Free group study handout
Zechariah 7: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Zechariah 7 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
In the fourth year of King Darius, a delegation from Bethel, including Sharezer and Regem Melech, inquires about fasting in the fifth month (vv. 1-3). God’s word comes through Zechariah, challenging their fasting practices.
Key verse
“Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.”
Zechariah 7:9 (WEB)
Outline
- Zechariah 7:1–3 Delegation from Bethel Inquires
- Zechariah 7:4–7 God's Challenge to Their Fasting
- Zechariah 7:8–10 Call for Justice and Compassion
- Zechariah 7:11–12 Rejection of God's Message
- Zechariah 7:13–14 Consequences of Disobedience
Discussion questions
- In v2, who are the men sent from Bethel to entreat Yahweh’s favor?
- What does the phrase 'fasted and mourned' in v5 suggest about the people's practices?
- God's statement in v6 about eating and drinking for themselves: what does this imply about their motives?
- In v13, why does Yahweh say 'as he called, and they refused to listen'?
- When have you observed rituals without understanding their true meaning, as in v5?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Zechariah 7: Isaiah 1, Zechariah 8, Ezekiel 36.
Before next time: read Zechariah 8.