1-2 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4-5 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvellous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvellous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? 7-8 Thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” Zechariah 8:1-8 English Standard Version

Did you spot the phrase that was used again and again in these 8 verses?

Five times the prophet Zechariah said to the people of Jerusalem “Thus says the Lord of Hosts.” And by the end of this short chapter, he will have used that phrase ten times! The 'Names of God' Bible translation gives the Hebrew title as 'Yahweh Tsebaoth', and some paraphrase Bible versions translate this as 'The Lord of heaven's armies'. I suspect that his repetition was to highlight who it was that was giving the promises Zechariah pronounced. It wasn't just the words of a man, but of the One who is over the legions of angels in heaven. That's something we should keep in mind for the whole Bible!

The background to these promises was that the land of Judea and the city of Jerusalem had been trampled upon by powerful foreign armies. Originally the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians, both famous (or infamous) for their power and cruelty. The tragic reason for this was because the people of Israel and Judea had drifted, often speedily, from God's teachings. They were like someone who had broken the marriage vow and turned to adultery. They had forsaken the one who loved them. But it was also as if the one they had committed adultery with had, in turn, abused them terribly. No wonder God speaks of being jealous for them with great jealousy. (vs 1-2)

Initially, God had withdrawn from them, and sent them into exile in the land of Babylon. Now He was giving promises through His prophet to restore them to their land, and to make Jerusalem His dwelling place again. Verses 4-5 portray a picture of a joyful neighbourhood. But was Zechariah saying something new in all of this? (vs 6)

That verse suggests that Zechariah was reaffirming promises God had already given through earlier prophets, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, both before and during the 70 years of exile. The promises had caused the exiles to stand in awe of what God was going to do. And so, in vs 7-8, God announces again how He would continue to bring the exiles back from the far off regions they had been scattered to. It was as if the marriage had been restored, God would dwell again with the wife who had been so unfaithful.

Now while the chapter is about events that happened over 2,500 years ago, it has a truth applies for all mankind today. When God called Israel out of Egypt, Moses said to them: “Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:23-24)

There is only one Lord of Hosts. There is only one true God of the hosts of heaven, and of the hosts of people from the nations in the world. He made all the nations from one man, and His desire was that they should seek after Him. And the Lord of Hosts has said that we must repent of sin and believe on His beloved Son who died for sinners. And those who heed what He has said, will be citizens of the new Jerusalem that He has promised.