Mar. 16, 2025

Zechariah 7

Justice for All

“Could I have come to Ireland without thought of God, merely in my own interest? Who was it made me come? For here “I am a prisoner of the Spirit” so that I may not see any of my family. Can it be out of the kindness of my heart that I carry out such a labor of mercy on a people who once captured me when they wrecked my father’s house and carried off his servants? For by descent I was a freeman, born of a decurion father; yet I have sold this nobility of mine, I am not ashamed, nor do I regret that it might have meant some advantage to others. In short, I am a slave in Christ to this faraway people for the indescribable glory of “everlasting life which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Patrick, Letter to Coroticus

1. Setting the Calendar (vs. 1-3)

A. Two Years Have Passed

B. Visitors from the North

1 Kings 12:28-29

C. A Question of Fasting

Zechariah 1:3

2. Motivation (vs. 4-7)

A. Are We There Yet?

B. Who or What are you doing it for? (vs. 5-7)

3. A Response to Living in Covenant with the LORD (vs. 8-14)

A. By God’s Command (vs. 8, 9)

Jeremiah 22:1-5

HESED- Covenant loyalty (kindness ESV) (compassion NIV)

Exodus 20:4-6

Exodus 34:6-7

Hosea 6:6

Hosea 10:12

Hosea 12:6

Micah 6:8

2 Samuel 9:1

B. The Marginalized (v. 10a)

Deuteronomy 27:19

Jeremiah 7:5-7

Jeremiah 22:3

Ezekiel 22:6-7

The LORD’s perspective

Psalm 68:5

Deuteronomy 10:17-19

Mark 12:38-40

James 1:27

James 2:15-16

1 Timothy 5:3-8

C. Devising Evil (v. 10b)

Ezekiel 38:10

D. The Warning (vs. 11-14)

Care for the Marginalized

Matthew 25:31-40

Devising Evil

Matthew 5:21-22

Reflection:

1. When you take inventory of the things that you do: praying, Bible reading, going to Bible study, going to a worship service, etc. why do you do it?

2. Or as Zechariah asked who do you do it for?

Follow UP in the Word through the Week…

Monday:

Read: Zechariah 1:3

As we have been going through Zechariah, what ways has the Lord been called you back to Himself?

Tuesday:

Read: Exodus 20:4-6

What does this tell us about God’s character? What assurances does this give you?

Wednesday:

Read: Jeremiah 22:1-5

Jeremiah was speaking to the king of Israel before the exile. What was his warning to him? What groups was the Lord wanting protection and provision for? How can that change your perspective today?

Thursday:

Read: 1 Timothy 5:3-8

What is Paul’s instruction in this passage? What part does personal relationships play in the care for widows according to this passage?

Friday:

Read: Matthew 25:31-40

What is Jesus warning us about in this passage? Who are the people He is identifying with? How do you act on this warning in your own life?

Saturday:

Read: Matthew 5:21-22

The Lord through the prophet warns to not devise evil against another in our heart in Zechariah 7:10. How does Jesus head this off in this part of the Sermon on the Mount?