1.2 Return To Me

A Positive Introduction

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

The Time

Haggai prophesied at end of the 7th month - Late October

Haggai 2:6-9, “For thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Once more⁠—in a little while⁠—I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the desirable things of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says Yahweh of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ declares Yahweh of hosts. 9 ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares Yahweh of hosts.”

to build or not to build, does it make a difference?

The latter glory of the Temple will be greater than the former

Your building plays a role in this plan

How is this going to happen? 2 weeks later Zechariah gives his first prophecy - Early November

What is going on in Jewish Calendar at this time - Feast of Tabernacles/Booths - set up tents to celebrate the end of the Exodus - God was faithful to both dwell with them in His Tabernacle, but to deliver them out of the Exodus to the promised land

End of the Exodus is at the building of the Temple - 1 Kings 6:1

End of exile tied with the building of the Temple

The Prophet

The Name of the Prophet means - YHWH Remembers

The name of the father - Berechiah - YHWH Blesses

The Sermon: Return - vs 2-6a

A Negative Note

2 “Yahweh was very wrathful against your fathers.

super anger - key word to denote God’s ultimate judgement of exile

Angry at your fathers - reference to 1st Generation Exodus Israelites

Daniel 9:16, “O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us.”

Daniel Pleading with God to turn His anger and wrath away

Return

3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts.

Return to me - Deuteronomy 30:1-6, “So it will be, when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you cause these things to return to your heart in all the nations where Yahweh your God has banished you, 2 and you return to Yahweh your God and listen to His voice with all your heart and soul according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your sons, 3 then Yahweh your God will return you from captivity and return His compassion on you, and He will gather you again from all the peoples where Yahweh your God has scattered you. 4 If those of you who are banished are at the ends of the sky, from there Yahweh your God will gather you, and from there He will take you back. 5 And Yahweh your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 “Moreover Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

In God’s plan, Israel must be exiled so that they must return - repent

How will Israel return? God will circumcise their heart

Return to God - Joel 2:12-13, “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh, Return to Me with all your heart And with fasting, weeping, and wailing; 13 And tear your heart and not your garments.” Now return to Yahweh your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, And relenting concerning evil.

Call to return

Promise of pouring out of Holy Spirit

Return O Israel and I will Turn - Hosea 14:1-4, “Return, O Israel, to Yahweh your God, For you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words with you and return to Yahweh. Say to Him, “Forgive all iniquity And take what is good, That we may pay in full the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us; We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ To the work of our hands; For in You the orphan finds compassion.” 4 I will heal their turning away from Me; I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them.

Israel is spiritually adulterous: Pursued other nations, worshiped other gods - solution: Return back to me

Turn from idols of the heart - Ezek 14:3-6, ““Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be inquired by them at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I Yahweh will be brought to give him an answer in light of it, in light of the multitude of his idols, 5 in order to seize the house of Israel by their heart, those who are estranged from Me through all their idols.”’ 6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Turn back and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations.”

Israel worshiped idols in their hearts

Spirit is promised in Ezekiel to dwell in the heart

Return back from idols of the heart - heart must be cleansed

Return from the inside out is what is required

What does this show about the nature of repentanceRepentance?

The total cessation of one thing and the total following after another in the opposite direction

Not half hearted or superficial - all your heart

Not lax - determined turning

Not just sorry and grief

Returning brings about the end of exile - call to repentance is God’s faithful care for His people

Acts 2:38 - what did Peter say at the end of his sermon after the Spirit was poured out? Repent

Return to You

God declares that He will return to them

What does it mean for God to return?

Daniel 9:16, “O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain;”

Joel 3:1, “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I return the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,”

Does this make God’s turning conditional?

Who initiates repentance?

Break the Cycle

4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did not listen or give heed to Me,” declares Yahweh.

Don’t be like the former - be like the latter

What’s the difference from ways and deeds?

Ways - overal pattern

Deeds - individual actions

Whole life turning

Did not listen and heed

How does the OT describe the fundamental nature of obedience - listening

Matthew 13:14–15 ESV

14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

Did not heed me - rejecting God’s word is rejecting him

Where are they?

5 “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My slaves the prophets, overtake your fathers? Then they returned and said, ‘As Yahweh of hosts purposed to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has done with us.’”’”

God’s words and statutes came to pass - they were exiled

God’s word endures - God did to them in accordance with their ways and deeds

Did they really return?

They turned from the mouth but not from the heart?

Or

Penitent confession of their sin and of God’s justice in executing His judgement upon them and their fathers

Applications

What do we learn about God in this section

He is faithful to His promises - He will accomplish His word

He disciplines His beloved so that they will return to Him

He is quick to show mercy

What do we learn about the nature of repentance?

Whole hearted

Spirit empowered

Total: Ways and deeds