Zechariah 8:14

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not: AS I THOUGHT - I determined. TO PUNISH YOU - i:e., your fathers, with whom ye are one; the Jewish Church of all ages being regarded as an organic whole (cf. ; Matthew 23:31). WHEN YOUR FATHERS PROVOKED ME ... AND I REPENTED NOT - I changed not my purpose because they changed not their mind (). With the froward, God shows Himself froward (). If the threatened punishment has been so unchangeably inflicted, much more will God sure...

The Prophet confirms the truth in the preceding verse, when he said that there would be a wholly different lot to the Jews, as they would in every way be blessed. He shows the cause of the change; for God would begin to favor them, who had been before displeased with them. We indeed know that the Holy Spirit everywhere calls men before God’s tribunal, that they may know that no adversity happens to them, except through their sins. So also in this place Zechariah reminds us, that God had been angry with the Jews, because they had provoked his wrath. But now a promise is added, that God had _turned_; not that he had changed his mind, but he meant to show that he was pacified. (88) We indeed know that we are to judge of God’s love or hatred to us by outward things; for when God treats us severely, manifest tokens of his wrath appear; but when he deals kindly with us, then the fruit of recon...

9-17 Those only who lay their hands to the plough of duty, shall have them strengthened with the promises of mercy: those who avoid their fathers' faults have the curse turned into a blessing. Those who believed the promises, were to show their faith by their works, and to wait the fulfilment. When God is displeased, he can cause trade to decay, and set every man against his neighbour; but when he returns in mercy, all is happy and prosperous. Surely believers in Christ must not trifle with the exhortation to put away lying, and to speak every man peace with his neighbour, to hate what the Lord hates, and to love that wherein he delights....

AS I THOUGHT TO PUNISH YOU - (Literally, to do evil to you) “and repented not.” In like way God says in Jeremiah, “I have purposed and will not repent.” Jeremiah 4:28....

EXPOSITION ZECHARIAH 8:1 § 4. _The Lord promises to show his love for Zion, to dwell among his people, and to fill Jerusalem with a happy lace._ ZECHARIAH 8:1 AGAIN; rather, _and_. This chapter contains the second half of the Lord's answer concerning fasting, merging into prophecy. ZECHARIAH 8:2 THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS. This formula occurs ten times in this chapter, thus enforcing the truth that all the promises made to Zion come from the Lord himself, and are therefore sure to be fulfilled. I WAS JEALOUS;—_I am jealous, _as...

FOR THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS,.... In order to assure them of the truth of what he promised, he observes the fulfilment of what he had threatened, he being as true and faithful in the one as in the other: AS I THOUGHT TO PUNISH YOU: determined to do it, by suffering them to be carried captive: WHEN YOUR FATHERS PROVOKED ME TO WRATH, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS; by their immorality, idolatry, and contempt of his prophets: AND I REPENTED NOT; the Targum adds, "of my word"; of the resolution he had taken up in his heart, and of the declaration of it by his prophets, that he would punish them; this he did not repent of, revoke, change, and alter, but steadily abode by it, and executed it....

Zechariah 8:1. _Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury._ Because they worshipped idols instead of the living God, Jehovah of hosts, who is a jealous God, was very angry with his ancient people, and allowed them to be carried away into captivity; and it is well for us, in these days, to recollect that we serve a jealous God, and that, if our hearts are not true to him, he will soon send us sharp afflictions, and make us feel the weight of his rod. It was Paul's anxious desire that he might be able to present the church at Corinth «as a chaste virgin to Christ;» and, certainly, our Lord Jesus Christ will not accept the professing church of these days on any other terms. Let thy heart be loyal and true to him, or else thou wilt stir up the holy jealou

REPENTED Repentance (Old Testament), Summary: In the Old Testament, repentance is the English word used to translate the Hebrew, nacham, to be "eased" or "comforted." It is used of both God and man. Notwithstanding the literal meaning of nacham, it is evident, from a study of all the passages, that the sacred writers use it in the sense of metanoia in the New Testament -- a change of mind. (Matthew 3:2). (_ See Scofield) - (Acts 17:30). _ As in the New Testament, such change of mind is often accompanied by contrition and self-judgment. When applied to God the word is used phenomenally according to Old Testament custom. God seems to change His mind. The phenomena are such as, in the case of man, would indicate a change of mind....

CHAPTER 8 _ 1. The restoration announced (Zechariah 8:1) _ 2. The peace of Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:4) 3. The return to the land (Zechariah 8:6) 4. The blessing of the land and the people (Zechariah 8:9) Zechariah 8:1. The answer is now given to the question, and it is an answer which none of the petitioners expected. The answer is closely linked with the third night vision in chapter 2, for here is an enlarged prophecy concerning the restoration of Jerusalem. Jehovah was jealous for Jerusalem. The wrath

ZECHARIAH 8:4 F. A beautiful description of the result of the restoration of peace and safety. During the troublous past Jerusalem had been no place for feeble old age or for children. The sympathetic touch, playing in the streets thereof, is one of the very few indications in the OT of a love for children as such. Zechariah 8:7. with its refer. ence to the east and west looks like a later prophecy of the return from the Dispersion, Zechariah 8:10. is in agreement with Haggai 1:6; Haggai 2:16. It is noteworthy that the adversaries her