THE RESULT OF FUTURE PROMISES (Zechariah 8:9-17)
INTRODUCTION:
I cannot think of an instance in the New Testament in which after being told of a promise of future glory that we are not immediately told to either be strong, or to be confident, or fearless, or faithful until that promise is fulfilled. The study of Bible prophecy should stir us to seek to live holy and pure lives as we continue to serve the Lord faithfully until He returns. Those who heard Zechariah’s prophecies on the future kingdom may have thought what does this have to do with our present situation. To dwell on God’s promises does not help with the difficulties we are now facing. The Lord had given those promises of a future kingdom as an encouragement to the people and in this morning’s passage He tells the people of Israel how to take those promises and turn them into incentive to continue the work God has entrusted to them which was completing the rebuilding of the temple. God’s Word clearly teaches that hope for the future is essential for endurance and effectiveness in the present. Within this passage we will see four essentials that are results of hope for the future. Let’s pray and then read our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Zechariah 8:9-17, our passage for this morning. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Zechariah 8:9-17,
“”Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Let your hands be strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built. For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I set all men one against another. ‘But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ‘For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. ‘It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.’ “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Just as I purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I have not relented, so I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear! ‘These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates. ‘Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the Lord.”” (Zechariah 8:9–17, NASB95)[1]
BE STRONG IN GOD’S WORK (Zechariah 8:9)
Last Sunday, in the first part of this chapter, Yahweh of hosts declared many truths about the Messiah’s future kingdom. In the first verse of today’s passage, verse nine, we are met with the sixth time that Zechariah writes, “Thus says the LORD (Yahweh) of hosts…” (Zechariah 8:9a, NASB95)[2] Yahweh of hosts was about to introduce the practical implications of the kingdom promises He had just declared. If there were those who were wondering how these future promises should impact their life in the present, God begins by exhorting them to, “Let your hands be strong.” (Zechariah 8:9b, NASB95)[3] Instead of growing idle, becoming apathetic, or losing heart, the Israelites were to take courage as they worked to complete the task God had given them. In other words, the right response to God’s coming kingdom was neither laziness nor indifference, but instead to actively continue in their present work, knowing that God’s future plans are guaranteed and the task that He has given you is helping to fulfill His purposes and move His future plan forward.
In this exhortation to be strong, Yahweh of hosts was focusing on those who were seeking to obey His word. He said, “…you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouths of the prophets.” (Zechariah 8:9c, NASB95)[4] God repeatedly throughout Israel’s history sent prophets to speak His words to the people, most did not listen to what God revealed. By contrast, there was a righteous remnant within the remnant that had returned from exile, and they listened to and heeded the prophetic revelation spoken to them by the prophets. That they paid attention and sought to obey the prophets’ divine revelation set them apart as the redeemed. That they loved the Lord is seen in their loving and clinging to His Word. Here in this first verse of our passage Yahweh of hosts commends the righteous remnant for listening to these words from the mouths of the prophets in these days, which is a reference to Zechariah and Haggai.
God then reminded the righteous remnant what Zechariah and Haggai had said when they “spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built.” (Zechariah 8:9d, NASB95)[5] Through the prophets God had instructed the Israelites to rebuild the temple, but the people soon became discouraged finding this not to be an easy task, at this point they were about half done which is why the Lord encouraged His people to be strong and persevere.
The time when the foundation of the temple was laid, this is when the reconstruction process began, and once it was completed this was a huge milestone in Israel’s history. But in the process they met difficult challenges, first that its footprint was much smaller than the original temple which was a discouragement to many in Israel, and second there was major opposition from the peoples surrounding Israel who were strongly opposed to any rebuilding effort. As I said this brought such discouragement that the rebuilding stopped for a long time, and it was only through the exhortations and encouragement of the Lord through Zechariah and Haggai that the rebuilding again began to the end that the temple might be built. The prophets’ divine message did not waver; the remnant of Israel had been charged with this single task to complete the rebuilding of the temple no matter the opposition or the obstacles that they might face.
This faithful remnant facing difficulty and repeated challenges and opposition needed to be reminded about both the future hope God promised and the present work He had called them to complete. The promises of the majesty of Messiah’s future kingdom, which included the transformation of Jerusalem and the glory of the millennial temple were a powerful encouragement and motivation. Confident that their role in rebuilding this temple was part of God’s unfailing plan for Israel, a plan that would one day culminate in the millennial kingdom, they could strengthen their hands and persevere and finish the work God had given them. They continued the rebuilding effort knowing God would empower them for the task and that He would triumph over their enemies.
BE CONFIDENT IN GOD’S GOODNESS (Zechariah 8:10-12)
By beginning verse ten with the word “For” God introduces the reason why the people should continue to strengthen their hands and persevere in the work of rebuilding the temple. Up to this point God had stood in judgment against Israel, but those days were now past. From this point on He is prepared to bless and sustain the remnant of His people. This knowledge would give the people confidence that God would protect and preserve them, just as He had promised to do.
God explains to the people of Zechariah’s day that “before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for animal.” (Zechariah 8:10a, NASB95)[6] The phrase “before those days” referred to the events spoken of in verse nine, leading up to and culminating in the prophetic ministries of Zechariah and Haggai. Speaking of that time, Haggai writes in Haggai 1:9-11, “ ‘You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.’ ” (Haggai 1:9–11, NASB95)[7] This lack was the result of Israel’s complacent disobedience, being more concerned with building their own houses while the temple rebuilding was what they were called to be doing. God’s judgment for this disobedience came in the form of a severe drought.
Not only was this scarcity of food for themselves and their animals, but at the same time their was unrest from society within and without. Zechariah writes, “and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I set all men one against another.” (Zechariah 8:10b, NASB95)[8] The main source of opposition came from the nearby Samaritans, who were very much against Israel’s rebuilding efforts. In addition to the external threats from their enemies, the people also suffered internal strife and division. Both from without and within, the remnant of God’s people that had returned from exile faced severe challenges.
Yahweh of hosts reveals through Zechariah that He was about to change the situation since through the ministry of these two prophets the work on the temple had resumed and was about half done and the work was going on. God declared, “ ‘But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 8:11, NASB95)[9] The divine judgment that had been unleashed on Israel during the former days since their return to Jerusalem and their failure to rebuild the temple God said would come to an end when Zechariah declared these words of Yahweh of hosts. In the past they had experience God’s wrath for neglecting the rebuilding of the temple, but now the Lord promised to bless the remnant as they worked to complete that unfinished task. The remnant that God is speaking to are the faithful and obedient Israelites who listened and responded obediently to God’s Word spoken through the prophets Zechariah and Haggai.
The difference between God’s former judgment and His coming blessing would be an immediate relief for His people. Yahweh of hosts explains, “ ‘For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.’ ” (Zechariah 8:12, NASB95)[10] If you compare the blessings of this verse with the judgment of the verses I read earlier from Haggai you will see that Yahweh of hosts is about to reverse the effects of the drought and abundantly supply for His people. God described that there would be peace for the seed, which is describing God securing the harvest cycle, the seed will no longer suffer from lack of water and sunshine. Up to this point nothing had yielded fruit, but soon God promised fruit and crop would bless His people and they would produce in both quantity and quality, it would not only be plentiful, but every kind of tree would be fruitful, and the crops would produce abundantly. The dew and the rain would return which God had withheld in judgment. The land would soak of the rain and the dew. Up to this point the Israelites struggled to keep the little they could get to grow, but soon Yahweh would cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. This would be a personal intervention by the Lord Himself to make sure that His people enjoyed all His blessings.
That Israel would inherit all these things was to be a reminder to them that the abundance they received was a gift from the Lord. An inheritance is not something earned or merited, but a gift that is bestowed. This amazing abundance that would so greatly improve their circumstances, it would be clear to them that it was all due to God’s grace and goodness. They could be confident in this fact. The repeating of the word remnant in these verses shows us that the faithful Israelites of Zechariah’s day would receive more then God’s blessings at that time, but along with all the redeemed they will enjoy God’s kingdom promises in the future. God’s point in emphasizing that the remnant would inherit His blessings, was used to show that the immediate provision of abundant harvest was an assurance to God’s people that they will certainly receive the fullness of His grace and goodness in the end. For that reason, they could be strong and they could be confident in the Lord, their God.
CONCLUSION:
I am going to stop here this morning, I was going to do this whole passage, but I think we will finish it up next week. In these verses that we have looked at this morning, after God had given the people of the land His declarations concerning the future kingdom of the Messiah, He then gives them some practical application as they wait for that future kingdom. First, He told them to strengthen their hands in the work that He had called them to do, and He commended them for listening to the prophets and obeying God’s Word. In listening to the prophets, they had turned from their disobedience of neglecting the building of the temple, to obediently doing the rebuilding that would further the purposes and plans of God for His people. God also said that He would remove His judgment from them, the severe drought would end, and the land would again begin to produce abundantly, and God would cause His remnant to inherit all His abundant blessings for them in the present. This was just a glimpse of the blessings they would enjoy in the future as they joined the redeemed in God’s future kingdom and experienced the fullness of His grace in the end. For this reason, they could strengthen their hands and persevere in the work of rebuilding the temple and they could be confident in the Lord that He would empower them, provide for them, and protect them so that His purpose and plan for His people would be advanced and move toward that future day.
These promises of a future kingdom should also give us reason to strengthen our hands in the work that God has given us to do. His task for us is to make disciples of all nations, this is not a suggestion, but what He has commanded us to do. Are we actively doing what God has called us to do or are we complacently disobedient like the Israelites were until they began listening to the Word of God. Are you still praying for five people? Are you looking for opportunities to serve them or be a witness to them, are you praying for those opportunities? Our men’s group on Thursday evening was talking about this very thing, trying to brainstorm where we could insert ourselves into our community to serve and be a witness. Or maybe we need to create a situation that brings the community to us. Help the men’s group brainstorm and come up with ways that we can engage the community and be a witness to them. And we can be confident in the Lord that He will empower us, provide for us, and take care of us.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.