Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.
14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
Verse 12 begins with an interesting question. God certainly was merciful to Israel. They had snubbed their noses at Him for a long time. Even after God moved the Babylonians to allow the Jews to go back to rebuild the Temple, they still did not walk in the fear of God.
The angel of the LORD knew that the Hebrews had been in exile for seventy years. Yet in that seventy years, they had not been broken. A few like Ezra and Nehemiah were godly men, but many of them had some sentimental connection to Jerusalem, but they did not have the spiritual fire they needed to have.
In verse 13 we read that the LORD answered the angel that talked with Zechariah with good words and comfortable words. God needed to punish the Jews for their sins. He pleaded with them to turn back to Him. He did not want them to follow the path of their fathers. He needed to judge them, but He did not cast them off.
In verse 14 Zechariah needed to remind the people that the LORD was jealous for Jerusalem. It is interesting here that God used two names to address His city, Jerusalem. The Hebrew word translated as Jerusalem means “teaching of peace”. The word translated as Zion means “parched place”. Interesting use of words here. Jerusalem was to be the place of teaching of peace. The Temple was to be there. David had prepared for that first temple and Solomon had built that first temple. It was a magnificent place. It was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. The temple was to be a place of teaching the law of God. However, due to Israel’s rebellion, Jerusalem had become a parched place. It had become desolate, and the temple had been destroyed.
God was jealous over Jerusalem and for Zion. He had a specific purpose for that place, but the people had rejected God to the point where He had to send them into exile. However, now they were back in the land and they needed to get on with the work of rebuilding the temple. That was more important than housing for themselves. God pointed out that the place He designated as the place to meet with Him was of greater significance than having fancy houses to live in.
This is still true today. A true, local church is of great significance. It is a very important place and should be valued and cherished by God’s people. We do not worship a building, but that place is where the Word of God is to be proclaimed. That is where born again Christians are baptized. That is where God-fearing couples get married. That is where children can be taught the fear of the LORD and saints can be strengthened in their walk with God.
In verse 15 the LORD expressed His sore displeasure for the heathen that are at ease. God sent the Babylonians into Jerusalem to destroy the temple and to break down the walls. However, the Babylonians took liberties God never intended for them. They attacked with joy. They loved destroying the temple and the walls and taking captives and killing others. They saw no need to fear God.
God said He was a little displeased with the Jews, but He was sore displeased with the heathen. The heathen were not better than the Jews. God used them, but He wanted them to see His hand in what was happening. God sent men like Daniel and his three friends to show Nebuchadnezzar that their God was far superior to any god he had. Darius was also given the opportunity to learn this. Nebuchadnezzar faced several challenges before he was brought to his knees. Many of the Babylonians never turned to God. God was not pleased with that.
In verse 16 the LORD said He would return to Jerusalem with mercies. God had not abandoned His people. He gave them an opportunity to reconsider their ways. He was with Ezra in the rebuilding of the temple. He caused the kings that kept them captive, to help finance the rebuilding project. The LORD declared that His house would be built at Jerusalem. It would be built and a line would be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. The line was in reference to surveying Jerusalem for the rebuilding. God surveys the land and He provides all the “permits” needed to get the project done. There was no need for an environmental assessment. There was no red tape to work through. The problem was with the heart of the Jews. They were reluctant to get at the work.
In verse 17 we see that God promised that Jerusalem would be rebuilt. The temple needed to be first, but the people would prosper with their own properties if they would put Him first. That had been their problem. They did not put God first. They had adopted pagan ways. They had been very self-centred, rather than being God-centred.
The LORD told Zechariah that He had words of comfort for the people. Those words would only be comforting to those who would humbly submit to Him. That was the issue. God was being merciful. God’s mercy does not mean His children can do as they please and all will be good. His mercy is there to show what went wrong and how to fix it. Things are fixed with God when true repentance takes place and people submit to His will.
That was true for the Jews in Zechariah’s day. It is true for the nation of Israel today and it is also true for Gentiles today. If we want to know the blessing of the Lord, we need to humbly submit to Him. We do not set the terms of restoration and blessing. We submit to the LORD’s righteous standards. That is the way of blessing.
Pastor Bartel