Zechariah 5-8: Can we come with you?

We trace Zechariah 5–8 from startling visions to a tender future where justice, truth, and mercy rebuild a scattered people. Rituals become joy, the Branch unites worship and rule, and nations notice a people who walk with God.

• gratitude for supporters and ministry update
• invitation to host live Outloud Bible experiences
• context for Zechariah among returning exiles
• visions of the flying scroll, basket of wickedness, and four chariots
• crowning the Branch and hope for the rebuilt temple
• question of fasting motives and God’s rebuke of empty ritual
• call to true judgment, compassion, and integrity
• promise of Zion’s renewal with safety for young and old
• transformation of fasts into joyful feasts
• nations drawn to God’s presence seen among his people

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Transcript

Live Experiences And Invitation To Churches

Setting The Stage For Zechariah

Strange Visions: Scroll, Basket, Chariots

Crowning The Branch And Temple Hope

Question About Fasting And God’s Rebuke

Justice, Mercy, And Hardened Hearts

God’s Zeal For Zion And Future Renewal

Truth, Peace, And Feasts Of Joy

Nations Drawn To God’s Presence

Personal Application: God With You

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hey, welcome back to the Outloud Bible Project Podcast. This is Mike. I just want to take a moment here to thank you. If you've been a supporter of Outloud Bible, whether the podcast specifically here or supporting the ministry through OutloudBible.com and and the live experiences that we do and the resources we provide. Thank you so much. That's such an encouragement to us. And Kelsey and I really uh decided when we started this ministry that this was going to be something where we trust God's radical generosity through his people. And you are an answer to those prayers. So thank you so much. Just in the past few months, we've added our Living Out Loud segment to the podcast where we get real practical about the application of what we read in the week. And we've also expanded to five days a week of episodes. And uh we continue to roll out new out loud Bible experiences for churches and events. And uh if if that's something you'd like to be involved in, if you'd like to bring us to your church and just read the word of God out loud in this in this engaging, powerful, memorable way, it's not like Elder Jim up there reading the scripture reading for the day. We've uh we've got we've got life in this living word, and we gotta just let it out. We gotta let let people experience the power of the word of God. And uh what a great opportunity for that live and in person. So hey, if if that's you, if if you are a decision maker in your church or you'd just like to introduce us to your pastor or someone, just let us know. Introduce us, reach out through the website or show them outloudbible.com and and have them be in touch. We'd love to meet with you and and chat about how we can uh work with your people to really share the word of God in this uh in this really unique and exciting way. So today we're in the book of Zechariah. I don't know, maybe Zechariah would be a great read for your church. Maybe not, I don't know. It's a good read for us here on the podcast. And uh today we're kind of in the middle of the book. Zechariah is one of those prophets that accompanied the exiles, the Jewish exiles, from Babylon, which then turned to Persia, as they headed back to build the temple. Zechariah's ministry as a prophet here was to help uh give some vision and some hope for what life could look like here back in the Promised Land. Again, if they stayed faithful to the Lord. And uh man, what a roller coaster the Old Testament is. So in today's reading, we're gonna read through some strange visions that Zechariah had, as some of the Old Testament minor prophets did, and uh, and then we'll we'll track his talking on the Lord's behalf about fasting, about false fasting in among the people, and true fasting and the results of that in the days to come. So uh there's a lot of looking back, a lot of looking in the present, and a lot of looking toward the future here, as is often the case with these books of prophets, but a lot of interesting imagery and a lot of interesting things to talk about here in this section of Zechariah. So we'll we'll talk later, but for now let's read Zechariah 5 through 8 in the New English translation. Well then I turned to look, and there was a flying scroll. Someone asked me, what do you see? And I replied, I see a flying scroll uh thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. The speaker went on to say, This is a curse travelling across the whole earth. For example, according to the curse, whoever steals will be removed from the community. Or on the other hand, according to the curse, whoever swears falsely will suffer the same fate. I will send it out, says the Lord of Heaven's armies, and it will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones. After this the angelic messenger who had been speaking to me went out and said Look, see what's leaving? I asked what is it? And he replied, It's a basket for measuring grain that's moving away from here. Moreover, he said, This is their eye throughout all the earth. Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket. He then said, This woman represents wickedness, and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top. And then I looked again and saw two women going forth with the wind in their wings. They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between the earth and the sky, and I asked the messenger who was speaking to me where are they taking the basket? And he replied, To build a temple for her in the land of Babylonia. When it's finished she'll be placed there in her own residence. Once more I looked, and this time I saw four chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze. Harnessed to the first chariot were red horses, and to the second black horses, to the third white horses, and to the fourth spotted horses, all of them strong. And then I asked the angelic messenger who was speaking with me, What are these, sir? And the messenger replied, Well, these are the four spirits of heaven going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country. And the white ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country. All these strong ones are scattering. They've sought permission to go and walk about over the earth. The Lord has said, Go, walk about over the earth, and so they're doing so. And then he cried out to me, Look, the ones going to the north land have brought me peace about the north land. The Lord's message came to me as follows Choose some people from among the exiles, namely Heldi, Tobijah, and Jedeah, all who have come from Babylon, and when you've done so, go to the house of Josiah, son of Zephaniah, and then take some silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the high priest, the son of Josedak. Then say to him, The Lord of Heaven's armies says, Look, here is the man whose name is Branch, who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the Lord. Indeed he will build the temple of the Lord, and he'll be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest with him on his throne, and they'll see eye to eye on everything. The crown will then be turned over to Helam, Tobijah, Jedea, and Hen, son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. Then those who are far away will come and build the temple of the Lord so that you may know that the Lord of heaven's armies has sent me to you. This will all come to pass if you completely obey the voice of the Lord your God. In King Darius' fourth year, on the fourth day of Kislev, the ninth month, the Lord's message came to Zechariah. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharazer and Regamelech and their companions to seek the Lord's favor by asking both the priests of the temple of the Lord of Heaven's armies and the prophets, should we weep in the fifth month fasting as we've done over the years? The message of the Lord of Heaven's armies then came to me. Speak to all the people and the priests of the land as follows When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months throughout all these seventy years, did you truly fast for me? For me, indeed? And now, when you eat and drink, are you not doing so for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words that the Lord cried out through the former prophets when Jerusalem was peacefully inhabited and her surrounding cities, the Negev and the foothills were also populated? Again the Lord's message came to Zechariah. The Lord of Heaven's armies says, Exercise true judgment, and show brotherhood and compassion to each other. You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the resident foreigner or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow citizen. But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they couldn't hear. Indeed they made their hearts as hard as diamond so that they couldn't obey the law of Moses, and the other words the Lord of Heaven's armies has sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore the Lord of Heaven's armies poured out great wrath. Just as I called out, but they wouldn't obey, so they will call out, but I will not listen, the Lord of Heaven's armies says. Rather I will sweep them away in a storm into all the nations they're not familiar with. Thus the land became desolate because of them, with no one crossing through or returning, for they had made the fruitful land a waste. Then the message of the Lord of Heaven's armies came to me as follows The Lord of Heaven's armies says, I am very much concerned for Zion. Indeed, I'm so concerned for her that my rage will fall on those who hurt her. The Lord says, I've returned to Zion, and will live within Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem will be called truthful city, mountain of the Lord of Heaven's armies, holy mountain. Moreover, the Lord of Heaven's armies says, Old men and women will once more live in the plazas of Jerusalem, each one leaning on a cane because of advanced age, and the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing. And, says the Lord of Heaven's armies, though such a thing may seem to be difficult in the opinion of the small community of those days, will it also appear difficult to me? asks the Lord of Heaven's Armies. The Lord of Heaven's Armies asserts I am about to save my people from the lands of the east and the west, and I'll bring them to settle within Jerusalem. They'll be my people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness. The Lord of Heaven's Armies also says, Gather strength, you who are listening to these words today from the mouths of the prophets who were there at the founding of the house of the Lord of Heaven's armies, so that the temple might be built. Before that time there was no compensation for man or animal, nor was there any relief from adversity for those who came and went, because I had pitted everyone, each one against everyone else. But I'll be different now to this remnant of the people from the way I was in those days, says the Lord of Heaven's armies, for there will be a peaceful time of sowing. The vine will produce its fruit, and the ground its yield, and the skies will rain down dew, and then I'll allow the remnant of my people to possess all these things. It'll come about that just as you, both Judah and Israel, were a curse to the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Don't be afraid. Instead be strong. For the Lord of Heaven's armies says, as I had planned to hurt you when your fathers made me angry, says the Lord of Heaven's armies, and I was not sorry. So to the contrary, I've planned in these days to do good to Jerusalem and Judah. Don't fear. These are the things you must do. Speak the truth, each of you to one another. Practice true and righteous judgment in your courts. Do not plan evil in your hearts against one another. Don't favor a false oath. These are all things I hate, says the Lord. The message of the Lord of Heaven's armies came to me as follows The Lord of Heaven's armies says, The fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become joyful and happy, pleasant feasts for the house of Judah. So love, truth and peace. The Lord of Heaven's armies says, It will someday come to pass that people, residents of many cities will come. The inhabitants of one will go to another and say, Let's go up at once to ask favor of the Lord, to seek the Lord of Heaven's armies. Indeed, I'll go with you. Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven's armies and to ask his favor. The Lord of Heaven's armies says, In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of, indeed, grab the robe of one Jew and say, Let us go with you, for we've heard that God is with you. And that, my friend, is what God wants to do with you in your life. All the ups and downs, the roller coaster of your relationship with Jesus Christ as it may be, is all so that people around you can come to you and say, Hey, can we come with you? We've heard or we see that God's with you. And it clearly doesn't mean that everything's gonna go right all the time, but you go through life different. You have hope, you have peace, you have light, you have life, and I want that. I want to go with you as you go to the Lord. God's with you, and that's what I want. That's what I need. That's what God wants to do with you. That's what God wants to do through you, and that's why He leads you to all the places He does. So that as you go with Him, others will follow. That's the thinking Out Loud thought for the day.