Read the Passage: Zechariah 7-8
Question about Fasting (7:1–7)
This chapter begins in 518 BC, two years after Zechariah began his prophecies, which included the eight visions of encouragement recorded in the previous six chapters. In Jerusalem the temple building project was progressing, as it would be completed within the next two years. This prompted a delegation, possibly sent from the town of Bethel, to travel to Jerusalem to ask the priests if it was still appropriate to observe the yearly fasts that commemorated the destruction of the city and the temple, which occurred more than seventy years earlier. With this question, it does not appear that the people were trying to avoid the national fasts; rather, it is more likely that they were questioning whether it was appropriate to mourn their past losses in light of God’s then current blessings. Indeed, it seems the people desired to focus on present progress, rather than on past moral failures.
It is interesting to note that while special fasts were sometimes called by God (cf. Joel 1:14), the ceremonial law only required the people to fast on the Day of Atonement (cf. Lev. 23:27). Nevertheless, the people had instituted four separate fasts that centered on various aspects of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC (cf. Zech. 8:19). In response to the people’s question about fasting, at Zech. 7:5 God asked them if they were keeping these fasts for Him or for themselves. The implication being that the people’s fasting was not motivated by godly sorrow; rather, it was merely a selfish expression of pity. In other words, the people were lamenting their material losses, not repenting of their personal sins. With this response to the people’s inquiry, God was teaching them that the external ritual of fasting was never meritorious, for what God desired of them was internal obedience.
Result of Disobedience (7:8–14)
Next, in Zech. 7:8–14, God gives a second response to the delegation’s question about fasting. Here, in a passage reminiscent of Mic. 6:8, God declared, “Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother” (Zech. 7:9–10). God’s message was that He did not desire the ritual of fasting; rather, He wanted the people to reflect justice, mercy, and compassion. By way of admonition, in Zech. 7:11–14 God reminded the people that their forefathers had been warned about the consequences of sin; yet, they still chose disobedience. In a sobering verse, God notes that just as the people chose to ignore Him, so “they called out and I would not listen [to their prayers]” (Zech. 7:13). Therefore, the people were scattered and exiled to Babylon.
Vision of Prosperity (8:1–23)
As is oftentimes the case in prophetic literature, as Zechariah continues to record God’s answer to the people’s question about fasting, his writing becomes increasingly more eschatological. In Zech. 8:1–23 God gives two additional responses to the delegation, each of which reports that in God’s presence, their fasting will be turned into feasting. This flourishing can be seen whenever God’s Word is obeyed, and will be even more evident in God’ presence. In Zech. 8:1–10 God notes that when He returns to Jerusalem, there will be peace, longevity, children playing, truth, and righteousness. In Zech. 8:11–17 God further describes economic flourishing in His presence, which will entail material prosperity, increase, and abundance. Finally, in an encouraging verse, God says, “I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear” (Zech. 8:15).
In Zech. 8:18–23 God gives His fourth and clearest response to the delegation’s inquiry. Recall that the people had asked, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?” (Zech. 7:3). While God had answered this question indirectly in the preceding verses, now in Zech. 8:19, God clearly replied, saying, “The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.” Moreover, in Zech. 8:20–23 the prophet writes that in the end-times people from many nations will travel to Jerusalem as they seek God. Observe that this is a reversal of the Babylonian exile, for whereas God’s people had been exiled to a foreign land because of their sin, now foreign nations will travel to Jerusalem because of their obedience.
Application Questions:
- What is fasting? How important of a discipline is fasting for God’s people? Is fasting different in the Old and New Testaments?
- When is it appropriate to mourn past failures, and when is it better to focus upon the future?
- Are you ever tempted to reduce ethics to external acts, rather than considering internal motivations?
- Given that sin always disappoints in the long run, why do both unbelievers and believers still chose to sin?
- Is it acceptable to pursue God, being motivated by the promise of material reward and personal happiness?
