"Two years have passed between chapters six and seven. Two more years will yet be required to complete the rebuilding of the Temple (cf. Ezr 6:15). The people have been working hard (cf. Hag 1:14). Many exiles had returned from Babylon and had settled in Jerusalem and the other cities of Israel (cf. Ezr 2). The scars of the Babylonian invasion are slowly being erased, but the nation is still in an interim state. During the Babylonian captivity the exiles had instituted a fast day in commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem. Now that Jerusalem is being restored, the question arises concerning the need or validity of continuing to keep the fast. A delegation is sent to Jerusalem to inquire of the Lord; and in response, God sends four messages through His prophet to the nation." [1] You can read the account in Zechariah 7.
The question is pretty clear: “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”” (Zechariah 7:3, ESV). "Zechariah’s answer is given to the whole question of these fasts, and it is directed to the whole nation, not just to the men in v. 2. God is not concerned about fasting per se. He desires obedience to His word (v. 7)." [2] "Zechariah asks whether these liturgies were done for God— that is, as an act of true repentance to help build a relationship with God— or merely to free themselves from the circumstances of discipline." [3] "The test of true repentance is a life of obedience to God, specifically, true judgments that show kindness and mercy (v. 9) to the widow and fatherless, the sojourner and the poor (v. 10)." [4] But how did Israel respond in the past to these messages? Why did God scatter them?
“But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”” (Zechariah 7:11–14, ESV)
"In summary, in this section Zechariah offers not only the message of the earlier prophets but also a history lesson in the consequences of ignoring or rejecting God’s message." [5] "The lesson to the Jews of the restoration period is clear: Do not be like your unrepentant, unfaithful, disobedient, covenant-breaking forefathers, or you will suffer a similar fate. One indispensable ingredient in true spirituality is a dogged attentiveness to familiar truths, but they did not "pay attention." [6] "As Zechariah’s generation needed to be reminded of the example of an earlier generation of God’s people, so we must remember these examples and learn from their error." [7]
What sad words: ““As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts,” (Zechariah 7:13, ESV).
Father, we somehow think that You are pleased with things “... promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body ...” (Colossians 2:23, ESV); but it is obedience that You desire. “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16–17, ESV). The exiles wondered if the dispersion was over. Could they stop all the fasting? Your answer was "yes" and "no". Yes they could stop the fasting and start obeying. And no, they hadn't learned the lessons of their forefathers very well. Father, you give us so much history so we can learn and change. Open our broken and contrite hearts by Your Spirit and bring a life-transforming reflection. May we not repeat the mistakes of yesterday. May tomorrow bring fresh perseverance in holiness. For Your Name sake.
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1. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (1816). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
2. Believer’s Study Bible. 1991 (W. A. Criswell, P. Patterson, E. R. Clendenen, D. L. Akin, M. Chamberlin, D. K. Patterson & J. Pogue, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (Zec 7:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
3. Boda, Mark J. (2009-05-26). Haggai, Zechariah (The NIV Application Commentary) (Kindle Locations 7015-7017). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
4. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (1759). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
5. Boda, Mark J. (2009-05-26). Haggai, Zechariah (The NIV Application Commentary) (Kindle Locations 7117-7118). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
6. Expositor's
Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Zechariah/Exposition of Zechariah/IV. The Problem of
Fasting and the Promise of the Future (7:1-8:23)/C. The Command to Repent
(7:8-14), Book Version: 4.0.2
7. Boda, Mark J. (2009-05-26). Haggai, Zechariah (The NIV Application Commentary) (Kindle Locations 7210-7211). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
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