Глава 8

1–17. God's promises to change the fate of the remnant of the chosen people for the better. The certainty and conditions of this change. 18–23. Under the stated conditions, fasts can turn into solemn celebrations for the house of Judah, and the Jews themselves will become mediators between God and His unbelieving pagans. The first seventeen verses of chapter eight represent the necessary connecting link between ch. VII and the second half of ch. VIII, which contains a direct answer to the question about fasting posed in Zechariah 7:3. In ch. The VII prophet draws the listeners' attention to past times and admonishes them with lessons drawn from history; in ch. VIII he paints pictures of the future, finding out under what conditions fasts can turn into solemn celebrations. Zechariah 8:1. And the word of the Lord of hosts came: Zechariah 8:2. Thus says the Lord of hosts: I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great anger. The prophecy contained in the section under consideration begins with the same words that we find almost at the very beginning of the prophecy of the eight night visions (Zech. 1:14–15). The Lord speaks of love for Zion, that is, for His people; By jealousy here, of course, we mean the jealousy of love, and the expression of anger refers to the pagans who caused so much harm to the chosen people. Zechariah 8:3. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion and will dwell in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be called the city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the mountain of holiness. But the Lord determined to change His anger towards him into mercy. He will return to Zion and will dwell in Jerusalem, which He left at the destruction of the church and the city, at the beginning of the captivity, as the prophet Ezekiel contemplated (Ezek.9:3; Ezek.10:4, 18; Ezek.11:22-23). Jerusalem and its environs will again be the seat of truth and holiness, as well as peace and prosperity. Zechariah 8:7. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the land of the east and from the land of the setting of the sun; Zechariah 8:8. and I will bring them, and they will dwell in Jerusalem, and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness. God's mercy will extend not only to those who are already in Jerusalem, but also to those scattered throughout all the countries of the earth. They will be able to return to Jerusalem from all countries from east to west and will again be the people of God. Zechariah 8:7–8 serve as an explanation of the previous one: the gathering of the scattered sons of Israel from everywhere will increase the population of Jerusalem, which has been deserted since the captivity, and it will be full of inhabitants of all ages. Zechariah 8:9. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Strengthen your hands, you who are now hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were at the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts, to build the church. There can be no doubt about the successful completion of the begun enterprise, because the sermon comes from the lips of the prophets who were at the founding of the church: some of their predictions have already come true; one can fully hope that everything they predict will not remain unfulfilled. Zechariah 8:18. And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: Zechariah 8:19. 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 will become joy and joyful celebration for the house of Judah; only love truth and peace. Under the conditions stated above, fasts should turn into solemn and pleasant celebrations for the Jews. Zechariah 8:20. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Nations and inhabitants of many cities will still come; Zechariah 8:21. And the inhabitants of one city will go to the inhabitants of another and say: Let us go and pray to the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Lord of hosts; and everyone will say: I will go too. Zechariah 8:22. And many tribes and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray to the face of the Lord. Zechariah 8:23. Thus says the Lord of hosts: It will come to pass in those days that ten men from all nations of different languages ​​will take hold of the half of Judah and say, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. Although the prophet, in general agreement with the Old Testament idea of ​​the correspondence of well-being in temporary life with piety, says: the sowing will be in peace; the vine will give its fruit, and the earth will give its produce, and the heavens will give their dew: and all this I will give for a possession to this people who are left behind (Zech.8:12, Compare Zech.3:10); but in conclusion of his instructions and promises given when deciding on the abolition of fasts, the prophet speaks of higher, spiritual benefits - about the spread of true knowledge of God and reverence for God among the pagans, through the mediation of the Jews, as a result of their complete conversion to the path of fulfilling the commandments. Representatives of various nations will flock from everywhere to the people who were once in dispersion and again restored to their country, the inhabitants of pagan cities will call each other to the holy city to pray before the Lord. The pagans will need the leadership and mediation of the Jews - a people close to God; one Jew will lead ten Gentiles. Jehovah, as the creator of the whole world, must be the Lord and God of all nations; but in Old Testament times He is God primarily for one people of Israel, and only through His medium does true knowledge of God become universal. The idea that the pagans are also destined to enter the Kingdom established by God reaches complete clarity only among the prophets (Oehl. 216–217). You might be interested in: