(14-17) As the Captivity had been brought about by God’s decree, so, too, the Restoration. The people, therefore, need not fear, if only they do that which is righteous in His sight. read more
Work and Play Zechariah 8:5 I shall set play in a threefold light: I. In the light of work. II. In the light of the Gospel. III. In the light of heaven. I. Play in the Light of Work. What is the difference between work and play? It is not in the things we do so much that the real difference between work and play is found: it is in the spirit in which the thing is done. And can we distinguish that difference of spirit? I do not suppose that it was ever better done than by that great thinker... 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
CHAPTER 8 1. The restoration announced (Zechariah 8:1-3 ) 2. The peace of Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:4-5 ) 3. The return to the land (Zechariah 8:6-8 ) 4. The blessing of the land and the people (Zechariah 8:9-23 ) Zechariah 8:1-3 . The answer is now given to the question, and it is an answer which none of the petitioners expected. The answer is closely linked with the third night vision in chapter 2, for here is an enlarged prophecy concerning the restoration of Jerusalem. Jehovah was... read more
8:14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish {h} you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:(h) Read Ezekiel 18:20 . read more
8:15 So again have I thought in these days {i} to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.(i) Which declares that man cannot turn to God until he changes man’s heart by his Spirit, and so begin to do good to them, which is to pardon his sins and to give him his graces. read more
The Positive Answer (vv. 1-17) In this chapter the Lord gives a wonderfully positive answer to the question ofZechariah 7:2; Zechariah 7:2. The positive answer is found only in His own great and effective work to which the eyes of Israel are to be directed. Yet the answer looks forward, far beyond any small measure of revival in Israel, to the time when God restores the nation permanently in the age of millennial glory. Another direct word from the Lord of hosts comes to Zechariah, not... 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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John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 8:1-23
Reiteration of God’s Promises concerning JerusalemThe whole chapter is made up of ten short oracles each introduced by the formula, ’Thus saith the Lord of hosts’ (except Zechariah 8:3). God has come to dwell with His people. Happiness and prosperity are in store for Jerusalem if it will do His will. All nations will seek to join in worshipping God in Jerusalem.1. Again] RV ’and’: there is no break in thought between the two chapters 2. I was jealous] better, ’I am jealous.’ The word indicates... read more