In this chapter, the temple is nearing completion (compare Ezra 6:15And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
See All... with Zechariah 7:1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;
See All...). Two men are sent to the house of God to pray and seek God’s will concerning the continuation of an annual fast that had been kept during the years of Babylonian captivity. God uses the occasion to reprove the Israelites for misusing the fasts and refusing to give Him what He truly desired—obedience to His word.

What Does It Say?

1. The word of the Lord came to Zechariah in the fourth year of king __________.
2. Of the seventy years of fasts, God asked, “did ye at all fast unto ______, even unto _______?"
3. What God really wanted is that they hear the __________ which the LORD hath cried by the former ____________.
4. The Lord told them, Execute true ________, and show mercy and _____________ every man to his brother.
5. Because of their disobedience, God scattered them with a ______________ among all the nations.

What Does It Mean?

1. The men asked about the fast of the fifth month (v.3). In His response, the Lord also mentioned a fast of the seventh month (v.5). In the next chapter, we read of fasts in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months. These fasts were established and practiced during the seventy years of captivity (v.5) and they commemorated different aspects of the captivity. Read Jeremiah 52:12-15 [12] Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, [13] And burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: [14] And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. [15] Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
   See All... and tell what was being commemorated in the fast of the fifth month. If you really want to dig, try to figure out what the other fasts might be commemorating in their separate months. Remember, they were mournful fasts and were meant to remember evil that had come on Judah.
2. The fasts of Judah in captivity were obviously not pleasing to the Lord. Read Zechariah 7:5-7 [5] Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? [6] And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? [7] Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
   See All... and Isaiah 58:3-5 [3] Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. [4] Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. [5] Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
   See All... and tell what made their fasts unacceptable to the Lord. Make a list of unacceptable practices for a fast.
3. The adamant stone is mentioned two times in the Bible (v.12; Ezekiel 3:9As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
   See All...). It is one of the hardest of stones. Why is this stone used for this comparison and what is God saying about the people of Judah in this passage?

What Does It Mean to Me?

1. The Jews had allowed their fasts to become ceremony without spiritual consequence. Nothing changed. Their heart was still not right with God. They continued to ignore His word. This attitude remains with us today. 2Timothy 3:5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
   See All... condemns the practice of having “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” Give some examples of how we do this today? What kind of outward practices are sometimes empty of true spiritual value?
2. The Lord told them, “let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart” (v.10). What does this mean? Give examples of the kind of evil people imagine against their brothers. What should we do when we recognize this kind of thinking in ourselves?

Suggested Memory Verses

Zechariah 7:9-10 [9] Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: [10] And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
See All...