ZECHARIAH 8:1-8

-{Zechariah 8}

-I want you to imagine that you were in a situation similar to Job where you lost everything. You lost your house. You lost your job. You lost your family. You lost your cars. You lost your savings and all your assets. You would obviously be very down and feel hopeless. But then God came to you and gave you the message that over time, not only would He restore everything that you lost, but He would actually cause you to abound even more than you ever had beforehand. (And, in a sense, that is what happened to Job.)

-But imagine getting that message from God that you would prosper beyond what you could imagine. Would it help you to endure the hardship that you were currently experiencing?

-In a sense that’s the message that we get as Christians—we endure troubles and trials in this world, and we are given the promises of heaven and then a new earth with a new heaven. And even if we are going through troubles of our own making or we are experiencing the discipline of God, if we are one of God’s people God will restore us and prosper us—not necessarily on this earth, but in the times to come.

-And this is pictured for us in the Word given to the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from exile. They were going through a rough patch, they were rebuked of the Lord, things were progressing slowly, and there were various threats from various enemies. God pointed out what they were doing wrong, but He also gave them promises that He would not only restore things, but He would prosper them so that in turn the entire world would be blessed through them. And we know that ultimately it is pointing to Jesus Christ.

-In the chapter prior to this one, they inquired of the Lord about ritual fasting that they were doing, and God’s first answer was why did it matter since their heart was far from God and they didn’t worship Him with sincerity. But after that rebuke, God now gives them a message of encouragement and promise.

-What we see in this chapter which we will go through bit by bit is that God’s unwavering faithfulness to restore and bless His covenant people transforms their mourning into joy and peace and draws all nations to Himself through their renewed testimony and presence. Let’s look at the first section:

Zechariah 8:1–8 LSB

1 Then the word of Yahweh of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘I am jealous with great jealousy for Zion, and with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. 5 ‘And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.’ 6 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?’ declares Yahweh of hosts. 7 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land where the sun rises and from the land where the sun sets; 8 and I will bring them back, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’

-When it says that God is jealous for Zion (referring to His covenant people) it’s not the sinful, insecure, envious jealousy that we think of. It expresses His passionate, protective commitment that He has toward His covenant people and His desire to see their restoration and flourishing. He is claiming that the people, the city, and the land belong to Him, they have His favor, so He will be protective of them. Anyone messing with God’s people messes with God.

-And that is true for us as the church. We are the bride of Christ, and Christ isn’t going to just sit around and let anyone do anything to her—there is in this jealousy the connotation of anger, wrath, and fury against anyone who would mess with the object of His affection.

-I know that if anyone intentionally tries to hurt my wife, you will see a wrath and fury unleashed by me that cannot be surpassed. How much more will God and Christ protect and restore their people?

-But this jealousy also signifies love, devotion, and a desire for the good and flourishing of His people. And what God’s people need most is the presence of God. So, in v. 3 God says He will return to Zion and dwell there, symbolized by the temple once it would be restored (which would be about 2-3 years from when this prophecy was given). But more importantly it points to the transformation of the people that would be involved.

-It is a wonderful promise that God would not abandon His people, but would dwell in their midst. But where God dwells (be it in a temple in a city or in a person through the Holy Spirit) there is change, there is renewal. Where God dwells, His character will reign and His purposes will be fulfilled.

-So, for the people of Zechariah’s day, God would return to dwell in the temple once completed in Jerusalem. And when that happened, Jerusalem would be called the City of Truth. This would be a definite contrast with its past. Leading up to the exile, it was a place of idolatry, injustice, and unfaithfulness. It was a place where truth was suppressed and righteousness of lacking. I guess we could say it was a city of deception and lies.

-But when God would come again, godly characteristics would be restored. Moral and spiritual integrity would return to the land as it returns to the heart of the people. But looking forward to where this points to Christ, it pictures what happens to a person where God dwells through Christ through the Holy Spirit. This city of truth (in the literal city of Jerusalem and now in those who belong to Christ) would be demonstrated in several ways.

-One, it would be a place where the Word of Truth, God’s Holy Scriptures, would be pronounced and lived. The psalmist tells us:

Psalm 119:160 LSB

160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting.

-Within the immediate context, Zechariah is proclaiming that God would make Jerusalem a place where God’s commands are honored and lived out. But now, indwelt with the Holy Spirit, the truth of the Word is followed from the heart of the believer, which had been prophesied would be a part of the new covenant. As given:

Jeremiah 31:33–34 LSB

33 “But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “And they will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

-But being the City of truth secondly points to a place where justice and righteousness would prevail. It would become a place where fair judgment and just treatment of others would be established, which is something that God earlier said was the type of worship He desired, when He said:

Zechariah 7:9 LSB

9 “Thus has Yahweh of hosts said, ‘Judge with true justice and show lovingkindness and compassion each to his brother;

-The place and the people would be known for integrity, honesty, and just dealings—which also ought to describe the life of a believer in Jesus Christ.

-But not only would it be a City of Truth, it would be called the Holy Mountain. What would make it holy is the presence of the God who is holy. Nothing is holy in and of itself except the eternal God who is holiness.

-And that is the same with us. There is nothing good in us. There is nothing holy about us. But it is the Christ who indwells us that purifies us and separates us for His purposes. And then through us He is exalted on high.

-Then the picture of promised restoration is given in vv. 4-5 where it speaks of old men and women sitting in the streets of Jerusalem and that there would be young boys and girls playing in the streets. This has rich symbolic meaning that is meant to be an encouragement.

-Because if you think about it, the elderly and the young both represent vulnerable portions of the population. If there were war or famine or invasion or unrest, these would be the people that would be affected the most. But the fact that they are able to be out in the street living their life signifies that there would be an era of peace, stability, and security.

-They can come out of their homes and not have to worry about an invading force or arrows flying everywhere possibly striking them down. Or, to put it into modern terms, they wouldn’t have to worry about bullets flying everywhere. There would be an absence of threat and a sense of carefree joy and innocence restored to the community. And we hear that and wonder if anything like that has ever existed. Not on this earth, so it looks forward to the new earth under the rulership of Jesus Christ.

-This picture of the young and old also is a promise that there would be a time of peace where future generations would live long enough to grow old—there would be longevity and health. Life expectancy would not be shortened due to violence or poverty or disease. So, these verses look to a time of flourishing.

-Now, there is conflict among scholars of when or to what this is pointing. While Jerusalem was rebuilt and the temple was rebuilt and it lived to see the days of Christ, something like this has never been fully realized. For Jerusalem there were times of ups and downs until it was destroyed (again) in 70 AD. Although rebuilt for now, it definitely does not see any peace.

-But these wonderful promises will not be fulfilled until the consummation of Christ’s Kingdom. What we are going to find in the latter half of Zechariah is that while there are wonderful words and promises given to the exiles in the reoccupied Judah, they clearly transcend the immediate and point to the ultimate future. And these pictures are given to give us a longing—I want this for me and my family. And if we want it, we then pursue Christ, because it is only through Him that this will ever become a reality—not in the here and now, but later.

-It is in the future Kingdom of Christ that God will be present in a restored world, where Messiah would reign, and the peace of God will come without any interruption. So, while this was an encouragement to the Jews, it is our encouragement. In a world of violence, war, sickness, and death, there is a restoration coming.

-And while this all sounds fantastical, we remember that this relies on the power and promises of God. When the exiles heard this they probably were quite cynical like we can be. They hear about this peace and prosperity and they look at their current circumstances and they’re like: YEAH, RIGHT!

-So, God confronts them in v.6 asking is they really think that it is too difficult for God to do this? Having experienced everything that they went through, in spite of the fact they had returned to the land and things were progressing (albeit very slowly), they still had this attitude of I DON’T KNOW IF GOD CAN PULL THIS OFF. And we often feel the same way.

-But in vv. 7-8 God gives promises that God will save His people and bring about eternal flourishing. God says He will save His people from the people in the lands of east and west. There was still a remnant of Jews who were scattered throughout the lands. He would bring His people home. And it points to a comprehensive, future fulfillment beyond the Babylonian exile.

-And then gathering them together to the place of His presence, He makes the promise that He would be their God and they would be His people. Again, this ultimately points to Christ gathering His people together to Himself to be in His presence forever in the new heavens and earth where we will be with Him for all eternity and prosper like we never could have even imagined.

-For the struggling post-exilic community, these verses offered assurance that their dispersal was not permanent and that God’s purposes would ultimately be fulfilled through their restoration. And may these verses do the same for us pilgrims journeying through this earth—God will bring us to a home of peace and security. May we pray that this encourages those struggling...