Bible Commentaries
Zechariah 8

Verses 1-8

Zec 8:1-8

God will once again dwell in Zion (Zechariah 8:1-8)

“And the word of Jehovah of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath” (Zechariah 8:1-2).

The Lord continues to give answer to Zechariah regarding the question of fasting from those of Bethel (cf. Zechariah 7:1-4). The Lord knows all things and looks into the hearts of men. His people had only fasted because it soothed their conscience regarding God’s laws. While they fasted to keep one part of the law they violated many other parts. They were self-condemned and did not even recognize it. The Lord reminds the people of Zechariah’s day that He had warned their forefathers, through His prophets, of the consequences of such delusion. Yet their “hearts were as an adamant stone...” (Zechariah 7:12). The more law they heard the harder their hearts were against it because it was not what they wanted to do. Likewise, the fasting of Zechariah’s day was not due to God’s laws but because the people saw something in it for themselves (cf. Zechariah 7:6).

We may compare the people’s scrupulous keeping of these fast with many denominational bodies today who celebrate holidays such as Easter and Christmas. These holidays are viewed as religious days to commemorate the birth and resurrection of Jesus. One will search in vain to find a commandment, inference, or example of Christmas or Easter being observed. Yet many today shall asks the Lord... “shall we continue to keep Christmas and Easter as a sacred day of the year.” God had a rival when it came to keeping the people’s hearts in tune to His laws. The rival was worldliness and selfish ambition. Such a rival hardened Zion’s heart against God and thereby caused Him to be jealous to the point of great wrath.

“Thus saith Jehovah: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth; and the mountain of Jehovah of hosts, The holy mountain” (Zechariah 8:3).

The Lord now turns His attention to a future day when He would return to Zion, the city of truth, and the mountain of Jehovah of hosts, the holy mountain and dwell in the midst. These terms are synonymous with the future kingdom of God or church of Jesus Christ (cf. Isaiah 2:1 ff; Hebrews 12:22 ff). The presence of God will indicate a purging of the unlawful practices of idolatry, injustice, and devising evil within the heart. God’s dwelling place will be pure and undefiled.

“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: if it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in mine eyes? Saith Jehovah of hosts” (Zechariah 8:4-6).

A time of peace and joy awaits the people of God. This is in stark contrast to the siege and days of captivity that the people had experienced. No one should think this an impossible task. God can do all things! Jeremiah said, “Ah Lord Jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17; see also Genesis 18:14).

“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness” (Zechariah 8:7-8).

The east and west countries indicates whole world (see Isaiah 11:11-12). Worldliness and self-interest will not be the ruin of God’s elect in His kingdom. The relationship between God and sinful man will be “in truth and righteousness.” Jesus would later say that he is the “the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). God will be in Zion because men would receive the forgiveness of their sins through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Verses 9-13

Zec 8:9-13

The Fourth Statement:

God’s curse for the people’s laziness and disobedient

would be lifted if only they would love and obey His Words

(Zechariah 8:9-13)

“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built” (Zechariah 8:9).

Let us recall that Zechariah had divinely encouraged the people and Zerubbabel to build the temple of Jehovah because it had but a small part in the grand scheme of God’s to redeem man from their sins. Achieving small commands of God, such as building the temple, had long reaching results (cf. Zechariah’s 5^th vision at Zechariah 4:8-10). The context of chapter 8 is that God’s people in the past have been in sin and they were thereby withheld from the future glory of God. The people of this age have a choice as to whether they shall obey the voice of God and experience future piece and joy that shall be found in the kingdom of God or eternal ruin.

With these thoughts before the people they are encouraged to get busy and build the temple. The people had a fifteen year work stoppage and then, at the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, they began the work of building. They have apparently become discouraged again and stopped the building process. It seems to me that the discouragement came in the form of doing God’s commands regarding building, being told that the reason for the withholding of their food sources was their disobedience, starting to work in hopes of receiving God’s favor again, and yet the blessings of God were still withheld from them (cf. Haggai 2:15 ff). The people are to learn that God’s blessings, such as peace and joy in His kingdom, are contingent upon their continued obedience out of a heart of true love. If love and consequential obedience are not conjoined then God’s blessings are withdrawn. Let the people now build the temple by faith and for no other reasons.

“For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in, because of the adversary: for I set all men every one against his neighbor. But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith Jehovah of hosts” (Zechariah 8:10-11).

The time of the people’s lesson had run its course in the mind of Jehovah. He had withheld the rain and caused their crops to fail that they may learn that all God’s blessings are contingent upon a heart of love and obedience toward Him (cf. Haggai 1:9). The people seem to finally realize this through the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah and thereby from this point onward Jehovah would “bless you” (Haggai 2:19).

“For there shall be the seed of peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong” (Zechariah 8:12-13).

The Lord assures his people that peace between neighbors would be restored. The harvest would also be restored to them with rain. God’s people had been looked upon by the surrounding peoples as a nation cursed for all the seemingly “bad luck” they experienced. The Lord assures them saying, The conditions of God graciously removing the curse from them was that they work hard with their hands and build the temple. Temple building was not the only thing God was looking for in his people. Consider the next few verses.

Verses 14-17

Zec 8:14-17

The Fifth Statement:

The Conditions for which the curse would be Removed (Zechariah 8:14-17)

“For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: as I thought to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not; so again have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not” (Zechariah 8:14-15).

When the evil deeds of Israel and Judah came up unto the Lord His wrath was kindled and He determined to bring Assyria and Babylon upon them. Though kings such as Josiah did much religious reforms it was not enough to cause God to repent of His intentions for the people. Now, the Lord has once again thought about His people. Rather than bringing nations against them and withholding the blessings of rain and crops He has determined to bless them. Knowing this the people are to “fear ye not.”

“These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith Jehovah” (Zechariah 8:16-17).

Herein we find the conditions of God’s gracious care. God would remove the curse of no rain and crop failure if the people would speak the truth to his neighbor and never cheat one another. Furthermore they were not to accept and actually love false oaths. God hates such activities. God’s gracious care will always be allotted to those who love and obey Him from the heart.

Verses 18-23

Zec 8:18-23

The blessings of obedience will be noticed

and desired by other Strong Nations (Zechariah 8:18-23)

“And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: the fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:18-19).

The days of blessing Judah with the fruit of the harvest and rain will be a time when the various fasts were conducted out of a heart of gladness and love for the Lord. The spirit of love and peace will govern the people’s actions rather than necessity and repetition.

“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: it shall yet come to pass, that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities; and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also. Yea many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: in those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:20-23).

It seems that as God lifts the curse of the people of Judah the surrounding nations shall hear and see their peace and physical blessings. They shall hear of the conditions of God’s blessings and shall determine to serve Him rather than their own gods. This should be what people see in the Lord’s church today. The Lord’s church is composed of people experiencing blessings from Jehovah, great peace, and contentment in this life. Such a lifestyle of obedience from the heart ought to appeal to the peoples round about us and make them want to have a part in us.