Zechariah 8:18 - Meaning and Application

These verses hold two precious promises, given to encourage the devout Jews who were earnest in rebuilding the temple.

First, their fasts would come to an end, and they would no longer be needed. Instead, those fasts would turn into days of thanksgiving (Zechariah 8:19). This is God’s clear answer to the question about their fasts in (Zechariah 7:3). Some fasted only outwardly and received judgment in the previous chapter. But those who truly humbled themselves before God and sought his face now receive a comforting promise of a share in the joy ahead.

The four yearly fasts they had faithfully kept would become joy and gladness for the house of Judah, along with cheerful festivals. Joyful times do come to the church after seasons of trouble. If sorrow lasts longer than a night, and joy does not come the next morning, still the morning will come in time. When God moves toward us in mercy, we should meet him with joy and thanks. When he turns judgments into mercies, we should turn fasts into feasts and walk in step with the Lord.

Those who sow in tears with Zion will reap in joy with her, and those who submit to her solemn fasts while they continue will share in her joyful feasts when they arrive (Isaiah 66:10). From this promise comes a practical lesson: love truth and peace. Be faithful and honest in all you do, and let it be a joy to you, even if it means giving up dishonest gain that others may enjoy. As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone, and be at home in kindness. Let God’s truth guide your mind, and let God’s peace rule your heart.

Second, many foreigners would be brought into the church by conversion (Zechariah 8:20-23). This was partly fulfilled later among the Jewish church, when many converts came from nearby lands and from far away to worship in Jerusalem. That helped make the city more important and wealthy before our Savior’s time. But the promise would be fulfilled much more fully when the Gentiles, the non-Jewish nations, were brought to faith in Christ and joined with believing Jews in one great body under Christ the head, a mystery now made clear through the prophets’ writings (Romans 16:26).

Notice who would be added to the church: people and the residents of many cities (Zechariah 8:20). Not just a few simple country people, or idle people with nothing else to do, would believe the gospel. Intelligent city people, men of business and experience, would also embrace Christ. Yes, many peoples and strong nations would come, from many languages (Zechariah 8:22-23). This shows that they are not brought in by human persuasion alone, because they speak different languages, and not by force, because they are strong nations that could have resisted. They come only through the effective work of God’s truth and grace. God has his remnant in every place, and in the great gathering of the church of the firstborn, people from every nation and tribe will be found (Revelation 7:9).

Their coming into the church is described this way: they will come to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 8:21). To show that this is the main thing in their conversion, it is repeated in (Zechariah 8:22): they will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. There is no mention of sacrifices, not only because these were not expected from Gentile converts, but because when the Gentiles were brought in, sacrifice and offering would be done away with. So we see who should be counted true converts to God and members of the church, and all true converts to God are members of the church.

They are those who seek the Lord of hosts, who ask after God their Maker, desire his favor, and sincerely want to know his will and honor him. This is the people who seek him. They are also those who pray before the Lord, who take prayer seriously and make it a real part of life, who would not dare to live without it, and who by prayer give God honor, confess their dependence on him, keep fellowship with him, and receive mercy and grace from him. They also show respect for God’s revealed way of worship, which is pictured by their doing this in Jerusalem, the place God chose, where his word and temple were. That temple pointed ahead to Christ and his mediation, that is, his acting as the one who brings us to God, which all faithful worshipers will regard with trust.

Their coming would be united, and they would stir one another up to join in it (Zechariah 8:21). The people of one city would go to another, as they once went from all parts of the land to the yearly feasts, and they would say, “Let us go at once to pray before the Lord. I will go too.” This shows, first, that those who come to know Christ themselves should do all they can to bring others to him. Andrew brought Peter to Christ, and Philip brought Nathanael. True grace does not want to keep Christ to itself.

Second, those who truly feel their need of Christ and of God’s favor through him will stir themselves and others without delay. “Let us go at once to pray” means this is a matter of life and death for our souls, so we must not waste time. Delays are dangerous in a matter this important. Third, fellowship with God is helped greatly by fellowship with other believers. It is pleasant to go to God’s house together (Psalm 55:14), with the crowds (Psalm 42:4), and it does good when believers urge one another to go quickly and not lose time. We should be glad when others say to us, “Let us go” (Psalm 122:1). As iron sharpens iron, so good people can sharpen one another’s hearts and minds in what is good.

Finally, anyone who urges others to good must be careful not to turn aside, grow tired, or draw back himself. The one who says, “Let us go,” also says, “I will go too.” Whatever good we urge on others, we must make sure we do ourselves, or we will be judged by our own words. It must not be, “You go, and I will stay home,” but, “You go, and I will go with you.”

They will join themselves to the church, not for the church’s sake alone, but for the sake of the One who lives in it (Zechariah 8:23). Ten men from different nations and languages will take hold of the skirt of a Jew, asking him not to leave them behind, but to lead them along. This shows the great honor they give to a Jew, since he belongs to God’s chosen people, and they count him worthy of close friendship.

They cannot all come and take him by the hand or embrace him in their arms, but they are eager to hold the edge of his robe, to touch the hem of his garment, and say, “We will go with you, because we have heard that God is with you” (John 12:21). The gospel was first preached to the Jews, since the apostles were Jews, and from them it was carried to the Gentiles, that is, the nations. Paul, a Jew, was one whose “skirt” many took hold of when they welcomed him as if he were an angel of God, asking him to lead them to Christ.

This is the privilege of the saints. They have God with them, among them, known and feared and worshiped in their midst. They enjoy his favor and gracious presence, and that should draw us into fellowship with them. It is good to be with those who have God with them, and those who join themselves to the Lord must also join themselves to his people. If we take God as our God, we must take his people as our people, share our lot with them, and be willing to be numbered among them.