Zechariah 1

“The LORD has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Return to Me,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD of hosts.’” (Zechariah 1:2–3, NKJV)

Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. Both prophesied to the returned exiles who had become discouraged and taken their eyes off the LORD. Like a good coach, Haggai exhorted the people to action. But Zechariah motivated the people through profoundly spiritual visions of the present and future. Many of these prophecies are hard to understand. However, as Zechariah opens his book, he gives the people a clear call: Return to the LORD, and He will return to you.

After nearly 40 years of pastoral ministry, I have seen that people easily drift away from the LORD and from His calling on their lives. Because of the weakness of our flesh, we are all susceptible to temptation and sin. Sin is deceitful, and it leads us away from God, His Word, and His people. This is what happened to the children of Israel, which caused them to go into captivity. It continues to happen today.

Therefore, God calls us to return to Him. He is the only One who can save us.

God has given us a new president, two new houses of congress, and new laws that are coming down the pike. All of this can be good news to those who champion conservative values. But merely focusing on making our nation great will not save souls for eternity. It will not necessarily cause them to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind and to love their neighbors as themselves. For these things we must return to the LORD. We must value His Word above our own agenda. If we don’t, then we will merely trade one set of idols for another.

As we walk together through the book of Zechariah, we will see things that happened over 2,500 years ago, but also things that have yet to happen. Zechariah takes us on a journey through time to the return of Jesus Christ and beyond this into the millennial kingdom. But none of it will make any sense, nor will we personally take part in it, unless we return to the LORD. Then He will return to us, heal our land, and truly make our nation great.