Remember Your Heritage

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DAY 12 - January 16

As we tackle the next section of the book of Zechariah, I think Bible theologian Matthew Henry said it best when he wrote, “We have done with the visions, but not the revelations of this book…*”  What does that mean exactly?  That though the visions have come to end, the voice of the Lord has not!

So, before we go any further, let’s pause here, grab our Bibles, and read for ourselves what the Lord is saying to His people through the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 7.

Now, before we start to process through what you just read, I want to give you a heads up that we will technically be covering both chapters 7 AND 8 today, but, for the sake of time, I am only asking you to read the entirety of chapter 7, as that is where a bulk of our content will come from.  If you have time and would like to read chapter 8 in its entirety you can absolutely take another brief pause here and do just that.  For everyone else, I will provide some excerpts from chapter 8 within today’s text.  

Ok, back to what you read in chapter 7.  In summary, Zechariah 7 is basically an account of God rebuking the Israelites for their empty religious rituals and calling them back to true worship rather than mere tradition.

We see this clearly in verse 3, when we read of a couple of guys from the people of Bethel approaching the prophets and priests at the Temple and asking if they should “continue to mourn and fast each summer…as we have done for so many years."

At first reading, this question seems innocent enough.  I mean, they have been living in exile for 70 years so it doesn’t seem beyond the realm of reason that people would be asking some questions to clarify things in this new season and new temple.  However, there is a major “red flag”, if you will, within this question that we need to address.

Did you catch what they said at the end of their request in verse 3?  

“...Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction,

as we have done for so many years?” (NLT, emphasis added)

Clearly, it was important to these men that the priests knew how faithfully they had adhered to the traditions; however, they neglected to recognize that their fasting had become a matter of pride rather than surrender.  If you notice, they don’t even make mention of the God for whom they were supposedly fasting anywhere in their question!

But, though their error was lost on them, it was definitely not lost on the Lord, and the response He gives in verses 4-7 makes that very clear.  Verse 5 says,

“Say to all your people and your priests, ‘During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and

mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were

fasting?” (NLT, emphasis added)

You see, over the years, God’s people had honored fasting in ritual but not in their hearts.  Though they continued to fast, they had lost sight of who they were fasting to, reducing it to an empty ritual centered on them, not on the Lord.  Yes, they “obeyed” in action but not in heart.  They threw these festivals in His name but without Him in mind.   And so, in response to the question,“Should we do as we have done in the past?” God  answers definitively, “No, you must do what you have NOT done; repent of your sins and reform your lives.”

We see this call to the people of God to return to Him ALL throughout scripture.  A problem which the Lord addresses directly in verses 11 and 12.

“Your ancestors refused to listen to this message.  They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers

in their ears to keep from hearing.  They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear

the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by His Spirit

through the earlier prophets…”  (NLT)

Here Zechariah is essentially saying to the people, “The Lord is calling you to repent, surrender, and reform, which is exactly what the prophets before us said to your ancestors.  And so, in answer to your question “what should we do?” the Lord says “What was required of them, and which they did not do, is required of you…”  And if you don’t, then you will share in their fate and those years fasting and weeping that you are so proud of…those were basically pointless.”

That response may seem harsh at first, but it’s actually just the natural result and consequence of sin when we neglect and ignore the Lord.  After all, the Lord couldn’t have made it clearer the consequences of sin and disobedience. (A warning He gave time and time again, generation after generation) And yet they still chose disobedience.

It’s like a parent teaching their child the dangers of playing around a hot stove.  They might say something like “If you touch the stove, then you will get burned.”  If the child then touches the stove, that injury is not a punishment handed down from parent to child.  Rather, it is a consequence of the decision made to touch the stove, despite the clear warning given.  

And that’s essentially where chapter 7 leaves us - with God reminding the people of their blatant disobedience, despite his clear and concise warnings, both in the past and in the present.  

Doesn’t feel very encouraging, does it?   But just as you are about to wonder where God’s mercy fits into any of that reprimand, in walks chapter 8, and the greying world begins to be revived with color once again!  Where chapter 7 reproofs those who were disobedient, chapter 8 encourages those who are willing and obedient.  

We see this shift in tone right out of the gate with verses 1 & 2:

“Then another message came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:  ‘This is what the Lord of

Heaven’s Armies says:  My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with

passion for Jerusalem!’” (NLT)

Having spent all of chapter 7 reprimanding His people you would think chapter 8 would be the equivalent of a chores list you would give a teenager who is grounded; however, our gracious fathers first words are “I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!”  Or, in other words, despite all you have done, I am still yours, you are still Mine, and I still love you unconditionally!

And believe it or not,  He doesn’t stop there!  He goes on to remind them of all the blessings He has in store for them - lives of peace, prosperity, and security in Him.  He promises to gather His people from exile, filing the streets with people of all ages who are filled with joy.  He even takes time to address their fears and concerns (aka their doubts) in saying:

“...’All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it

impossible for me?’...” Zechariah 8:6 (NLT)

Together, these two chapters paint such a beautifully vivid picture of God’s grace.  The disobedience of the people may have kept them from God’s blessings for a time, but those very blessings were readily available to them the moment they chose to return to Him.  Friends, it is important that we come to terms with the truth that God never stops caring for us, but our obedience to Him does limit our access to His glory and blessings.  I think that’s why I love the words penned by David in Psalm 139:23-24 so much.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any

offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (NIV)

I don’t know about you but I, like the Israelites, have a propensity to wander.  But reading and praying this verse over my mind, heart, and life helps me to better avoid that drift into exile (aka the land of “limited access”).

Now, I am happy to report that for every “chapter 7” in your life, there is a “chapter 8” on its heels, and that “limited access” caveat disappears completely the moment we return to Him.  We see this very thing taking place here as the Israelites are returning from exile to the promised land.  

Remember, they have been living in exile for 70 YEARS!!!  And for that whole time, the promised land essentially remained empty.  Aside from a few pockets of remnants and settlements sprinkled throughout the vast promised land,  no other nations overtook it (which is insanity because the promised land was good and desirable land).  That means that not only did those returning from exile get their land back, but they didn’t even have to immediately go into battle to fight for it.  What an image of God’s mercy - though, because of their disobedience, they were cast out of the promised land to live in exile, the Lord preserved His promise, He preserved it, for their return.  And He returned it to their care immediately upon their return.  

Where chapter 7 ended on a note of guilt and wrath - painting a somewhat depressing picture of the current state of their precious promised land; here in chapter 8, He reminds them that there is still hope and their future will be full of joy and gladness if, you guessed it, they return to Him and live according to His statutes.  A covenant promise the Lord has had with His people from the Old Testament until now. 

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” (John 15:4, NIV)

Now, you may be wondering, why in the world was this devo titled “Remember your heritage”?  After all, heritage didn’t seem to be the theme of these two chapters.  However, I would beg to differ.  You see, the word heritage is used to refer to both past AND future generations.  The term encompasses what we inherit from the past generations (traditions, culture, values), and what we will pass on as a valuable legacy to future generations.  

That sounds all nice, warm, and fuzzy, but the things we inherit are not always good and desirable things.  Take the Israelites, for instance; they inherited this pattern of putting their desires before the Lord's, which led to many decades spent wandering in the desert and living in exile.  So does that mean that we are destined to walk the same broken paths of our ancestors?  Absolutely not!  Instead of remembering and repeating, we can (and should) remember and respond differently.

Let’s take a moment to reflect and remember our heritage.

1. What things have been inherited from your family (aka your heritage) that don’t align with the Lord’s heart and the Lord’s will?

2.  What lessons can you learn from your heritage (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that will help you leave an even stronger legacy for the generations to come?

3. Are there any areas in your walk with the Lord that, like the Israelites, have become more tradition than transformation?  What can you do to put your heart and focus back on Him in those areas?

4. In today’s study, we read that the people of God had continued with the action of fasting but had lost sight of the “what, why, and how” of it all.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be fasting for fasting's sake!  After all, a fast without Jesus at the center is just a diet!  So take some time to reflect on  the “what, why, and how’s” with which you began this fast and reaffirm your commitment with the Lord, realigning your heart and mission with His.  

   
   

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are

new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

*Blueletterbible.com