About two years after Zechariah received his first vision from the LORD (1:1, 7:1), some people asked the priests and prophets whether they should mourn and fast as they did in the past. The people thought that fasting and mourning would please God and bring God’s blessing.

Mourning and fasting can be the outward behavior of healthy repentance. But the LORD Almighty saw through this request. Through Zechariah, the LORD rhetorically asked the Israelites if their fasting, when in exile, was truly for God. It had not been. Earlier prophets, like Micah (Mic 6:6-8) and Amos (3:4-5; 5:10-12), proclaimed that the LORD did not want empty religious acts but true repentance that is demonstrated in how people treated others. God gave Zechariah the same message – to administer justice, mercy, and compassion. The heart of God’s law is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Does your repentance result in justice, mercy, and compassion toward those around you?

The Israelites ignored the prophets of the past. Because they did not listen to God when he called them, God did not listen to them when they called on him. God was angry and sent them into exile. True repentance results in seeking and loving God and obeying his word.
Application: Father, make my repentance pleasing to you with fruit that results from obeying your word.
One Word: Justice, mercy, and compassion