God made an awesome and unbreakable promise to the patriarch Abraham, "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me." (Genesis 22:17-18) Today the Lord reminds the nation of His promise not only to bless them, but to bless the world through them.
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will save My people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be My people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.'" (Zechariah 8:7-8) This ingathering began when many of the exiles returned from Babylon, but the prophecy won't be fulfilled in its entirety until the kingdom comes. In that day God's promise to Abraham will be fully realized, when both Jews and Gentiles worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Because all these wonderful things are going to come to pass as surely as the sun is going to rise in the morning, God speaks a word of encouragement regarding the rebuilding of the temple. "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Now hear these words, 'Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.' This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. Before that time there were no wages for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 8:9-11) As Solomon once said, there is "a time to tear down and a time to build". (Ecclesiastes 3:3b) God allowed a time of discipline and testing in the people's lives. Their enemies opposed the rebuilding and for a while the Lord allowed the people to struggle against the opposition. The Lord knew better than to make the task too easy for His people because no one builds spiritual muscle without having to push against resistance, just as no one builds physical muscle without pushing against resistance. But now is the time to build, not to tear down. God is clearing the way for them.
A season of prosperity is coming. "The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of the people. Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong." (Zechariah 8:12-13) He assures them, "I intend to bless you. I intend to bless you for your own sake because I love you, and I intend to bless you for the sake of others, whom I also love. I am blessing you so you can be a blessing."
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered Me,' says the Lord Almighty, 'so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,' declares the Lord." (Zechariah 8:14-17) The Lord isn't teaching salvation by good works, but He is teaching blessing by good works. As Bible scholar James Coffman states, "This stresses the fact that there are conditions Israel must meet if God is to bestow a blessing. It seems nearly incredible that Israel missed the point on this, but then it is just as incredible that the vast majority of modern clergymen have overlooked it. The ancient Jews went right on preaching that nothing mattered except being a literal, fleshly son of Abraham; and the modern theologians have gone right on preaching that nothing matters except faith in Christ." Our salvation is indeed by faith alone, but our blessings and rewards come from obeying the word of the Lord.
"The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. 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.'" (Zechariah 8:18-19) The men who came from Bethel wanted to know if they still needed to observe the fast of the fifth month which commemorated the fall of the temple. All four of the fasts mentioned here in verse 19 commemorated sad days in the lives of the Jews, but God says these fast days will turn into feast days. King David once wrote a song to be used at the dedication for the first temple, and in it he praised the Lord for this: "You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy." (Psalm 30:11) It is fitting that the Lord should remind the people during the rebuilding of the temple that He is able to turn their wailing into dancing.
We conclude today's study with the Lord's certain promise that not only will He bless the Jews, but He will bless the world through them. This began to be fulfilled when the people returned from captivity, and He promises this will be completely fulfilled "in those days", meaning when the kingdom comes. As always, Zechariah keeps the coming King, and His kingdom, in view. "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, 'Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.' And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat Him.' This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" (Zechariah 8:20-23)
In verse 23 we find ten people taking hold of one Jew, perhaps indicating the vast number of Gentiles who will believe on the Lord. These Gentile believers will join themselves with the nation of Israel and, with Israel, will worship the one true God. When reading verse 23 we can't help thinking of the woman who was made whole because her trembling hand reached out to grasp the hem of the garment of a particular Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, because she said to herself, "If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed." (Matthew 9:21) Jesus Christ of the tribe of Judah, of the line of David, will be the reason the Gentiles who have believed on Him will cling to Israel and to the God of Israel. They will reach out and take hold of His garment and be made whole. Bible scholar James Boice sums up verse 23 with this beautiful observation, "We are all clinging to the seamless robe of that one Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, because His work on the cross is the only basis on which anyone may approach God and entreat Him for spiritual blessings."
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