Zechariah 7

In the fourth year of King Darius: The two sermons in Zechariah 7–8 occurred almost two years after the visions in Zechariah 1–6.

Representatives from Bethel asked Zechariah a practical question (Zechariah 7:2–3). Although he answered it later (Zechariah 8:18–19), he first asked rhetorical questions about the people's selfish motives (7:5–6). Zechariah then explained God's expectations for Israel (Zechariah 7:8–10; see Jeremiah 22:3) and described what happened to those who disobeyed before (Zechariah 7:11–14).

These sermons provide a transition between the visions of the present (chapters 1–6) and those of the near future (chapters 9–11) and the more distant future (chapters 12–14).

Chapter 7 talks about fasting due to past disasters. Chapter 8 focuses on feasting for future blessings.

to plead before the LORD (literally to soften the face of the Lord): They asked God to grant a request or decide on a matter. They likely offered a sacrifice or offering with their request.

The group from Bethel asked a practical question about the process.

Instead of answering immediately, Zechariah challenged his listeners about their selfish motives and hypocrisy. The key issue was whether their true desire was to please God and follow his will. If not, fasting did not matter.

• Jeremiah said that 70 years of exile in Babylon (see Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10) would compensate for the Sabbath years of rest that the land missed for nearly 500 years (2 Chronicles 36:21; see Exodus 23:10–11; Leviticus 26:34–35).

• The summer fast mourned the destruction of Solomon’s temple (Zechariah 7:3), while the early autumn fast either marked the assassination of Gedaliah, governor of Judah (see 2 Kings 25:22–25; Jeremiah 41:1–3), or it was the day of atonement (Leviticus 23:26–32).

Are these not the words: For example, see Isaiah 1:11–20; 58:3–7.

Widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor often lacked the legal protection that the average citizen had (compare Deuteronomy 24:14, 17–18). Fasting and social justice should work together (see Isaiah 58:6–7).

• they refused to pay attention: They ignored God's commands (see Jeremiah 11:10).

• turned a stubborn shoulder: This phrase shows their proud stubbornness (see Nehemiah 9:29).

• Putting their fingers in their ears shows they were fully responsible for their stubbornness (compare Isaiah 6:10). The same expression describes Pharaoh when he became stubborn ("hardened his heart") against God and refused to release the Hebrews (Exodus 8:32).

• To make your heart like flint is to resist God's will (see Jeremiah 17:1; compare Ezekiel 3:9).

• The law (torah in Hebrew) refers to God's laws and commands as taught and explained by the prophets.

• I scattered them with a whirlwind: God scattered the Hebrew people among many nations. This scattering was one of the curses for breaking the Mosaic covenant (the agreement God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, Deuteronomy 28:36–37, 64).

• The pleasant land was the land of God's covenant promise (Psalm 106:24; Jeremiah 3:19).

• Their land became desolate because of God’s judgment. The land was ruined because the people were unfaithful to the covenant and worshiped other gods (Jeremiah 12:10).