John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 8:13

"And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, [but] let your hands be strong." — Zechariah 8:13 (ASV)

He continues with the same subject, and in this verse, he states two contrary things to clarify what he teaches here: that while God was angry the earth was barren, and all things went on unhappily with the Jews; but that when God had begun to be reconciled, the earth had, so to speak, changed its nature, produced abundantly, and they were blessed in every way.

Therefore, he says, As ye have been a curse, and so on. Here again, he mentions and reminds them how miserable they were while they were concerned only with their private interests, and by neglecting the temple showed their impiety and ingratitude. For what should they have been more ready to do when they returned to their country than to build the temple, and to offer sacrifices there to God, in order to acknowledge Him as the author of their deliverance?

But the temple was neglected. The Prophet concludes that they must have been extremely forgetful if they did not consider what their condition was as long as they did not care for the temple. He says that they had been a curse among the nations; that is, that they were an example of a curse, according to the threatening of the law.

For it is a way of speaking common in Scripture, that the people were a curse; and the common formula of cursing was: “Let the Lord curse you as He does the Jews.” Zechariah then says that the Jews had been a curse; they had not only been struck by God’s hand, but they had been given up to calamities, so that they might become detestable to all, and bear, in a way, signs of God’s wrath imprinted on them.

Therefore, whoever at that time looked at a Jew might see that he appeared to bear a curse. In short, Zechariah means that the Jews had been punished in an uncommon or unusual way; God had inflicted dreadful judgments on them, which made it clear to all that He was deeply offended with them. Ye have been then a curse among all nations.

He then adds, So I will save you, as ye shall be a blessing. The word save is introduced so that God might more clearly display His favor, lest the Jews should think that the change had occurred by a chance event. For we know that people's thoughts soon change, and they invent this or that cause so that they may obscure God’s providence.

God then, before He promises that they should be a blessing, says that He would save them. What it is to be a blessing may be easily learned from the opposite clause. They are then said to be a blessing who bear evident signs of God’s favor and kindness.

So the Prophet means that when people wished for prayers, or when they wished one another well, this would be the common form of their requests: “May God bless us as He blesses His chosen people; as the Jews are dear to God, so may He favor us with the same or similar kindness.”

Thus then we see that the Jews were a curse when exposed to extreme reproaches, and that they became a blessing when God showed them signs of favor and demonstrated in reality, or by the result, that He was reconciled with them.

He says, in the last place, Fear ye not; strengthened be your hands. He exhorts them to have hope, for fear stands opposed to confidence. Fear, proceeding from unbelief, can only be dispelled by God’s promises made to us, which drive away all doubts. The Prophet therefore rightly teaches us that the Jews had no reason to fear, for he declares that God was favorable to them.

We indeed know that all fear cannot be entirely driven away from human hearts; for it would be necessary to strip us of all feeling before we could face dangers without fear. But though fear is natural to us, and occasions for fear constantly arise for us, yet the fear of unbelief may be dispelled by faith.

Therefore, it is no wonder that God condemns fear when He promises salvation to His elect. But as I have said, we ought to observe that there is here a contrast between blameworthy fear and that confidence which relies on God’s word.

We must also add that the confidence of God’s children is never so complete that they are free from all fear, even the fear of unbelief; but still we ought to struggle against it, so that we are not hindered in the course of our calling. And this we learn more fully from the end of the verse.

Strengthened be your hands. But why does the Prophet forbid the Jews to fear? For this very purpose: that they might rouse themselves for the work which the Lord had assigned to them, and not allow fear to slow them down or prevent them from persevering.

So now we perceive how the faithful become prepared and ready to serve God: laziness must first be shaken off — but how? By having fear removed. What is the remedy for curing fear? It is to rely on the promises of God.

For when our minds are composed, the hands and the feet and all our members will be ready to perform their function. Eagerness of mind, heart, and all the members follows when fear is shaken off, and when people begin to rely so much on God’s word that they know His help is sufficient for them against all dangers, and to fear nothing, being convinced that the Lord will by His power remove all obstacles.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as You see us to be cold and frigid, when all our actions ought to be consecrated to You, and all our members to be devoted to Your service in obedience to Your word — O grant that we may every day courageously strive against our natural indifference, and contend with all hindrances, and boldly repel all assaults that Satan may make, so that though our fervor may not be what it should be, we may yet with sincere desire and genuine affection of heart always advance in the course of our calling, until we reach the goal and are gathered into Your kingdom to enjoy the victory which You have promised to us, and with which You also daily favor us, until at last it is fully enjoyed, when we shall be gathered into Your celestial kingdom, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]