How does fasting in Zechariah 7:3 relate to genuine worship and repentance? Setting the Scene • After seventy years in exile, a delegation from Bethel comes to Jerusalem “by asking 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 these many years?’” (Zechariah 7:3). • Their yearly fast commemorated the fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:8-9). Now that the temple foundations are laid (Ezra 5-6), they wonder if this ritual is still required. God’s Initial Answer: Who Was the Fast For? • Zechariah relays the LORD’s probing response: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests: ‘When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?’” (7:5). • The question exposes a heart issue: the fast had become self-focused, an empty tradition lacking true devotion. Fasting That Reflects Repentance • Fasting in Scripture is never an end in itself; it is a visible expression of humble, broken repentance (Joel 2:12-13). • Genuine fasting: – Centers on God, not personal credit or religious reputation (Matthew 6:16-18). – Accompanies confession of sin and a turning from it (1 Samuel 7:6). – Produces compassion toward others, not indifference (Isaiah 58:3-7). What the LORD Really Wanted (Zechariah 7:9-10) • “Administer true justice.” • “Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.” • “Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor.” • “Do not plot evil in your hearts.” These imperatives show that worship reaches its fullness when obedience and mercy flow from a renewed heart. Warning from the Past (Zechariah 7:11-14) • Israel’s ancestors “refused to pay attention” (v. 11). • Consequently “I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations” (v. 14). • The exile itself proves that ignoring God’s call to repent nullifies ritual observance. Key Connections Throughout Scripture • Isaiah 58:6-7: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness… to share your bread with the hungry…?” • Hosea 6:6: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” • Matthew 9:13: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Practical Takeaways for Today • Periodic fasting can still bless believers, but only when paired with sincere repentance and active love for others. • Examine motives: Is the discipline aimed at deepening communion with God or merely checking a spiritual box? • Let fasting heighten sensitivity to sin and kindle fresh obedience—justice, compassion, generosity—so the outward act aligns with inward transformation. Zechariah 7:3 teaches that fasting divorced from repentance is hollow, but fasting joined to heartfelt worship and obedience becomes a powerful testimony of genuine devotion. |
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