Zechariah 7:4

2 when¹ the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God,⁴ to pray before the Lord,

3 and to ^aask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in ^bthe fifth month and fast as I have done for so 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 ^afasted and mourned in the fifth ^band seventh months ^cduring those seventy years, did you really fast ^dfor Me—for Me?

6 ^aWhen you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?

7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the ^aformer prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and ^bthe South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ”

Disobedience Resulted in Captivity

8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying,

9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
^a‘Execute true justice,
Show¹ mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

<< Zechariah 7:3

Zechariah 7:5 >>

What Does Zechariah 7:4 Mean?

Zechariah 7:4-6

This actually confirms that God permits national observances. His complaint is not with the observance of the fasts per se, but with the attitude in which the Jews observed them. The Jews' attitude abused something permitted but not commanded. God expresses His disapproval of the ethical and spiritual attitudes that underlay their outward observance. He questions their sincerity and motivation during their fasts, which should have been times of prayer and repentance. They should have used the time to recall the sins that had led them into the slavery that made calling the fasts so necessary. They should have been searching for any remnant of those sins still residing in them and repenting of them. In Isaiah 58:5, God asks, "Is it a fast that I have chosen?" God is scolding the Jews in the same way.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Thanksgiving or Self-Indulgence?

<< Zechariah 7:3

Zechariah 7:5 >>

Join 137,350+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Disobedience Resulted in Captivity

What Does Zechariah 7:4 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning