THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH

[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VII.  THE FLYING ROLL
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

(Zechariah 5:1-11, Zechariah 6:1-8.)

THERE is a clear connection between the three next visions, furnished by the words, Going forth. "The curse goes forth over the face of the whole land" (Zechariah 5:3); "The ephah goeth forth" (Zechariah 5:6); "The chariots go forth" (Zechariah 5:1-5). It is as though Zechariah were permitted to stand in the centre of things, where God is, and was able to see the successive issues of the Divine Providence in respect of the moral government of his people and the world.
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I. THE VISION OF THE FLYING ROLL

The prophet beheld in vision a huge sheet of paper, or dressed skin, prepared for writing, slowly floating in mid-heaven. It seemed to be hovering, and prepared to pounce, as a bird of prey may often be seen on the point of settling over a ploughed field. Its considerable extent, thirty feet by fifteen -- the dimensions of the Temple porch -- was covered on each side by the solemn curses of the law; on this, by those that condemn the thief; on that, by those condemning the false swearer.

We have already learnt that God had returned to Jerusalem, prepared to become a wall of fire round about, and its glory in the midst; the Temple should be rebuilt, and the priesthood reconstituted; but the people must be made to understand what a solemn thing it was to have God in such near proximity. If He was ready to defend them against their foes, He was also determined to purge out from among them those who transgressed his holy law.

It is clear that this young community was specially cursed by these twin sins. Men were fraudulent and mendacious. They got the better of their customers if they had the chance; and then, with unblushing effrontery, lied to conceal their frauds. These are always the sins of a mercantile community; and they are as prevalent in London and New York, in Bombay and Melbourne, as ever they were in the newly-restored Jerusalem. But God is always pledged to deal with them, in the interests of society itself, which must be undermined if they be allowed to prevail unchecked. Over the great commercial centres of the world -- yes, and over the great emporiums of trade -- that roll still hangs, and the curse of God threatens to fall.
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VII.  THE FLYING ROLL
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

The effect of the curse is told in graphic symbolism. It seemed after a time to settle down on certain houses. They may have been respectable houses, the houses of men that were held in reverent repute, houses which were often alight with the lamps of high festival; but by the settling down of that roll, the master of such and such a house was indicated as being either a thief or a liar. "I will cause it to go forth, saith the Lord of Hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name."

That, however, was not the end, either of the vision or of those divine dealings which the vision describes. The interpreting angel goes on to say: "It shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it, with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof." It was as though, from the moment that the curse settled down, the whole fabric of the house commenced to rot; and the owner might fairly adopt the words of Leviticus: "There seemeth to me to be, as it were, a plague in the house."

How terribly those words have been fulfilled in the case of people and families we have known! It has seemed as though there were a plague in the house. The fortune which had been accumulated with such toil has crumbled; the children turned out sources of heartrending grief; the reputation of the father has become irretrievably tarnished. "There is a plague spread in the house; it is a fretting leprosy, it is unclean." No man can stand against that curse. It confronts him everywhere. It touches his most substantial effects, and they pulverize, as furniture eaten through by white ants. It is as though he were condemned to hear, like another Job, the voices of successive messengers, announcing that they only are left to tell the story of irremediable disaster. Timber and stones, however carved and chiselled, crumble to ash and dust! How awfully realistic! How terribly true!
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II. THE VISION OF THE EPHAH.

Again the prophet's eyes were directed by the angel that spoke with him towards mid-heaven, and he saw a yet more graphic symbol. An ephah was seen careering through the air. "I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth. He said, moreover, This is their resemblance in all the land." As much as to say that the Jews were known throughout the world of that time as traders, who were constantly handling the Hebrew dry measure, containing about a bushel, or seven-and-a-half gallons.
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VII.  THE FLYING ROLL
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

Presently the cover was lifted off, and a woman was seen sitting in the midst of the ephah. "And he said, This is Wickedness; and he cast her down into the midst of the ephah: and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth there of." Does not this clearly mean that the commercial life of these Jewish traders was deeply saturated with wicked practices, and that there was a kind of alliance between them and the impalpable spirit of Wickedness, as illustrated by this personification of evil?

How often when men slam to the doors of their safes, shut their ledgers, and lock their counting-houses, they seem to place the leaden weight on the top of the ephah containing wickedness! They wish to hide it from the eyes of their nearest and dearest. They would like to hide it from the face of God Himself.

It is at this juncture, however, that an entirely new turn is given to this vision. "Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there came forth two women, and the wind was in their wings; now they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven." The stork has long and wide wings. It is also a migratory bird. It would have no difficulty in covering the distance between Jerusalem and Babylon. And, therefore, storks' wings are attributed to these two women. As two anointed ones stand by the Lord as his ministers, so these two women execute his purposes in removing wickedness, which answers to the mystery of iniquity, of which the apostle speaks.

"Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build her an house in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she shall be set there in her own place." Babylon was far away, the seat of apostasy from God and demon-worship. It was meet that Wickedness should be borne thither. But how great the deliverance for the chosen land!

What comfort is here! Wickedness may be strongly entrenched; but she shall be removed, when once God arises on the behalf of his people. Do you sigh and cry against it? Do you desire that some terrible form of it, which has cursed your life too long, and alienated the Divine favour, should be eliminated? Be encouraged by this vision! Lift up your eyes, and see the swift stork-like wings, with the favouring breeze bearing them forward as they speed to perform God's behest. If only you are willing, God will certainly free and deliver you.
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VII.  THE FLYING ROLL
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

Thousands have experienced this deliverance from certain forms of besetting sin, which have dropped off as the viper from Paul's hand, as they have received the more perfect indwelling of the Holy Ghost. Not long after his conversion, the saintly Fletcher passed into this experience, trod sin under his feet, and proclaimed that we must not be content till we have been delivered from the power Of sin, through the indwelling of the Divine Spirit. And Wesley says of Halyburton: "This great servant of God sometimes fell back, from the glorious liberty he had received, into the spirit of fear, and sin, and bondage. But why? Because he did not abide in Christ; because he did not cleave to Him with all his heart; because he grieved the Holy Spirit by whom freedom from sin is rendered the common privilege of all." From which we infer that Wesley held and taught, that we are delivered from the power of sin and darkness, just in so far as we abide in Him who is the light of life. Abide in Him, and you, too, shall see wickedness borne out of the practical experience of your life.
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III. OF THE CHARIOTS.

This is a vision of Protection and Deliverance. Four chariots are seen issuing from the mountains that were round about Jerusalem. In each case the colour of the horses represented the commission that their hurrying drivers bore to the different nations, which, before that time, had ravaged the Jewish people. "Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me: What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me: These are the four spirits of Heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth."

Against the north country, where Babylon lay, two chariots went forth; whereof the black horses represented defeat and despair, while the white stood for the victorious successes of some conquering people, before whom Babylon would be laid low in the dust, a prediction which was probably fulfilled in the rise of the third great world-wide kingdom of Greece, under Alexander the Great.

The grizzled, or piebald, went forth toward the south country, and represent the mixed experiences -- partly of disaster, and partly of prosperity -- which would befall Egypt, on the southern frontier of the Holy Land. For the word bay, the margin suggests the possible alternative strong; and this is probably the right rendering. So this one chariot seems to have been allocated to the work of going to and fro in the earth, on a general mission of patrol and defence. If Satan goes to and fro, seeking whom he may injure, the chariots of God go to and fro, to bring succour and deliverance to the saints.

How comforting this vision was and is! It clearly teaches that, when sin is put away, as between God and his people, He constitutes Himself their gracious Keeper: no weapon that is turned against them prospers, and every tongue that rises in judgment against them is condemned. Woe be to their enemies! God's Spirit is, in strong metaphor, described as being quieted by their overthrow; whilst his chosen dwell always within the precincts of his Almighty guardianship. "They shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods."
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VIII.  SIGNIFICANT DESIGNATION
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

(Zechariah 6:9-15.)

AT this point an interesting episode breaks in on this wonderful series of visions. From far-off Babylon, where the majority of the Jewish nation was still residing, a deputation of three 'Jews came to Jerusalem, bringing a present of gold and silver. This donation was evidently intended to aid the little band of returned exiles in their heroic work. Alas, it is still the way in which too many Christians do the work of God! They shrink from personal service; but are quite ready, in lieu of it, to give a subscription in aid of those who are sacrificing ease and emolument that they may give priceless personal service. The men who brought the gift were Heldai (called Helem in (Zechariah 6:14), Tobijah, and Jedaiah; and they were received and entertained by Josiah, or Hen, the son of Zephaniah. Zechariah was directed to take the gold and silver, and make a crown (or crowns). These, on some public occasion, and with, perhaps, some little ceremony, were placed on the fair mitre, which, we have already seen, had been set on the high priest's head. It was a much more significant act than this bare recital of it suggests. These two offices, the sacerdotal and had been always kept jealously apart in Israel; and when King Uzziah had attempted to burn incense upon the altar of incense, the altercation which ensued in the holy place between himself and the priests, countersigned as their horror and indignation were by the rising of the brand of leprosy on his forehead, proved how stringent that separation was. But here the divinely commissioned prophet, by an unmistakable symbolic act, combined the two offices in the same individual. And, using a well-understood name for the Messiah, went on to say: "Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying: Behold, the Man whose name is THE BRANCH. He shall grow up out of his place (i.e., shall emerge from the obscurity of his early beginnings), and He shall build the Temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and He shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (i.e., between these two offices, the priestly and the regal).
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VIII.  SIGNIFICANT DESIGNATION
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

I. NOTICE THIS SIGNIFICANT DESIGNATION OF THE LORD JESUS

"The Branch." The family of David was like a decayed tree, the stump of which alone remains; but from so lowly and unlikely an origin, a shoot or scion would emanate, which would again become a noble forest tree, and perpetuate the memory and influence of the royal line. This imagery is familiar to more than one of the prophets, and, in every case, can only be applied to "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). "There shall come forth," says Isaiah, "a shoot out of the stock of Jesse; and a Branch out of his roots shall bear fruit, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him. In that day shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious." "Behold " -- they are the words of Jeremiah'' the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as King." It is suggested that, in the song of Zacharias, so full of the glad realization of the fulfilled past, Branch may be substituted for Dayspring, and he may, therefore, have quoted this very phrase and said, "The Branch from on high hath visited us" (Luke 1:78 ).

Certainly David's race had reached a low ebb when Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, because they were of the house and lineage of David. There was no room for them in the village inn; the new-born Babe was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger; and the couple were so straitened for means, that they could only afford to purchase two young pigeons, the gift of the poor, for the mother's thank-offering in the Temple. From that stock, however, the scion has grown into a noble tree, whose branches reach out to the ends of the earth, and whose fruit gives life and blessing to all mankind.

Through a branch the fulness of the root is carried to the fruit, which swells in ruddy beauty on its extremity, and presently falls into the hand of the wayfarer: so Jesus is the blessed channel of communication between the fulness of God and the thirsty wastes of human need. We sit under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit is sweet to our taste.
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II. THE COMBINATION IN CHRIST OF THE PRIESTLY AND KINGLY OFFICES.

"He shall be a priest upon his throne." Man's nature demands a Priest. Conscious of sin and defilement, he rears an altar wherever he pitches his tent; and, selecting one of his fellows, he separates him from the ordinary duties of life, and bids him stand as mediator and priest between God and himself. It was thus that Micah addressed the young man, the Levite of Bethlehem-Judah, when he said, "Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and priest; and I will give thee ten pieces of silver by the year, and thine apparel, and thy victuals."
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VIII.  SIGNIFICANT DESIGNATION
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

If an argument were needed to prove the unity of the human family, it surely would be suggested by the universal distribution of temples and altars over the world, as though men were everywhere alike in this -- that they know themselves to be sinful, and desire to find some way of propitiating and approaching the Almighty.

In the Levitical system, and, above all, in Jesus Christ, God has met this universal craving of the human heart. Indeed, no religion is destined to universal supremacy that does not provide for the consciousness of guilt, and reveal a merciful and faithful priest, appointed in things ‑pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, and bear gently with the ignorant and erring.

Man also requires A King. God had designed to meet this need by Himself being Israel's King, that they should not be "like other nations," but a peculiar people unto Him. They were following natural promptings, when the Israelites came to Samuel and said: "We will have a king over us, that we also may be like the other nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." Man needs a leader -- one whom he may admire and obey; from whom he may receive indisputable commands; and in whom his faculty of veneration may find satisfaction. The days when there was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes, were far from being either contented or prosperous.

How remarkable it is that the Kingship of Jesus should have been so accentuated in his trial! It was the centre around which the storm raged. Pilate challenged his claims: "Art Thou a king, then?" and Jesus asseverated them: "Thou sayest that I am -- a king." The faded purple robe flung over his shoulders, the reed in his hand, the mocking bending of the knee, the crown of thorns on his brow, were but the grotesque and heartless mockery of his claims. And when his sacred body was affixed to the cross, the title on the headpiece, written in the languages of learning, imperial power, and religion, attested that He was King of the Jews.
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VIII.  SIGNIFICANT DESIGNATION
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

And since He has passed into the glory, He is still the Priest-King. Not Aaron, but Melchizedek, is the true type of our Saviour now. As Aaron, He made atonement and propitiation for sin; but as Melchizedek, He has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. "This Melchizedek was King of Salem, and Priest of the Most High God."

As Priest, Jesus pleads the merit of his blood; as King, He exerts power on our behalf. As Priest, He pacifies the guilty conscience; as King, He sends thrills of his own victorious life into our spirits. As Priest, He brings us nigh to God; as King, He treads our enemies under his feet. It is of great importance to us all to think of our Saviour in this dual aspect. On the one hand, we get all the benefit of his Cross and Passion; on the other, all the benefit of his resurrection and session at the right hand of God. May it not be that the weakness of thy Christian life is due to the fact that thou hast viewed Him only in the light of Calvary, and hast not, with Stephen, seen Him seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High -- a Prince as well as a Saviour -- a Saviour because a Prince? Thank God for the Lamb; but rejoice, O child of God, that He is in the midst of the throne! He bore the penalty of thy sin, when He shed his precious Blood; He will deliver thee from the power of sin, as thou placest thyself absolutely beneath his royalty, both King and Lord. When He is absolutely trusted and obeyed, He accounts Himself absolutely responsible to achieve the uttermost salvation of those who trust in Him. If there is some sin which defies thee, at least it shall not be too strong for Him. And if the outflow of his delivering power towards thee seems restrained and ineffective, be sure that, in some one particular, which He will be quick to show thee, if only thou art willing to be informed, there has been a failure to yield Him the obedience which is due to Him as thy King. He sits and rules upon the throne of the universe; and, therefore, will subdue all rule, authority, and power. He must sit and rule on the throne of thy heart, that there also He may put down everything which opposes and obstructs his sway. "God hath exalted Him to be a Prince and a Saviour."

What majesty there is in these words: "He shall sit and rule upon his throne, and He shall be a Priest upon his throne"! Let all other beings stand! He sits. He sits because of his intrinsic dignity; because of his finished mediatorial work; because full of a calm expectancy that his foes shall be subdued under Him. The priests of Aaron's line stood day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which could never take away sins; but HE, "when He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet."
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VIII.  SIGNIFICANT DESIGNATION
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

Infinite woe has come to mankind through the reign of priests. No rule has been so intolerant, so capricious, so cruel, as that exercised by some of the pontiffs, or by priests, of one sort and another, through monarchs, who have been the creatures of their will. But this world will never be at rest until it submits to the beneficent rule of the Lord Jesus, and acknowledges that the counsel of its peace emanates from the combination of these two offices in his sacred person.
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III. AS THE PRIEST-KING, CHRIST BUILDS THE TEMPLE OF GOD.

Twice over this is affirmed; but what untold comfort the assurance must have brought when first addressed to that little band of exiles! Their temple site was strewn with ruins: it seemed almost hopeless to contend with those heaps of rubbish, impossible to rear a fabric worthy of the past and adequate for the future; but these words must have greatly heartened them. As the hand of Inspiration drew aside the vail, they beheld another and greater than either Joshua or Zerubbabel, working with them and for them, and bearing the chief responsibility in all the toils and labours of their new erection -- He; not they. They would work with new energy and courage, knowing, as they did, that they were fellow-workers with God. What difficulty could daunt, what enemies thwart or frustrate, the work of his right hand?

Is not this as true a description of what is happening to-day as it was of those far-off incidents of temple-building? We may be engaged in building that spiritual house, that holy temple of saved souls, which is slowly rising amid the wrecks of time; and sometimes it seems as though the structure will never be completed. The scaffolding poles and rafters hide the unfinished walls; the very pattern is obscured amid the dust and pother; for every step in advance there are apparently two or three of recession and failure, and we break our hearts. Will the work ever be done? Is it worth all the expenditure of blood and tears? Shall we not desist?

Then we understand that we have much less to do with it than we supposed; that we are not so necessary as we thought; that we are but day labourers at the best, and that He is the great Master Builder. It was this that made Paul exclaim: "We are God's fellow-workers; ye are God's Husbandry, God's Building."
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
VIII.  SIGNIFICANT DESIGNATION
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

If these words should be read by any who are losing heart because of the difficulties presented by their parish, their church, or the souls of their charge, let them be reassured, as they behold the trowel in the hands of the Priest-King; and let them be sure that He will succeed. They know not what He is doing, or using them to do. They are probably doing more than they know; and He is responsible for employing them, whether in the deep foundation-digging, or in the high storeys away in the sunny air. But let them not be discouraged, or desert Him, lest He be compelled to summon others to help Him perfect what they commenced.

The crowns of gold were put aside till the Temple was completed, and then deposited there, as a memorial to the men who had formed the deputation; and an assurance was given that those who were far off should come to add their strength to that of the returned remnant.

The spiritual Temple is rising through the ages, and includes the workmanship of Jew and Gentile, of bond and free, of those who are the children of privilege, and those who seemed outside the pale of salvation. "Remember that aforetime ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, .... were, at that time, separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise; .... but now ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief Comer-stone, in whom the whole building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord."
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
IX.  FASTS TURNED INTO FEASTS
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

(Zechariah 7:1-14, 8.)

THE Jews, during their captivity, appear to have observed four fasts. Four months were darkened by them. That of the tenth month recalled the first enclosure of Jerusalem by the lines of circumvallation; that of the fourth month commemorated the capture of the city in the reign of Zedekiah (Jeremiah 39:2; Jeremiah 52:7); of the fifth, the disaster which capped all, when the house of the Lord was set on fire (Jeremiah 52:12-14); that of the seventh, the murder of Gedaliah, resulting in the dispersion of the remnant (Jeremiah 41:1-3).

The Jewish year was thus filled with sad retrospect's, and the national life was perpetually oppressed with gloom: for it is clear that the observance of these days was a rigorous obligation (Zechariah 7:4-6).

On their return from captivity the people still maintained these fasts; and it seems to have struck some of the exiles who had settled in Bethel as altogether incongruous to continue wearing sackcloth, and casting ashes on their heads, when the Holy City was rapidly rising from the dust, and regaining much of her former prosperity and beauty. It seemed to savour of unreality and hypocrisy to continue to profess a grief which had long since been assuaged, and even changed into great joy. Surely the confessions and lamentations, which were befitting enough in Babylon, were out of place in the land of their fathers. They sent, therefore, a deputation to the house of God, to consult the priests and prophets congregated there, saying: "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?" (Zechariah 7:1-3).

It was a very reasonable inquiry, and becoming to honour-able men, who felt that fasting and mourning must be both meaningless in themselves and displeasing, to God, unless they were the outward expression of the soul's genuine emotions. It was surely worse than useless to keep up an antiquated form, the effigy of the past, the withered mummy of a service which once expressed the most profound anguish and repentance. It is, above all things, necessary to be real in our religious life -- never to profess what we do not feel. Do not keep up a form for form's sake, if you have left behind the experience of which it was once the expression. Nothing will so deaden the soul as the maintenance of rites from which the fire and light have died, leaving them as the scorice of the volcano.
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
IX.  FASTS TURNED INTO FEASTS
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

Zechariah seems to have given four separate answers to this inquiry. Four times "The word of the Lord of Hosts" came to him.

In the first (Zechariah 7:4-7), he reminds the people that these fasts were of their own appointing; and suggests the inference, therefore, that as they had inaugurated them, they were at liberty to discontinue them when they chose. He suggests the further inference, also, that it would have been far better if, instead of appointing fasts, which satisfied national sentiment, the people had set themselves to ponder the words of the older prophets: "Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited, and in prosperity?" It is so much easier to set up fasts and to insist on outward observances, than to bow down the heart before God, and to obey the ordinances which He has enjoined.

In the second (Zechariah 7:8-14), the prophet says, that whatever they may or may not do with respect to the outward fast, they should at least exemplify the spirit of true religion, which was of priceless importance. "Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother; 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." Thus had God spoken to their fathers, and thus He was now speaking with them. Their fathers had refused to hear, but had made their hearts as an adamant stone; and it had befallen, therefore, that, as they were deaf to God's cry, so He had been to theirs. He had scattered them as with a whirlwind, and left their land desolate. Thus Zechariah implored the people of his time not to yield to the obtuseness and disobedience of their fathers; that they might escape their fate, and that no catastrophe should interrupt the resurrection of their nation, or cast it back into the disasters with which it had been visited.

In his third answer (Zechariah 8:1-17), Zechariah dilates on the great prosperity which was awaiting the chosen city. The Lord had returned to dwell there, to constitute Jerusalem the city of truth, and Zion, his holy mountain. The streets should yet be full of old men and women, staff in hand for very age. The ringing, careless laughter of boys and girls at play should proclaim the prosperity and security of the times. From east and west, contingents of exiles should troop back to repopulate the former desolations. "Now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of Hosts. For there shall be the seed of peace; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things."
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
IX.  FASTS TURNED INTO FEASTS
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

And, again, on these delightful promises ensue the reiterated appeals -- that every man should speak truth with his neighbour; that true judgment should be executed in the gates; and that all things which God hated should be put away. It was as though these golden visions of prosperity and blessedness were enumerated to convince the chosen people that God desired to remember their sins no more; and to urge that, instead of dwelling mournfully on the past, they should launch upon the swelling tide of light and love, which was creeping up their shores.

This is God's way still. He chastens sorely. If we profane his name and pollute his Temple; if we strike hands in ungodly alliances, and go after strange gods; if we dye our hands in the vats of the world's vanity -- we are sent, as Israel was, into captivity, and our seventy years are fulfilled. But when we have profited by his stern discipline, and returned to Him with all our heart and soul, we are restored to our former position; God's hand wipes the tears from our eyes, and He bids us turn from our bitter repinings over an irretrievable past, to accept the unalloyed mercy which remembers our sins no more:

God who, whatever frenzy of our fretting
Vexes sad life to spoil and to destroy,
Lendeth an hour for peace and for forgetting,
Setteth in pain the jewel of his joy.

Such dealings with his rebellious and erring children are very wonderful. They pass all human thought. It is much to be forgiven: but to be forgiven so utterly, so completely, so extravagantly, "according to the riches of his grace" -- here is a marvel indeed. But there is no marvel with Him! Such grace is no effort to his glorious nature! He is not sensible of strain! It is simply the bubbling over of his heart, which is Love. "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes, saith the Lord of Hosts?" "His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts."
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
IX.  FASTS TURNED INTO FEASTS
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

In his final answer (Zechariah 8:18-23), Zechariah gives a delightful anticipation of future days, which are still awaiting complete realization, but in some measure were fulfilled in the history of the Restoration. "The word of the Lord of Hosts came unto me, saying, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, of the fifth, of the seventh, and of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace" (Zechariah 8:18-19).

This is a welcome exchange. We could not be surprised to learn that God had so blotted out the memory of the past that fateful anniversaries would pass without special recognition. Our memory of the dark and disastrous is commonly short-lived. Bitter recollections soon fade from memory's tablets. What we do not like to recall, we drop into the keeping of oblivion, and that sea is never in haste to give up its dead. But the remarkable point here was, that these anniversaries, which had formerly brought the deepest melancholy, would henceforth be hailed as festal days; as though the events which had happened on them, and seemed only disastrous, were really full of the choicest blessing, and had been misinterpreted. It reminds us of the dark lines in the spectrum, which stand for new and unrealized constituents in the solar atmosphere. Does the astronomer regret them, when he understands their significance? No; he counts them of inexpressible worth.

As we inquire how such a revulsion of feeling could be brought about, we catch a further glimpse into God's thoughts. He set Himself to assure his people, in effect, that in the future, when they could view his dealings in their true perspective, they would discover that their darkest days had been the source and origin of their gladdest ones; because through them they had come to know themselves, been weaned from their sins, and had acquired those virtues which attracted the reverence and love of the world.

Consider again these glowing predictions: "It shall come to pass that as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, arid yes. Hall be a blessing." And again: "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities; and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favour of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts." And again: "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (Zechariah 8:13, Zechariah 8:20, Zechariah 8:23).
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[nChrist]

THE PROPHET OF HOPE - STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH
IX.  FASTS TURNED INTO FEASTS
BY F.B. MEYER, B.A.

These predictions have already been marvellously fulfilled. In the midst of the dark night of heathen idolatry, when the foremost and wisest nations of the world were given up to the grossest idolatry and impurity, the synagogues of the dispersed Jews shone like sparks of light, holding forth the great doctrines of the unity and spirituality of the Divine Nature, the need of forgiveness, and the sanctity of Home. In every considerable Gentile city, the synagogue had a large following of devout proselytes drawn from the leading Gentile families. From the Jewish nation came the Saviour of mankind, and the earliest members of his Church. To Jews we owe the New Testament, as well as the Old. It was at Jerusalem, on the occasion of a Jewish festival, that the Holy Ghost descended to begin his mighty work. And in all the so-called Christian ages, whilst persecuting the chosen people, the foremost nations of the world have taken hold of their skirts, going with them to their sacred shrines, using their conceptions of God, appropriating their sacred writings, and venerating their lawgivers, prophets, and saints, with a reverence equal to their own.

There is also a time, yet future, but probably not far away, when the Jewish people shall be brought to own the claims of Jesus, and shall look on Him with repentance, faith, and love; and then they will be still more sought after by the nations of the world as the representatives and teachers of the only true religion. These days are clearly predicted; and the signs on every hand corroborate our faith that it shall be even as the prophets, and this prophet especially, have foretold.

But we can never forget that this vast respect of the world for the Jewish people dates from the Babylonish captivity. Before that they were too fickle in their allegiance to Jehovah, too deeply tarred by the vile impurities of surrounding peoples, to win either audience or credence, when they advocated their own religion. What respect could the nations have for them, when the heights around Zion were covered by temples to foreign deities; and when the same defiling rites were practised, as disgraced the fanes of Chemosh, Molech, and Astarte? Abana and Pharpar were equal to any of the waters of Israel; Balaam was as Moses, and Zoroaster as Elijah.
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