C. The command to repent 7:8-14Having referred to the words of the former prophets (Zechariah 7:7), Zechariah now summarized them as an exhortation to his own generation of Israelites. read more
Warnings From the PastChs.7 and 8 go together, and were spoken on a date (fourth day of the ninth month in the fourth year of Darius) two years later than the series of visions described above, viz. in 518 b.c. (On contemporary events see on Zechariah 6:8.) They are Zechariah’s answer to a question put to him by certain visitors to Jerusalem, who asked whether the fast observed by the Jews in the fifth month, in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, should still be kept.... read more
(8-14) The prophet implies that true fasting is to loose the bands of wickedness and leave off oppression. But Israel had adopted quite the opposite course, and therefore God, in accordance with Deuteronomy 4:27, had scattered them among the nations. read more
Zechariah 7:9 ; Micah 6:8 Besides various maxims of renunciation and wisdom written from top to bottom of the stele, Confucius has left to this sanctuary certain thoughts on literature which have been engraved in letters of gold in such a way as to form pictures hung on the walls. Here is one which I transcribe for young western scholars who are preoccupied with classification and inquiry. They will find in it a reply twice two thousand years old to one of their favourite questions: The... read more
; Zechariah 8:1-23"THE SEED OF PEACE"Zechariah 7:1-14; Zechariah 8:1-23THE Visions have revealed the removal of the guilt of the land, the restoration of Israel to their standing before God, the revival of the great national institutions, and God’s will to destroy the heathen forces of the world. With the Temple built, Israel should be again in the position which she enjoyed before the Exile. Zechariah, therefore, proceeds to exhort his people to put away the fasts which the Exile had made... read more
II. QUESTIONS CONCERNING CERTAIN FASTS CHAPTER 7 1. The question (Zechariah 7:1-3 ) 2. The reproof (Zechariah 7:4-7 ) 3. The lessons of the past (Zechariah 7:8-14 ) Zechariah 7:1-3 . Nearly two years had passed since Zechariah’s great visions, and during that time the people had been obedient to the vision and built the house. Soon the ancient worship was to be resumed. A question arose in the minds of the people concerning certain Jewish days of fasting. The principal day was the day... read more
A Question Answered Negatively (vv. 1-7) The visions and prophecies of the first six chapters are connected with the eighth month of the second year of the reign of Darius (Zechariah 1:1). It is two years later when the question ofZechariah 7:3; Zechariah 7:3 arises. In this chapter the Lord answers the question negatively, and gives the positive answer in Zechariah 8:1-23. The question is asked by men sent to the house of the Lord from Bethel (JND). They had been sent to pray and to ask... read more
MORE OF THE PROPHET ’S OWN TIME THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK (Zechariah 4:0 ) The candlestick was a copy of that in the early tabernacle, but with what difference (Zechariah 4:2 )? From what source was its oil supplied (Zechariah 4:3 )? What did this supply of oil from the trees symbolize (Zechariah 4:6 )? The candlestick itself may represent the temple which the Jews were now essaying to build, or the Jewish nation as a whole which was now sought to be re-established and become a light in... read more
Fasting and Feasting Zechariah 7:0 , Zechariah 8:0 It is not enough to fast That may be a trick; there may be a way of doing it which robs it of all its virtue and of all its significance. God takes our ceremonies to pieces, and says aloud, What is the meaning of all this your church-going and hymn-singing, and apparently decent observance of religious ordinances? Is it in reality unto me, or is it unto yourselves? Fasting is not postponed feasting. Yet this is what it has been turned into... read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 7:8-10
Zechariah received another message from the Lord related to this inquiry. The sovereign Lord commanded His people to dispense justice (Heb. mishpat), to exercise kindness (Heb. hesed) and compassion (Heb. rahamim) toward each other, not to oppress the weak and vulnerable among them, and not to plot evil against each other."Here . . . is a concise yet comprehensive range of ethical teaching condensed into four pithy utterances." [Note: Ellis, p. 1037. Cf. Micah 6:8.] "Morality is certainly not... read more