Zechariah 8:1-23: The Twelve Series

Tonight, we continue our study of the book of Zechariah in chapter eight. 

Two weeks ago, we studied Zechariah 7.1-14, the coronation of the Priest-King, and we saw the merging of the two mediatorial offices of Israel and their fulfillment in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Last week, we learned again of the utter failure of external religious rituals and the necessity of a real walk with God. Tonight, we return to the second portion of the book, the “words of the Lord”. We’ll look at the third one tonight. This will be our last midweek service of the spring, so following tonight, we’ll take our summer break and return in early autumn. More on that schedule as it develops. 

Chapters seven and eight are actually one extended narrative that begins with 7.1-3, a question posed by the Israelites from Bethel. To review for a moment, the Lord’s response in chapter seven could be considered negative, though in a useful way, as His correction always is. In last week’s passage, He challenged the Israelites’ motive for their observance of fasts in the annual religious life of the people, challenged their disobedience of the elements of the moral Law, and challenged them through the consequences of their sin: their refusal to pay attention, their hardening of their own hearts into a diamond. Tonight, following the corrective rebuke of chapter seven, the Lord turns in chapter eight to an encouraging promise of His goodness and blessing still to come. 

To begin, remember what God says just before this extended narrative. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

Sounds bleak, doesn’t it? It’s an accurate description of life in Jerusalem in Zechariah’s day. But now everything changes. The Lord is present with His people and reminds them of His enduring love. 

Turn with me to Zechariah 8.1. 

The Divine Arrival

The Lord gets right to the main point quickly in this chapter. 
1 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

Please take note of the sixteen times in these 23 verses that the text refers to the “word of the Lord” or “thus says the Lord of hosts”. Underlined. The Lord is reassuring the people of His good purposes toward them. 

Despite their sin, despite the judgment they forced Him to bring upon them, despite their rebellion against His word, God is still in love with Israel. He speaks in verse 2 of them as one would expect a loving husband to speak of a faithless wife. We’ve seen this metaphor before, in the book of Hosea. Where God then named them “Not My people,” He will again name them “My people”. Hosea 2.9. 9 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. His love is expressed both as great love – “jealousy” – toward them, but also “great wrath” toward their enemies. We understand that sense of protectiveness toward our loved ones, don’t we? God feels that same way toward His beloved. 

The main point of the chapter is in the third verse. I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Keep that thought in mind as we go through the chapter. The God whose glory once departed the Temple because of the outrageous idolatry and abominations of Judah (see Ezekiel 8 through 11) promises to return. Ezekiel 11.17-21 ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ 18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.” As He spoke through the former prophets, so He speaks again through Zechariah here. I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. God is returning to Jerusalem as their Messiah and King. No longer a crucified suffering Servant, now He is their loving Lord. This is in the past tense in English because it’s the best way to convey what’s called the prophetic perfect tense, when God speaks of a future event as if it had already come to pass. 

Not only will the Lord return, but He will dwell. He will abide with His people, never to depart again. from the Millennial Kingdom with Jesus Christ as the King, into the eternal state in the New Heaven and New Earth, we hear the truth of God’s word: they shall be my people, and I will be their God; He will never give up on them nor abandon them forever. He truly loves His own, the redeemed of all the ages. 

What blessings accompany the love of God, His return to, and His dwelling with His people?

3 and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

He speaks over them their future name, their prophetic name, a name that has not yet come to pass but one day will. Jerusalem shall be called faithful, the mountain where God dwells and reigns, and Jerusalem will be truly holy. Not only set apart for God’s possession and purpose, but holy in righteousness and justice. And something that is far different from Jerusalem in the past or the present: it will be safe and secure. The very old and the very young, the most vulnerable in any society, will be able to sit or play in safety, with no fear of harm. No bombings, no terror attacks, no alarm sirens. What a blessedly different world that will be!

Sounds impossible. But Luke 1.37 reminds us, 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

God will do something that has never been done since Israel was taken captive in 722 BC. God will bring His people back to their land, from all over the world, and reconstitute the nation in Israel. This has still not fully happened. Since May 14, 1948, Israel has existed as a political nation-state, but it still awaits their national recognition of their Messiah, and the full return of all the people to Israel, to the land of their fathers. 

Today, there are approximately 15.8 million Jews worldwide, or 0.2 percent of the global population of 8 billion. 7.2 million, or 46 percent, live in Israel, and 6.3 million, or 40 percent, live in the United States. The rest are scattered throughout the world. Most Jews don’t live in Israel, but one day God will call them from the east and the west, from the north and the south, to return to their land, as prophesied in Isaiah 43. Once again, they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. God will dwell among them in His glory, the people will dwell around and with Him, and He will surround them in great power, as a wall of fire to protect them, as Zechariah 2.5 says in the third vision. They shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” 

The Divine Command

Given these great and precious promises, what does God expect from His people?
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

Strengthen your hands – you have work to do as you build the Temple. This recalls to our minds the commands to Joshua to “be strong”. Never in our own strength, but in the strength of the Spirit. 

I will bless you with everything you need to thrive: Everything the people will need will be provided. And all in the context of peace, with God and with others. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. Haggai spoke of how the rains would not come, crops failed, and animals died young. No longer will that be true, for the Lord will again bless His people. 

You can trust God’s word. What He says He will do. He will not only punish for sin, but He will also surely bless as He has promised. 

Live in holiness and righteousness. God restates Zechariah 7.8-9. Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” God still demands holiness and righteousness from His people, as He is, so they must be as well. The ritualistic commands will be set aside, but not the moral Law, for God’s character does not change. 

This adds detail to the repeated Scriptural injunction of God’s holiness, found in I Peter 1.13-16: set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The Divine Promise

In light of His promise to Jerusalem and to draw His people back to their land, they must put away the false religious rituals of the past, the powerless externals, and instead focus on the internals, the truth and peace of the Savior. 

18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace. 20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Jesus said you can’t fast when the King is present – He might have been thinking of this passage when He spoke in Mark 2.18-20: 18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 

The day is coming when the people of God will never fast again, when our fasts will turn to feasts. For our King, the Bridegroom of the church, will live in our midst, and we, His Bride, will rejoice with fullness of heart and spirit, we will be without sin with no need to repent, for Ephesians 5.26-27 will have come to pass: that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 

In that day, when Jesus Christ reigns in Person, in and from Jerusalem and over the whole earth, there will be one flock with One Shepherd, the redeemed of all the ages, Jews and Gentiles alike, and we will reign with Him, as all nations stream to His capital city to entreat the favor of the Lord. 

Application
So, how can we act upon the truths of this glorious passage? Here are some thoughts. 
Live in trust. We know that faith and trust are essential to our justification (Ephesians 2.8-9) and our sanctification (Colossians 1.10). Coming to Christ and walking in Christ are both grounded in our trust in Him. We don’t believe in faith then work in the flesh, we walk in faith and trust each day. And our trust in Him is firmly grounded in the Person of the triune God, Who He is, what He does, and how He does it. He is the sovereign authority of the universe. But not only is He all-powerful, but He is good and trustworthy. Memorize Proverbs 3.5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Great counsel. lean on Him, trust in Him, place your faith in Him. Do NOT lean on your own understanding. We don’t know as much as we think we do, certainly not as much as our Lord, so I encourage you to live in trust in God. 

Live in hope. The Word calls believers not to look backward but forward. Philippians 3.13-14 But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Learn from the past, but don’t live in the past. And as we look forward, we must keep our eyes fixed on our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2.11-14 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, . And our hope is not uncertain, but sure, for just as He came to redeem a people for Himself, so also will He come to rescue us and take us home to the Father’s house. Romans 8.25 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. We can’t see Him yet, but we still hope in Him, resting and waiting in patience. 

Live in anticipation. We must trust in Him and hope in Him, but we must also live in anticipation of His coming, in a manner worthy of our calling, as Paul says in Ephesians. And like Paul, we love His appearing. (2 Timothy 4.8) . But until He comes, we must learn to wait well. Attentive, expectant, patient. James 5.7-8 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Farmers know how to wait well, for while they wait, they are working. Even so, Christians are not to be idle or lazy, but active in good works, striving for the sake of the gospel, encouraging other believers, and evangelizing those who do not yet know Jesus. We must be patient and vigorous at the same time. Establish your hearts in the Spirit, and always keep watching the skies with eyes for eternity. Learning more each day about walking in anticipation of the coming of the Lord.   Lamentations 3.25-26 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Amen!

The coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is wonderful beyond our comprehension. Yet we trust, we hope, we anticipate His glory, and our glory with Him, and we agree with the words of Revelation 22.20, 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!