Zechariah 8:1-23

We are blessed to be a blessing.  This is the purpose of God throughout history.  He has chosen people to bless in wonderful ways so that they can be a blessing to many other nations and people.  This was God’s call to Abraham and this is God’s call to the church today.  God never blesses us so that we can hoard those blessings for ourselves.  He bless so that He can bless many others through us.  Those of us who have experienced the Lord’s blessing must recognize that we are blessed with a purpose.  The focus of our lives must be to share those blessings with the nations of the world so that all men everywhere might experience the great joy of loving and worshiping the Lord.  This is what honors and glorifies the Lord and this must be the driving force of all that we do.

GOD WILL BLESS WITH PEACE: Zechariah is given a vision of a future peace that has been promised to the nation of Israel from the very beginning of their history.  God reaffirms this promise here by telling them that there will be a time in the future when the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem will experience perfect peace.  Old men and women will enjoy the tranquility of being able to sit outside on the streets of the city without fear.  As the elderly sit outside in peace they are blessed with being able to watch children playing in the streets.  This is the very picture of peace.  Old age is a wonderful blessing from God and a sign of peace.  In times of war life is often snuffed out in its prime.  Sitting on the streets is a symbol of community as the people like to be with one another.  Children ought to be free to play games in the streets but in times of war that does not happen.  Mothers insist on keeping their children inside in an attempt to protect them.  God has and continues to promise to bring this wonderful time of peace to Israel and the city of Jerusalem.  I don’t believe we have yet seen this day, but when Jesus returns to this earth it will become a wonderful reality.

GOD DOES NOT LACK POWER: As the people of Zechariah’s day sat and listened to the prophecy it must have seemed like a pipe dream.  They were looking and a desolate city without walls of protection.  They faced the constant threat of war and there were very few old men in the group.  God’s word to them is to simply trust Him and not doubt His power.  He reminds them of how just a few years ago they were living in complete desolation and poverty but when they obeyed the Lord and started to build the temple things had started to change.  He wants to assure the people that God has the power to multiply that blessing over and over again.  The former fasts were to become feasts because they are to become times of celebration over the blessings of God.  As we look at the world in which we live today, it is easy for us to doubt the power of God because there seems to be so much chaos and suffering.  We must not doubt God’s power.  He is working through all of these things to accomplish His ultimate will in this world.  He truly is in control.  We cannot be distracted by world events to the point of becoming discouraged or doubting the power of God.


GOD WANTS TO REACH PEOPLE: There is a purpose behind all of the blessings that God bestows on His people.  That purpose is to reach other people.  God wants to be worshiped in all nations and in every language.  God plans to use the nation of Israel in an astounding way to bring about great blessing for all the nations.  This is obviously accomplished through the work of the Lord Jesus.  However, there will be a time in the future when the blessings on Israel will be so great and the presence of Jesus Christ reigning in Jerusalem will attract nations and languages from all over the globe to come and worship Him and see the wonderful workings of His hands.  While I believe there is still a future fulfillment of this prophecy for the nation of Israel and the reign of Christ on this earth; God’s purpose today is still the very same as it always has been and always will be.  He wants to use us in the same way to attract people to Himself.  He has blessed us with forgiveness of sin and with clear purpose in a chaotic world.  We cannot become distracted from this purpose and just enjoy these blessings for ourselves.  He has blessed us so that we might be a blessing for others from all nations.

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