Zechariah 7:8-14: a reflection

8The LORD’s word came to Zechariah, saying, 9“Thus has the LORD of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother. 10Don’t oppress the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.’ 11But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear. 12Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law and the words which the LORD of Armies had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the LORD of Armies. 13It has come to pass that, as he called and they refused to listen, so they will call and I will not listen,” said the LORD of Armies; 14“but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”

Through Zechariah, God tells his people plainly what he wants from them, and it is not first about ritual or ceremony. Execute true justice, he says; show kindness and compassion to one another; do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, or the poor; and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart. The heart of what God asks is justice and mercy toward others, especially the vulnerable, and a heart free of ill intent.

Notice what God places at the center of true devotion: not merely religious observance, but justice, kindness, and compassion, especially toward the vulnerable, the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, the poor. These are the people most easily overlooked and mistreated, and God's concern for them is at the heart of what he asks. To truly serve God is to deal justly and mercifully with others, and to care for those who cannot protect themselves.

That is a needed reminder of what God most wants from us. We can imagine that devotion to God is mainly a matter of religious activity, while neglecting the justice and mercy toward others that God places at the center. But God asks for true justice, kindness, and compassion, and especially care for the vulnerable; this is the heart of what he wants. Do not let your devotion to God become mere observance while you neglect justice and mercy toward others. Deal justly and kindly with those around you; care for the vulnerable, the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, the poor; and let your heart be free of ill intent toward others. This is the devotion God asks: justice and mercy lived out, especially toward those who most need it.

Lord, through Zechariah you told your people plainly what you want: execute true justice, show kindness and compassion, do not oppress the widow, orphan, foreigner, or poor, and do not devise evil against another in your heart. Remind me what you most want from me. I can imagine that devotion to you is mainly a matter of religious activity, while neglecting the justice and mercy toward others that you place at the center. But you ask for true justice, kindness, and compassion, and especially care for the vulnerable; this is the heart of what you want. Keep my devotion from becoming mere observance while I neglect justice and mercy toward others. Help me deal justly and kindly with those around me; help me care for the vulnerable, the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, the poor; and keep my heart free of ill intent toward others. This is the devotion you ask; help me live it out, especially toward those who most need it. Give me your heart for justice and mercy.