7:1–14 This passage addresses the practical implications of Judah’s renewed faith in Yahweh. The occasion of the oracles in Zech 7:4–14 is the inquiry of a delegation from Bethel regarding the observance of fast days commemorating the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (vv. 1–3). Zechariah’s first message criticizes these fasts as inappropriate to the new beginning symbolized by the reestablished Jewish community (vv. 4–7). The second message emphasizes the importance of ethical living over empty religious observances (vv. 8–14).
