From Fasting to Feasting!

Returning to Our First Love: A Call Back to God

Bible Passage: Zechariah 1:1–6, Zechariah 7

James Stuart Bell, in the Ancient Faith Study Bible, notes that the book of Zechariah is filled with the language of judgement, yet it overflows with God’s promises. The Lord challenged His people to undertake a daunting task, rebuilding the temple, and assured them of success through His power. But these promises reached far beyond bricks and mortar. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible unfolds God’s redemptive plan, culminating in His triumph over evil and salvation for sinners. Zechariah’s prophecies point forward to this grand climax, describing a coming glorious King, a God who defeats every enemy, and a world where every wrong is finally made right. These promises prepare the way for God’s future kingdom, which is why Zechariah is so frequently quoted and alluded to in the New Testament.

In Zechariah 1:1–6, the prophet calls Israel to return to God as they reflect on their ancestors’ disobedience and its painful consequences. Zechariah 7 addresses the people’s question about fasting, revealing God’s desire for genuine repentance and justice rather than empty rituals. And Zechariah 8 unfolds God’s breathtaking promise to restore Jerusalem and His people, emphasizing the blessings, peace, and hope that flow from a wholehearted return to Him.

Zechariah is calling the people to:

1. Remember and Return

as;

God Calls for His People to Return to Him

Lets read verse 1-3

Zechariah 1:1–3 “In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.”

A few weeks ago, as we studied Haggai, we heard the repeated call to “consider your ways.” Now Zechariah echoes and expands that message. He urges the people to finish rebuilding the temple. Their forefathers had ignored God’s voice, and that disobedience led straight into exile. The lesson is clear: anyone who has drifted from God must return, and the sooner, the better.

God’s call through Zechariah reminds us that repentance is more than feeling sorry. It is a deliberate turning away from our own ways and back to Him. It is the essential first step in restoring our relationship with God. Today, Christ our High Priest and Mediator continually invites us back through His grace and truth.

So God is saying;

2. Repent and Realign

Because;

Returning to God required turning away from the sins that plagued their ancestors.

lets read what verse 4 to 6 have to say;

Zechariah 1:4–6 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’ ”

What happened to their fathers? The Bible records that ignoring God’s warnings brought devastating consequences, personal ruin, national collapse, exile, and desolation. When people refused to listen, God scattered them like chaff among nations they did not know, leaving their pleasant land empty. The prophets had warned them, but their hearts had grown hard.

God’s message through Zechariah goes far beyond regret. True return demands a heart that is willing to obey and change direction. We are far more blessed than they were. In Christ, we receive both forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in that new direction. We can realign our lives with God’s will.

So they needed to

3. Reform and Radiate God’s Love

because

Returning to God required listening to Him and pursuing justice and compassion.

lets read Zechariah 7 “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. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, 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?” Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: “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? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 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?’ ” And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “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.” But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 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. “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, “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.”

Two years have passed since the first message. The altar is rebuilt, but the temple is still unfinished. People from Bethel, once a notorious center of idol worship, send representatives to Jerusalem asking whether they should continue fasting in the fifth month.

The question sounds spiritual, but God sees through it. Let’s read the Lord’s response:

“When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? … Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets … ‘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.’ But they refused to pay attention … Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts.”

God was never impressed by their rituals when their hearts remained unchanged. True repentance shows itself in everyday justice, compassion, and integrity. Actions always speak louder than religious observance.

Jesus Christ is our perfect example. He lived love and sacrifice perfectly. He transforms wretched sinners into beloved children of God and turns us from rebels into saints who are in right relationship with the Father.

Who can move us;

From Fasting to Feasting!

So the question is;

Question: Is there anything in your life that God is calling you to turn from in order to more fully pursue Him? Where have you confused strict religious observance with righteous, godly living?

Are we perhaps more concerned with the appearance of righteousness than with its actual substance?

Selah...

and so we get to;

Restoration Through Return: God's Promise to His People

as;

God’s Return will Bring His Blessing to His people and the World:

lets read about His;

1. Promise of Presence

Zechariah 8:1–8 paints an extraordinary picture:

“And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

God’s return will bring security, longevity, and abundance to His people in their land.

What a promise! God’s passionate jealousy for His people, His desire to dwell among them, and the beautiful vision of a restored, joyful city. This is not just about ancient Jerusalem, it points to the greater restoration Jesus brings. In Christ, God’s presence is with us now, and one day it will be fully realized in the new creation.

Question: Where do our lives need God's restoration? Where do we need to actively pursue His peace and presence?

Zechariah 8:9–23 continues with powerful encouragement: regarding

2. Participation in Providence

Zechariah 8:9–23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”

God’s return allows Israel to be a blessing to the nations.

Did you see the answer to the question in Zech 7:3? The answer was that all their fasts are to be turned into days of rejoicing. Just like Jesus replied to His disciples when similarly asked as to why fasting was not imposed by Him, as it was by John the Baptist.

When the Sun of righteousness shines, tears are dried up just as we see in Mt 9:15 “And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” God's call for His people is to be strong and to trust in His providence. God turns their mourning into joy and makes His people a blessing to the nations. After the cross, we who believe in Jesus have been grafted into these promises. Our “goodness” does not earn God’s blessing, rather, God’s gracious promises, fulfilled in Christ, produce genuine goodness in us.

Question: Have there been times in your life when you were more aware of God’s presence while living in Spirit-filled obedience? How can living according to God’s ways bless those around you?

The,

Bottom Line: God’s kingdom and its blessings will pervade wherever His people live in obedience to His ways.

We must move beyond outward religious practices to a heartfelt return to God that truly transforms us. Take time this week to assess your spiritual life. Where have you drifted? What needs genuine repentance?

Zech 8 reminds us that in seasons of struggle, returning to God brings healing and restoration. Genuine repentance is a change of heart and direction that leads to obedience and renewed relationship. God desires you back. In Him you will find presence, prosperity of soul, and peace.

Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of these promises. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He has opened the way for us to return to the Father. He offers the restoration, peace, and abundant life our hearts long for.

Today is a good day to come home. Return to your first love.

Amen.