September 12th~Reality Over Ritual

Zechariah 6:1-15

Ezra 5:3-6:14a

Zechariah 7:1-8:23

The Temple reconstruction project continued despite the efforts of a neighboring governor named Tattenai. He was not aware of King Cyrus’ decree and, thus, questioned the authority that Zerubbabel and Jeshua had for sanctioning such a plan. However, after he wrote a letter to King Darius, the King returned a message that included a warning to leave the Jews alone (Ezra 6:6-12). “So the Jewish leaders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah” (6:14).

One encouraging message from Zechariah centered around the end times. “This is what the Lord Almighty says, ‘Take heart and finish the task! ...Now I will treat the remnant of My people as I treated them before. Once more I will make the remnant in Judah and Israel the heirs of My blessings... I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing! So don’t be afraid or discouraged, but instead get on with rebuilding the Temple!’” (8:9-13).

One of the sources of blessing in the end times will be the fact that the Messiah will live among the people, and He will join the roles of both King and Priest in Himself. Zechariah symbolized this by crowning Jeshua the High Priest, saying, “Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out where He is and build the Temple of the Lord. He will build the Lord’s Temple, and He will receive royal honor and will rule as king from His throne. He will also serve as priest from His throne, and there will be perfect harmony between the two” (6:12, 13).

Since the beginning, the roles of priest and king have been separate. Remember Kings Saul and Hezekiah got into trouble for daring to offer sacrifices when that was not in their responsibilities to do so. However, Christ will be able to fulfill both roles in perfect harmony. He will be both Priest, our sinless mediator, and King, who has been given all authority to rule the earth.

Daily Reflection

Despite the excitement of the Temple reconstruction, the Lord gave His people a warning. He did not want them to repeat the mistakes of their forefathers and fall into mindless ritual. He warned against following the letter of the law without catching the spirit of the law. “Even now in your festivals, you don’t think about Me but only of pleasing yourselves” (Zechariah 7:6). God wanted them to practice righteousness.

“Judge fairly and honestly,” He said, “and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people; and do not make evil plans to harm each other” (7:9, 10). He continued, “Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace... Stop the habit of swearing things that are false. I hate all these things” (8:16, 17).

What does it mean to follow the letter of the law and miss the spirit of the law? How do we fall into this trap today?

God wanted His people to be less about rituals and more about reality. Apply that to your life.

BiAY.org | Day 255 — 110 Days to Go