Zechariah 7

The Explanation

It is winter, about two and a half years after Zechariah started prophesying. Some men come traveling from the town of Bethel to Jerusalem. Their names are Sharezer and Regem Melech, and they have brought their people along. They have a serious question for the priests and prophets in God's house.

Their question is this: for seventy years, ever since the temple was destroyed, we have fasted every fifth month. We stopped eating, we cried, we remembered how bad it was. Do we still have to keep doing that? The temple is being rebuilt now. Are things different now?

It sounds like a simple question. But God gives an answer they did not expect. Through Zechariah, He asks a counter-question: "When you fasted and mourned all those years, were you really doing it for me? Or for yourselves? And when you eat and drink normally, isn't that also just for yourselves?"

In other words: it was never really about the fasting. God wants to know what is going on in their hearts.

Then God reminds them of what the earlier prophets said, long ago, when Jerusalem was still a rich, full city. Those prophets did not first talk about fasting. They said: do what is right. Be kind and merciful to each other. Don't oppress widows and orphans. Don't cheat foreigners or poor people. Don't secretly plan evil against your brother.

And what did the people back then do? They refused to listen. They turned their backs. They plugged their ears. Their hearts became "as hard as flint." Flint is a stone so hard you can strike sparks off it. Their hearts had become like that.

That is why the disaster came. Not because God suddenly got angry, but because they had ignored Him for years. Eventually He said: you did not listen when I called, so now I will not listen when you call. And He scattered them across countries they did not know. The beautiful land became empty.

What Does This Mean?

The men from Bethel thought the outside was what mattered. Fasting, crying, keeping rules. God says something surprising: I look at your heart. You can fast for seventy years and still not do it for Me. You can pray without really praying.

This is one of the hardest lessons in the Bible. God is not fooled by outside behavior. He sees what is happening inside you. Being religious is not the same as loving God.

And notice what God says instead of "keep fasting." He says: be honest in court, be kind, take care of people who are weak. God cares deeply about how you treat other people. Especially people who cannot defend themselves.

The Common Thread

This chapter fits into a big line running through the whole Bible. God keeps saying to His people: I do not want just your gifts and your ceremonies. I want you.

Later, Jesus said exactly the same thing. He was often angry with people who followed all the rules on the outside but had hard hearts inside. Jesus said God can make a heart of flint soft again. He can give you a new heart that actually wants to listen.

That is the promise hidden behind this hard chapter. The people made themselves hard. But God is able to make people new.

For You

You might wonder: does this really have to do with me? I think it does. You can go to church and sing along without your heart being in it. You can pray a quick prayer without meaning it. Nobody sees. But God sees.

The question this chapter asks you is not "do you do enough Christian things?" The question is: what is going on inside you? And who do you actually listen to when God says something you would rather not hear?

And there is something practical too. Look around at school. Who is the child no one wants to sit next to? The one nobody defends? God notices you noticing them.

Talk About It

Have you ever done something religious, like praying or singing, without really meaning it? What do you think God thought of that?

Who is a "widow, orphan, or foreigner" in your world? Someone easily overlooked. What could you do this week?

Praying Together

Lord, You see straight through me. You know when I only pretend. Make my heart soft when it gets hard. Help me to listen when You speak, even when it is difficult. And open my eyes for people who are alone. Amen.