Zechariah 8:21

And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. LET US ... I WILL GO ALSO - manifesting zeal and love: converted themselves, they seek the conversion of others (, "Draw me, we will run after thee"). To exhortation in general ("Let us go"), they add individual example ("I Will go"), Or, the change from plural to singular implies that the general consent in religious earnestness leads each individual to decide for God. GO SPEEDILY - literally, go, going; implying intense earnestness and persevering determination. TO PRAY BEFORE THE LORD - Hebrew, to entreat the face of the Lord (); to entreat His favour and grace....

It follows, _Come shall the inhabitants of one to one_, that is, the inhabitants of one city to another; _saying, going let us go_, _etc_. He means by these words, that there will be a mutual consent among all nations, so that they will stimulate one another, and thus unite together their exertions. We here see that the Prophet’s object was to encourage the Jews to entertain good hope, and thus to cause them to persevere, so that they might not doubt but that success would attend their work and labor, because the Lord would have himself worshipped at Jerusalem, not only by themselves but also by all nations. But as the Jews could not believe that nations could by force be drawn there, he teaches them, that their assembling would be voluntary; he says that those who had been before extremely refractory would be disposed to come of their own accord, so that there would be no need of extern...

18-23 When God comes towards us in ways of mercy, we must meet him with joy and thankfulness. Therefore be faithful and honest in all your dealings; and let it be a pleasure to you to be so, though thereby you come short of the gains others get dishonestly; and, as much as in you lies, live peaceably with all men. Let the truths of God rule in your heads, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Thus the ancient servants of God drew the notice of heathen neighbours, whose prejudices were softened. A great increase to the church shall be made. Hitherto the Jews had been prone to learn the idolatries of other nations: what more unlikely than that they should teach religion to their conquerors, and to all the principal nations of the earth! Yet this is expressly foretold, and it came to pass. Hitherto the prophecy has been wonderfully fulfilled, and no doubt future events will explain...

Verse Zechariah 8:21. _I WILL GO ALSO._] This is the answer of the person _invited_. It is a good work. We must have God for our friend. We cannot expect this unless we _seek_ him: and as we know not what an hour may bring forth, let us go _speedily_....

THE INHABITANTS OF ONE CITY SHALL GO TO ANOTHER - It is one unresting extension of the fairly, the restlessness of faith and love. Osorius: “They shall not be satisfied with their own salvation, careless about the salvation of others; they shall employ all labor and industry, with wondrous love, to provide for the salvation of others as if it were their own.” It is a marvelous stirring of minds. Missionary efforts, so familiar with us as to be a household word, were unknown then. The time was not yet come. “Before the faith” in Christ came, the Jewish people were not to be the converters of mankind. They were to await for Him, the Redeemer of the world, through whom and to whom they were to be first converted, and then the world through those who were of them. This mutual conversion was absolutely unknown. The prophet (see below on Zechariah 9:12) predicts ce

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...

AND THE INHABITANTS OF ONE [CITY] SHALL GO TO ANOTHER,.... Which shows their concern for the spiritual welfare of each other, their zeal for the honour and glory of God, and their readiness to attend divine worship: SAYING, LET US GO SPEEDILY TO PRAY BEFORE THE LORD; for pardoning, justifying, and sanctifying grace which shows their sense of need of these things, and that they are only to be had of the Lord; and that their case required haste, and would admit of no delay: AND TO SEEK THE LORD OF HOSTS: by prayer and supplication, as before: the Chaldee paraphrase is, "to seek doctrine from the Lord of hosts"; to learn the truths of his Gospel; to know his will, and be informed of the right way of worshipping him, as well as to seek to Christ for life and salvation: I WILL GO ALSO; that is, "this shall say to that", as the Targum supplies it; one shall say to another, and express himse...

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

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

The coming restoration and subsequent restoration of Judah, which will be so distinguished by the blessing of the Lord, that all nations will be desirous of having him for their God....