What is the true attitude of your heart? There are many Scriptures that teach about the importance of examining our heart attitude. When we do so, we may be surprised to find that our faithfulness isn’t as genuine as we’d like to believe.
Today’s Inspiration comes from Zechariah 7-8. During this time, the Israelites had been subjected to Babylonian captivity for 70-years and had been through some major suffering as a result.
Scripture:
Read Zechariah 7-8
Focus passages: Zechariah 7:2-6
Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer, Regem-melech, and their men to plead for the Lord’s favor by asking the priests who were at the house of the Lord of Hosts as well as the prophets, “Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years?”
Then the word of the Lord of Hosts came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these 70 years, did you really fast for Me? When you eat and drink, don’t you eat and drink simply for yourselves?
Chapter 7 Outline:
In the following chapter outlines, I’ve laid out what I interpreted to be an easy way to break down the chapters. These are not to be taken as absolute. They are simply my interpretation for my own ease of study. I hope you find them helpful.
Zechariah 7
Verses 1-3:
Introduction to the issues that will be discussed throughout the chapter.
Verses 4-7:
God’s response to His people’s question.
Verses 8-12a:
The Lord rebukes His people and reminds them of their stubbornness and unwillingness to hear His words.
Verses 12b-14:
The Lord reminds them of His discipline because of their sin and unwillingness to repent.
Chapter 8 Outline:
Zechariah 8
Verses 1-2:
The Lord begins telling His people what He will do in response to their exile.
Verses 3-8:
The Lord gives a description of what things will look like.
Verses 9-17:
The Lord describes how He will save His people after having disciplined them for their unrighteousness.
Verses 18-21:
The Lord tells His people how the fast and festivals will now be.
Verses 22-23:
The Lord proclaims things to come.
A Deeper Look:
At this time, the Jews had been under Babylonian captivity. During their captivity, they regularly practiced fasting at certain times to grieve and commemorate the loss they’d suffered. Their temple had been destroyed and they’d been exiled from their home. For 70-years, the Babylonians ruled over them, but they were now beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. A beacon of hope. Their temple would be rebuilt, after all these decades.
Naturally, seeing this hope, they began to wonder “must we continue to grieve the losses we suffered?” Now, you might think, what’s the big deal with asking this. The reality, though, is that by asking this they inevitably showed the true attitude of their hearts.
Their fasting practices were simply an outward act. What they needed to do was examine themselves for the true attitude of their hearts.
What motivated their obedience? Was it all for satisfying a cosmic checklist or a genuine desire to please the Lord?
A Little History Lesson
You see, anytime God commands the Israelites to DO a bunch of ceremonial things, it’s all with a purpose. Without getting into too much detail here, Jewish feasts and religious activities served several purposes in the Old Testament. To name a few:
- To prepare the people for the arrival of the Savior (Jesus)
- To provide a means for forgiving sins (before Jesus’ all atoning sacrifice)
- To commemorate and remember the ways God has shown His mercy to His people (Passover celebrates when God passed over the Jewish homes with lamb’s blood on the door and spared their first born children)
The Reality of The Situation
By asking if they could stop fasting as a way of mourning their losses, they showed how they’d completely missed the point of all they’d endured. Once again, they focused on the wrong things—religious duty in this case. When, in reality, they should have focused on the need for repentance of their sins and acknowledging their need for salvation—both literally (rescue from Babylonian captivity) and spiritually (redemption from the sin nature).
Ultimately, God tells them, in Zechariah 8:18-19, that rather than mourning, their fasting would “become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals” (vs 19).
What Does This Mean For Us Today?
The Israelites thought that simply obeying the rules about fasting was enough. The problem, though, is that the actual act of fasting wasn’t the point. The action was supposed to be an outpouring of the spiritual grief for their loss of the temple (their house of worship) and ultimately transformation from deliberate sin to repentance and a genuine heart of attitude of faithfulness to their eternally faithful God.
By seeking permission to stop fasting because they no longer felt that it was necessary (since they fasted to mourn and the temple would now be rebuilt) they were asking God to permit them to have one less box of religious duty to check off their list. Does this sound familiar?
As modern day Christians, we sometimes think that our church attendance, good deeds, acts of kindness, and personal devotional time are for becoming a better Christian and looking like a good, faithful Christian to others. When, in reality, those actions are supposed to be the outward result of a genuine heart of faithfulness.
Our heart’s desire should be more about glorifying and pleasing the Lord, rather than looking like we’ve got things together. We aren’t called to “look good” on the outside. We are called to repent of our sins and surrender to God’s will no matter how uncomfortable and unglamorous it may be. That’s the point.
Our actions should be a reflection of an internal determination and passion for serving the Lord, not for human recognition and praise driven by pride and selfish ambition. Let us, instead, choose a heart attitude that seeks genuine faithfulness to God’s commands, calling, and purposes in our lives.
Let’s Pray
Lord, may our hearts be focused on glorifying and pleasing you instead of the selfish desire to appear holy to others. Forgive us of our sins of unfaithfulness and pride.
Help us to desire to truly glorify and honor you through our actions and words—not for self-glorification, but to point others to your redemptive work of the Cross. In Jesus name, Amen.
Closing Thoughts
It’s my prayer that when you evaluate what motivates your Christian behavior, that would genuinely seek the Lord’s will and guidance. I pray that you will allow the Holy Spirit to show you where sin is taking hold and preventing you from experiencing the fullness of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Continue examining yourself. Remember that asking the question, “what is the true attitude of your heart?” will only lead you to a more intimate relationship with Jesus.
If you enjoyed Today’s Inspiration, please share it with others, and comment below your thoughts about cultivating a genuine heart attitude of faithfulness to the Lord.
