1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.
2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord
3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me:
5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?
6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?
7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah:
9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears.
12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.
14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”

Reflection

Disciplines for the Right Reasons (7:1–7)
A group of men ask Zechariah whether they should mourn and fast as they did during the exile. But God turns their question around, asking them through Zechariah whether they were fasting for Him or for themselves (v. 6). Practicing spiritual disciplines such as fasting, , and church-going, should be done for the right reasons. Is our fasting an attempt to make us feel pious and devoted, to mask disobedience in other areas of our life? Is our praying an attempt to manipulate God and bend Him to our will? Through Zechariah, God makes clear that He wants us to be authentic, truly seeking His will as we practice spiritual disciplines. God wants our heartfelt devotion, not self-seeking religion.

- Think about the last time you fasted or set aside time for focused . What are some questions you should ask yourself to ensure that you practice spiritual disciplines for the right reasons?

Justice and Compassion (7:8–14)
God explains what He expects of His people individually and as a society. He wants justice and compassion for the vulnerable, such as widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. As Christians who know Jesus, we have the blessing of seeing one who personified perfect obedience, whose life is a living example of God’s heart for the vulnerable. Jesus announced, quoting from Isaiah, that He came for the poor, for prisoners, for the blind, and for the oppressed (Luke 4:18–21). We should look for opportunities to serve and share the life-giving good news with those who are in need, remembering that Jesus said, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).

- Think about people you know who have needs that you could meet. Consider how you could bless them in Jesus’ name by meeting those needs, and then make a plan to do it. 

A letter to God 

Dear God, You are not impressed by appearances of piety. You want my heart’s affections and my desire to be for You above all else. Make me an instrument of blessing to others who are in need, that they may experience Your love and grow in faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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