John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 8:9-11

"Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built. For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in, because of the adversary: for I set all men every one against his neighbor. But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith Jehovah of hosts." — Zechariah 8:9-11 (ASV)

The Prophet, having taught us that God was reconciled to His people, now seasonably exhorts the Jews to prepare themselves for work and to exert themselves strenuously in erecting the temple, and also in building the city. For as we have stated, many had then become slothful, as they thought that they would soon be destroyed by their enemies, and that what they built with great labor, toil, and expense, would soon be demolished.

Hence, sloth had crept in, so that many had stopped building both the temple and the city. We have also seen elsewhere that they were too intent on building their own houses while neglecting the temple, for each looked to his own private advantage and his own pleasures.

The Prophet Haggai sharply reproved this indifference (Haggai 1:4), and the Lord clearly showed that He had punished their sloth. For they preferred their own houses to the temple and, from a lack of faith, trembled as if their restoration were a mockery. Since the people, through their ingratitude, had almost wiped away the recollection of their deliverance, the Prophet Haggai severely reproved them; and Zechariah now touches on the same subject.

Therefore, he says that before they had begun the work of building the temple, the land was sterile, as if it were cursed by God; they were deprived of hope, and whatever they attempted proved useless. But after they had begun, through the encouragement given them by the Prophets to take courage and build the temple, things openly changed for the better. It was easy to conclude from this that God had previously been displeased with them, but that now He was favorable, as all things went on prosperously.

This change, then, was a clear sign of both God’s displeasure and God’s favor. For He had justly chastised His people as long as they were under the influence of unbelief, which kept them from proceeding with the work of building the temple. Afterwards, the favor of God began to shine on them, as God gave them an abundance of provisions and proved in various ways that He was now favorable to them.

Zechariah therefore mentions these things so that they might proceed more cheerfully with their work and not provoke God’s wrath, which they had previously found to have caused them so much loss. He also mentions them so that they might seek to enjoy His blessing, which was now so manifest before their eyes. This is the import of the whole matter.

He says, Thus says Jehovah of hosts, Strengthened let be your hands. He exhorts them to perseverance. But as people become weak, and many things occur that enfeeble or break down their courage, he uses the word “strengthen”; for it is often necessary to gather new strength and to confirm a pious resolution.

Let us, then, now learn to apply this doctrine for our own benefit. Let us understand what experience sufficiently teaches us—namely this: that our hands, though at first well prepared, soon become relaxed and, as it were, loosed, and even entirely fail, unless new strength is now and then attained. This is accomplished when we are animated by God’s Word and rise superior to the trials that enfeeble us.

And Zechariah will soon inform us from where this strength was to be sought: namely, from the promises they had already heard from the Prophets. For he would have exhorted them in vain to persevere if the ground of confidence had not been mentioned. For when God is silent, our minds, though previously abundantly ready and willing, must languish and, in the end, wholly fail.

We then see that there can be no courage in people unless God supports them by His Word, so that they may recover their lost strength and regain their alacrity. If the Prophet had only commanded them to take courage, they might have replied that there was nothing in their circumstances to encourage them. But when the Word of God was set before them, every excuse was taken away, and they were now to gird up their loins and boldly fight, since God supplied them with weapons.

“Be strong,” he says, “ye who hear in these days these words from the mouth of the Prophets.” Though Zechariah is not often concise, but in many parts diffuse, he is so here, and the whole verse is very emphatic.

For after having said that they were not destitute of God’s promises, he adds “in these days” and also “these words.” He intimates that they were not only taught a general truth—that they were to render obedience—but that God Himself would be their leader to direct their steps and to show them the way. In a word, he omits nothing to enable them to proceed without difficulty with the work which they had begun.

There is, then, an emphasis intended by the demonstrative “these” (as in “these days” and “these words”), for the Prophet intimates that God was continually speaking to them. He announced not only a general truth but specific words by which they might guide their feet and their hands in every action.

And he says that those words were heard from the mouth of the Prophets, for God intended honor to be done to His servants. It is, as has often been stated, a true test of faith when God Himself does not descend from heaven or appear to us in a visible form, but uses human beings as His ministers.

Yet Zechariah briefly intimates that the Prophets are not the authors of the promises, which are necessary to raise up, support, and stimulate our minds. For the Lord only employs their service, and this is what he means by the word mouth.

He now adds, “Who were in that day in which was founded the house of Jehovah, in order to build the temple.” Not much time had passed since they had begun again to build the temple and the foundations had been laid. But the work had been discontinued through the unbelief of them all, and also through each person’s regard for his own private interest. For as they were in suspense and doubtful, sloth and indifference arose, and avarice possessed them, so that they despised the temple of God.

But he now says that during that short time God often spoke to them by His Prophets with the view of correcting their delay and tardiness. For the Prophet here mentions, as it were, but one day, to express how short the time had been. Their sloth was then less excusable, since God daily spoke to them and confirmed by new Prophets what the former ones had said.

It follows, “For before these days there was no hire for man, and no hire for beast, no peace to passengers, because I had sent forth all men, each one against his friend.” The Prophet mentions here, as I have already said, evidences of God’s curse, from which the Jews might have learned that He was displeased with their neglect in disregarding the building of the temple; for while neglecting that, they paid attention to their domestic affairs.

He therefore reminds them of what might have made them fear, lest they should continue to provoke God. For they had been taught, to their great loss, not to provoke His displeasure in this manner. Zechariah, no doubt, as well as Haggai and Malachi, had often addressed the people on this subject.

For we see how prone we all are to relapse into forgetfulness when God in any measure relaxes His discipline. We quickly shake off every fear when exempt from evils. This is the reason why it is necessary for us to be often reminded of those judgments of God which we have experienced, as Zechariah does here.

“Before these days,” he says, “there was no hire for man, and no hire for beast”; that is, there was no profit from the labor of people or of beasts. He takes it for granted that people were not tardy in their work and that beasts performed their labors, but that no fruit appeared.

And why was the labor of people and beasts unprofitable, except from God’s curse, as the Law testifies? (Deuteronomy 28:8). For when the Prophets speak of God’s curse, they refer to the Law and only apply to their present purpose what is stated generally in the Law.

Since God declares in the Law that He will bless the work of the hands, Zechariah draws this inference: that God was displeased when people and beasts toiled laboriously without any advantage.

He then adds, “There was no peace.” When people labor in vain, thirst and a lack of all things must follow. For though human labor, we know, is of itself of no value, yet when blessed by God it is the means of promoting fertility, so that the earth may supply us with food.

On the other hand, when human labor is barren, even the earth itself refuses to bring forth fruit. It was then no light calamity when God visited the people with poverty and famine. But another evil is added, no less dreadful and even more grievous: the land was so harassed by enemies that no travel was safe.

Hence he says that “there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in”; that is, there was no free or peaceful travel, but they were exposed to pillage and plunder. In a word, Zechariah teaches us here that the Jews were under a curse both within and without, for the land disappointed those who cultivated it, as it yielded no fruit, and they were also exposed to hostile assaults.

With regard to the words מן הצר, men etsar, some render them as “on account of distress,” leading to the translation, “there was no peace on account of distress.” But we can retain the proper meaning of the preposition מן, mem, which gives us, “there was no peace from distress”; that is, no one was safe from inconvenience and molestation.

The reason is added: “Because God had sent forth all men, each one against his neighbor.” The Prophet deliberately added this so that the Jews might know that these evils could not be ascribed to fortune, as if people rose up thoughtlessly one against another.

Hence, he reminds them that their quietness was disturbed by the just and hidden judgment of God, for He can turn the hearts of people as He pleases; He now inclines them to humanity or to mercy, and then He turns them to madness and ferocity.

So that the Jews might know that they had to do with God, the Prophet declares here that people had been sent forth so that they might mutually rage and assault one another.

Therefore, those who use the word “permit” not only detract from what the Prophet means but wholly pervert his doctrine and extinguish its light altogether. For God does not say here that He was passive when the Jews ill-treated one another; rather, He intended for this to be attributed to His judgment.

For when almost the whole world was hostile to a few people, who were also related to one another, they surely ought to have been united among themselves. Necessity reconciles even the most alienated and pacifies even those who were previously the most violent enemies. Since, then, the Jews were assailed by foreign enemies, they ought to have been friends among themselves, or at least to have been so softened as not to be so hostile towards one another.

Since, then, they raged against their own kinsmen, so that no one spared his own friends, God shows more fully by this circumstance that He was the author of these confusions. How God kindles human hearts to ferocity, and is yet free from all blame, has been explained elsewhere.

God indeed executes His righteous judgments when He sets people one against another. If we inquire into the cause and the purpose, we shall find that people are justly punished in this way. Since, then, the highest equity always shines forth in God’s judgments, there is no reason for people to try to implicate Him in their own perdition or to shift part of the blame onto Him.

God then justly stirs the hearts of people to madness, and yet people themselves bear the whole blame, though God draws them here and there against their will and uses them as His instruments. For the hidden purpose of God does not excuse them, while their actual intent is far from obeying His Word, though they are guided by His hidden operation.

We know that no work pleases God except when there is a willing obedience, which none of the reprobate ever render. We also know that all works are to be judged according to their intended purpose. We must therefore consider the reason why God thus set people against one another, and what purpose He had in view. But we have elsewhere discussed this subject at length.

Let us then, in short, bear this in mind: the Jews mutually harassed and distressed one another not by chance, but because the Lord, who was their enemy and whose wrath they had provoked, had sent them forth as enemies among themselves.

He afterwards adds, “But now, not according to former days, shall I be to the remnant of this people, saith Jehovah of hosts.” Zechariah now reminds them that things had changed for the better, as it was evident that God was favorable to them. If the cause of this change is asked, the answer is: the building of the temple.

If nothing had been said by the Prophets, the Jews might have only conjectured, but every doubt had been removed. For God had threatened them with punishment, which He afterwards inflicted; then He exhorted them to repentance and said that He would be reconciled to them.

When the Jews rightly considered these things, they had no need to resort to conjectures. It was indeed fully evident that God regarded them with favor and that the fruits of His favor were before their eyes. They were thus encouraged to proceed with the work of building the temple.