In this episode of ADDBIBLE, delve into the profound insights from Zechariah chapter 7. Journey with Allen J. Huth as he reflects on the timeless message of Zechariah and its implications on our spiritual disciplines today. Are our religious practices truly for God or have they become mere rituals? Allen shares personal journal entries over the decades, providing a unique perspective on how the words of the Bible continue to speak into our lives.
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we reach the halfway point of the book of Zechariah. We’re in chapter 7. Listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s reading of the 14 verses of Zechariah chapter 7.
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Zechariah 7 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 Kislev. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sherezer and Rigam-Melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?
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Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, Say to all the people of the land and the priests, when you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the south and the lowland were inhabited?
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And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts,
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render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another. Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond hard, lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts.
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As I called and they would not hear, so they called and I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts. and I scattered them with the whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.
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In my personal Bible reading journal in 1991 and 2001, I only wrote one line concerning Zechariah 7. In 1991, I quoted verse 9, In 2001, I read Zechariah 7 through 9 on the same day, and concerning Zechariah 7, I wrote, quoting that very same 9th verse. In 2011, I also read Zechariah 7-9 on the same day, and I quoted verse 11, They refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. And then I wrote, And God responds, As I called and they would not hear, so they called and I would not hear. That’s referring to verse 13. If our prayers are not answered, maybe it’s because we are not listening to God. Those are my journal entries from 1991, 2001, and 2011. Now let’s go back to this chapter and see what we can glean. Let’s look at the very first verse. How specific it is that the word of the Lord comes to these prophets. These prophets just don’t write what they want. They hear from the Lord and they know it so specifically that they know exactly when they heard from the Lord. Again, let’s look at verse one. In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month. So, Zechariah knows exactly when he heard from the Lord, and he records exactly what he heard from the Lord. That’s a very important concept as we read the Scriptures. People that author books of the Bible heard from the Lord. This specifically verifies that. Verse 4 says, Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me. Verse 8 says, And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, So what did Zechariah hear from the Lord? The question being asked to Zechariah was, Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month as I have done for so many years? And the answer comes back from the Lord through Zechariah, Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh for these seventy years, was it for me you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? Were not these the words of the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the south and the lowland were inhabited? In other words, the Lord is questioning their sacrifices and their fasting. He’s basically saying, is it some ritual that you’re just doing? Or really, were you doing it for me? That may be very convicting to us as we listen to that today. Do you go to church? And if you do, do you go just as a ritual? Do you do it to go worship and honor the Lord? Or do you do it for yourself? The intention of the heart is what God is questioning here. Are your spiritual habits something you’ve just become accustomed to? Or do you do them truly out of your love and worship for God Almighty? The next thing Zechariah heard from the Lord was this. He said, Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart. God sees how we treat other people. He tells us not to oppress people and not to devise evil against another. He encourages us to show kindness and mercy to one another. But when the people heard that from Zechariah, what was their response? See verse 11 and 12. But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears that they may not hear. They made their hearts diamond hard, lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts has sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts.” Now it’s clear to me in this chapter that Zechariah is hearing from the Lord, and he’s repeating what he’s hearing to the people. But the people are not interested. They do not want to listen. Is it any different today? We have God’s Word. He’s given it to us in the Bible. But we’re not interested because we don’t even spend time reading it. And certainly we don’t understand it, so we don’t pay attention to it. We, like them, turn a stubborn shoulder, stop our ears up, and make our hearts diamond hard against the concepts of Scripture. Now, you may be listening and you may say, well, that’s not the case for me. Well, let’s think about that. Do you spend time every day in the Word of God? If not, why not? The number one reason Christians say they’re not in the Word is because they’re too busy. Is that similar to what Zechariah is saying? They refused to pay attention. Or that we turn a stubborn shoulder and stop up our ears. What would Zacharias say to you and me today about our Bible reading habits? Would he say to us that we have made our hearts diamond hard, lest they should hear the law in the words that the Lord of hosts has sent by his Spirit? Maybe our hearts aren’t diamond hard, but maybe our ears are. Maybe our hands are. Because we don’t take time every day to listen to the law of the Lord and the words of the Lord sent by the Spirit through the Word of God, which is the Bible. And because those people would not listen to the Word of the Lord, God’s anger burned against them and he stops answering their prayers. Do you feel that your prayers are not being answered? Is there a direct connection between your time with the Lord in his word and prayer and your answers to those prayers? Verse 13 says, “…as I called and they would not hear, so they called and I would not hear.” God calls you to spend time with them. He calls you to spend time in his word. Are you listening? Do you hear the voice of the Spirit saying, Spend time with me. Read my word each and every day. Is God important enough to you to spend time in his word each and every day? He’s important enough to us when we pray that we want his answer and we want it on our timeline. But does God become too busy for you? How would you feel if he said, Well, I was a little busy answering the prayers of others, so I couldn’t get to answer your prayers when you wanted? We wouldn’t want God to do that to us, and yet we do it to him regularly. So our practical application is, we hold in our hands the word of the Lord. That’s clear based on what Zechariah tells us. He heard from the Lord, and we’re reading what he heard from the Lord. God wants us to listen to what he has to say, which is written in the Bible. So to listen to the Lord, we need to spend time with him each and every day in his word. Do not refuse to pay attention. Do not turn a stubborn shoulder. Do not make your hearts diamond hard. Soften the approach to your day that we might hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts has sent by His Spirit. Lord, we thank you for your word. Sometimes as we hear it, we point an accusing finger at the Jews of that day saying, boy, what was wrong with them? They were hard-hearted. They were stubborn. They wouldn’t listen to you. But are we any different? Forgive us, Lord, because in our busyness, we too are just like them. We refuse to listen. We don’t want to hear. We turn a hard heart toward you because we’re so busy living the life that you have given us. Forgive us, Lord. Draw us back to your Word. Draw us into your Word, not by habit or by ritual, but by our love for you, our desire to spend time with you and to hear from you. And when we do, Holy Spirit, teach us the principles of your Word. Teach us the character of the God we serve and love. Thank you for loving us enough to give us your word. Touch our hearts that we may spend time in your word and with you each and every day. In the name of the Lord we pray it. Amen. Thanks for listening to ADDBIBLE today. We make very few financial appeals after our daily programs, yet from time to time it is necessary to do so. Today is one of those days, so please don’t shut me off. The Ezra Project started in 2002 with one mission, to connect God’s people to God’s word. Back then and still today, I believe the number one need in the Christian church is to come back to God’s word. I’m not a preacher. I don’t have a pulpit to encourage Christians to engage in their Bibles or a church to support this radio program. But with your help, we can continue to proclaim God’s word to you and thousands of others. Ours is a unique approach. We don’t preach the Word or even teach the Word. We share the powerful impact of God’s Word in a normal life over 50 years of daily Bible reading. I started reading my Bible at 15 years old and have virtually read my Bible every day since. In ADDBIBLE, I share my personal Bible reading journal starting in 1983 and continuing to this day. I share from my heart how the Bible has intersected my life and how it can intersect yours. We need less preaching about the Bible and more personal engagement in the Bible. We need to know the Bible is still applicable to a 21st century life. That’s our mission at the Ezra Project. If you agree that the greatest need among Christians is to get back into the Bible and apply it to our daily lives, I invite you to visit our website, EzraProject.net, and donate today. You can do it online or by mail. Our mailing address is there on our website. We have so much more to share on this program. Your partnership will allow us to do so. Thanks for considering a financial donation today.
