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The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
8 And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts? Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”
Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the LORD of hosts. For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”
For thus says the LORD of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.”
And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
(ESV)
Zechariah 8 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Oh my! There are few verses more worthy of our desperate pursuit than Zechariah 8:6. The verse illustrates a life of faith, trust, and perseverance.
The LORD of Hosts says this: “Though it may seem incredible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem incredible to Me?”—this is the declaration of the LORD of Hosts.
Zechariah 8:6 HCSB
What is incredible to you these days? What seems almost impossible and unbelievable? Where do you feel like God has gone silent in the midst of famished heart-wrenching sorrow?
What seems incredible to man is not incredible to God. Let that fact sink in.
We tend to project human limitations on God when we don’t see the results we desire. We let our minds wander far from the foundational faith started in our heart long ago. We wander into “what-if” scenarios and open ourselves to the predatory tactics of the enemy. Journeying away from our Father’s fortress, we get ambushed in the wilderness. Fear, despair, loneliness and hopelessness paralyze our legs. We can’t walk another step as the darkness closes in.
For many, this is a common, everyday occurrence. We struggle to take our thoughts captive and the tangible reality staring at us each day chases us away from the Father’s peaceful presence. We flee the fortress. We run into the wilderness. We don’t do it because we want to leave our Father, but because we feel like we are forced out. In these moments, there seems to be no other option but to flee.
But it is not so.
What seems incredible to man is not incredible to God.
How do we embrace this perspective and live in it without sounding crazy to others? Is it blissful ignorance or positive thinking that gets us through? No. God does not call us to ignorance. In fact, He plainly states His promises in His Word and then asks us to believe them. Belief leads to trust. Trust leads to action. Action demonstrates faith. Many today are asking themselves, how can I be a solid believer if I flee God’s fortress at the first sign of trouble? You are not alone.
“But God does seemingly forget some of His choicest servants, as we have seen. Joseph, Paul, David‑‑all of them were shut up in unpleasant circumstances for years during which it seemed that God had forgotten. Do you know what was happening during that time? God was building maturity into those men as they learned to trust Him. Just as it takes years to grow a sturdy oak tree, so it takes years to build the godly character qualities needed to be an effective servant of the Lord.”
Stephen J. Cole
What seems incredible to man is not incredible to God.
Do you believe it? The Bible is full of promises that seem so distant in our suffering. This was the case for Israel in Zechariah 8. Even though God was telling them exactly what He was going to do, they were struggling to believe it. The promise of a completely renovated and prosperous Jerusalem seemed outrageous.
But God did it. He has never failed. He has never wavered. He does not grow weary.
I urge you… do not flee the fortress of faith today. Take Him at His Word. Trust, believe and obey. There is a greater work taking place in the unseen Kingdom of our Lord.