Zechariah 1:1-6

The Biblical setting for Zechariah is indicated by the phrase, The Word of the LORD came.  As the LORD’s mouthpiece Zechariah calls people to the LORD.  God’s title, The LORD of hosts, appears some fifty times in Zechariah.  God is fully capable to keep His word.  He has at His disposal all the hosts of heaven.

Zechariah begins with a call to “life in the Spirit”.  By the flesh the people had a great burst of energy and laid the foundation of the temple.  But the first obstacle had stopped them.  They now were absorbed by the mundane affairs of life but not the eternal affairs of the Lord.  God wants to encourage them to resume the work, but not in the effort of the flesh that is doomed to failure.

·        1:2: the beginning state of affairs.  God was angry with the fathers, anger which resulted in the seventy year captivity as well as in the current situation of the people of Judah returning to the land under the authority of Medo-Persia.  Meditate for a moment. God’s anger was justified because of:

o   His holiness (i.e. part of his character.)

o   His love (men have not responded to His goodness.)

o   His Creation (He made us, owns us, has a right to our obedience).

o   His revelation (God warned thru the prophets but men did not respond.)

·        1:3: the desired state of affairs.  They had returned from Babylon but they had not returned to the LORD.  Return is one of the most common Hebrew words in the OT.  It is the term for backsliding (Jer. 3:14) as well as for repentance.  There are two sides to this turning.  We first seek God’s help: Turn us O LORD and we shall be turned (Lam. 5:21).  Then we turn from sin (repudiating all sin) to God (affirming His will in all things).  For meditation note other terms for repentance in the OT:

o   Josh. 24:23: incline your heart to God.

o   Jer. 4:4: circumcise yourselves to the LORD.

o   Jer. 4:14: wash your heart from wickedness.

o   Hosea 10:12: break up your fallow ground.

·        1:4: the past state of affairs.  In turning from sin the people need to be sure they do not repeat the failure of the fathers who did not hear nor heed Me.  We respect our ancestors but we must not repeat their sins.

·        1:5-6a: the eternal state of affairs.  Here is deep truth.  What did the failure to hear and heed get the fathers?  They are gone.  They have not continued to this day.  But what about the word of the LORD?  That continued to the days of Zechariah and does to our day.  The fathers were overtaken by God’s word.  The same is true for us.  The LORD of hosts will keep His word forever.

·        1:6b: the concluding state of affairs.  As was true in Haggai (1:14-15) so it is true here: the people responded well.  They returned by acknowledging that God was indeed faithful and justified in His dealings with them.  May we be as quick to honor God by hearing and heeding His word!