Zechariah 8:9-17

 

Zechariah 8:9-17

Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

Zec 8:9  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour. 

Zec 8:11  But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Zec 8:12  For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 

Zec 8:13  And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

Zec 8:14  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not: 

Zec 8:15  So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not. 

Zec 8:16  These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: 

Zec 8:17  And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD. 

           1.     How Do You Rebuild a People?

a.      For a People to Renew They Must be Strong – vs. 9*

                                               i.     How does one build lasting strength?

1.     Give it all you got - 2 Corinthains 4:17-18 

2.     Be ready to listen to God’s word - James 1:21-25 

3.     Be thorough - Ezra 6:13-16 

b.     For a People to Renew They Must Put the Past Behind Them – vs. 10*

                                               i.     Those who turn their backs on God, will experience His judgment

1.     Because they had built themselves nice houses while leaving the temple a ruin, God was going to judge them with:

a.      Haggai 1:2-4 

b.     Rapid inflation - Haggai 1:6 

c.      Rise in violent crime - Judges 5:6-7 

d.     Continuous Conflict - James 4:1-2 

 

c.      For a People to Renew They Must Put Their Faith in God – vs. 11*

                                               i.     In the same way God does not give up on Israel, He will not give up on us, even though we deserve it.

1.     Isaiah 49:14-16 

d.     For a People to Renew They Must be Grateful to God – vs. 12*

                                               i.     It is God that enables us to prosper

1.     He grows the plants so that they give their fruits - Psalm 67:6-7 

2.     He makes the ground to be productive - Proverbs 3:9-10 

3.     He brings the rain to water the crops - Isaiah 30:23 

4.     He enables us to overcome - Deuteronomy 30:19-20 

e.      For a People to Renew They Must be Unafraid – vs. 13*

                                               i.     Once upon a time you were a byword among the unbelieving

1.     Jeremiah 24:9 

                                             ii.     Just like God did for Israel He will:

1.     Save you - Psalm 126:1-3 

2.     Make you a blessing - Isaiah 2:2-3 

                                            iii.     So therefore, you must:

1.     Be Unafraid - 1 Corinthians 16:13 

2.     Press on and do not quit - Isaiah 35:3-4 

f.      For a People to Renew They Must Realize Even Though They Deserved God’s Wrath They have Received His Mercy – vs. 14-15*

                                               i.     God is angry with you for your father’s sake. We are all under the curse that Adam brought upon us.

1.     1 Corinthians 15:22 

                                             ii.     Even though you deserve judgement; God chose to give you life for the sake of His Son’s Jesus.

1.     John 3:16-18 

g.     For a People to Renew They Must Love Equal Justice for All – vs. 16-17*

                                               i.     The foundation of any good society is the truth, without it all fails

1.     Psalm 15:1-2 

                                             ii.     A truthful society will produce righteous judgement for all, out of which flows lasting peace in all places of government.

1.     Micah 6:8 

                                            iii.     The wicked come up with ways to take advantage of others, through dishonest gain.

1.     Micah 2:1-2 

                                            iv.     The Lord hates covenant breakers

1.     2 Timothy 3:1-4; Psalm 19:14 

 

The Puritans And Meditation On God's Word | Dr Joel Beeke | MWFC 2024 - Session 2

 A wonderful message on meditation from Joel Beeke. You need to watch this...

Zechariah 8:1-8

 

Zechariah 8:1-8

Jerusalem Shall Be Called a City of Truth

Zec 8:1  Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 

Zec 8:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. 

Zec 8:3  Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. 

Zec 8:4  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 

Zec 8:5  And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. 

Zec 8:6  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts. 

Zec 8:7  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; 

Zec 8:8  And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. 

 

          1.     The Word of the Lord of Hosts Comes to Zachariah – vs. 1

a.     The Word, who is the Logos, comes in representation of the Lord of Hosts or the Lord of the Armies. Still speaking with the intensity we saw in chapter 7, This passage in a continuation of what was said in the previous chapter and a message to the Jewish people. Although God is pronouncing judgment on His people there is always mixed in with the warning a pronouncement of unfailing love.

          2.     God Always Jealously loves His People – vs. 2

a.     In this verse God calls His people Zion which would encompass all His people Jew and Gentile alike

                                               i.     God loves the Jews

1.     Zechariah 1:14 

                                             ii.     God loves the Gentiles as well

1.     Ephesians 2:11-13 

                                           iii.     God loves Jerusalem

1.     Psalm 48:2 

 

           3.     God Longs to Bring His People to a Safe Place – vs. 3a*

a.     Although Jerusalem did yet again experience God’s wrath in 70 A.D., because of their rejection of their Messiah, God assures them that He will never give up on them.

                                               i.     God made a promise to David, that His throne would be established for all eternity. The one True King will someday fulfill this:

1.     2 Samuel 7:16-17 

2.     Psalm 89:34-37 

                                             ii.     The King’s reign will be global in scope

1.     Psalm 72:8 

                                           iii.     The King will bring an end to war

1.     Isaiah 2:1-4 

                                            iv.     The King will be worshipped by all the nations

1.     Zechariah 14:16-17 

                                             v.     The King will bind Satan for 1000 years

1.     Revelation 20:1-4 

b.     The King’s reign will establish a permanent place of safety

                                               i.     A safe place is a place of Truth – vs. 3b*

1.     John 8:32 

                                             ii.     A safe place is a place where the old can flourish in their twilight years – vs. 4*

1.     Isaiah 65:20 

                                           iii.     A safe place is where children can play in peace – vs. 5*

1.     Isaiah 11:1-9 

          4.     God Saves a Remnant of His People for Himself – vs. 6*

a.     All people should glory in God’s restoration of the Jews to their promise land

                                               i.     Romans 11:25-29 

b.     God gives salvation to all that call upon Him

                                               i.     Joel 2:32 

          5.     God Regathers His People Who Were Lost – vs. 7*

a.     When Queen Victoria asked her Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, for irrefutable proof of the existence of God, he replied simply: “The Jew.”

                                               i.     Amos 9:13-15 

         6.     God Wants to Be Worshiped by His People – vs. 8*

a.     Jeremiah 31:31-34 

Zechariah 7:1-14

 

Zechariah 7:1-14

Do Not Become Adamant to the Voice of the Logos

Zec 7:1  And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu; 

Zec 7:2  When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD, 

Zec 7:3  And to speak unto 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? 

Zec 7:4  Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying, 

Zec 7:5  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? 

Zec 7:6  And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? 

Zec 7:7  Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain? 

Zec 7:8  And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, 

Zec 7:9  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 

Zec 7:10  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. 

Zec 7:11  But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. 

Zec 7:12  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. 

Zec 7:13  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: 

Zec 7:14  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. 

 

           1.     A Delegation Comes to Jerusalem to Inquire About the Observance of Fasts – vs. 1-3*

a.      This is during the time of the construction of the new temple; everyone is hard at work with coordinating a difficult task. – vs. 1*

b.     The approach of the delegation seems innocent enough. They are there to “pray.” The group of men approach in good faith but are filled with insincere intentions. – vs. 2*

c.      The delegation is there to meet with the prophets (like Zechariah and Haggai) and the priests (many of whom are mentioned in the previous chapter) – vs. 3*

                                               i.     The question regarding fasts is certainly not a bad one. Unfortunately, the timing was poor, and judging from the Lord’s answer, one that was intended to cause division and disunity. The fasts they were asking about commemorated the fall of Jerusalem 70 years earlier.

1.     In the 10^th month – commemorated the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem

a.      2 Kings 25:1 

2.     In the 4^th month – commemorated the fall of Jerusalem

a.      2 Kings 25:3-4 

3.     In the 5^th month – The burning of Jerusalem

a.      2 Kings 25:8-9 

4.     In the 7^th month – Commemorated the murder of Gedaliah and the last of Jewish self-governance

a.      2 Kings 25:23-25 

          2.     Beware of Legalism – vs. 4-7*

a.      The Word of Lord returns to speak to Zechariah and give an answer to the delegation – vs. 4*

b.     It is possible that the delegation was harboring secret hopes that their diligence in keeping the fasts would force God to free them from Babylonian rule. Whatever their motivation was, they were not fasting for the sake of true worship. – vs. 5*

                                               i.     Colossians 2:16-18 

c.      Their worship nor their lifestyle was honoring to God – vs. 6*

                                               i.     Isaiah 1:9-14 

d.     Even when an Israelite king ruled all of Palestine they did not honor God – vs. 7*

                                               i.     Isaiah 66:1-2 

        3.     Beware of the Hardening of Your Heart – vs. 8-14*

a.      The Word of the Lord Comes Again to Zechariah to Explain what a broken and contrite heart looks like – vs 8*

                                               i.     A broken and contrite heart loves equal justice for all – vs. 9*

1.     Amos 5:10-14; Micah 6:8; James 2:1 

                                             ii.     A broken and contrite heart puts others first – vs. 10*

1.     Philippians 2:1-4; James 1:27 

                                            iii.     A broken and contrite heart does not pull away from God’s loving touch – vs. 11*

1.     Hebrews 10:38-39 

                                            iv.     A broken and contrite heart is not hardened to the things of the Lord – vs. 12*

1.     Hebrews 3:7-14 

                                              v.     A broken and contrite heart listens to the voice of the Shepherd – vs. 13*

1.     John 10:25-28 

                                            vi.     A broken and contrite heart abides for ever – vs. 14*

1.     1 John 2:17