Zechariah 7
COMMENTARY:
: 3 And to speak to the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years? (5144 “separating myself” [nazar] means to consecrate oneself to a deity, to deal respectfully, to abstain from food for religious reasons, to dedicate oneself, or devote oneself.)
DEVOTION: Too many people go through the motions of religion. They find out what a particular religion teaches and put into practice some of their customs. We sometimes think of these things as tradition.
Traditions are not always bad but if they become what we worship rather than the belief behind the tradition we are failing to realize that it is not true worship. One of the traditions the Israelites practiced during some feasts was prayer and fasting. Usually this is to show humility toward God.
However the people Zechariah was a prophet too were not showing humility but doing a tradition. The LORD confronted them concerning their tradition. They had asked the question if they had to continue practicing prayer and fasting.
God told them that they were not doing it to honor HIM but to just show that they were religious which something God didn’t care for in HIS people. HE doesn’t want us to pray as a tradition but as trying to keep a relationship going. Fasting was not just skipping food and drink but a time to honor the LORD with our prayers. God took them seriously. These individuals didn’t.
CHALLENGE: HE wants us to take it seriously.
: 10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. (2803 “imagine” [chashab] means to plan secretly, to weave, devise, to invent, to meditate, or plot.)
DEVOTION: The LORD has a special place in HIS commandments for those who fall into these categories.
Those who have a normal family of a father, mother, and children seem to be able to handle life better than those who don’t have a father or a husband.
Those who move into a new country don’t usually have many friends or relatives to help them start their new life and so they need the people in the land to be friendly.
Finally, there are people who have a problem with making ends meet. They need someone to come alongside to give them monetary help until they get on their feet. It should not something that goes on forever but should be giving those who are poor work they can handle.
If we who are believers don’t treat these individuals special we will have to answer to the LORD for our actions. Some of the children of Israel were planning evil against these groups of people. They were even planning evil against their own family members.
Members of a Biblical church should look at each of these categories and see if they were helping them or hindering them. If they are neglecting anyone in these groups they are neglecting being obedient to the LORD. The LORD will judge the church and its leaders for these actions.
If they are neglecting fellow members of the church, they will answer to the LORD for our neglect. The LORD doesn’t bless a church that doesn’t take care of its members. There needs to be the LOVE of Christ present in every Biblical congregation.
CHALLENGE: Take care of the widows, fatherless, poor and strangers in your midst as one might be an angel that you are entertaining unaware.
: 11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. (3986 “refused” [ma‘en] means unwilling to obey, be slothful, or be in a state of rebellion and defiant to authority.)
DEVOTION: The people were unwilling to obey the commands of the LORD. They were oppressing the widows in the land. They were oppressing the fatherless. They were oppressing the poor. They were taking advantage of anyone they could.
In fact they stayed up nights thinking of ways to hurt people. It wasn’t just any people it was their own family they wanted to hurt. This doesn’t please the LORD.
HE sent HIS prophets to give them instruction regarding HIS commands. The problem was that they closed their ears. Whenever the prophets spoke they would walk away instead of listening. They were just like animals when they were being put into their harness. They would pull away so they didn’t have to work.
We have a saying “stubborn as a mule” for people like that. They were going to do what they wanted to do no matter what. The real problem was that they were supposed to be the people of God.
Christians can get stubborn when it comes to serve to the LORD. They are willing to give HIM an hour or two on Sunday. They were willing to put some money in the offering plate but that is about all they are willing to do for the church. They think their time and possession and talent can be used better elsewhere.
CHALLENGE: God wants our time, talent and treasure to be available to HIM for service from the time we become a follower until we die. HE doesn’t believe in retirement age.
: 13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, says the LORD of hosts. (7121 “cried” [qara’] means to call, call out, recite, proclaim, or read.)
DEVOTION: Question was given to Zechariah: Should we continue to fast and pray for the old temple? LORD replied that they never really fasted and prayed to HIM but did it for themselves. They were faking it. They were being religious without being followers of the LORD. Does the LORD want this? NO!!!
HE told their fathers what HE wanted but their only response to HIS prophets was to refuse to listen, pulled back their shoulders and stopped their ears. They were not interested in what the LORD really wanted them to do. They wanted to worship in their own way and not be bothered with the truth from the LORD.
It got to the point that they received the wrath of God in judgment. Their judgment was to go into captivity and the land to be desolate for a time period of seventy years.
Now through Zechariah the LORD gives HIS instructions again. They are to exercise true judgment. They are to show mercy and compassion. They are NOT to oppress the widow-fatherless-stranger-poor. They were NOT to think up evil things to do to their brothers. This was what is expected of those who follower the LORD.
This chapter is sad. The children of Israel were sent prophets to tell the words of the LORD but they didn’t want to listen. They not only didn’t want to listen but they covered their ears so they didn’t hear what the prophets had to say. They were willing to fast and pray but for what they wanted and not for what the LORD wanted them to do.
We tend to follow their example in praying for what we want but not for what the LORD wants from us. The prophets were given their words by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The people were sent into judgment because they would not listen. They would not take the warnings the LORD sent their way.
Are we taking the warnings the LORD sends our way to follow HIS word to us? Do we want to be in the same condition that the Israelites found themselves in because they were not willing to listen? They didn’t want to hear the call to repentance of the prophets.
The LORD wouldn’t hear their call to HIM for help when they went into captivity for seventy years. Sad. Hopefully, we are listening and following the Word of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: The principle of Scripture regarding prayer is that we have to listen to the LORD before HE will listen to us.
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