Zechariah 8:1 - Meaning and Application

In the chapters before this, the prophet had shown his hearers their guilt and the weight of God’s anger. He had also left them looking at the ruin of their land, which had come from their fathers’ disobedience. But since his goal was to lead them to repentance, not despair, he now sets before them the great things God had planned for them.

He does this to stir up hope that their troubled conscience would soon find peace. He also shows that God’s providence would call them to joy and gladness just as clearly as it had once called them to fasting and mourning. God will stand up for Jerusalem, defend her cause, and act on her behalf.

First, God will punish Zion’s enemies. He says, “I am jealous for Zion” (Zechariah 8:2), meaning that he is deeply concerned for her honor and welfare. The great wrath that was once against Zion (Zechariah 7:12) now turns against those who harmed her. God had said this before (Zechariah 1:14, 15), so the people could trust that the same anger that had fallen against them could now work for them.

The sins of Zion had been her worst enemies, and they had done her the most harm. So in his care for her honor and peace, God will remove her sins. Then any other enemy who tries to hurt her will do so at their own peril.

Second, God will dwell again in Zion. He says, “I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:3). After seeming far away for so long, he will once more live among them as he did before. This gives them the signs of his presence in their worship and the gifts of his favor in daily life.

There will also be a wonderful change in Jerusalem itself. Religion, in its true power, will take root and flourish there. Jerusalem, which had been false to both God and man, will become so known for honesty and faithfulness that it will be called a city of truth. Its people will be known as children who do not lie.

The faithful city had become like a prostitute (Isaiah 1:21), but now it will become faithful again. It will be faithful to the God of Israel and to his worship alone. This was fulfilled after the captivity, for though much was still wrong among the Jews, they never again fell into idolatry.

Jerusalem will also be called the mountain of the Lord of hosts, because it belongs to him and is owned by him. It will be the holy mountain, cleaned of idols and set apart for God, instead of being, as it had once been, the mount of corruption (2 Kings 23:13). The city of God should be a city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts should be holy. Those who claim faith and belong to God must show it in godliness and honesty.

There will also be a great increase of people in Jerusalem, along with every sign of deep peace. Once it becomes a city of truth and a holy mountain, it will also be peaceful and prosperous. Everything about it will look bright and pleasant.

One sign of this will be the presence of many old people. In the streets of Jerusalem, which had once been filled with the bodies of the slain or left empty and ruined, there will now be old men and women. They will not have been cut off by violence, famine, or disease, but will have lived out a full life. They will die in peace, in old age, like grain that is fully ripe (Zechariah 8:4).

They will each have a staff in hand because of their great age, as Jacob did when he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff (Hebrews 11:21). Old age needs support, and there is no shame in needing it. Still, older people should also have the grace of God in their hearts, for that is a stronger support than any staff. A city is honored when it has many aged people in it. That shows not only healthy air, but also virtue, since many sins cut life short.

Another sign will be the presence of many children. The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing there (Zechariah 8:5). This means the people will have many children, a clear sign of God’s blessing, as in the beginning when he said to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). It is a happy thing for a person or a nation to have a full quiver of such children.

It also means the children will be healthy, strong, and lively. They will not lie sick in bed or sit weak and sad in the corner. Instead, they will be cheerful and active, playing in the streets, which is a lovely sight for parents. This is their time for play, and there is no need to begrudge it to them. Trouble will come soon enough, and the years will come when they have no pleasure in them, so they should still remember their Creator.

Their playing in the streets also shows that there will be plenty of food for all. In famine, children are said to swoon in the streets like wounded people (Lamentations 2:11, 12). If children are playing there, it is a sign that they lack nothing. It also means they will be safe from war. There will be no enemy breaking in, no people fleeing out, and no cries of alarm in the streets (Psalm 144:14). Where children can play freely, there is little fear.

Finally, it shows there will be love and peace among the people themselves. The boys and girls will not be fighting in the streets, as often happens in places torn by division, where children copy the grudges of their parents. Instead, they will play together harmlessly and kindly, delighting one another rather than hurting one another.

The sports and amusements in that restored community will all be harmless and decent. Boys and girls will have no kind of play that they would be ashamed to let others see in the streets. There will be no secret or sinful behavior, no foolishness, and no loose conduct, because it is the mountain of the Lord, the holy mountain. Their recreation will be honest and modest, the kind no one needs to hide.

Childish play will stay where it belongs, in childhood and youth. It is pleasant to see boys and girls playing in the streets, but it looks wrong to see grown men and women doing the same. Adults should spend their time in work and useful tasks. It is fine for children to sit in the marketplace and ask questions (Matthew 11:16, 17), but it is not right for men who are able to work in the vineyard to stand idle all day (Matthew 20:3).

The Lord also promises to gather his scattered people back from every place where they were dispersed (Zechariah 8:7). He will save them from the east and from the west. He will keep them from being lost in Babylon, Egypt, or any other land where they were driven. The nations where they live will not hold them forever, and they will not become fully tied to those people. God will save them, set them apart, and bring them back to their own land.

He will make their land so blessed that it will draw them home, and he will also incline their hearts to return. They will live in the middle of Jerusalem and choose to stay there because it is the holy city, even though the countryside might seem easier in many ways. This is why, in Nehemiah's day, the people blessed the men who willingly came to live in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11:2).

God will also renew his covenant with them. He will be faithful to them, and he will make them faithful to him: "They shall be my people, and I will be their God." This is the base and crown of all the promises, and it includes every blessing. They will obey God's laws, and God will guard and prosper all that belongs to them. This agreement will be made again in truth and righteousness.

Some understand this to mean that truth points to God's part of the covenant, he will truly be their God and keep every promise of favor. Righteousness then points to the people's part, they will be a righteous people and produce the fruit of righteousness. They will no longer, as they once did, deal falsely and unfairly with their God. See Hosea 2:19, 20. God will never leave them in mercy, as he has promised, and they will never leave him in duty, as they have promised him.

These promises were partly fulfilled in the time when the Jewish church flourished for some centuries between the captivity and the time of Christ. They were to be fulfilled even more fully in the gospel church, the heavenly Jerusalem that is above, is free, and is the mother of us all. But their fullest fulfillment will be in the future life. All these precious promises are confirmed here, and God answers the doubts of his people with this question (Zechariah 8:6): "If this seems amazing to this people, should it also seem amazing to me?" If it seems unlikely to you that Jerusalem could ever be rebuilt and filled again, does that make it impossible for God?

The remnant of this people, and God's people in this world are only a remnant, were small and weak, so they thought this news was too good to be true. Especially in hard, cloudy, and dark days, it seemed highly unlikely, even morally impossible, that things could ever become as the prophet said. How can these things be? How can dry bones live? But should that seem impossible to God? We do ourselves and God great harm if we think that, when we are at a loss, he is too. He can rise above every obstacle that seems too great for us. What is impossible with people is possible with God. His thoughts and ways are far beyond ours.