◄ Zechariah 8:19 ►
"This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace."
Study Bible
This is what the LORD of Hosts says:
This phrase emphasizes the authority and divine origin of the message. The title "LORD of Hosts" underscores God's sovereignty and command over heavenly armies, indicating His power and ability to fulfill His promises. This introduction is common in prophetic literature, establishing the message as not merely human opinion but divine revelation.

The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months:
These fasts were instituted to commemorate various calamities that befell Judah, particularly related to the Babylonian conquest and the destruction of Jerusalem. The fourth month fast commemorates the breaching of Jerusalem's walls (2 Kings 25:3-4), the fifth month marks the destruction of the Temple (2 Kings 25:8-9), the seventh month remembers the assassination of Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:25), and the tenth month marks the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's siege (2 Kings 25:1). These fasts were times of mourning and reflection on sin and its consequences.

Will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah:
This transformation from fasting to feasting signifies a reversal of fortune and divine restoration. It reflects the prophetic theme of redemption and hope, where God turns mourning into joy (Isaiah 61:3). The promise of joy and gladness is a foretaste of the Messianic age, where sorrow and sighing will flee away (Isaiah 35:10). This change also prefigures the ultimate redemption through Christ, who brings joy and peace to His people.

Therefore you are to love both truth and peace:
This exhortation connects ethical living with divine blessing. Truth and peace are central to God's covenantal relationship with His people. Loving truth involves integrity and faithfulness to God's word, while loving peace involves harmony and reconciliation with others. These virtues are essential for the community's well-being and reflect the character of God, who is both truthful and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). The call to love truth and peace is echoed in the New Testament, where believers are urged to live in truth and pursue peace (Ephesians 4:15, Romans 12:18).

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD of Hosts
A title emphasizing God's sovereignty and command over the heavenly armies, underscoring His power and authority.

2. House of Judah
Refers to the southern kingdom of Israel, representing the Jewish people who returned from Babylonian exile.

3. Fasts of the Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Tenth Months
These were times of mourning and fasting commemorating various calamities that befell Jerusalem, such as the destruction of the temple and the siege of Jerusalem.

4. Joyful and Glad Occasions
The transformation of these fasts into celebrations signifies a shift from mourning to joy, reflecting God's restoration and blessing.

5. Truth and Peace
Core values that God desires His people to embrace, indicating a life aligned with His will and character.
Teaching Points
Transformation from Mourning to Joy
God has the power to transform our times of sorrow into times of celebration. Trust in His restorative work in your life.

Embrace Truth and Peace
As followers of Christ, we are called to love and pursue truth and peace. This involves living with integrity and fostering harmony in our relationships.

God's Faithfulness to His Promises
The shift from fasting to feasting is a testament to God's faithfulness. Reflect on how God has been faithful in your life and respond with gratitude.

The Role of Fasting and Feasting
Understand the spiritual significance of fasting and feasting. Both practices can draw us closer to God when done with the right heart.

Community and Celebration
Engage in communal celebrations that honor God’s work among His people. These gatherings can strengthen faith and unity within the body of Christ.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the transformation of fasts into festivals in Zechariah 8:19 reflect God's character and promises?

2. In what ways can you actively pursue truth and peace in your daily life, as encouraged in this verse?

3. Reflect on a time when God turned a period of mourning in your life into joy. How did that experience impact your faith?

4. How can the principles of fasting and feasting be applied in your spiritual walk today?

5. What are some practical ways your church community can embody the joy and peace described in Zechariah 8:19?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 61:3
This verse speaks of God giving "a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning," which parallels the transformation of fasts into festivals in Zechariah 8:19.

Jeremiah 31:13
Describes the joy and gladness that God will bring to His people, similar to the joyful occasions mentioned in Zechariah.

Matthew 5:9
Jesus' teaching on peacemakers being blessed connects to the call to love peace in Zechariah 8:19.

John 14:6
Jesus as the embodiment of truth relates to the exhortation to love truth in Zechariah.

Romans 14:17
The kingdom of God is described as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, aligning with the themes of joy and peace in Zechariah.
Sermons
Love to the Truth and PeaceRobert Muter, D. D.Zechariah 8:19
On Reading Works of FictionW. B. O. Peabody, D. D.Zechariah 8:19
Sad Fasts Changed to Glad FeastsCharles Haddon Spurgeon Zechariah 8:19
The Love of the TruthSermons by Contrib. "Tracts for the Times. "Zechariah 8:19
The Future Glory of the ChurchW. Forsyth Zechariah 8:1-23
A Universal Revival of Genuine ReligionD. Thomas Zechariah 8:16-23
People
Zechariah
Places
Jerusalem, Zion
Topics
Appointed, Armies, Cheerful, Faith, Fast, Fasts, Feasts, Festivals, Fifth, Fourth, Gatherings, Glad, Gladness, Happy, Hosts, Joy, Joyful, Judah, Love, Loved, Lovers, Meetings, Month, Months, Occasions, Peace, Pleasant, Rejoicing, Says, Seasons, Seventh, Tenth, Thus, Truth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Zechariah 8:19

     1461   truth, nature of
     7355   feasts and festivals, nature of
     8288   joy, of Israel
     8430   fasting, nature of

Library
Sad Fasts Changed to Glad Feasts
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace."--Zechariah 8:19 MY time for discourse upon this subject will be limited, as we shall gather around the communion-table immediately afterwards. So in the former part of my sermon I shall give you an outline of what might be said upon the text if we had …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

The Temptation of Jesus
The proclamation and inauguration of the Kingdom of Heaven' at such a time, and under such circumstances, was one of the great antitheses of history. With reverence be it said, it is only God Who would thus begin His Kingdom. A similar, even greater antithesis, was the commencement of the Ministry of Christ. From the Jordan to the wilderness with its wild Beasts; from the devout acknowledgment of the Baptist, the consecration and filial prayer of Jesus, the descent of the Holy Spirit, and the heard …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Healing the Centurion's Servant.
(at Capernaum.) ^A Matt. VIII. 1, 5-13; ^C Luke VII. 1-10. ^c 1 After he had ended all his sayings in the ears of the people, ^a 1 And when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. ^c he entered into Capernaum. [Jesus proceeded from the mountain to Capernaum, which was now his home, or headquarters. The multitudes which are now mentioned for the third time were not wearied by his sermon, and so continued to follow him. Their presence showed the popularity of Jesus, and also …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Concerning Peaceableness
Blessed are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:9 This is the seventh step of the golden ladder which leads to blessedness. The name of peace is sweet, and the work of peace is a blessed work. Blessed are the peacemakers'. Observe the connection. The Scripture links these two together, pureness of heart and peaceableness of spirit. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable' (James 3:17). Follow peace and holiness' (Hebrews 12:14). And here Christ joins them together pure in heart, and peacemakers', …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16. THE tongue which at first was made to be an organ of God's praise, is now become an instrument of unrighteousness. This commandment binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue, the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil. It has a prohibitory and a mandatory part: the first is set down in plain words, the other …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings
THE following list contains the passages in the Old Testament applied to the Messiah or to Messianic times in the most ancient Jewish writings. They amount in all to 456, thus distributed: 75 from the Pentateuch, 243 from the Prophets, and 138 from the Hagiorgrapha, and supported by more than 558 separate quotations from Rabbinic writings. Despite all labour care, it can scarcely be hoped that the list is quite complete, although, it is hoped, no important passage has been omitted. The Rabbinic references …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Zechariah
CHAPTERS I-VIII Two months after Haggai had delivered his first address to the people in 520 B.C., and a little over a month after the building of the temple had begun (Hag. i. 15), Zechariah appeared with another message of encouragement. How much it was needed we see from the popular despondency reflected in Hag. ii. 3, Jerusalem is still disconsolate (Zech. i. 17), there has been fasting and mourning, vii. 5, the city is without walls, ii. 5, the population scanty, ii. 4, and most of the people …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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