“The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?
Zechariah 1:2-5
Scripture Notes
We put a lot of stock into eras, generations, and ancestors. We also fall into the trap of either blaming too much on those who came before us or not holding them accountable at all. When God said that he was very angry with your ancestors, it was not that they were bad people, or that the generation he was speaking to was innocent. What is being conveyed is the consequence of turning away from God and believing, as a people, that they can do better or they know better. Those who speak in Christ’s name but speak from the view of the world are not of God. They are false, and we must be cautious not to hear the words our worldly minds want to hear, even if they have an essence of Christianity, but be cautious, and test the spirits (1 John 4:1-8). If there is no evidence of sacrifice, compassion, hope, or love, then it is not of God.
Instead of cursing His people, God offers an invitation to return. Not to go back to the way their ancestors behaved, but to learn from the mistakes of their forebears. This is such an important lesson for us today, as we keep repeating old mistakes in our society and yet expect different results. It is madness. And yet, we do not look back at the tumult of the 60s or the oppression of the 20s or the barbarisms of the 19th century with any revelation, as we should. We are given a chance to return to truth and love, and yet we are dabbling in insecurities, fear, and violence again and again.
This return to the Lord is not just some ritual, some one-time turn that allows us to be in God’s good graces. It is a switch, a radical change, a shedding of an old skin to be made new and unrecognizable from the old. It takes true repentance, remorse, reconciliation, and remodeling to fully return into the arms of the Creator. God, in all his glory, cannot be around the darkness of evil. So when we harbor ill feelings, past loyalties, old feuds, or selfish ambitions, we distance ourselves from the Lord. God said vengeance is mine (Rom. 12:19), and Christ came to save and not to condemn (John 3:17). It is not our place to seek vengeance, judgment, or condemnation. We are to turn away from darkness and violence and step into the Light.
Another reminder of the fragility of life, power, and influence is how fleeting it is. No one, not even the most powerful person on earth, can avoid the judgment of death. Leaders come and go, empires rise and fall, but God and his promises remain. They are as true as when Abraham left his home in the desert to us today, navigating a world moving at warp speed. Instead of being attached to a movement, or a government, or a culture, we should turn our attention and pour our energy into the Promises of God. That he will never forsake us (Deut. 31:8), that he sent the atoning sacrifice for our salvation (1 John 4:10), that he walks with us (Psalm 23), and that we will be redeemed (Psalm 103). The choice is ours. Do we continue to walk the path of destruction like our ancestors, or do we answer the call to return to Christ?
MEMORY VERse
Émile Henri Bernard. Les Bretonneries: The Return from the Pilgrimage (Le Retour du Pardon), 1889. The Cleveland Museum of Art
Related Verses
More verses about returning to the Lord:
Prayer Invitation
Application Questions
- What evil or dark things are you harboring and preventing you from fully embracing a reunion with God?
- How can you make changes to your life that bring about a change of direction instead of just changing the way you feel?
- What are some examples from history (spiritual and/or factual) that are blocking you from fully experiencing God? Are any of these obstacles related to your ancestors? How can you create reconciliation today that was not pursued by those who came before you?
- In what ways can you prioritize God in your life rather than being too focused on the material and immaterial things of the world? How can you put your relationship with Christ first instead of reaching for answers from the world?
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