Глава 7

1–3. The question is whether to continue observing the fasts established in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem and the church. 4–7. Fasts established outside the command of God have nothing to do with God. 8–14. The ancestors of the contemporary generation of the prophet were punished by the devastation of the country and dispersion for non-observance of moral commandments. Zechariah 7:1. In the fourth year of King Darius the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month of Haslev, Zechariah 7:2. when Bethel sent Sarezer and Regem-melech and his companions to pray before the Lord Zechariah 7:3. and ask the priests who are in the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and fast, as I have done for many years?” In memory of the sad events that led Israel to the final defeat and dispersion, fasts were established that were observed both during the captivity and at the end of it. There were four such fasts: 1) the fast of the tenth month - in memory of that day (the tenth day of the tenth month) when the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar began (2 Kings 25:1), 2) the fast of the fourth month, on the ninth day of which the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem began (Jer. 52:5-7), 3) the burning of the church and the city and the final destruction of the walls on the seventh day of the fifth month (2 Kings 25 and gave.) served as the reason for the establishment of a special, most important fast among others, and 4) finally, a fast was established in memory of the murder of Gedaliah in the seventh month (2 Kings 25:25). - But in the fourth year of the reign of Darius, the church building advanced so far and in general things seemed to take such a favorable turn that some began to be confused by the thought of whether it was timely to observe the fast of the fifth month (in memory of the destruction of the church) now that the traces of destruction had already been erased, and the reason for fasting and lamentation had, therefore, been eliminated. Is it time to cancel the fast? – It is quite difficult to determine from whom the question about the abolition of posts actually came. “Bethel” (Zech. 7:2), apparently meaning that society or person who sends ambassadors before the Lord, is interpreted differently by researchers: some understand this name in the sense of “house of God,” that is, a society of believers (without the immediate definition); others mean the city of Bethel, to which some of the Babylonian captives returned. – And these captives, settled in their hometown, send an embassy (the ambassadors were obviously born in Babylon and therefore bear Chaldean names) to Jerusalem to pray before the Lord and propose to the priests and prophets the question of the appropriateness of ending the fast in the fifth month, which had been observed for many years. Zechariah 7:4. And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: Since the priests to whom the deputation turned to resolve the issue of fasting obviously found it difficult to give an answer on their own, the prophet Zechariah answers on behalf of God. – It is not just consolation or approval that the people need: they are inclined even now to indulge in carelessness regarding their moral state: they should be urgently reminded of both their sinfulness and the need for spiritual vigilance over themselves. The question posed in Zechariah 7:3 gives the prophet a convenient reason to address the people, first with reproaches and warnings, and then with promises and words of approval. – The prophet’s answer to the question about observing fasts can be divided into four parts; an external sign to separate one part from another is the introductory formula, almost the same in all cases: the word of the Lord was (Zech. 7:4, 8, 8:1, 18). Zechariah 7:5. Tell all the people of this land and the priests this: when you fasted and wept in the fifth and seventh month, and for seventy years, did you fast for Me? Is it for me? Zechariah 7:6. And when you eat and when you drink, are you not eating for yourself, are you not drinking for yourself? From the response speech of the prophet, who received revelation from God, it is clear that the questioners attached excessive importance to fasts established in addition to the command of God, and attributed moral value to this purely ritual institution. The prophet, according to the word of God, admonishes not only the common people, but also the priests, who also, apparently, were inclined to confuse the observance of rituals with the fulfillment of moral commandments. The priests established fasts, and the people observed them during the long period of captivity; but did it have any moral value in itself? God did not require the establishment of these fasts, and they, therefore, have nothing to do with Him. Man eats and drinks to maintain his life; abstinence in itself does not necessarily lead to moral perfection. Fasts, if they are given an inappropriate meaning, can distract a person’s attention from observing the commandments and regulations that were given by God through the former prophets at a time when Jerusalem and its environs and the whole country were still enjoying peace and prosperity. Peace is broken, prosperity has disappeared: it is clear that the commandments given by God were not kept, and inattention to them brought the wrath of God upon the whole country. One should not now not only completely forget about the commandments, but also equate them with institutions that are not based on the will of God. You might be interested in: