Zec 7:8 | KingComments | STEP | The word of the LORD comes further to Zechariah ( ). Through Zechariah He speaks to the people as “the LORD of hosts”. It is not about new announcements, but a repetition of what He has always said through His prophets. They have always rejected that message, but He repeats it. This shows His patience. What God has said in the past will always retains its power and therefore He can always come back to it. The first thing that matters is that they “dispense true justice” ( ). This applies in the first place to the judges. But it is also a word that every member of God’s people should take to heart. True justice is a judgment in which you can have confidence. It is impartial and corresponds to the facts. There is no seeking of one’s own advantage behind it. Here we see the attitude we have to take towards our brothers and sisters. It follows from that attitude that we “practice kindness and compassion” to each other. We show this when we give our brothers and sisters what they need, both for the body and for the soul. This is worth much more to God than all the sacrifices that are made according to the law or all kinds of external service that happens without the heart being involved. It is not only about hurting no one, but about helping the other ( ). It is especially about the widows and the orphans and the strangers and the poor ( ). They have no possibilities to provide for themselves and they have no one to rely on. If they act out of love, they will not hurt someone else, but on the contrary they will do good. For this they should not devise evil in their hearts against one another (cf. ).

‏ Zechariah 7:8

What Matters to God

The word of the LORD comes further to Zechariah (Zec 7:8). Through Zechariah He speaks to the people as “the LORD of hosts”. It is not about new announcements, but a repetition of what He has always said through His prophets. They have always rejected that message, but He repeats it. This shows His patience. What God has said in the past will always retains its power and therefore He can always come back to it.

The first thing that matters is that they “dispense true justice” (Zec 7:9). This applies in the first place to the judges. But it is also a word that every member of God’s people should take to heart. True justice is a judgment in which you can have confidence. It is impartial and corresponds to the facts. There is no seeking of one’s own advantage behind it. Here we see the attitude we have to take towards our brothers and sisters.

It follows from that attitude that we “practice kindness and compassion” to each other. We show this when we give our brothers and sisters what they need, both for the body and for the soul. This is worth much more to God than all the sacrifices that are made according to the law or all kinds of external service that happens without the heart being involved.

It is not only about hurting no one, but about helping the other (Zec 7:10). It is especially about the widows and the orphans and the strangers and the poor (Exo 22:22). They have no possibilities to provide for themselves and they have no one to rely on. If they act out of love, they will not hurt someone else, but on the contrary they will do good. For this they should not devise evil in their hearts against one another (cf. Mic 2:1).