Zechariah7

In the fourth year of King Darius, a delegation from Bethel inquired whether they should continue their traditional fasts. The Lord, through Zechariah, questioned the sincerity of their past fasting, stating it was not truly for Him but for themselves. He reminded them of His earlier commands for justice and mercy, which they had historically rejected, leading to their scattering and the desolation of the land.

Delegation Asks About Continuing the Fasts

1
In the fourth year of king Darius, the LORD’s word came to Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev. ​
2
The people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem Melech, and their men, to entreat the LORD’s favor, ​
3
and to speak to the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?” ​

God Challenges the Motivation for Fasting

4
Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,
5
“Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me? ​
6
When you eat, and when you drink, don’t you eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? ​
7
Aren’t these the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’” ​

The Requirement of True Justice

8
the LORD’s word came to Zechariah, saying,
9
“Thus has the LORD of Hosts spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother. ​
10
Don’t oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.’ ​

Past Rebellion and Divine Judgment

11
But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear. ​
12
Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which the LORD of Hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the LORD of Hosts. ​
13
It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen,” said the LORD of Hosts; ​
14
“but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they made the pleasant land desolate.” ​

Study Notes for Zechariah 7

Verse 1

This chapter is precisely dated to the fourth year of Darius (518 BC), two years after Zechariah’s visions (Ch. 1–6), indicating that the rebuilding efforts are now established.

Verse 2

Sherezer and Regemmelech were representatives sent from the Jewish community, likely from Bethel or even Babylon, to consult the priests and prophets in Jerusalem regarding appropriate ritual practice.

Verse 3

The fast of the fifth month (Av) commemorated the destruction of the First Temple (586 BC). With the Second Temple reconstruction underway, the people questioned whether this traditional mourning fast was still necessary.

Verse 5

The seventy years of fasting aligns with the duration of the Babylonian exile. God questions their motive, implying their mourning was centered on self-pity rather than genuine repentance or devotion to Him.

Verse 6

This rhetorical question emphasizes that their eating and drinking (both feasting and fasting) were self-serving. True worship requires a heart focused on God, not merely external ritual performance.

Verse 7

The 'former prophets' (e.g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos) consistently warned that ritual without ethical obedience was meaningless, a message Israel ignored when the land was prosperous.

Verse 9

God shifts the focus from ritual questions (fasting) to ethical requirements, summarizing the core of covenant law: true judgment (justice) and practical compassion (mercy) toward one’s neighbor.

Verse 10

This list identifies the most vulnerable groups in society (widow, orphan, stranger, poor), emphasizing that ethical religion is demonstrated by protecting the marginalized.

Verse 11

The people’s historical response to God’s commands was willful rejection, symbolized by the refusal to 'hearken' (listen obediently) and pulling away the shoulder (like oxen refusing the yoke).

Verse 12

They made their hearts like an 'adamant stone' (Heb. *shamir*, a very hard substance like diamond), illustrating their deliberate spiritual stubbornness against the Law and the Spirit-inspired message of the prophets.

Verse 13

This verse establishes the principle of reciprocal judgment: because Israel refused to hear God when He spoke, God refused to hear their desperate cries when judgment finally came (the exile).

Verse 14

The scattering was executed 'with a whirlwind,' symbolizing the violent, chaotic, and forceful nature of the judgment and exile, which left the once 'pleasant land' utterly desolate.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options