Zechariah 7

CHAPTER 7

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting (7:1–14)

1–3 About two years after Zechariah received the eight night visions, the Lord again spoke to Zechariah; these next two chapters record what the Lord said at that time. The Lord’s words were prompted by a delegation of Jews who came to Jerusalem to ask the priests and prophets a question about fasting (verses 2–3). During their exile in Babylon, the Jews had set aside a time of fasting and mourning each year to commemorate the fall of Jerusalem. Now that they were back in their homeland, they wanted to know if they should continue that custom.¹⁶

4–10 The Lord (through Zechariah) did not immediately answer their question; the eventual answer comes in the next chapter. Instead, the Lord rebuked the Jews for fasting insincerely; He knew they were doing it for show and not from the heart. Perhaps in the beginning the Jews had fasted with humility and true repentance, but gradually their fasting had become just an external ceremony. They were really fasting-and feasting-for themselves, not for God¹⁷ (verses 5–6).

Then the Lord reminded the Jews that before Jerusalem fell, the earlier prophets had warned the people that they should obey the Lord’s covenant commands. Then, in verses 9–10, the Lord summarizes those commands, especially the commands that relate to the treatment of other people: be just, show mercy, care for the weak, and have good thoughts toward others–in essence, love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). If the Jews did not do these things, then they could fast all they wanted and it would mean nothing to God (see Micah 6:6–8; Matthew 23:2328; James 1:27).

11–14 The pre–exilic Jews, for their part, had not paid attention to those earlier prophets; they had hardened their hearts and refused to keep God’s covenant commands (verses 11–12). They would not listen to the words sent by [God’s] Spirit through the prophets (see 2 Peter 1:21).

Because that earlier generation of Jews did not listen to God, God did not listen to them when they cried out in distress (verse 13). If they had repented and returned to God, He would have returned to them (Zechariah 1:3). But since they did not repent—even after many warnings—He brought upon them the ultimate punishment for breaking the covenant (Leviticus 26:33): He scattered them into exile (verse 14).

The Lord here is basically warning the present post-exilic Jews not to do as their fathers had done (Zechariah 1:4). They should forget fasting and instead concentrate on what was important:obedience to God. The earlier Jews, by their disobedience, had made the pleasant land desolate. Therefore, let the present generation take heed, so that it doesn’t happen again.