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Nazarene Commentary 2000©

21^st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures© –
21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures© [NCMM]

THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH

CHAPTER SEVEN:
RELIGIOUS HYPOCRITES HEAR FROM GOD

Summary

Religious Jews from the Exile ask YHWH about fasting and get an answer they were not expecting. God essentially charges them with hypocrisy in trying to keep ceremonial forms of worship but ignoring the key principles of true religion. These principles or commands are given in verses 8-10 and should be overlooked by modern worshippers of God. There are a couple of phrases echoed in the Christian Scriptures.

Zechariah 7:1-3 – A Question Put to Priests and Prophets

ZC7:1 Now in the fourth year of Darius 155 the king, on the fourth day of the ninth month Chislev, 156 the utterance of Y^eH^oW^aH came to Zechariah.

155	Fourth year of Darius: Some think this about the year 518 BC. Return to Zechariah 1:1. [Ezra 6:14]

156	Chislev: The last half of November and the first half of December.

ZC7:2 At this time Bethel sent Sharezer and Regemmelech 157 and his people to beseech the face of Y^eH^oW^aH. 158

157	Bethel sent Sharezer and Regemmelech: Bethel was second only to Jerusalem in importance.

158

To beseech the face of YeHoWaH: Or, ASV: to entreat the favor of Jehovah; BAS: to make a request for grace from the Lord; LXX: to propitiate the Lord. The Hebrew carries the idea of “stroke” or “soften.” [Exodus 32:11; 1 Samuel 13:12; 1 Kings 13:6; Jeremiah 26:19] There appears to be some hypocrisy in this as the words of YHWH show. The religious representatives say they have been doing such and such throughout the past years, but God knows better.

ZC7:3 They spoke to the priests as well as the prophets serving in the Temple of Y^eH^oW^aH of [celestial] armies, with these words: “Should I weep and sanctify myself 159 in the fifth month as I have done throughout these [seventy] years?” 160

159

Should I weep and sanctify myself: Or, ASV: weep… separating myself; TAN: practice abstinence; NJB: mourning and fasting. The truth is these people may have been going through formal religious rituals but fail in the more important matters. Some religious people are willing to display the outward show of piety but fail at religion themselves. God will now point this out. One is reminded of the Jewish hierarchy in the days of Jesus. [Matthew chapter 23] Compare notes on Matthew 6:1-4.

160	Seventy years: Some versions add “seventy.” [ASV, BAS, JPS, LXX, NJB] Others do not. [RHM, TAN] Return to Zechariah 1:12. [Jeremiah 25:11]

Zechariah 7:4-7 – God’s Answer

ZC7:4 It was then that the utterance of Y^eH^oW^aH of [celestial] armies came to me 161 in these words:

161	Came to me: The deputation sought out the “priests and prophets” and it is Zechariah that God speaks through.

ZC7:5 “Tell all the land’s people and the priests that when you fasted and groaned 162 in the fifth and seventh months throughout all these years, did all of you really fast to Me? 163

162	Fasted and groaned: Or, ASV: fasted and mourned; BAS: When you went without food and gave yourselves to grief; LXX: fasted or lamented. See Isaiah 58:6.

163	Did all of you really fast to Me: Or, BAS: did you ever do it because of me.

ZC7:6 Also, when all of you did eat and drink, 164 was it not really all of you who ate and drank?

164	Eat and drink: Compare Romans 14:3, 6, 17.

ZC7:7 Should all of you not have done those things Y^eH^oW^aH declared through the prophets in former times? 165 [Hebrews 1:1] Those things when Jerusalem was still inhabited and living in peaceful security, 166 surrounded by all her towns with her southern parts and her lowlands? 167

165	Declared through the prophets in former times: Or, ASV: the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets; LXX: the Lord spoke by the former prophets. Compare an echo at Hebrews 1:1. [2 Chronicles 36:15; Jeremiah 7:25; 44:4]

166

Those things when Jerusalem was still inhabited and living in peaceful security: Or, ASV: when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity; BAS: full of people and wealth. That is, Why did you not obey the prophets when times were good? It is a truth that believers often forget God during good times, but return to Him in bad times.

167	Her southern parts and her lowlands: Or, TAN: Negeb and Shephelah. [1 Chronicles 27:28; Jeremiah 17:26]

Zechariah 7:8-14 – God’s Commands and Reasons

ZC7:8 Then the utterance of Y^eH^oW^aH continued in these words: ZC7:9 “This is what Y^eH^oW^aH of [celestial] armies says: Judge with true justice. 168 Each of you keep showing benevolent empathy and compassionate affection to one another. 169

168

Judge with true justice: Or, ASV: Execute true judgment; BAS: Let your judging be upright and done in good faith; LXX: Judge righteous judgment; NJB: apply law fairly. God now gets to the real fundamentals of true religion no matter what type. Religion is not the formal show of piety and formalism, but rather the kind and righteous treatment of others. This was the theme of the Nazarene. Compare notes on Matthew 6:1-8. Thousands of years later this Divine theme has not changed. The same words of Zechariah may be applied to many within the Christian Church, as well as those among the Jews and Muslims. [Proverbs 21:3; Jeremiah 7:5; 21:12] The word group “judge” is one of the Bible’s powerful themes. It is worthy of close consideration in a search of such words as “judgment.” See the Biblical Article God and Judgment. Or, notes in Romans chapters 2 and 14.

169

Each of you keep showing benevolent empathy and compassionate affection to one another: Or, ASV: show kindness and compassion every man to his brother; BAS: let every man have mercy and pity for his brother; LXX: deal mercifully and compassionately every one; NJB: show faithful love and compassion; TAN: deal loyally and compassionately. [Proverbs 16:6; 19:22; Hosea 10:12; Micah 6:8] The Hebrew CHECED [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #2617] occurs over 300 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, most often as “mercy.” The English word has evolved into a word that suggests the withholding of judgment against another, but the original in Hebrew and Greek carries the idea of loving charity. See the notes on 1 Corinthians 13:1-7.

ZC7:10 Do not oppress the widow and orphan, or the stranger and the poor. 170 Do not plot in your hearts harmfulness toward one another. 171

170

Do not oppress the widow and orphan, or the stranger and the poor: Or, ASV: and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the sojourner, nor the poor; BAS: Do not be hard on the widow, or the child without a father, on the man from a strange country, or on the poor; LXX: oppress not the widow, or the fatherless, or the stranger, or the poor. The Mosaic Law was specific on these matters and pronounced a curse on those who did oppress the humble and needy. [Exodus 22:22; 23:9; Deuteronomy 24:14, 17; 27:19; Proverbs 22:22; 23:10; Isaiah 1:17; Malachi 3:5] See notes on James 1:27. All the religiosity in the world is in vain if these are ignored.

171

Do not plot in your hearts harmfulness toward one another: Or, ASV: let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart; BAS: let there be no evil thought in your heart against your brother; JPS: let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart; LXX: let not one of you remember in his heart the injury of his brother. God can read the heart and here the command is one of the heart with its emotions and motives. The person with a hidden agenda to do harm or damage to another will face his Maker on the Day of Judgment. Compare the Nazarene at Mark 7:21. [Psalm 36:4; Proverbs 6:18] See Zechariah 8:17.

ZC7:11 However, they refused to listen and presented a rebellious shoulder. 172 They caused their own ears to be hard of hearing [Hebrews 5:11] so that they would not listen. 173

172

However, they refused to listen and presented a rebellious shoulder: Or, ASV: But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder; BAS: they would not give attention, turning their backs; LXX: and madly turned their back. [2 Kings 17:14; 2 Chronicles 33:10; Proverbs 1:24; Jeremiah 6:10] That is, these professed worshippers of God refused to practice the above. It is not their religious ceremony God condemns but their egotistical greed and selfishness.

173

They caused their own ears to be hard of hearing so that they would not listen: Or, ASV: and stopped their ears, that they might not hear; LXX: and made their ears heavy; TAN: turned a deaf ear. Return to Zechariah 1:4. See notes on Isaiah 6:10. [Jeremiah 25:7] When self-righteous religious persons wish not to hear God’s commands they just shut their ears and pretend they never heard it. The word “listen” in the Bible is more than hearing. It is responding in obedience.

ZC7:12 They turned their own hearts into solid rock so that they would not pay attention to the Law. 174 They did not listen to the words of Y^eH^oW^aH of [celestial] armies sent forth by His Spirit through the previous prophets. 175 So this is the reason there was great displeasure 176 from Y^eH^oW^aH of [celestial] armies.

174

They turned their own hearts into solid rock so that they would not pay attention to the Law: Or, ASV: they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law; BAS: they made their hearts like the hardest stone; JPS: lest they should hear the law [TORAH]; LXX: they made their heart disobedient. The Hebrew here for “rock” is SHAMIYR and its root SHAMAR suggests watchful obedience. God does not blame their parents or their social environment. It was something they did out of their own choice. [Isaiah 44:18; Ezekiel 3:7] Compare almost an echo in the Nazarene at Matthew 13:15.

175

Sent forth by His Spirit through the previous prophets: Or, JPS: the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His spirit [RUWACH] by the hand of the former prophets; LXX: the words [LOGOUS] which the Lord Almighty sent forth by his Spirit [PNEUMATI] by the former prophets. Compare notes on Acts 7:51 and 2 Peter 1:21. [Nehemiah 9:30] There is a triune formula here with YHWH, Spirit and prophets. Note that God’s Spirit is most often manifest in His “words” - and these through a human agent. [1 Corinthians 12:7, 8, 28; Ephesians 4:4, 11-16] Compare the Nazarene at John 6:63. [Hebrews 4:12]

176

So this is the reason there was great displeasure: Or, ASV: therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah; NJB: fury; TAN: terrible wrath. [2 Chronicles 36:16; Jeremiah 21:5] God has not changed and there is yet a future wrath on His part. See notes on Romans 1:18; 2:5, 8; 3:5, 6. Note the Nazarene at Luke 21:23.

ZC7:13 That is why it happened that when He called out they would not respond 177 and so He would not hear them. That is what Y^eH^oW^aH of [celestial] armies has said.

177

That is why it happened that when He called out they would not respond: Or, BAS: it came about that as they would not give ear to his voice, so I would not give ear to their voice. Failure to obey the principles stated in Zechariah 7:9, 10 - despite any outward formal ceremony – reaches a point where God will no longer listen to cries for His help. “God is not one to be mocked.” [Proverbs 1:24; 21:13; Isaiah 1:15; 50:2; Lamentations 3:44]

ZC7:14 As a result I cast them away like a great windstorm, 178 hurling them into all the national groups they had not known. The land was so badly desolated behind them that no one visited it and no one reported back. 179 For sure they themselves turned a wonderful country into total desolation. 180

178	As a result I cast them away like a great windstorm: Or, ASV: I will scatter them with a whirlwind; BAS: with a storm-wind I sent them in flight; RHM: I whirled them. Compare the Mosaic Curse upon the Jews. [Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64]

179

The land was so badly desolated behind them that no one visited it and no one reported back: Or, ASV: the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned; BAS: the land was waste after them, so that no man went through or came back; LXX: the land behind them shall be made utterly destitute of any going through or returning. Note the Mosaic Curse at Leviticus 26:22. [2 Chronicles 36:21]

180

For sure they themselves turned a wonderful country into total desolation: Or, ASV: for they laid the pleasant land desolate; BAS: for they had made waste the desired land; JPS: for they laid the pleasant land desolate; LXX: they have made the choice land a desolation. [Deuteronomy 8:7] Compare notes on Isaiah 24:1-6 and why the land was cursed.