Day 269 Reading Schedule: Zechariah 7-10  

Zechariah 7: The Abomination of Unrepentant Fasting

[Summary]

The prophet Zechariah no longer sees the visions he had previously seen. He is questioned by the children of the captives about fasting. They ask him whether he should continue the strict fasting that he had observed religiously during the 70 years of captivity (verses 1-3). In response to this question, the prophet Zechariah sharply criticizes them for their misunderstanding of fasting (verses 4-7) and urges them to reform their lives. He urges them to beware of the sins that brought judgment on those who observed this fast (verses 8-14).

Zechariah 8: Jehovah Who Provides Salvation During Judgment

[Summary]

This chapter is about God’s promise to continue to bless the people who returned from Babylon.  God promises that Jerusalem will be restored, reformed, and restored (vv. 1-8), that the nation will be rich, that the affairs of the nation will be successful, that their reputation will be restored, and that their condition will be the opposite of what it had been for years past (vv. 9-15). He also emphasizes the standards of truth and peace that the people must practice in order to receive this grace of God (vv. 16-17). He declares that the fast of sorrow and lamentation that the Israelites observed in Babylon will cease and become a fast of joy (vv. 18-19). He promises that when this happens, Israel will be rich and strong again, and that foreigners will come to Jerusalem (vv. 20-23). ​​

Zechariah 9: Judgment on the Wicked and the Coming of the Messiah

[Summary]

This chapter presents Jehovah’s warnings, especially the prophecies against the Jews’ unrighteous neighbors—the Syrians, Tyrians, Philistines, and others (vv. 1-6).  But there is also a hint of mercy for some of them who repent. There is a promise of God's mercy for God's people (vv. 7-8). On the other hand, there is a prophecy about their righteous king, the Messiah, a description of the Messiah's coming, and a description of the Messiah's kingdom and its nature (vv. 9-10). There is an explanation of the obligations the Jews have assumed toward Christ as a result of their deliverance from Babylonian captivity (vv. 11-13), and a prophecy of the triumph and success of Israel, which God has granted as a type of the great salvation of Christ (vv. 13-15). God offers abundant promises of joy for his people in the final section (vv. 16-17). 

Zechariah 10: God Who Will Redeem His People

[Summary]

This chapter contains the story of God's goodness to the Jewish people, and the encouragement of their return by guaranteeing them prosperity within and victory without.  The Jewish people became conscious of the great God in all the events in which they were involved, and this came from all the calamities and comforts they had suffered (vv. 1-4). Israel was encouraged by the expectation of power and accomplishment from God in all their battles against their enemies, and the prophecy that the restoration of the old Israel would be secured through the hope of glory after all the difficulties appears (vv. 5-12).