Zechariah 1
Return to God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, October 8.
The prophetic work of Zechariah is set in the same post-exilic historical context as Haggai, but his is a longer work because of his many visions, fourteen chapters as compared with Haggai’s two. Yet, Zechariah 1:1-4 begins with a clear and concise call to repentance:
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying, “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not listen or give heed to Me,” declares the Lord.’”
The earmark of God’s true messengers is found in that simple phrase, “Return to Me.” The former prophets alluded to included Isaiah (1:16-19; 55:6-7), Jeremiah (4:1-2), Ezekiel (33:11), Hosea (12:6), and Joel (2:12-13), to name a few. By doing so, the prophets were pointing the people back to God’s promises from the Mosaic Law. In Deuteronomy 4:29-30, Moses said, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.”
Seize the moment and return to God – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). Repent is forever the first word of the Christian life, so listen and give heed to God’s voice, for this is the call of the prophets and the apostles (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; and 2 Corinthians 7:10).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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