Return To God BODY AND SOUL
Zechariah 1:1-6
Introduction
Life consists of ups and downs, flats and so forth. Sometimes we comes to turns, decsions
SomeX’s the turn we need to make is a turn back to the Lord, return to the Lord i.e.repent
Nations the same, Modern Israel return to land, return to prosperity of land, missing???
Like Jerusalem in 520BC: return population, return to rebuild temple, a return missing??
I. Review
Prophets to North – Hosea and Amos to Israel, Jonah and Nahum to Nineveh
Prophts 2South – B4 th Exile Habakkuk, Isaiah, Joel, Jeremiah, Micah, Zephaniah
Exile begins 605 ends ~535 Ezekiel, Daniel, Obadiah?
Post Exile 535 – Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Ezra 2:64 tells us that 42360 returned bodily to the land
Haggai 4 messages – resume rebuilding the temple, 1:1; 2:1, 2:10, 2:20
II. God Calls Zechariah 1
A. Return is incomplete at this point, returned to land Yes, returned to temple Yes, but
something missing, requires a new prophetic voice
B. God calls Zechariah 1
2nd yr of Darius, 8th mo, abt1 mo aftr 2nd message frm Haggai, H&Z arecontemp
Word of the Lord came to Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo Ezr5:1
Th prophet Zechariah, probsam as Mt23:35, so aftr accept reform eventlyrejectd
Lesson – We may make the right first steps stop short of where we should be, God may
need to bring someone into our lives to guide us forward in our spiritual growth,
unless genuine may turn away, or subsequent may not continue to accept
III. ZechariahCalls Israel To Return BODY AND SOUL 2-6a
A. Zechariah explains that the Lord has been angry with ‘your fathers’ 2
The year is 520BC, Judah in exile for 70 years, since return, not done much
Note the dating 2nd yr of Darius, a gentile king, Lk 21:24 also Dn 2 and 7
B. Zechariah calls Israel to return body and SOUL 3
Lord of Hosts used 46 X’s in Zech
This is the main issue, return to Me and I will return to you
They have returned to the land, they have returned to rebuild temple,
But the Lord wants them to return with their souls, to repent, to turn 2Him
If they return to Him then He will return to them Dt30:1-3, 6, 10, 15
C. Zechariah elaborates on the failing of their fathers
V2 the Lord angry with your fathers
V4a do not be like your fathers – former prophets preached saying…
But they did not hear nor need Me, Jer 17:23, 29:19, 36:31
V5 your fathers where are they? Dead, God judges sin
The prophets do live forever? No
V6a yet surely My words and My statutes which I commanded the prophets, did
they not overtake your fathers? YES they did Is55:11, God’s word lives on
Lesson Learn from mistakes of others, your fathers 1Co10:11
Lesson listen to the word of God Mt 5:18 every jot and tittle comes to pass
Lesson – physical presence is important, but spiritual return to God is of utmost import,
this is a matter of the heart commitment not just in words but from heart
IV. Israel Returns BODY AND SOUL 6b
A. Who does the ‘they’ refer to? The fathers who did not heed and hear or the people
Zechariah is addressing i.e. the returnees. I think the returnees
B. So what did they did do
They rtrnd – i.e. they rturned to the Lord, they repented and drew souls bk to God
They admitted that the Lord did as they deserved and as He had said He would do
Lesson wholehearted decisive listening and hearing responding to word of God in soul