‘RETURN TO ME’

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on October 13, 2010 under PM Bible Study |

PM Home Bible Study Group; October 13, 2010

Zechariah1:1-6

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

An Exhortation to Repentance (1:1-6).

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

2 “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers.

3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.

4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.”’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the LORD.

5 “Your fathers, where are they?

And the prophets, do they live forever?

6 Yet surely My words and My statutes,

Which I commanded My servants the prophets,

Did they not overtake your fathers?

“So they returned and said:

‘Just as the LORD of hosts determined to do to us,

According to our ways and according to our deeds,

So He has dealt with us.’”’”

* * * * * * * * * *

These first six verses are not only introductory to the book of Zechariah. They set the foundation for all that is to follow in it. They were spoken to Israel in the context of their laxity toward the things of God; but are followed by words of affirmation concerning God’s great zeal and devotion to Israel, and to His commitment to keep all His promises toward her through the coming of the promised Messiah.

This introductory section is specifically a call to the people of Israel. But this call is vital to us as well, who are believers on that glorious Messiah, Jesus Christ. The simple theme of these first six verses is summed-up in God’s own words (found in verse 3) to God’s covenant people who have neglected to build that for which God had redeemed them and called them to build: “Return to Me”.

Note . . .

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE CALL (v. 1).

A. The time of this call from God is specifically given: “In the eighth month of the second year of Darius . . .” The reign of the kingdom of the Medes and Persians as the world empire began with the fall of Babylon in 539 (see Daniel 5) to Cyrus II (559-531 B.C.). It was he who first issued the decree in 536 B.C. for the captive people of Israel to return and rebuild the temple (see Isaiah 44:28-45:7). His reign was followed by that of Cambyses II (531-522 B.C.), which was then followed by the brief reign of Gaumata (522 B.C.), and then by that of Darius Hystaspes (522-486 B.C.). It was in the time of Darius Hystaspes that this prophecy was given (see Ezra 4:24; 5:1ff); the context of the prophecy being the restoration of the effort to rebuild the temple, after its rebuilding had been stalled for nearly fourteen years because of the threats of the surrounding nations. It’s important to note that the date of this prophecy is given, not on the basis of the reigns of the kings of Judah, but rather of the reigns of gentile kings. This is because the glory of Israel had, for a while, departed. But praise God: it was not utterly forgotten, and was soon to be restored!

B. We’re told that, at that time, “the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet . . .” Based on the fact that this was in the eighth month of the second year of Darius Hystaspes, this word from God came two months after the message from the prophet Haggai was given. (These two Old Testament prophetic books should be studied together [see Ezra 6:14]. The prophet Haggai’s message was one of strong ‘prodding’ that the work on the temple should be restored. But Zechariah’s message takes-up where Haggai’s leaves-off; and is one of great encouragement.) This message from Zechariah is presented as an authoritative word from God; Zechariah being called a prophet. This (along with Ezra 5:1; 6;14) may suggest that this was when Zechariah’s prophetic ministry began. He appears to have been a young man at the time (see 2:4); but we can note his priestly pedigree (see Nehemiah 12:4, 16). This call to repent—from a young man to the elders of his people—comes from one who was not only qualified by God’s appointment, but also by his own personal background.

C. This means that the call to repent came at a time when the people had sat by because of the threats of surrounding nations, and had allowed the work to which God had called them to cease because of the fear of man. This was more than just a call to get back to the work. It was a call to repent for the fact that it had stopped (see Haggai 1:1-15). A loss of proper priorities seems to have been involved. They didn’t think it was time to build the house of the Lord as He commanded; but they did apparently think it was a good time to build their own comfortable homes. As the Lord asks through Haggai; “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4).

II. THE CONTENT OF THE CALL (vv. 2-3).

A. In our passage, God is speaking directly to Zechariah. But He is giving a message through Zechariah that is intended to be heard by the people of Judah—primarily the “fathers” (that is, the heads of the people; see Ezra 4:3). This was a message to the leaders of the people who had the responsibility of exhorting the people to action (see also 3:1-5; 4:6-7).

B. The first thing God wanted Zechariah to know—and thus, indirectly, the ‘fathers’ of his people to know—was that God “has been very angry with” his “fathers”; that is, with the priests and the leaders of the people who allowed the work to come to a stop (see Ezra 4:24). In fact, the word “angry” is the first word in the sentence; and it literally reads, “Angry was YHWH with your fathers with wrath.” He had already given them a call— along with Cyrus’ commission—to build (see 2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:1-11; 4:3). What a shock it must have been to know that God was not only unsatisfied with the situation, but was “very angry” at them for allowing it to happen (v. 2)!

C. Having declared His anger, however, a word of grace now comes. “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts’” (v. 3).

1. Three times, God applies the title “the LORD of hosts” to Himself. “The LORD” (i.e. YHWY) is the covenant-keeping name of God; “I AM” (see Exodus 3:13-15). But He calls Himself the covenant-keeping “I AM” of “hosts” or “armies” (see 2 Kings 6:15-17 as a vivid picture of His “hosts”). What human authority can cancel what He commands? And what force of man can stop Him from what He purposes?

2. The need of the people was to “return” to Him. This Hebrew word is equivalent to the idea of “repent”. They had wandered away from His purpose, and thus from Him. It was not He who had moved from them, but they who had moved from Him. And now, it was they must “return”.

3. But His promise was that He—if they would return to Him—would return to them (see Haggai 1:7-11; 2:15-19; also Malichi 3:7-12; James 4:7-10). How often it is that we rob ourselves of the blessings God wishes to pour-out on us because we ceased to do what He wanted to bless! And yet, how quickly we would return to a ‘bless-able’ condition if we would but return to Him!

III. THE WARNING CONCERNING THE CALL (vv. 4-6a).

A. God, in the context of giving this warning, urges the ‘fathers’ not to be like their ‘fathers’ (v. 4; see also Psalm 78:57). These ‘fathers’ of the ‘fathers’ are the ones who had long ago hardened their hearts against the word of God through the prophets prior to the exile (see 2 Chronicles 36:15-16; 2 Kings 17:7-23). The “former prophets preached” to them; and the content of their message back then was, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts [this time, that name being used as a foreboding warning that speaks of God's ability to bring the armies of the Babylonians down upon them]: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds” [and you can read these words of these prophets to them in such passages as Isaiah 55:6-7; Jeremiah 3:12-13; Ezekiel 18:30-32; Hosea 14:1; Joel 2:12-13; Amos 5:4-6; and Zephaniah 2:2-3]. ‘But they did not hear nor heed Me’, says the LORD’” (v. 4). That was the message back then; but the message now—in the current situation to which Zechariah speaks; standing at the vantage point of seeing that all of God’s warnings to the previous fathers did indeed come to pass—is this: “Don’t be like them!” (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-11).

B. Still speaking to the ‘fathers’ of Israel to whom Zechariah was to address this call, God asks them concerning their ‘fathers’ (that is, the leaders who came before them), “Your fathers, where are they?” (v. 5). They did not heed the words of the pre-exilic prophets that God had graciously sent to them. They suffered the consequences of not heeding; and spent their life in Babylon. “And the prophets”, He further asks; “do they live forever?” This probably has reference to the limited time in which the word from God through the prophets could be heard (see Hebrews 3:12-13).

C. The call had come now—but their past history should teach them that the gracious call would not be issued forever! “Yet,” God adds, “surely My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers?” (v. 6a). That is, did not everything that God said—which their fathers stubbornly rejected— indeed come to pass? Did they not suffer seventy years of captivity because they would not hear or heed His word? How then can the fathers of Zechariah’s day think that they will be exempt if they now fail to hear and heed this confirmed prophetic word from Zechariah (along with Haggai)?

IV. THE CONFESSION IN RESPONSE TO THE CALL (v. 6b).

A. We’re told that the ‘fathers’ “returned” (v. 6b)—which means that they may have stepped away to consult with one another; and then came back with a formal response to God’s call through Zechariah (see Malachi 3:16). Or—more likely—it was a way of expressing that they did indeed hear, and heed, and repent (see v. 3). Perhaps both are true.

B. This “return” involved the confession (see Lamentations 2:17; Daniel 9:4-19; Ezra 9:6- 15) that, indeed just as the Lord had determined He would do to the fathers (“to us”; personalized), “according to our ways and according to our deeds, so He has dealt with us.” This is an admission that God’s actions were just.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now, with this confession and repentance from the fathers, the rest of the prophetic words of encouragement were ready to be heard. Zechariah’s name means “God Remembers”; and He was about to show that God—indeed—does remember His covenant people!

But let’s you and I learn the lesson from these opening words! We today stand on the other side of the fulfillment of many of the promises this prophetic book made to the people of Israel. And in the light of Jesus’ soon return, we stand at the threshold of the fulfillment of many more of those promises! Let’s be sure that we who are in Christ do not ignore the things that God’s word tells us to do! Let’s remember that we, like the restored Jewish people of old, are called to a divinely-appointed ‘building-project’. 2 Peter 1:5-11 says;

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11).

If the people of old needed to repent for neglecting to building the temple, wouldn’t we need even more to do so if we are not doing as it says in Jude 20?— “building yourselves up on your most holy faith”? Let’s “return” to the Lord—and be about the work of building!