Zechariah 8:14-23 says,...Bible reading week 36, day 1

Onto our day and to the verses were are covering, Zechariah 8:14-23 says,

v.14, 15 - "For thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Just as I purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and I have not relented, so I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.  Do not fear!'"

These are hard verses to read because we see that God has the capability to do harm to us when we need it.  He causes storms in our lives to get our attention.  He has not relented of His love for us and for us to experience His good but we sure provoke His wrath to be felt so that we can see where we are at and where He is at.  Usually this means that we are not occupying the same space.  We have wandered from obedience.  As I said yesterday, we are standing on different ground than the solid rock of Jesus.  Our commitment is based on our comfort, cash and companions.  We are allowing our emotions to rule the day.  We have our true security in someone or something else rather than God and so we say to Him, "later."  We allow other voices to dictate what is "first" and we put seeking His kingdom somewhere down the line.  It says here that God will do whatever it takes to get our attention as He did the disloyal Israelites and so harm came through the neighboring nations and the exiles to foreign lands.  But, and it is a big but, God did not relent on His promises and the remnant are back in the land and seeing the temple go up.

v.16, 17 - "'These are the things you should do:  speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgement for peace in your gates.  Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,' declares the LORD."

I love it when God gives us lists.  We also are given what God hates so clearly in this passage so we can steer clear of those activities.  The blessings of God are tied to obedience.  At the end of every Down To The River radio broadcast I say, "May you receive that blessings of God as you live your life to the glory of Him."  The big word is "as."  I will state this again that the blessings of God are tied to obedience so lets look at this list of obedient things to do.

The first is to speak the truth to one another.  Pretty self explanatory but needs to be stated in our world today of fake news and sometimes being "so nice" that we don't loving give God's truth about a situation that could help steer from God's wrath.

The second is to judge with truth and for peace.  Our judgment is to come from God's truth.  It is not our own judgment.  People will associate it with us but we only have control to make sure that what we are presenting is coming from God's word and also that it is coming with the motive to see peace with God happen.  We are not just trying to "make peace at all costs" because that usually means we will cave on God's truth.  We are looking for obedience to God's truth that brings real peace.  This could be another place in the Old Testament where the "speak the truth in love" is reinforced.  We are to judge with God's truth in a way that brings about peace.

The third is to not plot to do harm to others and the fourth is related because plotting harm usually involves perjury.  We slip into the sin of lying when we scheme against others.  We use our words to degrade them and raise ourselves up.  These are two activities that God hates.  There is no question about this.  God says it Himself.  If you are scheming to do harm to others and lying know this very clearly that you are doing something that God hates.  Does that register with you and me?  When I catch myself doing this do I think about how much God hates what I am doing?  May the knowledge of this lead to quick confessions and repentance.

v.18, 19 - Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.'"

Wow, the fasts were going to be turned into feasts!  What a great blessing from God for obedience to His commands to love truth and peace with our very actions.  Blessings to come when we are obedient to God's words and ways.  These blessings might not be in the form we think they should be but God gives us what we need and usually we come around to seeing it His way about the matter.  It is us who needs to change, not Him.

v.20-22 - "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities.  The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will also go."  So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.'"

What a transformation is coming out of this obedience to God.  Those who once attacked Jerusalem will now be coming to Jerusalem to worship God.  They will go from despising the people of God to seeking them out to find out more about their God.  Ask yourself again, "How is this happening?"  It is happening because the people of God are following in obedience to their God.  They are doing what God loves rather than what God hates.  

v.23 - "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'"

How powerful is obedience to God?  The ratio given here is 10 to 1.  10 of those seeking God will find the 1 who is following after God and knows God.  That 1 is God's messenger to the 10 who have questions.  We are the 1's to our world of 10's.  If we are obedient to God's ways, we are going to be used by God to point others to Him.  It won't happen with our disobedience or with our tweaking what He says to be more tasteful to the world.  It comes with us even judging the world by His words with the motives and actions to see peace with God as the result.  That motive will make you really think about what you say and how you say it.  That motive will cause you to reach out in authentic love in the midst of their sin before God.  Our obedience to God has filters of love and peace that it goes through to be seen and felt by others.  Let us pray.

"Lord, what a passage to end this chapter of Zechariah.  We know what You love and what You hate.  We see the effects of obedience and how we can be used of You to be Your messengers to the world.  May we be Your 1's to the 10's who are coming to know You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam