Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Zechariah Chapter 7
Metaphysically Interpreting Zechariah 7:1-7
7:1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chislev. 7:2Now they of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah, 7:3and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years? 7:4Then came the word of Jehovah of hosts unto me, saying, 7:5Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? 7:6And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? 7:7Should ye not hear the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?
Metaphysically Interpreting Zechariah 7:8-14
7:8And the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying, 7:9Thus hath Jehovah of hosts spoken, saying, Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother; 7:10and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the sojourner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart. 7:11But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear. 7:12Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah of hosts. 7:13And it is come to pass that, as he cried, and they would not hear, so they shall cry, and I will not hear, said Jehovah of hosts; 7:14but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
April 25, 1948: Zechariah 7:8-14
What is the “word of Jehovah” that comes to the prophet or seer? The “word of Jehovah” is the understanding of the divine law, which constitutes the law of life for all men everywhere. “Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother; and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the sojourner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.” Right social and human relations is the law of life. By right understanding and application of it men can solve all their difficulties
Is an understanding of the divine law our principal need in keeping it in our human relations? No. Desire to keep the law is our principal need; we understand it well enough. If we desire to be just, kind, and compassionate to everyone, no one can prevent us from being so.
How can we bring all our desires in line with Truth? By learning to control them so that they work for us constructively. We can make our desires and will work together. The constructive work of these two forces brings us into line with Truth.
Why is being more important than knowing or doing? Because it requires the harmonious adjustment of all the faculties, and when this is achieved, the result is the balanced individual or “full-grown man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Neither knowing nor doing requires the exercise of all the faculties.
April 25, 1948: Zechariah 7:8-14
The word of Jehovah is the moral law which constitutes the law of life. “Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother, and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the sojourner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.” Everyone knows this law. It is a matter not of knowing, but of desire to keep or execute the law in full, that is wanting in many cases. If we desire above everything else to be just, kind, and compassionate to everyone, no one can prevent our being so. We need to study the nature of desire and learn to control it; to cause ourselves to desire the divine way of life, to long for it with a great longing, and bring our will into harmony with our desire, so that the two faculties work together.
The word of Jehovah takes cognizance of the truth that all men are one. Therefore much of our obligation under the law of life is to our fellow men. We are social creatures, and unless we recognize this fact and conduct ourselves accordingly, we incur the penalty of our disobedience to the law. Hearts of “adamant stone” are impenetrable to love, compassion, kindness, and even justice. They are the product of rampant sense consciousness, and the reaction is total inability to understand the requirements of a happy, successful life and meet them. “As he cried, and they would not hear, so they shall cry, and I will not hear, saith Jehovah of hosts.”
It is easy enough to know what to do; knowing is easier than doing. Most difficult of all is being what the divine law presupposes the sons of God to be. Knowing requires only perception and understanding, while being involves all the faculties in harmonious adjustment.
– UNITY magazine.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-23-2014
