Zechariah prophesied to the people of Judah after their return from captivity from the Babylonians around 536 B.C. During that time there were economic hardships and the temple lay in ruins. Zechariah would instruct the people to help rebuild the temple so that worship to God would be restored. God used Zechariah to tell the people of Judah an important message at the beginning of the book: “Return to me.” Zechariah 1:3, “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.”
After the suffering and all the hardships they had gone through, they needed a reminder of who liberated them and who was going to take care of them in the future. The message of Zechariah is simple. God wants those who love him to return to him. He wants them to rebuild the temple so the people can see the presence of God with them.
This message made me think of the generation before us and the generation to come. God wants his people to return to him. In order to do that we need to rebuild the fallen and damaged temple. We are the temple of the living God (1Co 6:19). Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own (1Co 3:16). Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
God is calling us today to return to him. He is calling his people who love him. We the Christians who have publicly pronounced him as our Lord. He wants us to rebuild our temple, he wants us to make things right. Since we are the temple of God, he wants us to make it right, he wants us to rebuild that relationship with him. Let’s follow his commands, let’s follow his steps; let’s follow his instructions. God wants a relationship with us, we may think that the Lord is far away, but is not. Let’s make every effort to re-establish our relationship with the Lord, so he can heal our souls and our land.