Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.’ Zechariah 7:8-10

As we continue through this chapter of the prophet Zechariah, this is a continuation of Gods rebuke of Israel’s false religion and worship. As in my previous article, the people were asking the prophet Zechariah , what is the bare minimum they have to do to be “OK with God” (Zechariah 7:3)

This is exposing the heart of the people, they honor God with their lips but their heart is far from him” (Isaiah 29:13) This is the false religious system being exposed by God. And its still the same today, the majority of “self-professed Christians”, rely upon a works based salvational system rather than truly loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5) and being saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2)

God is telling the prophet Zechariah what true religion looks like , to love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39) “Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion, don’t oppress the lowly person, and don’t carry evil in your heart”! Many of these principle Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)

But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 7:11-12

Even after the Israelites came back from exile, their hearts were still hard, they still refused to listen to Gods word, The Law sent by His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) This has been the continual history of Israel, including the crucifying of our Lord, the Messiah

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Acts 7:51

This is why we need to be Born Again in Christ (John 3:3) This is why we need to be regenerated, Born from Above, with a New Heart, a New Mind, the Spirit of God put within us! (Ezekeil 36)

Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts. “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.” Zechariah 7:13-14

Because of Israels continual disobedience and hardness of hearts, God gave them over to their sins (Romans 1:24-28) They would not listen to God, so God stopped listening to them and once again they will be scattered

“This the land became desolate after them” The land of Israel became desolate after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, as Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant and religious system. However Israel had become reborn in One day as prophesied in 1948 (Isaiah 66:8) Christ has pointed his attention to the Church at this present time, however as the prophet Zechariah will reveal later, Christ will come back to save Israel (Zechariah 14, Romans 11) Christ will not lose any of His Sheep (John 10) Amen!