Zechariah 7:4 Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
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?
6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
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?
It should be obvious to any conscientious Bible reader, that God wants us to know that the Bible is His Word. It is not a book of fiction. It is quite interesting that so many people are content to use a perversion of God’s Word, rather than His Word. How can books that say different things in the same passage be from the mouth of the same God?
In our text we are again reminded that this word that Zechariah was receiving was from the LORD of hosts. This is the Jehovah God of all the world. He takes special interest in the children of Israel, but a lost Jew will end up in hell just like a lost Gentile. God chose the nation of Israel, not because they were so good, but because that was His choice. He intended to show Himself strong to all the nations through that nation. Even though Israel rejected Him as a nation, He still showed Himself strong. He is still doing that now.
As we mentioned yesterday, only a fool would reject the true God. Sadly, there are thousands of fools today.
In verse 5 the LORD addressed the corruption that took place while the Jews were in exile in Babylon. They determined to hold a fast and mourn in the fifth and seventh month during that seventy years. The LORD was confronting the hypocrisy of the Jews. What were they fasting for? Was it to the LORD?
In verse 6 the LORD answered His question. Their fasting was not for the LORD. They were not seeking His face. They just determined that they would fast at those times, but it was for their fleshly benefit.
We see here that if a religious person chooses to fast, it must be to the LORD. There are different religions that have corporate fasts from time to time. In Daniel 9 we read that Daniel was a student of God’s Word. He understood that the seventy years of exile were about done. We read in verse 3 that he set his face unto the Lord God. He understood the true purpose of fasting. It was not about weight loss. It was about drawing nigh to God. Daniel was already a great man of God. He was unique among men. Yet he understood that he needed to draw nigh to God at that time.
He was not guilty of keeping this fast that the LORD spoke to Zechariah about. Daniel was a genuine child of God and he walked in the fear of the LORD. That is why God could direct him to ask for a special diet in Daniel 1. That diet was not so that Daniel could fight off cancer, or something else. It was because he did not want to identify in any way with the paganism of Babylon. The meat served to the general population of captives had been offered to idols. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be able to claim his gods were better than the true God. Daniel and his three friends refused to give him that opportunity.
We read several other accounts in the book of Daniel, of where Daniel and his three friends chose to honour God. God blessed them because they were faithful to Him. What about these people that Zechariah was told to speak to? They were too full of themselves. Their captivity was not drawing them closer to God. It was something they were using for selfish purposes. Verse 6 of our text tells us that. They were looking to comfort one another. They were not interested in drawing nigh to God.
In verse 7 we see that they should have been seeking to hear from the LORD, just like Daniel and his three friends did. God had been gracious to the nation. He had sent them prophets. He gave them opportunity to know the true God. Notice as well that God sent those prophets while Jerusalem was inhabited by Jews and they were living in prosperity. God had been blessing them abundantly. Sadly, they ignored God. They appreciated the blessings, but they did not acknowledge where those blessings were from.
They took the good times for granted. When things started to turn sour, they did not listen to the true prophets who encouraged them to get back to God. They chose themselves false prophets who led them into idolatry. They watched the pagan nations and if they thought they were doing well, they adopted their false gods.
God shows us here that man without Him, never changes. Zechariah was told to address his fellow Jews. They had not heeded the Word of the LORD when given by the true prophets. They rejected that and chose men who would tickle their itching ears.
This is very much like most Gentiles today. Most are not interested in the Truth. They want someone to scratch their itching ears. We have Christmas, and Valentines day and Easter, and probably some other events. Most professing Christians do not bother to search the Scriptures about these things.
The birth of Jesus Christ is essential. God gave many prophesies regarding His coming. God declared He would be born of a virgin. He declared where He would be born. He spoke of the impact His public ministry would have. He spoke of His crucifixion, and the torture that would lead up to that cruel event. He spoke of Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension. God also spoke of His coming back. In the New Testament we have two Gospels that mention Jesus’ birth. All four of them talk of His crucifixion and burial and resurrection.
It is important to remember Jesus’ coming and His incarnation. All the hype that is manufactured around what is supposed to be a remembering of His first coming, is a distraction. It is for the people, not for God.
Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion is also very important. The Bible makes much of that as well. Interestingly, Jesus arrest, trial and crucifixion were on a specific day. Paul was directed to write that Jesus Christ is our Passover. Have you even stopped to think about why “Easter” is never the same day two years in a row? Why is that. Do some research and you will discover the why.
We are told to remember His death till He come. That remembrance is with the Lord’s supper. Jesus instituted that supper and there were no chocolate bunnies or egg hunts, etc. There was a sober meeting in the upper room with a special meal that was concluded with the institution of the Lord’s supper. We are commanded to remember Jesus’ death till he come. That is not a party time. That is a time for sober reflection.
Valentine’s day has nothing to do with Christianity. It is a corruption of the true love that God intends for a man and a woman whom He draws together in marriage.
We would do well to take some of these Old Testament passages and make the right application from the text. God was not pleased with their faulty fasting in Old Testament times. He is not pleased with the faulty remembrances in New Testament times. We are not drawing nigh to God when we are focused on which gifts to buy and what we will get from so and so, etc. If you want to purchase a gift for someone for their birthday or some other event, have at it. When we remember Jesus’ birth, the gifts were given to Him, not to Joseph and Mary or anyone else. His birth was announced to the shepherds and the purpose was for them to glorify God.
God warns those who are truly His children not to love the world. He says friendship with the world is enmity with God. God warns us. God teaches us. Are we willing to learn?
Pastor Bartel