Zechariah 6:9-15; 7:1-14 Chavurah Shalom Saturday 3/16/19

Vv. 9-15 Installing God’s Priest-King as Ruler Over All Nations The word of the LORD also came to me, saying, 10 “Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah; and you go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have arrived from . 11 “Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 “Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. 13 “Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’ 14 “Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the LORD to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15 “Those who are far off will come and build the temple of the LORD.” Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the LORD your God. We come to the final of these visions, and the symbolic crowning of . There is the arrival of three men from the Babylonian Exile, only recently arrived, who were at the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. This comes not as a normal vision, but as "The LORD spoke to me." That the opening words are in the form of a command to perform an action, which stands as the initial activity in a series, signifies the appearance of a particular genre of prophetic material, the symbolic action (cf. Hag 2:10-14; Jer 18:1-11; 19; Isa 8:1-4; 20). Usually the prophetic literature depicting such actions comprises three segments: the command to do a certain activity, a description of the order being executed, and an explication of the action’s significance. Although the second element is not found here, as is sometimes the case for this genre (Amsler 1981:106), the other two elements are explicit. The Hebrew of verse 10 thus allows for three possible interpretations of “exiles”: 1. unretumed exiles who have sent offerings to the Yehudite community (cf. Note below to “silver and gold”); 2. a collective designation for the three individuals whose names would then be in apposition with “exiles,” with these three being returnees according to the last phrase of the Hebrew text of verse 11 (“who have

- 1 - come from Babel,” see Note); and 3. both unreturned exiles and a group of newly returned exiles, represented by one or two or three of the named individuals.--The Anchor Yale Commentary, p. 339. The form of this pericope is that of a sign-oracle. OT prophets often acted out their sermons. Isaiah walked around “naked and barefoot” for three years as a sign against trusting in Egypt’s help (Isa 20:2–4). wore a yoke around his neck to portray the submission should give to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 27:2–7). Ezekiel carried his baggage through a hole in the wall of Jerusalem to symbolize the capture of the city and the exile of her citizens (Ezek 12:1–12). Oracles were usually attached to such signs like the one in vv 12–13.--Word Biblical Commentary, p. 216-217. There is what is generally assumed to be an offering of silver and gold sent by the hands of these three people mentioned in our text, but being sent from those who have remained in the Babylonian Exile. Zechariah is to take from their hands the Silver and the Gold and with it fashion a crown to be placed upon the head of Joshua the High Priest. This is a very unusual picture. First the word for crown is in the plural, and so correctly translated crowns. Dr. Kaiser suggests it was a double ringed crown for both the High Priest and the King, thus combining the two roles into one as we know Yeshua our Messiah does. This scene is reminiscent of the Wise Men who come to see the New Born King of the Jews. They bring gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. This was a common practice to acknowledge the King of in times past. However, there is a more appropriate picture from a prophetic source that indicates similar gifting. Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 3 “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 “Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar,

- 2 - And your daughters will be carried in the arms. 5 “Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. 6 “A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD. While this is obviously a future prophecy even to our own times, this had begun to be fulfilled in the birth of Yeshua. The Gold and the Frankincense can be associated with both the Crown of the King and the "Crown" of the High Priest, both of which were to be made of gold. Frankincense was part of the description of Solomon in the Song of Solomon, associated then with the smells of the Davidic King. Frankincense was spread over the Show Bread, was part of some of the grain sacrifices, and most importantly, part of the Incense to be placed on the Golden Altar of Incense. Myrrh was part of the which would relate to both King and Priest. A very typical "decoding" of these three gifts has been that gold reflects Messiah's kingship, frankincense his deity, and myrrh his suffering. In Zechariah, these articles of gold and silver seem to reflect both the Jewish people who have recently returned to , and the gold and silver coming from those remaining in exile, and seeking to know of God's presence and blessing back in the Land. This is a symbolic coronation of Joshua the High Priest, for while we may assume that every High Priest after would be appropriately set apart and anointed, the placing of a crown in this sense upon his head would not be normal. The following verses are prophetic of Yeshua, and depict Him in His roles primarily as King. This coronation of Joshua then introduces what Dr. Kaiser refers to as 5 Messianic Prophecies: 1- Behold the Man whose Name is Branch A Davidic king would rule in the coming new age (see our comments on the title

- 3 - “Branch” in Zech. 3:8; cf. Jer. 23:3–5; 33:14–26; Is. 4:2). 2- From His Place He shall Branch Out Messiah, though He came out of dry and parched ground (Is. 53:2), would be elevated and prosper in accordance with His very own nature—He would, as the BRANCH, branch out! (cf. 2 Sam. 23:1; Ps. 89:19). 3- And He shall build the Temple of the LORD While the governor, under the prompting of the prophets and Zechariah, built the so-called in 515 B.C., Messiah himself would build a new temple in that coming new age (Is. 2:2–4; Ezek. 40–42; Mic. 4:1–5; Hag. 2:7–9). Not only would Messiah be in charge of the building of this new temple, but “He shall bear the glory” (v. 13b). Bearing “glory,” or “honor,” signifies all the majesty and splendor that a royal position affords (cf. Ps. 96:6). There would be nothing “wimpish,” or indecisive about the Messiah’s exercise of royal authority. 4- And He shall Sit and Rule on His Throne God had long ago promised that the scion of would sit on the throne of his family and that that throne would endure forever, unlike all other mortal empires (2 Sam. 7:12–16). Though some Davidic kings would not personally participate in the present spiritual benefits of this line, they would be compelled to pass on the lineal benefits of God’s gracious gift to David until the Messiah himself came (cf. Luke 1:32–33). All power and all authority in heaven and earth belong to the Messiah, who would one day sit on David’s throne. 5- So He shall be a Priest on His Throne, and the Counsel of Peace shall be Between them Both This is the greatest passage on the fact that the coming Messiah will be both a Davidic king and a Priest (cf. Heb. 7). So amazing is this prediction that it has troubled many a commentator. Was it likely that a “priest” would “sit upon His throne?” The Greek translation attempts to soften this prediction by substituting “at His right hand” for “on His throne.” But as we know from the royal Psalms (e.g., Ps. 110:4), the Anointed One would exercise an everlasting priesthood in addition to His royal and prophetic offices. Thus, Zechariah daringly combines the priestly and kingly offices into one person, “the Branch.” Only the Lord himself could bring “peace” to this earth

- 4 - by dealing with the iniquity of the earth in one day (3:8–9). , our Savior, will once again deal with sin decisively and remove the sin of Judah, all in one day. Further, in this one person of the coming Branch, all tensions between the offices of religious and political leadership would be resolved.--Kaiser, Jr., Walter C.. The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 23: Micah / Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zechariah / . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. We want to at least read :1-4, for it depicts the One who is both King and Priest forever. These two roles together are to be seen and understood as a picture of the Role and Reign of Messiah Yeshua over all of the Earth. Psalm 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2 The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from , saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” We first meet Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18, where He comes out to greet Avraham after the defeat of Chedorlaomer, and saved Lot and his family. Here he is described as King of Salem, and the pries of El Elyon, the Most High God. His name is a compound of the word for King, Melech, and the word for Righteousness, Tzedek. So we can call Him King of Righteousness. Salem is a form of our familiar Shalom, so we could also call Him King of Peace. Our Lord Yeshua the Messiah is all of this and much, much more! You get the idea of the combination of His Role as both King and Priest. We had discussed briefly that there was not always a "counsel of peace" between the High Priest and the King. In fact, the concept of power had overcome the king during the time frame of the Monarchy for both Israel and Judah, so that the King made the ultimate and final decisions concerning justice and issues among the people. It was to be a Theocratic Rule with both Priest and King functioning together to represent ADONAI to the People. This will be fully united and

- 5 - expressed through Yeshua the Messiah as both King and Priest. The Crown of v. 11 would be stored "for a memorial in the Temple of the LORD." This was for both as a reminder of the gifts from the captives in Babylon, and as a testimony of the coming union of both Priest and King in the coming work of the Messiah. There this crown would stay until He comes whose right it is. (Ezek. 21:27; cf. Gen. 49:10–Shiloh comes”).--Kaiser, Jr., Walter C.. The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 23: Micah / Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zechariah / Malachi . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. This is the explanation of the Symbolic Act which Zechariah was commanded to perform, creating the Crowns and placing them on the head of the High Priest of his own day, Joshua. The Symbol was to be kept alive and well by placing the Crown in a safe place, awaiting the joining of these two roles in the distant future. There may also be some symbolism in the place where this event was to take place. This was to be performed in the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. This is a well documented name of a priestly family. Although there is no explicit evidence for the identification of Josiah with the priestly family of Zephaniah, the hypothetical evidence pointing in that direction can be supported by other information contained in Zech 6. The prophetic action which is the key feature of this oracular passage is to take place in his house. Why is it that Josiah’s house has been chosen for an event that will be laden with symbolic meaning? Perhaps his house is selected because Josiah is an individual holding an important leadership position in the postexilic community. The houses of the two main officials, Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel, would be eliminated because they are figures involved in the oracle associated with the symbolic act. The next in the chain of authority in Yehud, since Joshua is the chief officer of internal administration (cf. chapter 3, Notes and Comment), would be the second priest. If Zechariah’s interest is to have the symbolic action take place in front of a group of carefully chosen witnesses, then having them gather at the home of an authoritative person in the community who would presumably also be a witness would add to the effectiveness of the action.--The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary, p. 345. which here is in ,עֲטָרָה ,The word for crown in our text is the Hebrew word 'atarah the plural, hence Kaiser's thoughts that there are two crowns. The Hebrew plural is .There are more words for crown however, in the Hebrew .עֲטָרוֹת ,atarot'

- 6 - The usual terms for crown, as related to the royal office, are nëzer or ‘âtàrâ; neither presents a problem in the context in which it is found. The former, nëzer, is used to refer to both Saul’s (2 Sam 1:10) and David’s (2 Kgs 11:12 = 2 Chron 23:11) crowns and hence represents the insignia of royal power (see also Ps 89:40 [RSV v 39] and 132:18); it is also used to signify the crown on top of the priestly turban, nëzer 'al hamiçnepet (Exod 29:6; Lev 8:9). The latter, 'atarah, is frequently used as a term for royal power (e.g., 2 Sam 12:30 = 1 Chron 20:2; Jer 13:18; Cant 3:11; Ezek 21:31 [RSV v 26] where crown, ‘âtârâ, is used together with turban, mishnepet; etc.) but, except for this verse in Zechariah (6:11), it is never used for priestly power or authority. For this reason many critics have insisted that the subsequent crowning of Joshua as high priest could not have been original to this oracle. The term is innovative for priests; but precisely this kind of innovation is appropriate to the political situation of the restoration, which is not the same as the preexilic period.-The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary, p. 351. Yale presumes two crowns, and the first of the two to be for Joshua the High Priest. This is the Mediator of Salvation, crowned as both Priest and King, is to build The Kingdom of God. This One will raise up the Kingdom of God as the Ultimate Kingdom in all of the World, and even in all of the Universe. The first and most immediate purpose of this vision is of course to strengthen and to stimulate the Returning Remnant to finish the building of the 2nd Temple. The man whom Joshua is to represent is The Messiah by virtue of this Title The Branch, :8. Zechariah, once the crown is put on Joshua's head, pronounces, "Behold, the man whose name is Branch." The very words of when presenting the now battered Yeshua to the crowds calling out for His death, was, "Behold the Man!" Joshua the High Priest prefigured the coming High Priest who would also become King of kings. The Targum renders this phrase, "Behold the Man, Messiah is His Name, who is to be revealed." He Himself will build the Temple of the LORD. This is the point of this symbol of crowning Joshua. This is not referring to the 2nd Temple which Zerubbabel and Joshua were building, but was pointing to a much greater, and more important expression of God's Rule and Authority over all of the earth. This was always to be the role of Jerusalem in its location at the Center of the World. In addition to this, according to Jer. 33:15, the Messiah is called Tsemach, because Jehovah causes a righteous growth to spring up to David, so that

- 7 - Tsemach is the sprouting one, and not he who makes others or something else to sprout. “from under himself,” is equivalent to “from his place” (Ex. 10:23), i.e., from his soil; and is correctly explained by Alting in Hengstenberg thus: “both as to his nation and as to his country, of the house of David, Judah, and Abraham, to whom the promises were made.” It also contains an allusion to the fact that He will grow from below upwards, from lowliness to eminence.--Keil & Delitzsch. Our last shock from this passage is the assurance in v. 15 that even those who are far away will come and build this Final Temple of the LORD. This verse does not refer, of course, to Zerubbabel’s temple, but to the millennial temple that Isaiah (2:1–4), Micah (4:1–4), and Ezekiel (40–48) spoke of. Like the Jews from Babylon who brought gifts of silver and gold to make the double crown, “those from afar” (by New Testament times a subtle circumlocution for Gentiles; e.g., Acts 2:39; Eph. 2:13) would pitch in with their gifts and labor to construct the millennial temple. These “princely gifts coming from the far-off Babylon were but a harbinger and precursor of the wealth of the nations that would pour into Jerusalem when Messiah the Branch was received as King of kings and Lord of lords.”--Kaiser, Jr., Walter C.. The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 23: Micah / Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zechariah / Malachi . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Isaiah 60:9-11 is viewed as the fulfillment of this prophecy of the involvement of the nations to build up Jerusalem and The Temple. Isaiah 60:9-11 “Surely the coastlands will wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the LORD your God, And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you. 10 “Foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you. 11 “Your gates will be open continually; They will not be closed day or night, So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations,

- 8 - With their kings led in procession. v. 15 - Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the LORD your God. The word translated "if" can also mean "when." There is the final warning of Blessing for those who walk in obedience to God's Word. There is the doubling of our familiar Shama, to hear or to obey, so that it functions as an imperative, to say, "If hearing you will obey!" The NASB renders this "completely obey." Rather than conditional this is more prophetic of a future time, when the Jewish people will embrace their God, will believe in Him, and will indeed "obeying they will obey Him." :1-14 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. 2 Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the LORD, 3 speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” 4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? 6 ‘When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? 7 ‘Are not these the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the and the foothills were inhabited?’” 8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah saying, 9 “Thus has the LORD of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11 “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. 12 “They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. 13 “And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts; 14 “but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is desolated

- 9 - behind them so that no one went back and forth, for they made the pleasant land desolate.” Having come to the close of the 8 Visions of the first six chapters, we come now to messages prompted by some questions from Bethel. Bethel was 12 miles north of Jerusalem. Our text indicates almost a full two years from when the 8 Visions were given in :1. While the Visions of Zechariah began in the 2nd year of Darius, we have now come to the 4th year of Zechariah. We are on the 4th day of the 9th month when the Word of ADONAI comes to Zechariah. Our text notes that this is Chislev. This is also roughly 2 years before the completion of the Temple, so we would assume that the construction was far advanced by this point. The names of the two men sent indicates that their names were Babylonian or Assyrian names, so that they were Jews who had returned from the Exile and had settled in Bethel. They are sent to enquire of ADONAI through the priests and the prophets whether they are to continue to fast in the 5th month as they had been doing. This was the fast commemorating the Destruction of The Temple on the 7th day of the 5th month, the month of . Later in :19, there will then be addressed the other typical fast days: 1-The Breaching of the Walls of Jerusalem, on the 9th day of the 4th month, the month of , Jeremiah 39:2; 52:6-7; 2-The Murder of Governor Gedaliah, in the 7th month, 2 Kings 25:25; :1-2; 3- The Beginning of the Siege of Jerusalem on the 10th day of the 10th month, 2 Kings 25:1-2; Jeremiah 39:1. That these men arrived in the 9th month may actually represent another fast, one mentioned in Jeremiah 36:4-10 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD which He had spoken to him. 5 Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am restricted; I cannot go into the house of the LORD. 6 “So you go and read from the scroll which you have written at my dictation the words of the LORD to the people in the LORD’S house on a fast day. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. 7 “Perhaps their supplication will come before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people.” 8 Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet

- 10 - commanded him, reading from the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’S house. 9 Now in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the LORD. 10 Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the LORD’S house, to all the people. While this is a particular fast in association with Jeremiah's time, and not mentioned in our lists, it would be more than coincidental that this is the time in which they approach the leadership in Jerusalem with a question about fasting. Apparently a substantial number of exiles from Bethel and Ai, some 223, returned from the Babylonian exile (Ezra 2:28). These individuals undoubtedly constituted a significant group that would be disposed to accept the reemerging power and authority of the Jerusalem temple establishment. To be sure, Bethel is situated in the northern comer of the province of Yehud very close to Samaria, but there is no reason to conclude as some scholars have (e.g., Baldwin 1972:141) that the city fell under the influence of the province of Samaria in either religious or administrative matters. The mere fact that a delegation is sent to consult with “priests” and “prophets” (see Note in v 3 below) in Jerusalem suggests the degree to which Bethel and its population recognized the burgeoning power of the Jerusalem authorities.--The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary, p. 383. Scripturally ADONAI had commanded only one fast day, . Leviticus 16:29; 23:27-32. It is not as though there were no expectations concerning fasting, but that this was either a voluntary act on the part of the worshipper, or an attempt to gain God's attention, or to in an attempt to quieten the body and to seek God more completely. David fasted for the first child born to him and Bathsheba; Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast in order for the whole of the people to seek after God; Ezra called for a fast for his journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. Chapters seven and eight are best divided on the basis of the recurring quotation formulae. These will show that chapters seven and eight have four major paragraphs: 7:4–7; 7:8–14; 8:1–17; and 8:18–23. The formula in each of the four paragraphs that functions as a marker is “Then the word of the LORD [of

- 11 - hosts] came.”--Kaiser, Jr., Walter C.. The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 23: Micah / Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zechariah / Malachi . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. We have already noted the bookend nature of these two chapters beginning with the issue of fasting, and ending in the same way. We are only going to get into the first part of chapter 7 tonight. This note simply shows how we will often find an outline in the Scripture according to how it was written for us. This forms a very natural division. One last observation is worth noting before we begin our exposition of the chapters. Chapter seven records the negative side of the issue and concludes with Israel being scattered among the nations, while chapter eight focuses on the positive side, concluding with the nations grasping for the robe of the Jews so that they might go up to Jerusalem with them.--Kaiser, Jr., Walter C.. The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 23: Micah / Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zechariah / Malachi . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Vv. 1-3 The Introduction 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. 2 Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the LORD, 3 speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” The fact that these men came to Jerusalem to seek the Word of God indicates the acknowledgment that here was the source of that Word, and the proper authority to decide about the fasts which they themselves had instituted. Their practice is referred to as "weeping to consecrate," or understood as to abstain from food and drink. So we have the expression of mourning. This was pivotal to the keeping of the other fasts, since they were all connected to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, so that if you gave up the one, you would also give up the other ones. Most regard this as a foregone conclusion since ADONAI was restoring a Remnant to Jerusalem, and was rebuilding the Temple, therefore why would you fast when ADONAI has returned? Our answer would be as a reminder of our past sins, and a rehearsal of our history

- 12 - lest we forget, and repeat the past. This also is a powerful statement as to the Power and Promises of our God. The Promise is for Blessing when we obey, and for Cursing when we rebel. Vv. 4-7 1st Thus Saith the LORD Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? 6 ‘When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? 7 ‘Are not these the words which the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’” We should be reminded that Bethel was one of the worship centers for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, when Jeroboam became the first king. In order to prevent the people from flooding back to Jerusalem to worship, and perhaps losing them to the King of Judah, he erected a golden calf at Bethel and one in Dan. Samaria had become the palace of the king for the Northern Kingdom, and it was destroyed in 722 BC. With the destruction of Samaria and its temples, and the power of God building the 2nd Tempe in Jerusalem, there was no more debate - to Jerusalem they must go in order to seek the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This delegation came to Jerusalem to enquire of ADONAI. The fifth month, Hebrew Ab (August), will live forever in infamy in the hearts and minds of Israel. It was on August 9, 587 B.C., that Jerusalem was finally taken and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. According to the , it was also the day when God decreed that the people in the wilderness should not enter the land because of their unbelief. Further, it was the day on which not only the first, or Solomonic, temple was destroyed, but the second temple was destroyed by the Romans. Moreover, it was the day on which the city of Bethar was taken under Bar Kokbah (A.D. 135), only to fall in turn into Gentile hands who put everyone to death including Bar Kohbah, the messianic pretender in the second Christian century. Finally, on that day, August 9th, wicked Turnus Rufus ploughed up the hill of the sanctuary and thus fulfilled Micah’s prophecy, “Zion shall be ploughed as a field.”--Kaiser, Jr., Walter C.. The Preacher's Commentary - Vol. 23: Micah / Nahum / Habakkuk / Zephaniah / Haggai / Zechariah / Malachi . Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

- 13 - Most understand this request to be much greater and deeper, and implies the question as to whether ADONAI will at this time restore Israel as the earlier prophets had predicted. This is much the same question put to Yeshua by His Talmidim. ADONAI through Zechariah fires the question back to them, Was it for me that you fasted? The literal Hebrew says, "when you fasted your fast was it for Me Myself?" This is quickly followed by, When you eat and drink, do you not eat and drink to yourself? The insinuation is that what they sought was not God, but rather His Blessing. They were trying to draw attention to themselves, perhaps playing the victim, hoping to stir up His compassion and care. There is a true fasting and mourning and praying. 2 Corinthians 7:10-12 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. True mourning over sin, with fasting and prayer brings the heart and soul to true repentance and transformation. The last statement is to grab their attention to that which the Former Prophets had actually given to them, which they had not heeded and therefore went into Exile. This was what the next Word of ADONAI would be. When the Former Prophets were sent out it was to call Israel back to God before they would be sent away out of the Land in agreement with the Shema, and the Curses which had been pronounced upon Mount Ebal. Back when all of the Land was inhabited, including the Negev and the Shephelah. Vv. 8-14 2nd Thus Saith the LORD - Are you listening to Me yet? Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah saying, 9 “Thus has the LORD of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11 “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. 12 “They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. 13 “And

- 14 - just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts; 14 “but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, for they made the pleasant land desolate.” Vv. 9-10 reiterate the message to another group of whining and fasting people, in :1-12 “Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. 4 “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. 5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? 6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth;

- 15 - And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, 10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. 11 “And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. 12 “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. The point is that if we truly desire God, and seek to please Him rather than ourselves, He has given us His outline for that kind of life - it is a life of obedience to His Torah. Obedience is greater than sacrifice. 2 Samuel 15:22-23; Micah 6:6-8. The point is that they should indeed return to the words of The Former Prophets, and heed them! The outline of vv. 9-10 is called True Religion by James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Our present text is one of the many "one another" passages that we find in the Bible. Love "one another." Here we have described just who that is. First our own brothers, meaning in the typical Hebrew fashion, our fellow Hebrew. But this doesn't stop there, it goes on to express our kindness and compassion to the typically down trodden of our society - the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the poor. This is a constant refrain in our Scriptures of to whom to give care and provision. The problem is outlined with the simple statement, "They refused to Listen!" Instead they gave a rebellious shoulder, and stopped up their ears so as not to hear.

- 16 - They set their hearts like flint so they could not hear the Torah and the Words which ADONAI Tz'vaot had sent by the Ruach HaKodesh through the Former Prophets. They were supposed to circumcise their hearts so as to hear! But they had made their hearts like stone! Deuteronomy 10:16 “So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. Deuteronomy 30:6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.” The idea of turning a rebellious shoulder I know too well from raising a son, and from working cattle. You can see it in their demeanor, in their body language, and on their countenance. They will be like a bull that won't cooperate, so they just sull on you! They will lay down in the chute and won't move! It was because of this stubborn and rebellious spirit that the Wrath of God had come and they had been Exiled to begin with, all because they would not listen to the former prophets and repent. Notice that you have three authoritative elements: The Word of God, The Spirit of God and The Prophet of God. Because they would not listen to God through His Prophets, neither would He listen to them when they called out to Him in prayer. Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Instead ADONAI scattered them among the nations, so that the land was desolate, because they had desecrated the Land by their sins. They had made that which had

- 17 - been desirable desolate by their sins. The warnings were to be repeated twice a day as they chanted the Shema. The warnings were found in Leviticus 26:14-43; and in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, in the Curses to be spoken from Mount Ebal as they crossed into the Promised Land. On the last page in the Hebrew Scriptures, in 2 Chronicles 36:16 but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy. How important it is that we study the Scripture in order to Hear His Word and Obey.

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