“In November of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo: “I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’ “Where are your ancestors now? They and the prophets are long dead. But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said, ‘We have received what we deserved from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He has done what he said he would do.’””
Zechariah 1:1-6 NLT
God is beyond. He defies every expectation except those he sets for himself, and even then, his execution defies our capacity to predict its outworking. When he speaks, we should listen. Yet we have a wicked tendency to do just the opposite. We, instead, try to be like him. We defy every edict and credo that we can possibly muster in the face of God’s will and call it a practice of good stewardship. We justify that our rebellion is simply a practice of right ownership of agency. But in truth, it is rebellion. Zechariah was preaching to the next generation of rebels. They still had a choice as to whether to double down on the sins of their forefathers or finally listen. All generations need this choice given. Coming from a people who knew God doesn’t equate to you knowing God, but it does equate to a higher level of judgement when all things are finally reconciled. Those who grew up around God ought to know better than to setup lives that defy him. We ought to heed Zechariah’s message.
JOSH McGARY. COM 