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. The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 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?”
Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “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?And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 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?’”
And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
“But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 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.
“‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘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.’” (Zechariah 7:1-14 NIV)
“We want justice!” How often do we hear that today? All the time! How about, “Be kind. People just need to be kind to each other.” Ever long for that? Then there are all the groups of people who always seem to get neglected. Overlooked. Widows. Orphans. Refugees all over the world. I can’t imagine being in their situation. Who cares for them? Especially when there is so much evil. So much violence. So much hatred. So much anger. Justice. Kindness. Compassion. Mercy. Isn’t that what everyone today is looking for? Do you know where you find all those things? In the Bible. All the ideals that people are looking for today are exactly what’s found in the Bible!
Actually, all of that was God’s message to his prophet Zechariah on December 7, 518 B.C. Did you notice the very specific date at the start of our lesson? This is real history! On December 7, 518 B.C., some men came to Zechariah to ask a question. “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” For seventy years, the Jews had been fasting—not eating—in the fifth month. Know why? That was the month in which Jerusalem—and God’s temple—had been burned down by the Babylonians. Ever since, God’s people had fasted in the fifth month. But now, 68 years later, the temple was being rebuilt. Should they keep on fasting?
That question still comes up today. Fasting is still a thing in some churches and some religions. Some Christians choose to fast in the season of Lent. Other Christians fast on a regular basis. If it’s not fasting, some Christians prohibit certain foods, like alcohol or caffeine. It’s still a very applicable question today: As God’s people, should we be fasting? Does it matter what we eat?
Did you hear how God answered? He answered with a question. Doesn’t that drive you nuts, when someone answers your question with a question? It usually means the other person is wiser than you are. God said, “When you fasted… was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?” What was God’s question? “Whom are you fasting for? For me? Or for you?” To God, our motivation is what really matters. You can do good things, but for yourself. Whom are you doing it for? That’s the big question!
Isn’t it convicting to hear that? God says, “It’s not just about doing good things. It’s about why you do good things.” So you fast. Okay. Why? Is it to worship God? Or is it to lose weight? If it’s to lose weight, that’s okay, but don’t say it’s for God! Couldn’t we ask those questions about everything? So you go to church. That’s good! But why? Is it to worship God? Or is to look good to other people? That distinction matters! So you give away your time or your money. That’s good! But why? Is it to give glory to God, or is to feel good about yourself? The “why” matters!
So here’s what God focused his people on. Instead of fasting, he said, “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.” Those four things show up again and again in the Old Testament. 1) Administer true justice. 2) Show mercy and compassion to one another. 3) Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. 4) Do not plot evil against each other. This is God’s will for his people. It’s mercy over fasting.
I want you to notice something: God’s commands are so much deeper than just outward rules. God’s will is so much deeper than, “Just do this thing on the outside sometimes.” Following God is a lifestyle. It’s an “always” thing. Instead of not eating for a day, seek justice for those who are wronged. Always. Instead of avoiding one food or drink, show mercy and compassion to those around you at every opportunity. Always. Instead of thinking of God’s commands like a checklist to cross off one by one, think of a heart that cares for the most vulnerable in society at all times. Always. Justice, mercy, compassion, caring for widows and orphans and foreigners and the poor. These are not liberal things or conservative things. These are the things of God!
Maybe today is a good day for us Christians to evaluate Christianity. When the average person thinks of Christians today, do they think: “Christians are champions of justice for all!” I don’t know. When the average person thinks of Christians today, do they think: “Christians are so full of mercy and compassion.” I don’t know. When the average person thinks of Christians today, do they think: “Christians are the first to care for widows and orphans and foreigners and the poor.” I don’t know. I’m afraid we Christians might have the opposite reputation. Do we?
I’m not talking about the Christians out there. I’m talking about the Christian in here. I had kind of a bad week this week. I had a few people from outside our church sharply criticize me for various things this week. You don’t need to know the details. I only bring it up because I’m embarrassed about what happens inside me whenever that happens. When someone criticizes me, especially when I don’t think that criticism is deserved, what do you think happens in my heart? I get angry. More than that. I plot evil. I don’t like to admit that. But it’s true. I bet you do too. We’re experts at plotting evil, aren’t we? And God says, “Do not plot evil against each other.”
Do you know what would be easier? Not eating for a day. Isn’t that the truth? It would be easier to go without eating for a day that to never plot evil in my heart. Isn’t this why we make up our own rules? Isn’t this why we try to look good according to our own standards? Because our standards are always so much easier than God’s! It’s easier to give up a type of food than to be merciful. It’s easier to do some outward action one time than to forgive others from our hearts. Our rules are easy. Know what’s hard? Justice. Mercy. Compassion. Care. Forgiveness.
Why don’t we see those things in our society? It seems like everybody wants them! Why isn’t our society like that? Because we’re not like that! We’re like those Israelites. There are three very picturesque ways that God described those sinful Israelites. “Stubbornly they turned their backs.” When God spoke, they did this (turned their back). They “covered their ears.” When God spoke, they did this (covered their ears). “They made their hearts as hard as flint.” Before God even opened his mouth, they had determined in their hearts to do it their way, not his way.
So what did God do? He punished them. Severely. Remember what happened? Remember the reason they had been fasting? God put it like this: “‘When I called they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations.’” They turned their backs so many times that God said, “Okay.” They hardened their hearts so many times that God said, “Okay.” He let their nation be destroyed. He let his people be scattered. That is what their sins deserved. That’s what our sins deserve. God’s punishment. Who of us can say that we haven’t plotted evil against each other?
Well, there is one person. There is one person who can say that. There was one Man who, unlike me, was more than criticized. He was crucified. If I were nailed to a cross, my heart would be raging against my enemies. Wouldn’t yours? But remember what Jesus said? “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus didn’t plot evil in his heart. He forgave. Isn’t that amazing? Then think of the people Jesus interacted with. He’s the King of kings, and yet he spent his time with tax collectors. Widows. Children. Samaritans. Sinners. All the overlooked people. Huh. In everything, Jesus did exactly what God calls on us to do!
Even the mercy and compassion part. Remember our verse of the day from last Sunday? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus had compassion on the sick. Jesus had mercy on sinners. Jesus had compassion on the poor. Jesus had mercy on the lost. He did all of that for us. Jesus didn’t just save us during Holy Week. He saved us every single day by fulfilling God’s commands for us. We call that the active obedience of Christ. Jesus saved us by perfectly doing what we don’t do in our place as our Savior.
But there’s one thing left. One part of God’s list: “Administer justice.” Now that’s a problem. Justice means that those who are guilty get punished. See the problem for us? How could Jesus carry out justice against sinners and show mercy to sinners at the same time? It sounds impossible! But Jesus did it: On the cross. On the cross, all our sins were punished, but Jesus allowed himself to be punished in our place. Justice was paid through his blood. At the same time, mercy was shown, the amazing grace of God for sinners like us. On the cross, there was justice for sins and mercy for sinners at the same time. Only at the cross of Christ. Jesus paid for our sins, from neglecting those in need to plotting evil in our hearts to living for our glory…
That’s what changes our hearts! The grace of God. Someone this week told me a beautiful thing. She said, “I want to learn to live more and more for God.” Yes! Isn’t that a wonderful desire? How? Through Christ. It’s Jesus’ love and forgiveness that empower us to love and forgive others. The Bible says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). It’s Christ’s compassion that leads us to be compassionate. It’s Christ’s forgiveness that leads us to be forgiving. It’s Jesus who takes our evil-plotting hearts and washes them clean and fills them with his grace. Can you see that?
This lesson from God’s Word is like a challenge for you and me. A challenge to focus on what God focuses on. What’s that? “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.” That’s what God is all about. That’s what God’s people and God’s church are to be all about. Whom could you care for who needs care? Whom could you check in on who needs a friend? Whom could you speak up for who doesn’t have a voice? Whom could you defend who needs a defender? Why? Because we have a God who treasures mercy over fasting.
When you hear people call for justice, don’t roll your eyes. Look for ways to point people to where true justice is found: At the foot of the cross. When you hear people longing for mercy or compassion, tell them you know where the best compassion is found: In the arms of Christ. When you hear people who feel alone or overlooked, what can you say to them? How about “Jesus loves you, and we do too!” If people today think the Bible or God are out of touch, they don’t know the Bible or God. He’s exactly what we all long for! God values mercy over fasting.
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