Day Three

Zechariah 7:8-14

8.) And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, 

9.) "Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 

10.) do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." 

11.) But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 

12.) They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. 

13.) "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts, 

14.) "and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

When you read the Scripture, it is important to read the whole passage and not just a verse or two. In this case, the people of Bethel had sent a delegation to Zechariah to inquire on a point of the Law. These people in particular, and all of the Jews in general, had come to put the issues of the Law before proper behavior before the Lord. To them, the Law had become the measure of Spirituality, rather than that to which the Law pointed. This is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 23:23-24.

23.) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 

24.) You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 

They were so precise in the following of the Law that they stumbled at the true meaning. Not only that, but they didn’t want to hear the real meaning.

So here, in Zechariah, they are told to render true judgments and to show one another kindness and mercy.

I think that we put being Americans first and being Christians second. We equate being American and being Christian as the same thing, but they are not the same. For instance, we think of those who disagree with us, whether on the world stage or simply our neighbor, as being in need of correcting. If, however, we are to show true judgement, we would show kindness and mercy.

It is all about attitude. If we seek out the Lord, if we seek true judgements, then our attitude will reflect kindness and mercy. Then, when we pray for others, we will be asking only for kindness and mercy on them.

But of course, we do not want to hear that. We have to change the minds of those with whom we disagree. We tell ourselves that we are doing the Lord’s work. However, people are only truly changed when the Lord begins to work on them. We cannot change someone who disagrees, but the Lord can.

So, what happens if we neglect kindness and mercy? From the above passage;

11.) But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 

12.) They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. 

13.) "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts, 

14.) "and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

Let’s pray that we show the true judgements of kindness and mercy.