Zechariah 7:1-14 (August 12, 2025)

A Call for Justice and Mercy

7:1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3 saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5 “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”

8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.[a] 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I[b] called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

Footnotes

Zechariah 7:11 Hebrew and made their ears too heavy to hear

Zechariah 7:13 Hebrew he

Zechariah 7Brian Lee

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Summary

Two years after the night visions (cf. Zechariah 1:7), in the fourth year of King Darius (518 BC), a delegation from Bethel came to seek the Lord’s favor and asked the priests and prophets whether they should continue the annual fast commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem (vv. 1–3). Their question seems pious, but God answers by exposing the heart behind their ritual:

“When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?” (v. 5)

Through Zechariah, God reminds them that their forefathers were judged not for failing to fast, but for ignoring God’s word and commands:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (vv. 9-10)

But their ancestors “refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears” (v. 11), leading to exile and desolation (vv. 12–14).

The passage is not simply about whether to keep a particular fast. It's about whether our worship is genuine or hollow, whether the people’s hearts are truly turned toward God or satisfied with merely religious appearances.

Who is God

God weighs the heart behind worship. He is not impressed by religious activity apart from the actual life of love, justice, and obedience. He does not reject fasting itself. He appointed fasts in His law, but He rejects fasting done for personal gains only without being mindful of our neighbors (“for yourselves”, v. 6). His concern is covenant faithfulness, which is expressed not merely in ceremonies but in actual mercy toward others, especially the vulnerable. He also speaks through His Spirit in the inspired prophets (v. 12). His word is the standard by which all worship is measured.

What is Our Guilt

Our guilt is thinking the form of religion is enough without the fruit of reality. Like the exiles who returned, we can go through the motions of prayer, fasting, or worship while our hearts are fixed on ourselves. We may cling to tradition or ritual as if God were pleased with the act itself, while neglecting to render justice or show compassion to others. We, too, are prone to the stubbornness described here. We turn a “stubborn shoulder” (v. 11), stopping our ears to God’s word, and hardening our hearts when the Spirit convicts. Our guilt is not merely hypocrisy; it is the active rejection of the living God’s authority over our daily life.

How Does Grace Shine

Grace shines in God’s willingness to speak again to His people. Though He recounts their fathers’ rebellion, He sends His word through Zechariah to call them back before they repeat history. Ultimately, this call is fulfilled in Christ, who is the true temple, the perfect priest, and the one who embodies covenant faithfulness. Jesus rebuked hypocritical religion and lived out the justice and mercy that God commands. On the cross, He bore the judgment that our stubbornness deserves, and by His Spirit, He gives us new hearts to worship God in sincerity and truth. Grace does not abolish the call to holiness; it makes it possible by uniting us to Christ, the one who rendered perfect obedience on our behalf.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You search the heart and know the motives behind our worship. Forgive us for the times we have honored You with our lips while our hearts were far from You. Cleanse us from empty religion, and by Your Spirit, make us a people who love justice, show mercy, and walk humbly with You. Thank You for sending Jesus, who fulfilled all righteousness and bore our guilt. Turn our ears to Your word and soften our hearts to obey You in love. May our fasting, our worship, and our service be done for You and not for ourselves.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.