Zechariah 8:18

8:18-23 When God comes towards us in ways of mercy, we must meet him with joy and thankfulness. Therefore be faithful and honest in all your dealings; and let it be a pleasure to you to be so, though thereby you come short of the gains others get dishonestly; and, as much as in you lies, live peaceably with all men. Let the truths of God rule in your heads, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Thus the ancient servants of God drew the notice of heathen neighbours, whose prejudices were softened. A great increase to the church shall be made. Hitherto the Jews had been prone to learn the idolatries of other nations: what more unlikely than that they should teach religion to their conquerors, and to all the principal nations of the earth! Yet this is expressly foretold, and it came to pass. Hitherto the prophecy has been wonderfully fulfilled, and no doubt future events will explain it further. It is good to be with those who have God with them; if we take God for our God, we must take his people for our people, and be willing to take our lot with them. But let not any one think that mere zeal, either for Jews or Gentiles, will stand in the place of personal religion. Let us be living epistles of Christ, known and read of all men, so that others may wish to go with us, and to have their portion with us in the realms of bliss.

18–23. The Answer. Fourth Section In coming now to a direct answer to the question, out of which the whole prophecy arose, Almighty God enumerates not only the fast of the fifth month to which the question immediately referred ( Zechariah 8:3 ), but three other fasts (one of which, the fast of the seventh month , had been already mentioned, Zechariah 7:5 ), which were all governed by the same general principles. All these, He promises, shall become seasons of joy.

18, 19. The prophet answers the query (Zec 7:3) as to the fast in the fifth month, by a reply applying to all their fasts: these are to be turned into days of rejoicing. So Jesus replied to His disciples when similarly consulting Him as to why fasting was not imposed by Him, as it was by John the Baptist. When the Sun of righteousness shines, tears are dried up (Mt 9:15). So hereafter (Isa 35:10).

Verses 18-23. - § 6. Here follows the direct answer to the question originally proposed. The fasts should be turned into joyful festivals, former calamities being forgotten. Then the change extending its influence, the heathen shall worship the God of Israel, and esteem it an honour to be received into fellowship with the Jewish nation. Zechariah 8:18

The last word of God gives, in connection with what precedes, the direct answer to the inquiry concerning the fast-days, and consists of three sayings, Zechariah 8:19 , Zechariah 8:20 , and Zechariah 8:23 , of which the second and third explain the contents of the first more clearly. Zechariah 8:18 is the same as Zechariah 8:1 and Zechariah 8:7 and Zechariah 4:8 . Zechariah 8:19 . "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fasting of the fourth, and the fasting of the fifth, and the fasting of the seventh, and the fasting of the tenth (months), will become pleasure and joy to the house of Judah, and good feasts. But truth and peace ye should love." On the fast-days mentioned, compare the exposition of Zechariah 7:3 . These fast-days the Lord will turn into days of joy and cheerful feast-days - namely, by bestowing upon them such a fulness of salvation, that Judah will forget to commemorate the former mournful events, and will only have occasion to rejoice in the blessings of grace bestowed upon it by God; though only when the condition mentioned in Zechariah 8:16 and Zechariah 8:17 has been fulfilled. (Note: Luther aptly observes: "Keep only what I command, and let fasting alone.

Yea, if ye keep my commandments, not only shall such fasts be over and come to an end; but because I will do so much good to Jerusalem, all the affliction, for which ye have chosen and kept such fasting, shall be so forgotten, that ye will be transported with joy when ye think of your fasting, and of the heart's grief on account of which ye fasted for the time," etc.)

3 . And I lifted up my eyes ] in the vision: cf. Daniel 10:5 ; Genesis 31:10 ; Zechariah 1:18 ; Zechariah 2:1 ; Zechariah 5:1 ; Zechariah 5:9 ; Zechariah 6:1 . a ram standing before the stream, and it had two horns; and the two horns were high , &c.] The ram is an emblem of power and dominion: cf. Ezekiel 39:18 . The symbolism of the figure is explained in Daniel 8:20 : the ram, as a whole, represents the combined power of the Medes and Persians; but the strength of the animal lying in its horns, these are taken as representing more particularly the two powers separately, that of Persia, as being the stronger, and arising after that of Media, being represented by the higher horn, which came up last. On the distinction between the two empires, see the notes on Daniel 2:39 and Daniel 5:31 .

Verse 7. - And there ye shall eat before the Lord. The injunction here and in ver. 17, respecting the eating by the offerer of the firstlings of his flocks and herds, appears to be inconsistent with the injunction in Numbers 18:18 . There it seems as if the whole of the flesh was to be given to the priest. "And the flesh of them shall be thine [the priest's], as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine." This may be taken to mean that just as the wave breast and the right shoulder are the perquisites of the priests in the case of other offerings, as e.g. , the peace offering, so in the case of the firstling offering the whole flesh shall be the priest's; and thus taken, the passage presents an unquestionable discrepancy to that in Deuteronomy. But probably the passage is not to be so taken. The particle translated "as" ( כְּ .) not infrequently occurs in the sense of "according to, after the manner of," implying conformity to some rule or model ( Genesis 44:2 ; Exodus 21:9 ; Exodus 39:8 ; Leviticus 5:10 ; Numbers 8:4 ; Numbers 9:3 ; Numbers 29:18 ; Psalm 7:18 [ Psalm 7:17 ] ; Zechariah 2:10 [Zechariah 2:6], etc.). The passage, therefore, may be rendered thus: And the flesh of them shalt thou take after the manner ( or according to the rule ), of the wave breast, etc., i . e . not the whole of it, but only these parts. So the LXX. seem to have taken the passage: καὶ τα κρεα εὐται κασα καὶ το στηθυνιον του ἐπιθέματος καὶ κατὰ τὸν βραχίονα τὸν δεξιὸν σοι ἔσται .