Recollection the past history

“‘The Lord was very angry with your fathers’” (v 2). This is the Lord’s evaluation and declaration regarding the history of Israel. The people of Israel were a people who had received a mission from God, but they were unable to fulfill that mission and turned to idolatry. The Babylonian captivity was a corrective judgment that God brought upon the people of Israel (ref. Jer. 21:5). However, the covenant that God made with Israel (the Abrahamic Covenant) is an unconditional covenant. Therefore, it is impossible for God to abandon the people of Israel. The “message calling for repentance” that Zechariah proclaims must be understood within this historical context. Though there have been failures in the past, hope has not been lost. In order to have hope for the future, draw near to the Lord now. This is Zechariah’s message.

Invitation to repentance

“‘Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Return to Me,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I may return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts’”” (v 3). The time of corrective judgment from the Lord has ended. The return from captivity announces the arrival of a new era. Therefore, the people of God must prepare to enter into a new relationship with the Lord. “‘Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, “This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not listen or pay attention to Me,” declares the Lord’” (v 4). (1) The forefathers did not respond to the message of repentance proclaimed by the prophets. The people who live in the new era must not be like that. (2) “The former prophets” refers to the prophets before the captivity, specifically Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and others. The prophecies they spoke were fulfilled just as they were. The principle, “If you return to the Lord, then the Lord will also return to His people,” will be the sustaining principle for Israel during the long period of “the times of the Gentiles.” This principle is also taught in the New Testament. “Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).