“Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord to Zechariah.” Zechariah 1:7
Dear Ones:
The content of the “word of the Lord” is so very important, not only because it is spoken in perfect wisdom, justice, and love, but also because it is given to produce a certain response, or reaction in the hearts and lives of the hearers. When Jesus countered one of Satan’s temptations in the wilderness, he said: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'” (Matt. 4:4) The importance and power of this statement resides in the fact that when God speaks, His words are accompanied with the power and authority of His person. Not only is direction, and instruction, given to mankind, as to how to live, but there is the accompanying power provided, in order to believe and obey that word. So, the content, or construction of the word of God, is so very important, for we have LIFE by that Word. Peter would confirm this when he would say to the Lord Jesus on one occasion: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the WORDS of eternal life.” (Jn. 6:68) The Words of Christ, the word of the Lord, are essentially, and inseparably, intertwined with the eternal life, and power, of God. It is in believing, and obeying, those words, that true LIFE is known and experienced.
There is another aspect to “the word of the Lord” that needs to be considered. It has to do with God’s timing in speaking that word. Daniel recounts how the son of Nebuchanezzar, Belteshazzaar, defiled the vessels of the house of the Lord by drinking from them at a feast where other gods were celebrated. He recounts: “In the same HOUR came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace.” (Dan. 5:5) In this case God “spoke” to Belteshazzaar by a writing on the wall. The precise timing of the writing is very significant. Daniel would interpret the inscription to the king, whose kingdom would be divided. King Belshazzar would be slain that very night. The timing of the word of the Lord to this godless king was one of judgment…his TIME had come. Just as there is a time for the declaration of God’s judgments, so there is the time of the declaration of His blessings and His mercies.
In Zechariah’s writings, when “the word of the Lord” came to him, he had a vision of men riding on horses, and heard a conversation that a man, or men, had with the Lord, concerning the status of life on the earth, declaring: “…all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” (1:11) Then will be revealed to Zechariah the prayer of “the angel of the Lord.” The angel of the Lord implores the “Lord of hosts” to have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah. This most certainly applies to the end of the deportation, and return to Jerusalem. The result of such supplications is that the Lord speaks, answering the angel with “good words” and “comforting words.” It is then that the Lord communicated to the angel what Zechariah was to do: “CRY THOU saying, ‘Thus says the Lord hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.’ (1:14) God, in answer to prayer, reveals the depth of His desire, and will, to intervene in Jerusalem and Judah. The “word of the Lord” continues by declaring: “I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: My house shall be built in it.” (v.16) Here is the commitment of God to provide for, empower, and bless His people, in order to rebuild Jerusalem, specifically His temple. There is a time, associated with the “word of the Lord,” when He will work wonderfully.
Dear Father, Thou God of Jerusalem and Israel, give us to hear clearly Thy voice, “the word of the Lord,” in the present moment, believing Thee for the full outworking of that perfect will and purpose of God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad