THE MESSAGE OF ZECHARIAH
Number 19
THE WAY OF THE GOSPEL
Zechariah 8:9-11
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WE are seeing that in the promises of God to Israel in the time of Zechariah, that is in the time covered by the book of Ezra, God is looking much further forward than that immediate time, and introducing a new way of dealing with his people which is brought to fruition in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact it is not a new way because all the true people of God were saved by this Gospel way, but it is new in the sense that throughout the history of Israel from the time of Moses this way of grace was hidden behind the law and the sacrifices of the Mosaic system. God brings it out into more clarity now because that system is now seen to have failed, and so the people were more ready to receive the Gospel.

There is a very real truth here concerning our human condition. We are very slow in appreciating how impotent we are to achieve any sort of righteousness that meets with the approval God. Even if we keep the outward rules of religion as the Israelites did even in their most rebellious times, yet we fail to see how our thoughts and affections in our hearts are so far from the righteousness of God. We need to be brought to a condition when we are humbled before God, and see our bondage in sin and how lost and without hope we are unless God steps in to save us in mercy and grace. The Jews had 100's of years to learn this fact. The teaching process came to a head when God judged the nation and carried them off into exile in Babylon, and left them there for 70 years. Now, hopefully, they had learnt the lesson, and were ready to humble themselves before God and by faith receive the message of grace which would be made clear in Christ.

These verses before us speak of this new way. The promise was directly to the condition of the Jews at the time of Zechariah, but the promise is the Gospel promise and so we have the Gospel illustrated in this promise. Perhaps the Jews saw the promise more in temporal terms, but the real meaning is spiritual, and addresses our lost condition as human beings in sin. The verse revolves around two words which commence verse 11. These words are 'But now ..".

BUT NOW ...

These two words direct attention backwards and then forwards. These words call us to remember the past and then to see the future that is promised. The verses we are considering are addressed to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem when Cyrus, King of Persia was moved by the Lord to allow Jews to return to Jerusalem and build the temple. This in itself is an act of grace. God had mercy on his people and according to promise arranged things so that they may return from exile. Many Jews had availed themselves of this permission and the work of rebuilding the temple was commenced. Difficulties were many, and there was much opposition from the other peoples living in the area of Jerusalem, and these enemies managed to get the work stopped, but God enabled it to go on. All this can be read in the book of Ezra. Now Zechariah, under the guidance of the Lord, asks the people to remember what things were like when they first returned to Jerusalem, and to remember their poverty and the dereliction of the city and the temple, and how there was danger all around them from enemies. They are called to remember why this was in that it was a result of God's action in judgement on their forbears for their persistent sinning and departing from the Lord.

In this remembering was also the nature of things in those past days. God continually called his people to return to him. God sent his prophets to tell them their sin, call them to repent, and warn them that unless they did, judgement would fall upon them. They were called to remember that this way never changed anything for long. There were times of reformation, but this reformation soon faded and the people returned to their godless and idolatrous ways. The word of God came to them from outside them through the preaching of the prophets, but there was no power or real inclination in the hearts of the people to obey, and so even if there was a time of repentance this never lasted long because of the sinful nature of the human heart.

All this illustrated and illustrates the fact that human beings are totally unable to work righteousness because the heart of man is corrupt and has a bias away from God, and does not desire the way of the Lord. The history of the Jews before they were exiled in Babylon abundantly proved this sinfulness of the human heart. The verdict spoken of in John 3:19 is abundantly true "Light has come into the world, but men love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil." It is true that the natural human heart is at enmity with God, and can't love God or his ways.

The Jews were called upon to remember all this, and the devastating judgement that resulted, and the desolation it produced; and they were called on to remember that this was all because of the sin of the human heart which is totally unable to love God or his ways, let alone produce righteousness which will ever meet the holy demands of God.

In this remembering came the BUT NOW. God promises that he is going to do a new thing. God makes a promise that he is not going to deal with his people as he did in the past. This promise is one that is full of hope because it means that God is going to do something that would be effective and not fail. It is this that we need to understand and take to heart.

At this time when Zechariah was speaking the words in the verses we are studying, through Zechariah God was calling his people to see that progress had been made. They were called to remember what the state of Jerusalem and the Temple was like when they returned from exile, and to see that much had been accomplished, and realize from this how much God had been with them and was with them. When we become discouraged we tend to see only the negative and fail to see the positive. We always need to count our blessings so that we can be encouraged to realize how much God has done for us already, which is assurance for us that he will continue to defend and bless us.

TRUTH TO APPRECIATE

Zechariah also points out a lesson pressed home on Israel by their experience. It is a truth that is always true. Zechariah says of the time of loss and defeat - "Then no one could go about his business safely because of the enemy, for I had turned everyone against his neighbour". This speaks very directly to the condition when people are without God. Only in Christ and allegiance to him can there be peace and safety.

To be without God is to be open to all the attacks of the enemy. For Israel it meant that God was not there to defend them against the nations and peoples around, and so they had no strength to save themselves from tyranny. However, there is a spiritual dimension here. To be without God and allegiance to him by faith, we are open to two powerful enemies. The enemies are Satan on the one hand, and the corruption of our human nature on the other. Satan rules over our hearts and the sinful nature we have loves to have it so.

When this happens gradually life falls apart. We may feel that we are free to please ourselves and this is happiness, but the result is in fact poverty of true happiness, fear for safety, and hate rather than love. As individuals we are slaves to our selfish hearts, and this causes human beings to fall out with each other, and even at the best promotes selfish living, where self come first. From this issues the break up of society and the loss of joy and safety. This was seen in Israel and we are seeing it in the society of the United Kingdom, where evil, violence and wrong is growing, and life is far less safe or peaceful than it was in the immediate past.

Without God through Christ society, relationships, nations, fall apart and gradually self destruct. This will be the fate of Great Britain if the nations does not return to God.

NEW WAY

The truth Israel found was that human nature is impotent when left on there own without God, and in this situation God promised to his people that he was going to deal differently with them than in the past. In the immediate history of Israel at the time of Zechariah we have this difference  described in the rest of the chapter. However, there are some general truths that we can learn from this declaration of God.

a. God will act in grace. Grace is the unmerited favour of God. In Israel's past God manifested much grace in his patience with Israel, continually pleading with them to return to him, but this measure of grace was not enough because Israel failed to heed God and return from their godless ways. Then God could only bring down his judgement upon Israel's sin, and this meant that they suffered exile in Babylon for 70 years. God says he will act differently. Human nature being totally unable to obey God's law or to love his law, God was going to take this into account and let his grace abound, so that judgement would be replaced by forgiving grace.

b. God would show his grace by providing a way whereby he could be gracious to sinners, and still uphold his eternal justice and holiness, and this he did by providing the perfect sacrifice for sin. In this perfect sacrifice all sin was fully atoned for, and God's justice satisfied. In the Old Testament and according to the Mosaic law, the people brought their animal sacrifices, but these never did or could purge the guilt of sin. The new way of God, his acting differently, was that God provided the sacrifice whereby sin was atoned for, and he could be just and still graciously forgive the sinner. This we know he did in Christ. This is an altogether wonderful new way, which provides complete and eternal pardon for sinners who seek this blessing from God.

c. God would not command from outside human beings, which commands human beings can't obey because of the evil desires of the heart, but God would change the heart of human beings, and incline our hearts to keep his law. In other words the grace of God in this new way would cause people to turn to him and keep his ways because he would change their inner being so that there is in our hearts a love of God and his law.

CONCLUSION

The exhortation or application of all this is given in verse 9. God calls Israel, through Zechariah, to be strong. 'Let your hands be strong' is the exhortation which God gives his people. For Israel at that time in had a specific application to the building of the Temple, and its meaning is clear. God wanted them to be strong, remembering that God promised to be with them, so that the temple building may be completed.

In a universal application for all true believers is the exhortation to be strong for the Lord in our daily lives and in living for his kingdom, and seek the salvation of souls. The new way is full of assurance and hope. If God is going to be gracious to us, then we may be certain that he will do all that is necessary for his grace to be poured out abundantly. Free pardon of sins only comes with cost attached. Because we could not afford such pardon and salvation, God took the cost upon himself, and sent Jesus, his only Son, to pay the cost in our place. Having done this, God raised us to knew life in Christ, to a life created to be like God in righteousness and true holiness. So let us be strong, and never be discouraged or be tempted to give up. Let us remember what God has already done and is doing, for in this is assurance that his promise to do a knew thing, and be with his people, is sure. Then let us believe the promise. God will keep his word. He is the Lord Almighty who cannot lie and cannot fail on his promises.