the temple courtyard. However, in the context of the remaining verses, it’s more likely that it refers to the Messiah’s second coming as Judge to cleanse His people the Jews, which will result in many repenting. It’s true that Jesus, Israel’s true Messiah did cleanse the temple at His first advent, but Israel didn’t repent at that time. When the Lord returns, the temple will have been rebuilt. Malachi also described the Messiah as “the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in.” The word “messenger” can be translated “angel” and here it’s most likely a reference to the Angel of the Lord, who accompanied the covenant people during their journeys (see Exodus 23:20; 32:34). As the Angel of the Lord, He is also “the messenger of the covenant” that God made with His people (see Judges 2:1). Malachi also described the coming Messiah as “whom ye delight in” which was a reference to all those in Israel who sincerely longed for His coming (see Luke 2:25) and would rejoice at seeing Him. However, in light of the people’s questions in Malachi 2:17, it maybe that the phrase “whom ye delight in” might have been spoken in irony, reminding the people of how little they really did delight in their God. Finally in this verse, Malachi once again said “behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” The prophet made it clear that the Messiah was certainly going to appear, because God had placed His words behind it: “the Lord of hosts” said it. If Israel wanted justice as they asked in Malachi 2:17, the Lord would give it to them, but His appearance and justice would not be as pleasant as they hoped it would be.
B. The Messenger will judge (Malachi 3:2-3).
1. (vs. 2). Malachi goes on to say in this verse “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap.” The second coming of Christ is primarily in view here. The word “But” indicates that the Messiah’s coming to judge might be more than Malachi’s listeners had bargained for. God through Malachi asked the questions “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?” To ask the questions was to answer them, for the answers to both questions is no one. God’s judgment, judgment that the people thought would never come, will come in severity. No one will be able to escape it or withstand it. Malachi uses two analogies to explain why no one will be able to “abide” the day of Christ’s coming, or “stand when he appeareth.” It’s because “he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap.” First, like a refiner who burns the dross off of metals to reveal the pure metal, Christ will purge the dross or sin from Israel and make His people pure. A “fuller” is a launderer or one who cleans clothes. Like a launderer, Jesus would apply the strongest cleaning agent to remove the dirt from the fabric, or heart of the nation. Both the “refiner's fire, and fullers' soap” are used as symbols of God’s purifying or cleansing process. Those who contaminate the spiritual life of Israel will not be spared from judgment. What soap and fire does in separating dirt from clothes and dross from metal, the cleansing word of God will do the same for His people (see John 15:3;17:17).
2. (vs. 3). This verse says “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Continuing his analogy from the previous verse, Malachi said that the Messiah “shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Like the refiner who purifies silver by fire to remove the dross, Christ will “purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver.” Christ will start His judgment with “the sons of Levi” or the priests, the religious leaders who were the foremost offenders of God’s law. In fact, God addressed them in Malachi 1:6 as, “O priests that despise my name.” They were treating God’s name with contempt, and they led the people astray (Malachi 1:6-11). The corrupt priests carried on their work as mere professionals, not like ministers of God. They even offered blemished animals as sacrifices (see Malachi 1:6-2:9). But the bad example set by the priests didn’t excuse the people of their sins. They, too, were sinning grievously (see Malachi 2:10-17). Messiah will “purge them (the priests) as gold and silver” purifying them of all corruption. Christ’s cleansing and purifying of the priests is required so that “they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” When the religious leaders have been judged and purified or cleansed, they will offer sacrifices of “righteousness” meaning acceptable sacrifices. When the lives of the Levites are set in proper order, they will make sure that the lives of the congregation are in order. Christ’s appearance, then, will purify all the people, from the top of the leadership to the common working person. Through this cleansing and refining process there will emerge a group of people who will sincerely serve the Lord.
C. The Messenger will protect (Malachi 3:4-5).
1. (vs. 4). Malachi continues to say in this verse “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” The word “Then” refers to what will happen after the divine judgment when Messiah cleanses His people and they offer righteous offerings. At that time “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord.” Israel’s sacrifices were intended to be “a sweet savour (smell) unto the Lord” (see Leviticus 1:17), pleasing Him because they expressed the genuine devotion of the worshippers. This future genuine worship that will please God will be done by Israel just like it had been “in the days of old, and as in former years.” This phrase probably refers to the first years that Israel wandered in the wilderness under Moses before the priesthood became corrupt. Note: This passage teaches us the practical lesson that God desires worthy gifts from righteous people (see Psalms 4:5). Believers today don’t need a special priesthood because we come to God through one High Priest, Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 3:1-2; 4:14-15; 5:5, 10; 6:20). But we need to look closely at ourselves to determine whether our prayers, service, and offerings come from clean hearts and worthy motives (see Psalms 24:4-5; 51:10; 73:1). Even the most valuable gift is worthless when it comes from an unclean giver. We cannot offer unto the Lord any right performances in religion, i.e., attending church, giving financially, praise and worship unless we have been justified and sanctified. Until we ourselves are refined and purified by the grace of God, we cannot do anything that will result in the glory of God. Remember, God had respect to Abel first, and then to his offering. Therefore, God purges his people, that we may offer our offerings to him in righteousness, as we worship Him in spirit and truth (see John 4:23-24).
2. (vs. 5). In this verse, God goes on to say through the prophet “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.” Suddenly the judgment of God will come upon the transgressors. The Lord said “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness.” This would be God’s answer to the people’s question in Malachi regarding God’s “judgment” or justice. They asked “Where is the God of judgment (justice)?” (see Malachi 2:17). As a swift witness” God Himself will bring His unbelieving people to justice, and He will be an expert witness and testify about the evil things they have done. Then the Lord listed some of the sins and the sinners against whom His judgment will fall.
a. “Sorcerers:” The sin of sorcery involves divination, using the aid of evil spirits through such things as witchcraft, magic, and enchantments. Contrary to God’s instructions in the Law, some Jews had married Gentile or foreign wives. Through this sin Jews fell into the sin of sorcery (see Deuteronomy 7:1-6; 18: 9-14). Note: Not only did Jews sin by intermarrying with Gentiles, but they also violated God’s law regarding marriage by putting away their wives by divorce (see Malachi 2:15-16; Matthew 19:9).
b. “Adulterers:” The sin of adultery was intercourse between two married people who were not married to each other. This was a violation of the sixth commandment (see Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18; Proverbs 6:32). The Law instructed Israel to put adulterers and adulteresses to death (see Leviticus 20:10). Many Jews were guilty of both physical and spiritual adultery (see Matthew 5:28, 32; James 4:4) as are many people today.
c. “False swearers:” These were people who lie yet swear that something is true. In particular, it referred to those who lied, then swore in God’s name so that the lie would be accepted (see Leviticus 19:12; James 5:12).
d. Those “that oppress the hireling in his wages” were guilty of the sin of cheating hired workers out of their full wages (see Leviticus 19:13; James 5:1-4).
e. Those “that oppress the widow, and the fatherless” were guilty of the sin of taking advantage of the disadvantaged: the widows and orphans. This also violated God’s law (see Exodus 22:22-24). Human nature is the same in every age for we see this type of attitude today.
f. Those “that turn aside the stranger from his right.” This sin involved depriving strangers of justice. There were those who defrauded, or took advantage of strangers that lived among God’s people. The Law of Moses was very plain concerning the treatment of strangers. They were to be accepted in love as one would accept another Israelite (see Leviticus 19:33-35).
g. The last group mentioned God described as those that “fear not me.” This sin is simply failing to fear or reverence God. This does not mean being afraid of God, but failing to reverence or respect Him. Therefore, this sin provides the basis for all sin. Sin originates from a disregard for God and His commandments (see I John 2:3-5).
IV. THE JUST GOD RESPONDS (Malachi 3:6-10)
A. The God who is unchanging (Malachi 3:6-7).
1. (vs. 6). After all God had endured with this rebellious people, He surely had good reason to destroy them. But He didn’t. In this verse, the Lord declared “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” The first phrase literally reads “For I, Yahweh, do not change.” God used His name “Yahweh” or “Lord” to stress His unchangeableness. It was also God’s covenant name that He used to emphasize His covenant relationship with Israel. This name means the “One who exists eternally.” Even though God is gracious and compassionate, He cannot change His moral standards to accommodate sinners. That would violate His essential nature. Because God does not change, He said “therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” The Lord had made an unconditional covenant with Abraham and his descendents (see Genesis chapter 15) and confirmed it with Isaac (see Genesis 26:3-4, 24) and Jacob (see Genesis 28:13-14). The Jews, as the “sons” or descendents of “Jacob,” God had not destroyed them, because by His very nature He does not change. He does not go back on His promises (see Psalms 119:89; James 1:17). After God established a covenant relationship with Israel He promised that He would not destroy them (see Deuteronomy 4:30-31). The fact that there were still Jews in Malachi’s time was due totally to God’s faithfulness. Israel had deserved destruction, but God was absolutely faithful and changeless. He will never break His word. Note: The unchangeableness of God does not mean that He has not changed His way of dealing with man. His standard remains perfect, but the demonstration of faith in order to be reconciled to God has changed. Believers in Israel offered sacrifices and kept the Mosaic Law by faith. Believers today accept Christ for forgiveness and then show faith through godly actions and godly speech. God’s dealing with man may change, but neither He nor His standards never change.
2. (vs. 7). God continued to say in this verse “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?” While God was faithful, Israel had been wayward. He indicted them saying “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.” The rebelliousness of previous generations had resulted in exile from their land. Now their spiritually rebellious descendents were reverting to the same old ways, not keeping His “ordinances” or commandments. Violating God’s ordinances had become the norm for Israel, and obedience was the exception. Unfaithfulness characterized the people of Israel all through their history and God reminded them of that. Both they and their ancestors had rebelled against God and repeatedly disobeyed His commands. But in spite of their stubbornness and persistence in sin, God extended the opportunity for them to restore fellowship with Him. Therefore He said “Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.” Their repeated unfaithfulness had not changed His love for them. He would forgive them yet again, but they had to take the first step. Repentance or a change in behavior was the response God required. The word “Return” implies a genuine conversion in which they both confessed their sins and changed their ways. If they returned to Him in repentance and obedience, He would return to them in blessing. Instead of responding to their gracious God in repentance, the people asked “Wherein shall we return?” In other words they were asking “How do we return?” This question implies that this complacent generation had not only wandered from God, they had also lost all sense of guilt over what they had done. They were so satisfied with themselves that they were not even aware that they had gone astray. Note: We don’t have to wonder why many sinners today are not bothered when they are faced with their blatant violations of God’s standards. They have simply set aside the Bible, considering it to be irrelevant, and they have formed their own standards. Trust me; this is a dangerous attitude to have!
B. The God who is robbed (Malachi 3:8-9).
1. (vs. 8). In response to the people’s question regarding how can they return to Him, God asked “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” The word “rob” means “to defraud” or “cheat” (see Proverbs 22:22). The question “Will a man rob God?” implies how unthinkable it is for a mere human to try to defraud God. Yet that’s exactly what they were doing, for the Lord went on to answer His own question saying “Yet ye have robbed me.” This Jewish remnant that had returned to Jerusalem was stealing from the Lord. Instead of agreeing with God, they seemed not to believe or understand the charge, so they challenged God’s statement by asking “Wherein have we robbed thee?” They wanted to know how they had robbed Him. God was quick to reply saying “In tithes and offerings.” The people had not obeyed the laws regarding tithes and offerings. The “tithes” of the Israelites consisted of several things. First, they were to give a tenth of all their produce and livestock for the support of the Levites (see Leviticus 27:30-33; Numbers 18:24). Another tithe was to be given every third year for Levites and the destitute people of the land (see Deuteronomy 14:28-29). In addition there were various “offerings” that were set aside for the support of the priests (see Numbers 5:9-10; Deuteronomy 18:1-5).
2. (vs. 9). In this verse God said “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” In robbing God, the Jews were really robbing themselves of God’s blessings. If the people had “robbed” God in order to increase their own possessions, they had not succeeded. He declared “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me.” God had earlier stated that He would send a “curse” upon their blessings if they would not obey (see Malachi 2:2). They had not obeyed so the “curse” had fallen upon them. God said that it was because “ye have robbed me.” Malachi 3:11 tells us what this “curse” included. The crops were attacked by insects, and the grapes fell from the vines prematurely. The people had decided not to give the firstfruits or the tithes in order to have more for themselves, but in the end they had nothing at all (see Haggai 1:4-6, 9-11). The Lord also said “even this whole nation” was guilty of robbing Him. Therefore, the “curse” had fallen upon the entire land. Surely this does not mean that every single individual in the nation was at odds with God. There must have been some who remained faithful, because God always has a remnant who will honor Him (see Ezra 3:8; Isaiah 1:9; 10:22; 46:3-4; Jeremiah 31:7; 42:2-4; Joel 2:32; Micah 7:18-19; Zephaniah 3:13; Haggai 1:12; Romans 9:27; 11:5). However, the sin was so widespread, especially among the leaders, that the “whole nation” was implicated.
C. The God who blesses (Malachi 3:10). In our final verse, God told the people to “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” The cursed situation that the Jews found themselves in didn’t have to continue. God indicated that circumstances could change if the people would “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.” The words “all the tithes” implies that some had stopped tithing and they needed to resume giving the tithe. It can also imply that many people had been giving but were holding back a part of what the law required. We all know what happened to Ananias and Sapphira who kept back part of what belonged to God (see Acts 5:1-5). The “storehouse” refers to chambers in the temple set aside for the people’s gifts (see II Chronicles 31:11-12; Nehemiah 10:34-39). Things had gotten so bad that Nehemiah found that some of the temple storage rooms had been converted into a private apartment for Tobiah, the Ammonite (see Nehemiah 13:7) who led the opposition against the rebuilding of Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:10, 19; 4:3, 7-8). The word “meat” means food and here it refers to meeting the needs of the Levites and priests according to the Mosaic Law. The food was necessary to sustain the priests and Levites so that they could spend all their time serving God, which was also serving His people. The Lord then challenged His people by saying “and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.” The words “prove me” means to “put someone to the test.” God invited His people to test Him by bringing all their tithes and He would respond by giving to them. He likened His giving to them to opening windows of heaven and pouring out upon them much blessing. In that dry land, abundant rain was a great blessing. Here it symbolizes God’s favor and blessing in all areas of life. If the people gave as God had directed, His blessing would be so great that He said “that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
V. Conclusion. Our passage this week discusses the results of serving a God who demands that His people demonstrate justice to everyone. First, we can rest assured that one day God will come to judge all the injustice in the world. Second, God’s justice will show up in our present world in the form of an unchangeable God who rewards those who don’t neglect bringing their resources to Him.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
God Demands Justice
Sunday School Lesson
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!
V.
Conclusion. This
week’s lesson reminds us that God demands justice in our treatment of others and
our response to Him. He is the Judge before whom all of us will
have to stand and answer for our conduct towards Him and one another.
The lesson was very clear for the people in Zechariah’s time.
God expected to see justice in the land. He was expecting
to hear the word of justice from His messengers and see acts of justice from His
people. God’s people could never quibble over the meaning of
justice. It simply means to treat all people fairly with honor and
respect.
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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