Love the Lord & Love His People

Read Zechariah 7 & 8
 
Zechariah 7:1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, together with their men, to entreat the Lord  3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
 
Zech 8:19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”
 
TWO years have passed since the visions of chapters 1-6. As you read Zechariah’s interchange with the LORD and with the Jews, perhaps you can see this in the light of Zechariah being God’s teacher.
   For years, the Jews have been doing certain fasts in memory of particular sad events in Israel’s history. As this new of restoration has begun, the people want to know, “Should we continue the fast of mourning?” This seems to be an appropriate question, but as you read through chapter 7, you read the LORD’s response: “Was it really for me that you fasted?” “Were you not just feasting for yourselves?”
   Here is God using Zechariah as his intercessor to instruct his people – and now us – to understand why we come before God. We can all think of times when we’ve gone to church, Bible study, prayer or even a fast with the attitude, “I’ll do this to please God, so he’ll provide my desires.” God’s ways of grace can become the way of a false religion based on our preferences and not God’s will.
   The question’s answer comes in chapter 8:19. The Jews are to rejoice during the appointed fasts. There is much work to be done. Nehemiah will not come along about 100 years later to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Progress of physical rebuilding, establishing homes and farms amid people opposing the Jews would be difficult. Worshiping God despite a broken down temple would constrain the Jews obedience to the law. Still and surely, the Jews must not look to the past with mournful hearts, but they are to look forward with joy because God is leading them.
   This is a powerful lesson for us. Our “religious” practices must be heart habits, grounded in loving God. We must approach the church and the Bible with a desire to learn more of God, so we will love him more. Loving God more moves directly to loving others more. This is what God wanted for his people then and certainly what he wants for us now.