DESPISE NOT SMALL THINGS Devotion 4 of 24 The Babylonian captivity was a judgment upon Israel for their neglect of honoring the sabbaths of the land. Every seventh year, the people were to let the land "keep a sabbath unto the Lord." Six years they could sow and reap, but the seventh was to be "a sabbath for the Lord." This was a test of the faith of the Israelites. God promised that in the sixth year, "I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years." That was sufficient for the year they planted, the sabbath year in which they did not plant, and the eighth year in which they would plant (Lev 25:3-5,20-22). – Tomorrow:
"Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." Zechariah 4:8-10, NKJV
Moses told Israel if they did not honor these land-sabbaths, the Lord would move them out of the land, allowing the land to enjoy its sabbaths for as long as Israel failed to do so. Thus it is written, "Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it" (Lev 26:34-34).
For four hundred and ninety years, starting with King Saul, the Israelites did not honor this law. The land was given no sabbath for nearly five centuries. Therefore, God took all of the sabbaths at one time, one year for every sabbath year that was not honored. That means seventy sabbaths were taken at once – the precise length of the Babylonian captivity, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah. "To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years." And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations." For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place" (2 Chron 36:21; Jer 25:11-12; 29:10).
More happened in this judgment than the release of the land for seventy years. The holy vessels were removed from the temple and taken to an idolatrous temple in Babylon (2 Chron 36:7). All the princes, mighty men of valor, craftsmen, and smiths were also removed from the land, together with the king, his mother, and all of his officers (2 Kgs 24:13-15).
Several years after Nebuchadnezzar removed the vessels from the Temple, the Babylonian army completed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Temple and its buildings were burned (2 Kings 25:1-9). Thus ended the four hundred year history of Solomon's Temple. It was a tragic day in Israel's history
The Babylonian empire, according to the word of the Lord, came to an end, being replaced by the Median/Persian empire. Darius the Mede took the kingdom following the prophesied death of Belshazzar. He was sixty-two years old at that time. Following him, Cryus, king Persia reigned (Dan 6:28; 10:1). All of this was according to the prophecy of Daniel (Dan 2:38-39; 5:28-31). The new king, Cyrus, was moved by God to make a decree sanctioning the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple (2 Chron 36:23; Ezra 1:1-4; Isa 44:28).
Long after this captivity was over, the effects of it lingered on. Nearly eighty years before the time of our text, Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer to king Artaxerxes. When confronting certain men of Judah who were returning from Jerusalem, he asked how those who were left of the captivity were doing. He was told, "The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire" (Neh 1:3).
Now, during the time of Zechariah, things are not much better. The work of the Lord has made some progress, but has a long way to go. The beginnings are "small," and the temptation is to view them as insignificant. But they are not. Zechariah will tell Zerubbabel not to despise these seemingly inconsequential beginnings. As we proceed through this series, the relevance of this text to our time and work for Christ will become apparent.
PRAYER POINT: Father, some times my heart grows heavy when I see how much has NOT been done, and what a great work remains to be accomplished. In the name of Jesus, help me not to despise small beginnings.
CORRECTION TO YESTERDAY'S DEVOTION: The third sentence of the second paragraph should read, "That also makes Zechariah a project-contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah."