Zechariah
7:4-7 NKJV 4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 5 "Say
to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you fasted and mourned
in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast
for Me-for Me? 6 'When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for
yourselves? 7 'Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed
through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were
inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?'"
God’s
response to the people was that He knew that their fasting about the
destruction of the temple was in mourning because of the impact that it had on
their own lives not in mourning because of the acts that led to the destruction
of the temple. They should have been mourning that injustice, greed, and the
lust for power were being practiced in Israel during the times of the kings of
Israel and Judah. This mindset and these policies led to the destruction of the
temple.
The Word
of the LORD again came to Zechariah reminding them of why the temple was
destroyed in the first place and, if they fasted, why they should do so.
Zechariah
7:8-13 NKJV 8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, 9 "Thus
says the LORD of hosts: 'Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The
alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.'
11 "But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their
ears so that they could not hear. 12 "Yes, they made their hearts like
flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent
by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD
of hosts. 13 "Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they
would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the LORD
of hosts.
God didn’t
really answer their question. Instead, He questioned their motivation. Their
fasting did not please God because their motivation was totally wrong. The
prophet Isaiah, who prophesied during the fall of the northern kingdom of
Israel spoke the Word of the LORD regarding the fasts that God found pleasing.
God began by describing their fasts as days that they take pleasure in the
outward show of afflicting their souls.
Isaiah
58:3-5 NKJV 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have
we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' "In fact, in the day of
your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. 4 Indeed you fast
for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not
fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. 5 Is it a fast that
I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head
like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a
fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isaiah was
most likely referring specifically to the Yom Kippur fast since the Babylonian
captivity of Judah and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem was still
more than one hundred years in the future. But God’s description of their
motivation applies to their later observance of the fast mourning the
destruction of the temple especially in God’s description of what He looks for
in a sincere fast.
Isaiah
58:6-9a NKJV 6 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the
bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the
naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then
your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth
speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD
shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You
shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
God does
not listen to the fast of the selfish or insincere heart; He listens to the
fast of the one whose heart has been changed and whose actions reflect that
change. He hears those who execute justice and show mercy and compassion. The
Word of the LORD again came to Zechariah describing His plan for the fasts in
remembrance of the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the temple.
Zechariah
8:16-19 NKJV 16 These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to
his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; 17 Let
none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a
false oath. For all these are things that I hate,' Says the LORD." 18 Then
the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 19 "Thus says the LORD
of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the
seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful
feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.'
In
remembrance of the ninth of Av, let us determine to speak truth, justice and
peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment
You must include your name, city and state at the end of your comment. I do not accept comments from any one who identifies themselves as anonymous. All comments are moderated prior to appearing on this blog.