God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave me this Message for them, for all the people and for the priests: “When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You’re interested in religion, I’m interested in people.

I have often heard (and probably often remarked) that the ‘worship wasn’t my style’ or ‘wasn’t to my taste’. Doesn’t it show what a shallow view we have of worship?

That’s something like the issue God is taking up with his people in this passage. He responds to his own question saying (v.6) was “were you not just feasting for yourselves”. (From the NIV)

This is like our expectation of Church, worship and the Christian life generally – we are only interested in it for what is of benefit (and convenience) to us. We only like what fits our particular tastes – we pursue self-indulgent ‘worship’.

In contrast to that self-serving view of faith, the Prophet Zechariah continues to reveal God’s heart. He says we have already been told that what God wants is for us to: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’ (7:9-10 NIV)

Often the Bible rattles my soft-cushion faith with calls like this one to do more than spiritualise the Christian life and just do what is comfortable.
Adam Bennett

Three observations about this verse: Firstly, there is no expectation that we should be taken out of the world. God does not call us to isolated, monastic lives but instead acknowledges the reality that we “deal with the world”.

I wonder if we sometimes try too hard to promote an alternate Christian society with our own Christian schools, employment, entertainment, social circles, causes, books, conferences and more.

Secondly, Paul reminds us not to get too comfortable here. Though we do interact with the world we should be conscious that we are, “aliens and strangers on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13 NIV)

We are not on friendly terms with the values, priorities and means of this world because we are to be focused on the values, priorities and means of heaven.

James wrote that, “friendship with the world is hatred toward God.” (James 4:4 NIV) We should test ourselves to see how our habits and lifestyles demonstrate our preference for this world rather than God.

Finally, the verse warns us that what we see is coming to an end. An allegiance to this world is a poor investment because, “the present form of this world is passing away.” It is not sensible to offer a long-term commitment to something which will not be present in the long-term.

In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul emphasised this by writing that, “we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)

Our temporary time here should increasingly be in sync with heaven. That is why we are taught to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NIV)
Adam Bennett