The Echo of God's Silence
"Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:" - Zechariah 7:13
In the book of Zechariah, we encounter a profound message from the Lord that echoes through the ages: "Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 7:13 KJV). This verse serves as both a warning and a reminder about the consequences of spiritual deafness and the nature of divine communication.
To understand the depth of this verse, we must first consider its context. Zechariah is addressing a people who were returning from exile, attempting to rebuild their lives, their society, and their relationship with God. The Israelites had suffered greatly due to their disobedience and disregard for God’s commandments. In their exile, they experienced the weight of God’s silence. They had cried out to God, but instead of responses filled with grace, they faced the consequences of their actions.
In Zechariah’s prophetic message, we see a clear and painful cycle: God communicates His heart to His people, yet they turn a deaf ear. They ignore His calls for repentance, justice, and humility. As a result, when they found themselves in distress, God’s voice was absent; He chose not to hear their cries. This reciprocity of attention between God and His creation reveals a spiritual principle that reverberates through our own lives: when we neglect to listen to God, we can expect that He will not be inclined to respond when we seek Him in our times of trouble.
This divine silence is not arbitrary but is deeply tied to the character of God. We must reflect on the nature of our relationship with Him. The Lord desires a two-way communication, a genuine dialogue where both parties are actively engaged. God is ever-present and ever-listening, but He also honors the choices we make. When His people, in their stubbornness, refuse to heed His voice, they create a void that constricts the flow of divine grace.
The cries echoed by God—"as he cried, and they would not hear"—are not merely calls to a formalistic obedience. God is calling His people to a deeper understanding of righteousness, love, and community. He longs for a relationship characterized by obedience rooted in love, versus a transactional relationship based on mere duty. Similarly, when we find ourselves in desperate situations and cry out to Him, we must ponder whether we have created that silence through our disobedience and spiritual disengagement.
Silence can be a profound message in itself. In times when God feels distant, we are invited to examine our hearts. Are we engaging with the Word? Are we tuning our spirits to the whispers of the Holy Spirit? It is easy to fall into a cycle where we expect God to answer us, while we neglect the call He has placed on our lives to respond to Him. We are often quick to cry out in our need, yet slow to hear Him in the quiet moments.
In response to Zechariah 7:13, let us consider the times we have turned away from God's instruction—times we have sought our own ways, ignoring the loving guidance of our Creator. Let us acknowledge our part in the silence and choose to re-open the lines of communication through repentance and humility. We must ask ourselves: Are we willing to listen? Are we prepared to heed His voice when He speaks of justice, mercy, and humility?
Today, we stand at a crossroad. May we be a generation that hears His voice, responds to His calling, and lives lives of obedience that create an atmosphere where our cries are met with His attentive ear. As we reflect on Zechariah 7:13, let us commit to turning towards God, to listening intently, and to engaging in the divine dialogue that brings richness to our faith and fullness to our lives.
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Zechariah 7:13 - "Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:"
"Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:" - Zechariah 7:13
Zechariah 13:7
Zechariah 7:8 - "¶ And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,"
Zechariah 13:7 - "¶ Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones."
"¶ And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying," - Zechariah 7:8
Zechariah 7:1 - "And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;"
2 Chronicles 29:13 - "And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:"
Zechariah 1:13 - "And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words."
Zechariah 7:4 - "¶ Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,"
Zechariah 2:7 - "Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon."
Zechariah 1:7 - "¶ Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,"
Zechariah 13:1 - "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."
Zechariah 4:13 - "And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord."
Zechariah 7:11 - "But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear."
Zechariah 5:7 - "And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah."
Zechariah 12:13 - "The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;"
Zechariah 2:13 - "Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation."
1 Chronicles 5:7 - "And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,"
Zechariah 7:8-10 - "And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’"
Zechariah 5:7 (Brenton) 7 And behold a talent of lead lifted up: and behold a woman sat in the midst of the measure.
Zechariah 5:7 (Brenton) 7 And behold a talent of lead lifted up: and behold a woman sat in the midst of the measure.
Zechariah 7:2 - "When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,"
Zechariah 7:6 - "And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?"
Zechariah 7:7 - "Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?"
Zechariah 7:9 - "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:"
Zechariah 13:5 - "But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth."
Luke 1:13
Zechariah 8:7 - "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;"
Zechariah 13:8 - "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein."