This passage begins with men from Bethel asking the priests if they should continue to fast in the 5th and 7th months. They had been fasting in the 5th and 7th months -- as well as the 4th and 10th -- to commemorate different events associated with the fall of Jerusalem.
Years had passed since that fall, and progress was being made to rebuild the wall, so the men were wondering if they should continue fasting, or if it was the time to renew hope and begin rejoicing.
God gives the answer to their question in the following chapters. He is going to show them how to worship, and show that worship is not just a hollow ritual but true worship is combined with a changed life.
Verses 4-7 of Chapter 7 begin with a stern correction for their fasting. Their fasting didn't do any good! It wasn't commanded in the Law; they were adding to the Law. And God speaks directly to their inward motivation, rather than this outward ritual.
Their motivation to fast was to get something from God; they wanted to feel good about themselves. But the proper motivation in worship is always to give something: to show homage and give glory to God.
God said (paraphrasing): "You should have listened to the old prophets! You didn't need to create this ritual." The message: submission unto the Lord and repentance from sin is what God seeks in His worshipers.
In verse 8-14, God makes it clear that what they needed was to have real life in their hearts. Their religious ritual meant nothing because they weren't worshiping Him in their lives. They gave 70 years of fasting, rather than living before God in their lives. Ritual is easy -- do we worship as ritual, or are we coming prepared and ready to meet with God?
In Chapter 8, God lays out the blessing He has in store. He had always purposed to love and bless His people, but He would not have them follow after other gods. God was as determined to bless them as He was to bring curses upon them when they went astray.
This is now a time for rejoicing, not fasting and mourning. God promised to make His people a blessing. They were receiving a down payment on the restoration. And God commanded them to do certain things (v16, 17). God encouraged them in their work, just as He encourages us in our work now.
This prophecy at the end of the chapter is concerned with a future day, "In that day" -- this would be the day when Jesus was to come. A time awaited when the Messiah would come and people would flock to Him. The Jews would be blessed to be the first to receive that message. People from all nations would hear about the Messiah and come to God. The prophecy shows plainly how the Gentiles would take hold of the Jews and become one people, the true Israel, following God.
God blessed the world through the Jews; through the Jewish disciples of Jesus, He brought in many Gentiles. The Jews would be part of the coming Kingdom of the Son, Jesus. They would be the first fruits among the nations.
No comments:
Post a Comment