Main Idea: God is a God of great mercy who invites sinners to return to Him.
A Quick Backdrop:
The prophet Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. He came on the scene during the reconstruction period in the second year of Darius, king of Persia, just as the prophet Haggai did (Zech. 1:1; Ezra 5:1).
A Look at the Text:
The ministry of Zechariah offered an invitation for the returned exiles to return spiritually and not just geographically. While God was angry with their ancestors and sent them into captivity (Zech. 1:2), if they would now return to Him, He would return to them:
“Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 1:3).
Thankfully, while their ancestors were hardhearted and refused to heed the prophets of their generation, unlike them, the people of Zechariah’s day repented (Zech. 1:4-6).
Zechariah then had a series of six visions in one night, two of which are found in chapter 1.
First, he had an unusual vision of a horseman with many horses who patrol the earth (Zech. 1:7-10). In the vision, it was revealed that the nations were largely at rest while Jerusalem was not (Zech. 1:11). In light of this, the angel of the Lord pleaded with God for mercy on Jerusalem (Zech. 1:12). To this, God declared that He was jealous for Jerusalem (Zech. 1:14) and that the nations were harsher with Jerusalem than He had intended (Zech. 1:15).
God showed Zechariah that He was now returning to Jerusalem in His mercy, the temple would be rebuilt, and the land of Judah and Jerusalem especially would prosper again (Zech. 1:16-17). Then, in a second vision, God revealed that He would bring judgment against the nations (Zech. 1:18-21).
Bringing it Home:
The Bible presents a God with many attributes. He is a God who gets angry. But He is slow to anger. Even more, His anger is but for a moment (Psalm 30:5). For God is also a God of great mercy.
The return from Babylonian captivity was a testament to God’s mercy. The rebuilding of the temple was the result of God’s mercy. Jerusalem’s existence again was a testament to God’s mercy. Even more, God’s invitation to the returned exiles who had lapsed in their own day to return to Him was nothing but mercy.
God is unchanging. If He was gracious then, certainly He is gracious now. Even more, we enjoy a new and better covenant. So if He were gracious then, certainly through gospel-grace He will be abundantly gracious with us now!
God has revealed Himself to be a loving God who is merciful beyond what we could ever deserve, or even comprehend.
Let us then be quick to return to Him if we stray. Let us be quick to confess our sins, knowing that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). Certainly, if we have strayed, He is right where we left Him. He simply wants us to return.
Challenge:
Have I ever felt that I sinned beyond the reach of mercy?