And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
The verse marks the coming of the word of the Lord to Zechariah and introduces what follows as a message from the Lord delivered through him. That message is the Lord's instruction and word to Zechariah, applying also to present dealings.
The command is to execute true and just and honest judgment and to show mercy and compassion every man to his brother. No one is to oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, nor the stranger, nor the poor, but to protect and care for the vulnerable. No one is to imagine or plot evil against his brother in the heart, but to be free from evil thoughts toward others. This means God's people must not live for themselves but must do their appointed work as laborers together with God in just and merciful dealing with others, the opposite of the self-seeking course they had been pursuing.
The wayward people were displeased with this teaching because it opposed their course, wanting to follow their own wisdom rather than hearken and heed it. They refused to hearken, pulling away the shoulder, stopping the ears, and making the heart as adamant stone against the law. These are excellent instructions that the wayward refused to heed. Refusing to hear and obey God's words brings His judgment in great wrath, with scattering as a whirlwind among nations they knew not, and desolation. Those who harden their hearts face that judgment. Those who refuse to hear God may themselves cry out without being heard.
The word applies to present dealings, including business dealings, where God does not accept service from someone who makes cruel or oppressive terms with another. It applies as a warning to those who hinder God's servants and neglect the work in the South. It requires cheerful, noble, courageous, joyful united action to heal the breach that has been made and to redeem at once the heavily debt-burdened institution in great peril, with the Lord's blessing on all who take hold interestedly and carry it through successfully.
The verse marks the coming of the word of the Lord to Zechariah and introduces what follows as a message from the Lord delivered through him. That message is the Lord's instruction and word to Zechariah, applying also to present dealings.
The command is to execute true and just and honest judgment and to show mercy and compassion every man to his brother. No one is to oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, nor the stranger, nor the poor, but to protect and care for the vulnerable. No one is to imagine or plot evil against his brother in the heart, but to be free from evil thoughts toward others. This means God's people must not live for themselves but must do their appointed work as laborers together with God in just and merciful dealing with others, the opposite of the self-seeking course they had been pursuing.
The wayward people were displeased with this teaching because it opposed their course, wanting to follow their own wisdom rather than hearken and heed it. They refused to hearken, pulling away the shoulder, stopping the ears, and making the heart as adamant stone against the law. These are excellent instructions that the wayward refused to heed. Refusing to hear and obey God's words brings His judgment in great wrath, with scattering as a whirlwind among nations they knew not, and desolation. Those who harden their hearts face that judgment. Those who refuse to hear God may themselves cry out without being heard.
The word applies to present dealings, including business dealings, where God does not accept service from someone who makes cruel or oppressive terms with another. It applies as a warning to those who hinder God's servants and neglect the work in the South. It requires cheerful, noble, courageous, joyful united action to heal the breach that has been made and to redeem at once the heavily debt-burdened institution in great peril, with the Lord's blessing on all who take hold interestedly and carry it through successfully.