Zachariah 7:8-14 Dimond-hard hearts?

Zachariah 7:8-14 Dimond-hard hearts? (Law and life).

Intro: Where are we and that we are in and Q and A. part.

Last week people came from Bethel to ask if they could stop a fast, they had held for 70 years, since the temple was destroyed. God was not impressed and asked them why and for who they were fasting. Because God had not asked them to fast and morn what God had done. God asked was it for you self?

This week we read about why God judged the people, and send them in to exile. It is kind of a restatement of the law and the history of Gods people.

Again, the word of the Lord of hosts comes to Zec “What to do the positive: 1. Render true judgements, 2. Show kindness and mercy to one another,

Then the negative: 1 “ Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor 2. And don’t make up, evil in your heart’sagainst one another.

God restates what the law did, and what the prophets had said by the Spirt of God.

[All of it shows who and how God is, God is truth, - as Jesus said, he was the way the truth and the light. And makes true judgements, and shows kindnesses and mercy, to many.]

But Gods people was called by the prophets to stop perverting judgment, in many different, trade business, law, socially. And they were not showing kindness and mercy to others. Instead, they were oppressing the weak, the widows, the fatherless and the sojourner and the poor. (The very ones that had no defenders. Socially and legal).

And people were even plotting to do evil against one another…

(The great contrast to all Pauls encouragements to love one another, outdo one another in serving, loving, and as Jesus said, love one another as I have loved you, people will know that you are me disciples for the love that you have for one another).

All this has been addressed not only in the law, but also by the spirts inspiration said by Isaiah and Jeramiah, that called the people back to God, and away from the way they were going to wards the curse and the judgment and exile.

But instead listening the refused, and turned away from God and the prophets, and they made their ears unable to hear. Instead of a soft heart, they made their hearts diamond-hard, so that they were able not to listen to the law and words that The Lord of hosts spoken by his spirt through the prophets.

Therefore, great anger come from the Lord of hosts.

The first part of Gods anger was revealed as they called for God, as God had called them many times, they refused to listen to God so God chose to not listen to them. – and then 2-part, God scattered them in exile among nations they did not know. (North first Israel and then later Juda).

That is why the temple was destroyed and the land left desolate the land flowing with milk and honey, the pleasing land was made deserted. The curse came true… Peoples hearts was too hard to listen, to the great mercy and love the Lord of hosts, kindness, true judgments, God had free the people from slavery, and delivered them time and time again… But they rejected God.

This time God judged his people… Next time we will see how God responds again with love and Jealousy for his people. With returning to his people.

What about us: let’s take a look at the things that God point out,

Render true judgements, - what does that mean? (We are not biased, we are not looking towards gain for us, we are looking for the right and true Judgment, we don’t pervert the truth, we uncover our own sin, failures we don’t cover them up, we by the power of Gods spirt, try to live out live as God would have us do, not lie and scheming). We are imperfect but God does it perfectly. = That is who God is. (True, just Judge, rendering just judgement). (Don’t take bribes, pervert justice etc.) (Right and wrong are not if it is you or me, I can do it but you can’t. We see 1000 sins of others, but don’t kill one sin our self.) Hear both sides… Proverbs.

And then an appeal that when we have done that to show mercy, and kindness, - He you did that you should pay and get judged for you sin and failure, pay me… But God asks us to not only judge rightly but also show mercy and kindness….This is the truth, you own me this you have failed, but I forgive you… I can see you need help; I chose to help and show kindness to you… (God had done that over and over again, even when his people had worshiped other Gods and rejected God). (For filled in Jesus).

Paul put it this way speak the truth in love not to tear one another down but instead that the body would grow up in love in to Christ who is the head of the body. (Correcting sin to restore people to God, and they can receive mercy and kindness from people and God).

We learn from this that God is righteous in all his judgments and a God that shows kindness and mercy. Do you know God that way?

God is also the protector of the weak and woundable, and asks his people to be the same.

His rebuke is don’t oppress the widow (short explanation of why widows are weak). The fatherless, and the sojourner, the sojourner, (international students are sometimes taken advagtes of…) (refugee, immigrant works from other places.) The poor. Because of needs this groups are more vulnerable to be taken advages of.

Why because the groups at this time was exposed and did not have people a network to protect them, to help them, they were easy to steal from, who would complain? (Today it is the same)

People today might call it social justice, but it is God’s justice that is important, I think social justice, fails to give glory to God, and explain that God is the one that calls us to follow his way. (The call to obey the law and social law is many times the call of the prophets). PPT

But we can see it was not a great time as God has to state you should not come up with evil in your hearts against one another. Wow, you might say, they were so evil… Yes, it seems so, but what about me, or you… When is the last time, you were cursing someone out in your mind or even replaying conversations where you win the argument, or even as the warning is here, that you hope that someone will experince evil, I mean you don’t live it out just in your heart… - Oh, I could be we/I am more like the people that I was thinking…

In 11 we see what happened when we don’t listen to God, and stop our ears and do everything to we can to refuse God. Stop our ears and run the other way. (God will stop listening, when we call if we know we have run the other way, God is very kind and listen often, but we can’t complain if we have run away and stopped our ears, if God does the same to us…).

We make our hearts hard, so we don’t let Gods word, do a work in us, we don’t let the Holy Spirt do the work in us, we make up our own religion worship our self or other God’s things people, and as we see here and other places in the bible. God has great mercy and kindness that is to lead us to repentance, but at some point, the true judgment comes and we get what we deserve, - as the people had chosen the course, and not life and blessing it is the same with us… A stubborn refusal to listen to God, and come to him, by his call by the Holy Spirt, diamond-hard heats, will lead to punishment by God… We get what we deserve… And what God has said will happen, - but we see Gods love and mercy for all the people the promise of the Brach, the true Shepperd, the one we know as Jesus Christ, the Messiah the promised one. In Jesus we see who God is, Jesus kindness, truthfulness, rebukes against false undertakings of the law, self-righteousness, the great mercy to go to the cross for our sin, to take our punishment, defeating, Satan, sin and death, paying the debt, cleansing us as we saw God have new clothe to Jousha, - Our Goal is always to point to how wonderful Jesus is that our understanding about God is deepened by the Holy Spirt, because the things we read and what I speak will not change us if we don’t get an even better understating about who God is. And how very amazing and wonderful Jesus is, we can show mercy as we understand how much mercy we have got, we can show kindness as we know kindness in Jesus, we can love truth as we see Jesus as the truth,

We can live with great joy in Christ, - as we live out what Jesus has done in us… that is why we don’t need diamond heard hearts… instead very soft… very open ears… a wanting and to worship and serve God, by how we live in this life, like last time what ever we do… to worship God…