June 19 - Zechariah 8

June 19 - Zechariah 8:1-23

The greatest desire of God is to dwell among His people and to bring them abundant joy. His creation was brought forth and it was good. He called Abraham out of Ur, walked among His people, He brought His children out of slavery to Egypt and gave them the promised land. When they rejected Him and bowed before other Gods, He sent Kings and Prophets to engage them and beg them to reconsider their actions. He brought them back out of exile when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem.

Through all of that, He remains jealous for Zion ... for his people. Jerusalem was a symbol of the relationship between God and His people. He continues to desire to dwell in Jerusalem, to make it a city that is safe for both the elderly and the young children. Can you imagine the terror of both of those age groups as they watched their homes being destroyed. Everything the elderly had worked for and planned for was gone. Everything that represented safety to small children was gone. God promises that sense of safety will return. (Zechariah 8:3-6)

God is drawing the remnant back to Jerusalem and when they return, He promises that they will find prosperity. In Zechariah 8:13, He tells them that though Israel was once cursed among the nations, they would become a blessing to those same nations.

Zechariah reminds the people of their responsibility in Zechariah 8:16. "Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely."

The end of this passage offers another glimpse into the future for Israel if they will just follow the Lord's commands - people from all over will come to seek the Lord. People will grab hold of a Jew by the edge of his robe and say, "Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you."

This is their inheritance, a claim on the wisdom of the Lord God Almighty. This is the inheritance we can claim and the power of His presence in our lives. People should see us and know that God is with us and we can lead them to Him.