“The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, together with their men, to entreat the LORD by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, "Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?" Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry. "'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the LORD Almighty.
Zechariah 7
Zechariah, like Jeremiah and Ezequiel, was both a prophet and a priest. His preaching began in the eighth month of the 520 BC among the Jews who had returned from captivity in Babylon. This time God rebukes them about the kind of fasting they had been doing for the last 70 years which had become a ceremonial tradition instead of a sincere act of adoration, seeking His presence and leading to a renewal of heart and mind.
A quite similar exhortation was given by the prophet Isaiah about 200 years earlier (Isa 58) and another one by Jesus himself when he rebuked the Pharisees for hypocritical behaviour in fasting (Mt 6:16).
Fasting in not a mere ritual done by imposition that lasts a few hours or days, but a wholehearted desire to worship God and seek His presence.
I am absolutely convinced that fasting and prayer in groups is a powerful tool which the Lord has been calling our attention to especially during the last few months, not only here but across other countries too. That is why I would like to conclude with the following:
The main reason for fasting is to seek God's presence, his blessings will follow just as He has promised (Zec 8).
So, the fast I have chosen is an offering to the Lord that does not weaken my body, but it strengthens my soul and spirit; pure worship that does not weigh, but frees me from my burden. A fast that humbles me before Him and complements good works towards my neighbours. That is the kind of fast I have chosen.
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace." Ze 8:19
God bless you.
Zechariah 7
Zechariah, like Jeremiah and Ezequiel, was both a prophet and a priest. His preaching began in the eighth month of the 520 BC among the Jews who had returned from captivity in Babylon. This time God rebukes them about the kind of fasting they had been doing for the last 70 years which had become a ceremonial tradition instead of a sincere act of adoration, seeking His presence and leading to a renewal of heart and mind.
A quite similar exhortation was given by the prophet Isaiah about 200 years earlier (Isa 58) and another one by Jesus himself when he rebuked the Pharisees for hypocritical behaviour in fasting (Mt 6:16).
Fasting in not a mere ritual done by imposition that lasts a few hours or days, but a wholehearted desire to worship God and seek His presence.
I am absolutely convinced that fasting and prayer in groups is a powerful tool which the Lord has been calling our attention to especially during the last few months, not only here but across other countries too. That is why I would like to conclude with the following:
The main reason for fasting is to seek God's presence, his blessings will follow just as He has promised (Zec 8).
So, the fast I have chosen is an offering to the Lord that does not weaken my body, but it strengthens my soul and spirit; pure worship that does not weigh, but frees me from my burden. A fast that humbles me before Him and complements good works towards my neighbours. That is the kind of fast I have chosen.
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace." Ze 8:19
God bless you.
Itala D’Ambrosio Silva
References: Jdg 20:26-28; 2Sam 12:16; Ezr 8:21-23; Ne 1:4, 9:1; Est 4, 9; Ps 35:13; Isa 58; Jer 36; Da 9:3; Joel 1:14, 2:12; Jnh 3:5; Mt 6:16-18; Mk 2:18; Lk 2:37; Act 13:2-3, 14:23.
2 comments:
I always motivated by you, your thoughts and way of thinking, again, appreciate for this nice post.
- Norman
Thanks for your comment, it´s always a great motivation to know what people think about them! :)
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