A Demand for Justice

August 23, 2015 Background Scripture: Zechariah 7; Isaiah 30:18 – 26 Lesson Passage: Zechariah 7:8 – 14 After Israel began to repopulate Judah after the Babylonian exile, God continued to speak to the nation through His prophets. Israel was not returning to Canaan because she had become the people God separated her to become. Israel was returning because God had purposed in His heart how long the exile would last long before Judah came under siege by the Babylonians. The amount of time prophesied had passed and the post-exile returns had commenced just as God had spoken it would be. The returning group had many of the same spiritual issues as the ones who were sent into exile. Thus, they were reminded of the reason for the exile. During the time of their captivity, the people of Israel had fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months to commemorate the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Since they were now returning to Judah, some asked the prophet if it was still necessary to fast and mourn as they did in captivity. God sent a reply by way of the prophet Zechariah. God rebuked the people for the insincerity of their fasting during the captivity. They made themselves cry and fast as a religious ritual during the seventy years of captivity but it did not change their hearts to be in accord with God’s law. God did not require them to follow a long list of “Thou shalt” and “Thou shalt not” statements. God expected the people to be just with one another, to show mercy and compassion to one another, and to not oppress the poor and needy among them. These actions are evidence of a contrite heart. Further, God did not want the people of Israel to think evil against each other. These are social, ethical, and moral concerns and not empty religious rituals. The fact that someone would ask if they needed to continue to fast and mourn was indicative of just how insincere their efforts were although those rituals had been practiced for almost seventy years. Their hearts were still hard. The ones repopulating Judah were not necessarily the ones who were sent into exile. Many of the returnees were children and grandchildren of the people who were enslaved by the Babylonians. As difficult as it is to pass worthwhile values from one generation to another, some values appear to pass along with ease. This is a reminder of how sin runs through human lineage. Too often, we inherit from our forebears dispositions that God condemned in them. Again, these people were not returning into Judah because they had come into right relationship with God. God’s word spoken by His prophets declared that they would return at the appointed time and they were returning according to God’s word not because they were better than their parents and grandparents. God’s love and mercy did not allow them to return without instructions and warnings from Him. God’s righteous requirements had not changed. He demanded of them what He demanded of their parents and grandparents. The order of the day still demanded justice from the people of God. Robert C. Hudson August 5, 2015