21and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’
22And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him."
- P113
23This is what the Lord Almighty says: "In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’"
- P113
The Lord promises to turn times of fasting into joyful festivals. He urges thepeople to love truth and peace. Many nations and peoples will come to seekthe Lord in Jerusalem. Ten people from different languages will take hold ofone Jew and ask to go with him because they have heard God is with them. - P113
God proclaims that fasts will become festivals for the people of Judah. Therefore, He instructs His people to love truth and peace. This love is not an emotional response; it is a commitment and an expression of their devotion. Fasts were an occasion to display or express sorrow whereas festivals were an occasion for joy. God’s promise and command show that He is the one who will turn all sorrow into joy. - P114
In Jesus, He turned the sorrow of our sin and condemnation into the joy of forgiveness and freedom. - P114
We celebrate the salvation and transformation that Jesus alone brings. And because of the joy that He gives, we find the strength to live as people who love truth and pursue peace. - P114
Zechariah tells of a time when people from many cities and nations willencourage one another to seek the one true God. When they hear that Godis with His people, they too will long for His presence. Those who followChrist are given the mission to call people to turn to God. We are to bedriven by the desire to see many receive His forgiveness and live at peacewith Him. God‘s promises in this passage are an encouragement to us as weshare God‘s message with others. When we face rejection and opposition,
we can remind ourselves that God is at work in people‘s hearts throughoutthe world, drawing many to Himself, and He invites us to work with Him. - P114
|