Zechariah 7

AND it came to pass A most usual form of speech introductory to what shall afterwards be spoken,, in the fourth year When the Jews had now been two years in building the Temple, and probably 'twas in good forwardness. of king Darius Son of Hystaspis about An. Mundi 3487. as Arch-Bishop Vsher in his Annals., that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chis en Part of our November and December, when half the time of building the Temple was spent..

When they Either the Captives which still continued in Babylon, or the Jews returned out of captivity, but dwelt in the Countrey at distance from Ierusalem. had sent unto the house of God Temple, which now half built began to be frequented by Priests and People, and where Haggai and Zecharia might be found true Prophets., Sherezer and Regem-melech It appears not who these were, but no doubt they were eminent in dignity and piety., and their men Train either of Friends that accompanied them. Or, of Servants that waited on them. to pray before the LORD In most solem manner, and with Sacrifices no doubt, for the Altar was set up long ago. Now these come to intreat the face of the Lord by Prayer in the house of Prayer for pardon of what was past, and acceptance of them at present, and for answer to their enquiry..

And to speak To consult with. to the priests They were to be the ordinary casuists, and ought to be able, and ready to answer all cases of Conscience, as Mal. 2.7. which were in Had their residence in, or about the Temple. the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets These were extraordinary casuists, who might be supposed able to satisfie the enquiry, if the Priests could not. These Prophets were Haggai and Zechariah., saying, Should I weep i. e. Fast, of which weeping was a part, 1 Sam el chapter 1. verse 7. and Matth. 9.15. in the fifth month In sad remembrance of the burning of the Temple on the 10th. day of that month., separating my self From worldly cares and designs, and afflicting my self.; as I have done This intimateth their former practice, and seems to include in it some little boasting of it. these so many years It had been easie for them to have reckoned up the exact number of years, but they choose rather to express it thus, to greaten their performance.?

¶ Then When these men had proposed their case, and expected the Priests answer. came the word An answer from God which follows in the 7th. and 8th. chapters of this book at large. of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,

Speak unto all the people i. e. Either by their messengers who came in their name, or to all the Jews that were at Ierusalem. of the land By which it seems to be not the loiterers in Babylon, but the returned in Iudea, that sent., and to the priests Some of these perhaps doubted; and others might overvalue, and dote on these voluntary services, and needed as well as deserved, a reproof., saying, When ye fasted and mourned Who prescribed this your Fast? and since you needs would, (as it was at liberty you might fast, and mourn) who was better for it? or did you do it to please me, when you displeased me by other, your sinful courses? in the fifth See ver. 3. let. p., and seventh For the murther of Gedalia, slain by Ihmael, Ier. 41.1. moneths, even those seventy years So many they were since Gedaliah's death to this time of enquiry, which is made now as many years after the return as Gedaliah was slain after the beginning of the captivity., did ye at all fast unto me What ever was in it. There was very little in it from me, no command, no honour, as you ordered it, you pleased your selves in it, not me; you wept more for the inconveniences of the thing, then the sinfulness of it. Had you fasted to me, you would have abstained more from sin, which I forbad, then from meats which I did not forbid.? even to me As if God had said, I put it once more to you, did you indeed fast to me??

And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did ye not eat for your selves? and drink for your selves? I was as little minded by you in your Fasts, as in your Feasts, and I was as little pleased with your Fasts, as Feasts, self was all in both, you lookt no higher. Such fasting commends none to God, you had not been the worse if you had forborn such Fasts, nor are you the better for such ill managed abstinence.

Should ye not hear the words You needed not have thus enquired had you heeded the word written, should you not remember? Or have you not read what Isa. 58.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, determins in this very case? which the LORD has cryed Openly and loudly spoken. by the former prophets Who have given you the true value of obedience to the great, and momentous precepts of the Law, who have called for Repentance, and sincere love to God, and Man, and have on just ballance showed how light, and under weight formal services have been., when Jerusalem was inhabited, and in prosperity Did such observances preserve Ierusalem in its prosperity? Did they prevent the desolation of the Cities round about her? Were they sufficient to save the men, the multitudes that inhabited the South of the plain? Did they, or could they do no good when things were all safe and well? And do you fondly imagine they can profit you now all is in ruins? Can they restore a fallen state that could not support it falling?, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

¶ And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, Vid. verse 4. tot.

Thus speaketh Or did speak, i. e. to your Fathers, and thus he does speak to you now. the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment God required former Judges, and he requireth present Judges, without hatred, prejudice, partiality, or bribery, to give true sentence., and show mercy Be kind and beneficent to such as need. Wrong none, if you could, do good to all you can, and compassions with tenderest, and most abundant pity; with a heart that feels their miseries. every man As this is every mans duty, let it be every ones practice. to his brother i. e. to every one that needs you..

And oppress Do not first misreport their persons, their actions, and their cases, and on that pretence do them wrong, and oppress them: 'tis double oppression, to oppress by false information, and then condemn, the first is an oppression of Righteousness, the next is oppression of the Righteous. not the widow A Catalogue of helpless ones who are under the peculiar tutelage of God, Exod. 22.21, 22. Deut. 10.18. and 14.29. and 24.17, 19. Isa. 1.17, 23. &c., nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor, and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart Neither think ill of, or wish ill to, nor plot evil against, one another..

But they refused to hearken They willfully were ignorant would not consider nor understand., and pulled away the shoulder Next they shift from doing their duty, withdraw their shoulder from the yoke of the Law, Neh. 9.29. Hos. 4.16., and stopped their ears And to make it highest contempt, they act the deaf man, stop their ears, and so turn their backs on God. that they should not hear All this out of an obstinate resolution to be unacquainted with Gods will, and their own duty..

Yea, they made Though the heart of it self is far from taking impressions, and receiving kindly the Law of God, yet these desperate sinners think 'tis too pliable, they study how to harden it, and this was the fault of many of them. their hearts as an adamant The hardest of stones. stone, lest they should hear Which was peremptorily required of them, and they as peremptorily resolved against it. the law Of God by Moses, of whom they boasted, whilst they despised his Law., and the words Counsels and Commands which the LORD of hosts Which the Lord of Hosts their God spake, nay though they knew he spake they would not hear. has sent in his spirit By his Holy Spirit in clear evidences, piercing convictions, powerful operation, and dreadful threatnings; yet they opposed and resisted, and sinned against his Spirit. by the former prophets All of them acted by the same Spirit, and pressing them to the same duties, and foretelling the same miseries, and promising the same blessings, but all would not prevail.: therefore For this great obstinacy, came a great wrath which consumed the whole Land, and burnt against them 70 years together in Babylon. from the LORD of hosts In all which the hand of the Lord was most evidently seen, dealing to them according to their ways. Such were your Fathers, such their ways, such their sufferings, all which is well known to you who start such queries, and mean while runaway from the great commands of the Law..

Therefore This is the very cause, and 'tis just too. it is come to pass that as he My Spirit by the Prophets called, warned, intreated, and urged them to repent, obey, and live; but they would not; cried, and they would not hear: so they cried by fasting and howling in their deep, but chosen distress, in the miseries they fell under after Gedaliahs death, yet I would not hear says the Lord of hosts, is it not most just I should disregard their Tears for Gedaliah, when after his death they pretended to enquire that they might obey my word, Ier. 42.2, 3. with 5, 6? yet then they gave my Prophet the lye, and contemptuously resolved to do contrary to my word by him, Ier. 43.4. Thus you know my resentments of your Fas s held on with your sins, says the Lord. and I would not hear, says the LORD of hosts.

But I scattered them When they had so provoked me, I cast them out of their Habitations, pursued them with the Tempest of wrath th t scattered them as I threatned. with a whirlwind Irresistibly, suddenly, and tearing all into pieces as Whirlwinds do. among all the nations All the Heathen that hated them, and their wayes. whom they know not Where they could have no pity, nor any relief, nor common commerce; but as barbarous usage as fierce and unintelligible Enemies can give them.; Thus the land Once flowing with Milk and Honey; once full of Cities, Men, and Cattel, now waste as a wilderness. was desolate after them Either the Iewes cast out, or the Chaldeans who cast them out., that no man passed through, or returned 'Twas not fit to make a Road through a Land so void of all necessaries, so full of wild, and ravenous Beasts, so unwholsome as to the Air, &c., for they Sinful Iewes by their Sins, fierce Chaldeans by their Sword, and God by his just displeasure, laid the pleasant Land most desolate and waste. laid the pleasant land desolate.