Zachariah 7 deals with the issue of religious exercises and faithful obedience to God. In the fourth year of King Darius, a delegation from Bethel came asking the priests and prophets in Jerusalem whether they should continue to fast. This was an annual practice they kept for many years to commemorate the destruction of the temple. Now that the temple is being rebuilt, they wanted to know whether they should continue with the ritual.
The Lord’s response came through
Zachariah in verses 4-7. God questions the seriousness of the people’s fasting.
He asks if their fast is for Him or for themselves. He then urges them to
focus on what their ancestors were told to do by earlier prophets. They should
not focus on the rituals without considering the instruction to live judiciously.
Through Zachariah, in verses
8-10, God makes known His desire. He expects them to have justice, mercy, and
compassion. They should not oppress the marginalized and vulnerable, such as
widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. Instead, they must exercise
integrity and kindness toward each other.
Zachariah 7:11-14 closes with a
warning. He reminded them that their previous generation did not heed God's
words. They stubbornly disregarded His command and were scattered and sent into
exile. It serves as a warning to them not to emulate them.
Here are the lessons from this
chapter. Our approach to God must be sincere. Every act of worship or spiritual
discipline should be carried out with a genuine heart. Our worship of God must
not be a mere formality, but a deep, heartfelt connection. Moreover, we need to
show compassion, mercy, and justice toward the marginalized.
As people who profess to love
God, we must live out our faith with sincerity to be a blessing to others.
As we do all these, it is crucial that we heed the Word of God. Let us
return to heartfelt worship and not just practice our faith as a performance. We
are to live out our faith practically in our daily lives. Our faith should not
be devoid of right living.
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