Zechariah 7-8: A Message of Hope

After seventy years, Israel's relationship with God is finally taking a turn towards restoration! God is once again speaking to His people through prophets. The Jews are looking to God for direction in repentance for their disobedience-- and while God does lay a few commands for them to keep in obedience to Him, He seems more concerned with building up His people by giving them five messages of hope:

    
First, I have a jealous desire to be among My people in Zion. I want it more than anything. I am burning with angry jealousy for her and her welfare.

3 Second, I will return to Zion and live in the heart of Jerusalem. So it will then be known far and wide as the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will be called Holy Mountain.

4 Third, elderly men and women will sit in Jerusalem’s streets with staffs in hand because of their old age. 5 The city streets will bustle with boys and girls playing outside on the roads and in the squares.

6 Fourth, this may come as a surprise to the remnant of these people, eking out an existence during these harsh days, but what is surprising to you is not for Me.

7 Fifth, I will rescue My people from far and wide, from east to west across the land, 8 and I will bring them home to live in peace in Jerusalem where they will be My people once more. I will be truthful and just to them as their God.

Zechariah 8:2-7

What an amazing promise of restoration from the God they had previously dishonored and run away from! Though they had wronged Him, He promises here that He will always fight for their peace and freedom. That they will always be His people. That regardless of their messiness and rebelliousness, He desires to be among them. These promises not only brought hope to the Jews coming out of exile-- they are hope for us today! The Jews were looking forward to the One who would come and live among them-- and we look forward to this as well! Jesus has come and dwelt among us once, and we look forward to the day when He will dwell with us again in the New Creation!