Shabbat Shalom everyone. Please open your Bibles again today to the prophet Zechariah chapter 7 in this ministry meeting. And this chapter began a second section in the prophecy of Zechariah, in which God is dealing with his people Israel, the return remnant, in a very practical way, with issues that existed there and then, at the time of their return. And he reminds them of some of the things that have happened in the past. Now, I'm going to read chapter 7 for us for this ministry today. Chapter 7 and chapter 8 go together in this second section of the prophecy of Zechariah. So, please follow with me at the reading of the text.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius, that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Kislev, when they had sent unto the house of God Cheretzer and Regem Melech and their men to pray before the Lord, and to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of Hosts, And to the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done these so many years?" Then came the word of the Lord of Hosts unto me, saying, "Speak unto all the people of the land." "And to the priests, saying, "When ye fasted and

mourned in the fifth and the seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me?" "And when ye did eat and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?" "Should ye not hear the words which the Lord had cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited, and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?" "And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, "Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying, "Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his neighbor; "And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor

the poor; "And let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your hearts?" "But they refused to hearken, and they pulled away their shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear; "Yet they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law.

"And the words which the Lord of Hosts has sent in his spirit by the former prophets, "Therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of Hosts. "Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear, "so they cried, and I would not hear," saith the Lord of Hosts. "But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. "Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through no return; "for they laid the pleasant land desolate." "This is the end of the seventh chapter that we have here in the prophecy of Zechariah, "and I'm going to stop right here and seek to make some comments on this seventh chapter.

"This chapter really goes along with the next chapter eight. "And these two chapters together are really very practical chapters "to deal with the issues that rose in the history of the nation of Israel. "Not only in the time when they returned from Babel, "and now a couple of years have passed by since they stopped to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, "but God, in his wisdom, take Zechariah and Zechariah's people, the Jewish people, "all the way back to the time when Israel have enjoyed the blessings of the Lord "in his presence in the city of Jerusalem." And we can apply it to ourselves as we study these verses and chapters because the Apostle Paul said, you remember this famous verse that we read it again and again many times, Shaul Paul said, "Now all these things happen unto them for an example, "and they are written for our admonitions upon whom the end of the age are come." In other words, whatever happened to Israel historically serves to be an admonition to you and I today in the church age.

And I think this chapter really teaches us very practical lesson in the history of Israel and apply this to ourselves today. Now we have covered already the first six chapters. We saw these eight beautiful visions that Zechariah received in one day from the Lord concerning the past and the future of Israel, the glorious future that is still awaiting for the nation of Israel. And if you remember, we stopped in our previous chapter to speak about the one that is called the branch, the Messiah, who will yet rule on his throne in the future day and who will yet sit as a priest upon his throne in the future day.

And that is taking us all the way to the Messianic Kingdom. When the Messiah Yeshua will come and will have his rightful place among his own people, the people of Israel. But a few years passed by now, when the visions were given to Zechariah. And now you notice how this chapter began, because in this seventh chapter, we have the date in which Zechariah received additional messages from the Lord. Now it is no longer visions. Now the Lord speaks to him directly. And he is to speak to the nation of Judah, to the nation of Israel. Notice it says here in verse one of chapter seven.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius, that a word of the Lord came unto Zechariah. Notice that it says in the fourth year, this is 518 BC. When Zechariah received the revelation through the visions concerning the future of Israel, it was in the second year reign of Darius as the Middle Persian king. It says in chapter one and verse one, in eight months of the second year of Darius. Verse seven, upon the four and 20th day of the 11th month, which was the month of Shvat in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah. So in chapter one, we are in 520 BC.

In chapter seven, we are in 518 BC. Things have happened in the last two years. The rebuilding of the temple began again. The people of Judah continue now to build the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, according to Haggai chapter one and verses 14 and 15, they resume the building of the temple in Jerusalem at about 520 BC. Four years it took them to finish the temple. By the time they finished the temple in about 516 BC. But now they are in the middle of the building of the temple. And the word of the Lord come to Zechariah at that time, because an issue rose in the midst of the people of Israel.

What happened? Listen to these beloved brothers and sisters. Apparently, according to verses one, two, and three, a delegation was sent from the city of Beit El to Judea, to Jerusalem, to the temple, to speak to the priests and to the prophets, and to ask them a very important question. Notice that. That was the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, the month of Kislev. At that time came a delegation. Notice in verse two. It says this. When they had sent unto the house of God a shar etzer and regem melech and their men to pray before the Lord, and to speak unto the priests, which were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, and they asked them, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month separating myself as I have done so for so many years?" Well, apparently, beloved brothers and sisters, there was a delegation sent from a place that is called Beit El.

Now, it is a little bit confusing here when you read the King James Version. It says when they had sent unto the house of God, but really the word unto is not there in the Hebrew. It's really when they had sent from, and the word for house of God should be Beit El, when they had sent from Beit El, Sher etzer and regem melech, and their men to pray before the Lord. Just pause here for a moment with me as we read verse two. Now, the delegation was sent, two men, one is named Sher etzer, and the other one, his name Regem Melech, two Jewish men, or two Israelis.

They were sent from the city of Beit El to pray before the Lord in the city of Jerusalem. Now, let's for a moment think about the city of Beit El. It is interesting that the name Beit El was a name that was given by Yaakov, Jacob, when he fled from his own brother after he took the birthright. If you remember, he stole his birthright from his own brother, Esau, Esau. He fled from his home. We read it in Genesis chapter 28. And on the way, as he was fleeing his family, his brother, he stopped in a place where he saw a ladder, which is beginning on earth and all the way to heaven.

And on that ladder, in Hebrew we call it Sulam, on the Sulam angels were going up and down. And the top of this ladder was written to glory, to heaven. And Yaakov, Jacob, was amazed when he saw that sight we read in Genesis chapter 28. What did he do? He was so overwhelmed with this ladder and the angels are going up and down in that vision or dream that he had received. We find that he gave a name to that city and he called that place by the name of Beit El. And Beit means house, El means God, the house of God. Let me read just this verse.

He called the name of that place Beit El, but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. This is Genesis chapter 28 and verse 19. Why? Because he saw God was speaking to him and he told him, I am with thee, Jacob, and I will keep you in all your places wherever you are going. And I will bring you again to this land and I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken unto thee. God had made a promise to Yaakov that he is going to restore him back to this place and ultimately to his homeland. Yaakov gave the name of this place.

He called it Beit El, the house of God. Now, another place in the history of Israel where the name Beit El is mentioned again is in 2 Kings chapter 12. If you remember, beloved brothers and sisters, when our people Israel were divided into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom, it was at that time when Jeroboam, in Hebrew we call him Yeroboam, have built in the city of Beit El an altar. And upon this altar, they were offering all sorts of offerings, but it was not given to the God of Israel. The new religious system had been developed in the history of our people Israel. And it was in the northern area of Beit El and Dan, where the golden calves had been built there.

And Israel, instead of coming to worship in the city of Jerusalem, the northern tribes remain in the north. And they end up worshiping all sorts of things and all sorts of false religion had been introduced. And Beit El became the central place where the false religion had been introduced in the history of our people Israel. And it was the king Jeroboam who did not want the Israelis to go down to the south, to the city of Jerusalem. He didn't want to lose his people, lest they're going to turn to the Lord and follow after Rehoboam. And he kept them in the north there. And he built altars and introduced pagan worship in the north of Israel.

And it was in Beit El the death have began. The false teaching and the departure of the northern tribe from the truth of the word of God. But here what we find out, apparently, from Beit El, they are sending a delegation to the city of Jerusalem, to the temple, to pray before the Lord. Apparently, by the time of 518 B.C., those people who returned to the north have accepted the fact that Judah and Jerusalem is the only place where worship must be given to Jehovah, the God of Israel. But now notice how interesting. They come now to Jerusalem, and they ask a very important question.

Look what it says here in verse 3. It says, they speak unto the priests, which were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets. Note that the word priests is in plural, and prophets is in plural. So they spoke to the priests and the prophets. It may have been Haggai, the prophet, as well as Zechariah. They came to them with a question. And what was the question? One single question. It says, should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done these for so many years? Now, it is important to know the Hebrew month. The first month is Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shvat, Adar.

Adar is the last month of the Hebrew calendar, the first month, the month of Nisan. If you remember, beloved brothers and sisters, it was on the month of Nisan, where Israel came out of the land of Egypt. And God said to Israel, this is the beginning of your month unto you, the beginning of the year unto you. And that was the month of Nisan, the time of the spring time. But the fifth month is the month of Av, Aleph Bet in Hebrew or A-V, you will spell it in English. And everyone who know the history of our Jewish people, the ninth of Av, we call it in Hebrew Tisha'a Be'av.

Tisha'a Be'av was the time where the Salamonic temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians. And throughout the history of our people, apparently for the time that these people had been in Babel, in Babylon, for the 70 years that they spent in Babel, they mourn the loss and the destruction of the temple in the city of Yerushalayim. The Jewish leader of that time introduced a special day that is called the ninth of Tisha'a Be'av, where Israel as a nation were commanded to weep and to mourn the loss of the temple in the city of Jerusalem. In fact, up till today, there is what is known today, the Tisha'a Be'av throughout Jewry.

Whether it is in Israel in the land or throughout the nations of the world, Tisha'a Be'av became the second most sorrowful day in the history of our people Israel. Of course, the first one is what we call Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. But the second most important day in the history of Israel in connection with weeping and mourning and fasting is the Tisha'a Be'av, the ninth of Av, where Jewish people would mourn and weep and sorrow over the loss of the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, sometime when somebody had a sad face, we would ask them, why do you have a face like Tisha'a Be'av, the ninth of Av?

Because the sorrow and the sadness and the anger over the loss of the temple in the city of Jerusalem brought about much tears in the history of the people of Israel. I want you for a second to turn with me to the Book of Lamentation. And Jeremiah was the weeping prophet of our people Israel. And notice what he says in verse one of chapter one. How does the city sit desolate that was full of people? How is she become as a widow? She that was great among the nations and princess among the provinces. How is she become tributary? She weepeth sore in the night. And her tears are on her cheeks.

Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They have become her enemies. And then it gives you the land of Judah. Judah is gone into captivity. Because of affliction and because of great servitude she dwelleth among the heathen. She findeth no rest. All her persecutors overtook her between the straits. The ways of Zion do mourn because none come to the solemn feast. All her gates are desolate. Her priests sigh. Her virgins are afflicted. And she is in bitterness. You just read the book of Lamentation. How is it possible? How did it happen that the people of Israel, the people of Judah, the city of Jerusalem is now desolate?

In fact, read verse 12 with me of chapter 1. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me wherewith the Lord has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. Many times Bible teachers take verse 12 and apply it prophetically to Yeshua, the Messiah, who suffered, who died, who was penalized because of our sin. But in its primary presentation, really, verse 12 of Jeremiah, Lamentation, chapter 1, applied to the city of Jerusalem. So what, beloved brothers and sisters, our Jewish people, our leaders, the leaders of Israel, introduce what is known to be the ninth of Av.

When we look back and we see the time where the temple stood in the city of Jerusalem, Israel have enjoyed fellowship with the Lord. And then what happened, because of disobedience, God had to discipline his very own people. And so now 70 years passed by, the Jewish remnant returned from Babel, actually more than 70 years, because by the time we are in 518 BC, an additional 17 years, almost 90 years have come to pass. And they come to ask the question, should I weep in the fifth month? And the month of Av was the fifth month. And on the ninth of Av, there was introduced by the Jewish leader a time of mourning and weeping over the loss of the temple in Jerusalem.

Now, how do we know it was a time of weeping and mourning, not only because we read Lamentation, chapter 1, but we often read the Psalms. You remember Psalm 137, by the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and we wept. When we remember Zion, we hung our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. And there they that carried us away captive. Where are they taking them captive? They took them captive from Jerusalem. They required of us a song. And they that wasted us inquired and they said, sing unto us one of Zion's song. They were mocking the Jewish people who were carried to Babel. And then these Jewish people there in a sad condition, they say, how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

How can we do so? They couldn't sing. They couldn't enjoy. They were mourning their condition and the loss of the temple of the Lord in the city of Jerusalem. So it's about 586 BC, the destruction of the temple on the ninth of Av. It's become a period of time in Jewish history called Tisha B'Av, where there was fasting and mourning pronounced upon all the people of Israel. Actually, brothers and sisters, the rabbis teach us that on Tisha B'Av, many things have happened. In fact, if you read in your Bible, the high priest of Israel, Aaron, have died in the month of Av. The rabbis teach us in the beginning of their journey on the way to the promised land, when they have arrived to the entrance to the land of Israel, there was a rebellion by the people of Israel.

And God said to Israel, because you disobeyed my word and you didn't believe the testimony of those two spies who brought the testimony that Israel could take over the land. God said to Israel, because you did not believe my word, you are going to go back into the wilderness and for every day that those spies spent in the land, one year you are going to spend in the wilderness. So Israel, for 40 years, wandered in the wilderness. And the rabbis teach that this verdict by God happened on the ninth day of the month of Av, Tisha B'Av. So in Tisha B'Av, it is a sad period of time in Jewish history.

In fact, even 70 AD, the destruction of the temple by Titus and the Romans happened in Tisha B'Av. The month of Av became a month in which God had disciplined his people throughout their history. And that's why the month of Tisha B'Av became a month where there is mourning, there is weeping, there is fasting by the Jewish people throughout the world. And so here those two men and their fellows came to the priests, came to the prophets, and they asked them this question, should I weep in the fifth month separating myself as I have done this for so many years? As far as they were concerned, they're looking back to the time of 586 BC, when the temple was burned, the city of Jerusalem was burned, and the Jewish people were taken back to Bavell.

So this is the delegation that asked this question concerning the fifth month, and they wanted to have an answer. So God, in his wisdom, gave them an answer through the prophet Zechariah in verses 4, 5, 6, and 7. God actually searches the hearts of the people. He really doesn't give them an answer, but he asks them questions to challenge the people of Judah at that time. And so again, we read in verse 4, the Lord is speaking again to Zechariah. Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, this is Zechariah. And he said to him, speak unto all the people of the land, I'm reading now verse 5.

And to the priests, saying, when ye fasted, and ye mourned, in the fifth and the seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me? You know, it had been said that usually Jewish people answer a question with a question. They don't necessarily give you immediately the answer, but they ask you a question. And perhaps it was given with the way God have dealt with our own people. They come and they ask him, can I stop now to fast like I've done for 70 years? So the Lord is asking them and he's challenging them. And he said to them, really, when you fasted those 70 years, did you really fast because of me, as unto me?

Of course, the answer, the way the question was asked is no, not at all. In fact, he's challenging them and he said to them, you know what, really this fasting issue that you have introduced for those 70 years was not something that I requested from you. I did not ask from you to fast. This is something that you have introduced in your history, but even when you have done so, did you really do it for me? You know, it teaches us a very important lesson because sometimes we do things and let's not only speak about Israel. We know it about our own selves and in the church age, it is very similar that we have introduced all sorts of feasts, if you may call it, or a special time that we have introduced and have been introduced over the years by Christians, by believers over the generation of the church age.

But there were period of time or events that were made by men. It was not requested by God at all. But even more, what was worse here in this case is the fact that when they were fasting, they really didn't do it to the Lord. They didn't do it for the Lord in a true way of repentance before the Lord. The challenge is that have they really fasted unto the Lord or they really have done it to satisfy themselves. Now, let me remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, that the reason that Israel found themselves in Babel is not because they submitted to the word of God.

It's because God disciplined his very own people. He loved them. He wished well for them. And because they're disobedient to him, he had to spank them. He had to discipline them. And the discipline was the removal of the nation from their favored place in the city of Jerusalem all the way to the land that is called Babel. And so really the fasting was really not for the glory of the Lord. It was simply for the satisfaction of their own desire. It was really not done for the benefit of the Lord. And I would like to remind us as well that sometimes we are doing things that we have to really ask ourselves the question, do I really do it as unto the Lord or I'm being religious?

It is really not that which is for the Lord. I have to admit that and I'm sure you feel the same way because many times in our lives we do things that is not so much for the glory of the Lord, not because we are broken before him, but because we have introduced some sort of a system, a religious act, which make it sound good, looks very religious. But in reality it is really not for the pleasure of the Lord. Notice the next thing. Not only that he challenged him concerning the fasting, now he's challenging the people concerning the feasts. And he says in verse 6.

And when you did eat and when you did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? In other words, when you did have the celebration, the moadim, the feasts, when you were called to come together, didn't you really do what you do because of yourself? You really didn't do it for me. The fasting was for yourself and the feasting was for yourself. You really didn't do it as to my glory and my honor. Now, this is not only an Israeli problem. That is a problem that occurred in the church throughout the generation. Let me just point to a verse in 1 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 17.

The apostle Paul said, "Now in this that I declare unto you, I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together in church or in the meetings, in the local assembly, the local church, I hear that there is divisions among you. And I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you. The day which are approved may be made manifest among you. When you come together, therefore, into one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper." Apparently they had these issues right there and then. "For in eating, everyone taketh before the other his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken.

What? Have ye not houses to eat and to drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame them that have not? What shall I say unto you? Shall I praise you?" He said, "I praise you not." What have happened in the history of our Jewish people, the people of Israel, happening in the midst of our own brothers and sisters, in our own lives, as believers in the local assemblies in the church age, just the same. And God is challenging Israel in the past, the believers today, in the present time. He is challenging because in 1 Corinthians 10, it says a beautiful verse, "Wherefore whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 31.

So, here God is challenging those Hebrews, those people of Israel who have returned from Babel. They are coming from Bethel, they are asking the prophets these questions. And here we find out how the Lord is answering them through the prophet Zechariah. And now he is reminding them in verse 7 of our chapter. He is reminding Israel how he appealed to them in the past. And he said to them, "Should ye not hear the words which the Lord had cried by the former prophets? When Jerusalem was inhabited, and in prosperity, and the cities arose round about her? When men inhabited the south and the plain?" He is telling them, "Shouldn't you have remembered and hear the voice of the Lord at that time?" You know what amazes me, beloved brothers and sisters?

That we know the word of God. We heard the message of the word of God. But we choose many times to violate the word of God. And when things happen, and pain and sorrow come upon us, then we realize that I played the fool. I should have listened to the word of God. You remember the first king of Israel, Shaul? He said, "I played the fool. Had I listened to what God said through Shmuel earlier, but I didn't." And he lost the kingdom because he violated the word of God. We too, when we go wrong, we realize later on, I should have listened to the counsel of those who counseled and spoke to my heart.

"Israel, shouldn't you have heard God's word which he spoke through the former prophets?" Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and on and on. The former prophets of Israel, when they spoke to the people of Israel when Jerusalem was inhabited. The people of Israel had been around the city of Jerusalem. The people were populating that city. The temple stood. There was a joy surrounding the name of the Lord in the city of Jerusalem and in prosperity. But they've lost it. They were carried away to Babel because they did not listen to the word of the Lord through the earlier prophets of Israel. I must connect it with other passages.

If you turn with me to Isaiah chapter one. Very nice. How God appealed to Israel, his people in verse 10. "Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom." He already called them by that time like Sodom, the way they behave. "Give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?" says the Lord. "I am full of the burnt offering, and the rams, and the fat of fed beasts. And I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or lambs, or of the goats. When ye come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand to tread my courts?" "They were coming to the temple." "Bring no more vain oblation.

Incense is an abomination unto me. The new moons, and the Shabbat, and the calling of assemblies. I cannot away with it. It is an iniquity, even the solemn meetings. Your new moons, and your appointed feasts, my soul hateth. They are a trouble unto me. I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood." And then he says, "Wash you. Make you clean. Put away your evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.

Seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow. Come now. Let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Imagine here, Israel. Oh yea, they went through the routine. Shabbat is Shabbat. The new moon is the new moon. The sacrifices are the sacrifice. God gave this to our people, Israel. But what it become, it become a routine. It become without no purpose of heart. It become religion without reality. And God says, "I cannot take it anymore." And then they come. He's inviting the nation to repent.

But the sad thing is that they did not listen to the voice of the prophets. And there are many other verses. Isaiah chapter 66. We read about it. Jeremiah chapter 7. And Amos chapter 5. And in fact, I want to show this to us from a New Testament setting. Apply this to us as well today. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. Where Paul writes to a younger brother by the name of Timothy. And he said to him, "Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits." Now notice, "Doctrine of demons." Then he says, "Speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidden to marry, and commending to abstain from meats." So notice that this is a system that has been introduced and will be introduced as Paul in his time when he wrote to Timothy.

There will be all sorts of things that will be introduced to the body of Christ, to the body of Messiah. Forbidding to marry, commending to abstain from meats which God have created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believed and know the truth. Again, 2 Timothy chapter 3. Know this also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, furious, despisers of that which is good. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. And now listen to verse 5. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such, Timothy turned away." This is not only an issue of Israel and Israel history that's applied to us today.

And we ourselves always have to be so careful to ask for the grace of God to help us in this matter. And so, God reminded Israel, through Zechariah, should ye not hear the words which the Lord had cried by the former prophets. Jerusalem have enjoyed a great time, but they departed from the Lord. And the Lord cried to them through the prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and on, on, and Ezekiel. And so they didn't listen. So now in the second half of this chapter, verses 8 to 14, the expectation of the Lord from the people of Judah who have returned. Now let me show you, he's saying to them, what I really expect from you.

Should we do all what had been introduced by men? Here is what the Lord really is expecting from his own people. Now again, verse 8, the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah again. And now notice, beloved brothers and sisters, the first thing he does in verses 9 and 10, he called Judah and Israel to have a moral, godly conduct. And look what he said, very simple. In verse 9, thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, and he says, execute true judgment. Show mercy and compassion every man to his neighbor. Oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, nor the stranger, nor the poor. And finally, let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

Four things he's saying to them. Very practical. These are the areas, beloved brothers and sisters, that we fail much in. Oh yes, we can be very religious. We keep Shabbat, we can keep kosher, or we keep Sunday, or we keep certain holidays and feasts. We are very good in those things. But the areas that we fail, and I'm speaking for myself, is right here. Number one, execute true judgment. Number two, show mercy and compassion. Number three, don't oppress the widows, the fatherless, the stranger, and the poor. And number four, don't imagine evil against your brothers and your sisters in your own heart. You see, I would call it in a New Testament setting, this is what is called practical Christianity.

Practical Messiah following, right here in those four statements that we have here in this chapter. God called Judah, Israel, to have this moral conduct evident in their lives. What's the use, beloved brothers and sisters, of keeping a day, going to the church meeting, or to a congregational meeting, folding my hands, closing my eyes, and submitting at that time to the meeting, and so on. And so on. But when I get up, and I leave the room, and I leave my day-by-day living, I end up to have such an attitude in my heart, hating my brothers and my sisters. Oppressing others, and not giving a just judgment, and not showing mercy and compassion.

What is the point to be religious, like in a system of religion, without appropriating the grace of God to my own life? In my relationship with other brothers and sisters, and mankind, with each other as brothers and sisters, you know that part of the law, God gave a law. And I made a note here in Exodus. Please turn to Exodus 22. Look at this verse. Verse 21. Verse 21. God said to our people of all Israel as part of the law. Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him. For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If ye will afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath shall wax hot.

God has said to Israel, you know, in the law, when he gave Israel a people, the law, he already commanded them how they are to relate to each other, how they are to relate to those that have need, the fatherless, the widow, the stranger, how we are to conduct ourselves. This is a hard area for us to practice, because we are so self-centered, we are so religious in our hearts, and our sin nature is so wicked, that we need to live the life of Christ, the life of the Messiah, through the power that he enables us to live. In other words, to subdue this old nature, and to allow that new man to live for the Lord, and in the power of the Spirit of God, to minister to God's people.

And really, brothers and sisters, what is true religion? You know, we often talk about the word religion. You know, religion is man-made, really. But the word religion at least mentioned once or twice in the Bible, and it was James Yaakov who said, in James 1 and verse 27, Pure religion, and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. That is the true religion. I know we don't need to use the word religion, because religion is man-made in general, but we have a relationship with God. Israel have a relationship with God, with the living God.

But true religion, if we will call that, if we will put this word religion, is to have the heart of God in our dealing with others, in our relationship with our brothers and our sisters, even with our enemies, the heart of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Israel was told, listen, do you really want to please me? You're talking about fasting? Should you continue to fast now? Well, here's what you need to do. Number one, it says, execute true judgment. Don't be unjust judge in your judgment. Number two, show mercy and show compassion. Number three, don't oppress others. And number four, don't think evil in your heart about somebody else.

In other words, this is what you call self-judgment, self-examination. It's something that we need to really search our hearts concerning this. I just want to highlight some thought. What about compassion and mercy? Do you know if it wouldn't be for the mercy of the Lord and for the grace of God? You know, we read in this scripture, Behold the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. That though he was rich, he became poor. That through his poverty, we might become rich. We have been enriched in our salvation and our relationship to God is because of the love of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah who became poor on our behalf.

Those kind of lessons to appropriate to our own lives, demanding really much self-judgment. And so here is where he is challenging those Jewish people who were asking this question, should we continue to fast on Tisha'a Be'av? Well, let's move on. After he gave them the request, the command, to live a godly moral conduct in their life, in verses 11 and 12, he reminded Israel of their past disobedience. And then he said to them in verse 11, But, notice the word but in verse 11, But they refused to hearken, and they pulled away the shoulder, and they stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yet they made their hearts as an adamant stone.

In other words, they hardened their hearts, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent in his spirit by the former prophets. Here is the reason he is saying to these men who came to ask this question, instead of executing right judgment and showing mercy and not oppressing and letting no evil imagination in their heart about somebody else, what did they do? Instead of doing this, they introduced a religion. They had only an outward form, and they refused, as it says in verse 11, to hearken, and they pull away their shoulder. You know, it's like, you know, we say, ah, what do you know?

I know better than you. You know how it is, when you actually pull your shoulder, it's almost a sense of pride. When somebody gives us some instruction from the Lord, and some wise, something that we need to learn from, ah, I say, what does he know? What do they know? Well, they refuse, you know, like it was self-will, refusing to listen, like a person that you appeal to him or to her, listen, don't go in that way. There is a better way. Listen to my counsel. I'm not trying to tell you this because I'm trying to lord myself over you. I'm just giving you an advice.

Take it from the Lord. It is better for you. But instead, they refused to hearken, and they pulled away their shoulders, and listen to that. They actually stopped their ears that they should not hear. You know, that reminds me, remind me of Acts chapter 7, where Stephen told our own people about the Sanhedrin, about the whole history of the people of Israel. And you remember what they did? At the end of the message of Stephen, they plugged their ears. They didn't want to hear anymore what Stephen is telling them. The messenger from the glorified Messiah, Yeshua, was speaking to the Sanhedrin, telling them, listen, that's the history of our people.

Listen, he is the Messiah. Yeshua is the Messiah. But instead, they gnash their teeth, they close their ears, and they ultimately stone their very own brother, Jewish man, Stephen, the first martyr in the church age, who died, identifying with the rejection of the Messiah. They did not listen. They refused. They pulled up their shoulders, and they stopped their ears, and they made, listen to that, their heart as an adamant stone. The word here really, it's like they hardened their hearts. It is said, when we share the word of God, and the heart is so hardened, like a stone. In Psalm 95 and verse 8, God said to Ezra, that harden not your heart as in the day of the provocation.

When God speaks to you, don't harden your heart, soften your heart. Because, if you will not soften your heart, God himself ultimately will harden your heart, judicially. And he will discipline those who refuse to accept his word. You remember what we read in Romans 11 about Israel? Blindness in part happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentile become in. God, judicially, rightfully, as a living God, have disciplined our own nation, partially, where he hardened the heart of the nation, partially, until the full number of Gentile become in in the church age. And then he will open Israel's eyes. And then all Israel ultimately will be saved.

But today, when we hear the message of the word of God, whether we are believers here today or unbelievers, unbelievers need to hear the message of the word of God and to accept the Messiah to say, Lord, I am a sinner. Have mercy on me. I need forgiveness of sins. But for us as believers, when we go astray, we go away from the Lord, it's the best thing to do is to stand still and to say, Lord, show me the right way so I will not go in a way that is not pleasing unto thee, to repent before him and to turn back to him.

Now, here's another thing that is very beautiful. The word of God is not humanly placed by men. It is divinely inspired. One of the verses that we have to show us that it is the Holy Spirit of God that speak by his Spirit is right here. The words which the Lord of hosts has sent in his Spirit or by his Spirit by the former prophets therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. In other words, the Spirit of God is given to us by divine inspiration. Peter said, holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God. What we have in our hands here is not human writing.

It is the divine word of God given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. And so here it is verses 11 and 12. God reminds Israel of their disobedience and he said at the end of verse 12, therefore, because of this Israel came this great wrath from the Lord of hosts. It was the Lord who sent Nebuchad Netzer to burn the city of Jerusalem and the temple and to take the Jewish people captive to the land of Bavell. Now let me conclude with the last verses and the last verses, verses 13 and 14. God speaks about his judgment over his people Israel. In verse 13, therefore, it says, it's come to pass that as he cried and they should not hear, so they cried and I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts, you know what, here is the lesson.

When I cry to appeal to you, God says to Israel and he didn't listen to my words, okay, I've sent you there that when you cry, I'm not going to listen to what you have to say. You know, payday come one day. There's a time coming that God is going to discipline his people. There is a payday coming someday. Maybe today things seem to be okay for a while. Israel remained for a while. Everything seems to be fine until the day came where God sent them to Bavail. And it is the same in our days today. The message of the gospel go forth to the world.

The world rejects it. But no one is going to escape the day in which they have to stand before God and to give him an answer. What have you done with what I've offered to you as your Lord and your Savior? And we as believers also, it was yesterday, I think, with one of the questions in our Bible study was asked yesterday, how does God judge? What's the difference between believers and unbelievers? Well, the unbelievers are going to have to stand in the great white throne judgment at the end of the kingdom age to be judged and to be cast into the lake of fire.

But the believers, you and I, we're going to have to stand at the judgment seat of the Messiah and God is going to evaluate the life that we have lived as believers. What we have done wrong, we have done many wrong things, he will burn it with fire and send it away. What we have done right for his pleasure, he will use it for the blessing in the messianic kingdom. It's a reward to be used for him at the messianic age, at the kingdom age. And so, he says, you didn't listen to me, I'm not going to listen to you later on. And then he concludes in verse 14, but I scattered them with a whirlwind among the nations whom they knew not.

Thus the land was desolate after them that no man passed through nor return for they laid the pleasant land desolate. I love this expression, the pleasant land in Hebrew, Eretz Chemda. You know, come from the Hebrew word chamut, sweet land. It's a land that is a blessed land, the land that God had given our people Israel. but unfortunately, God with the pain in his heart had to send his people away to Baville and to let the land remain desolate for those 70 years until the Jewish remnant return and begin now to build the second temple in about 520 B.C. where they have re-established the building of the temple in Jerusalem.

So, brothers and sisters, in conclusion, what is the lesson that we learn here? The theme here was weeping, fasting, crying, because the temple was destroyed and the Jewish people went to Baville. But the reason that they have gone to Baville is because they didn't listen to the word of God. And God sent messengers. He sent the prophets and he appealed and appealed and he says, come, let us reason together. But when the time came and they didn't listen to his word, he sent them away. And so they introduced a system, introduced a religious act. Let's fast. It's very sad. We lost the temple in Jerusalem.

But all this fasting was not pleasing to the Lord because after all they didn't fast for Him, they fast for themselves. They didn't mourn for Him, but they mourn for themselves. And so we need to apply this to ourselves and to ask ourselves the question, when we do certain things, we have to ask, am I doing it for the Lord? Or am I doing it to gratify my own flesh, my own desires? It is so important to seek to do what we do for the honor and the glory of the Lord. And this way He will be honored, we will be blessed, and we will enjoy His presence in our midst as we gather together around the Lord Jesus.

So Zechariah chapter 7 deal with the question should we fast on the Tisha B'Av now that we are already building the second temple in the city of Jerusalem? The answer was execute true judgment, show mercy and compassion, don't oppress the widow, the fatherless, the stranger, and the poor, and don't have evil imagination against your brothers and your sisters in your own heart.