Zechariah 1:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In another instance, He affirms with an oath, in His immense compassion, that repentance leads to salvation: "I live, saith the Lord God, I do not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way, and live" (Ezek. 33:11). However, for the righteous, God warns: "If a man do all righteousness and all truth, and turn from his way and sin, I will not repent of his righteousness; but in his sin he shall die"¹. What sternness is displayed toward the righteous! What grace is extended to the sinner! Thus, God employs various means while remaining unchanged, distributing the gifts of His goodness according to our needs.

Consequently, as stated in Haggai, the Lord declared, “smite them with unfruitfulness, and with wind, and with hail all the works of their hands.” When they put in two hundred and sixty measures of barley, only ten measures came forth, and “they entered into the chisel to scoop out fifty measures, and there were two hundred and sats” (Haggai 2:16-17). It is thus communicated to them that if they choose to amend their ways and return to Him, fulfilling what is pleasing and acceptable, He will likewise turn towards them, withdrawing His anger and extending mercy. He admonishes them to avoid following the destructive patterns of their ancestors, despite the numerous calls and reminders given by holy prophets urging a departure from shameful actions, which proved futile to those inclined toward disobedience. Those who blindly emulate the folly of their forebears and claim their ancestral habits as a shield, even in the face of grave wrongdoing, demonstrate the folly characteristic of idolaters. Those who have been summoned to embrace the truth often invoke the errors of their forefathers, clinging to their ignorance as if it were a cherished legacy while remaining spiritually blind. If anyone were to encourage those of the circumcision to forsake shameful deeds and focus on righteous pursuits, they would likely retreat to the customs of their forefathers. Thus, it was wise to cry out to those straying from the path, “Turn to me, and I will turn to you, saith the Lord Almighty,” and “Be not as your fathers were,” addressing the misguided and stubbornly ignorant.

This notion is fundamentally at odds with the universal teachings of the Church and directly contradicts the grace of Christ; thus, if he did not formally reject this accusation, he would himself warrant rejection. Nevertheless, his later writings reveal a disingenuous stance, as he attempts to substantiate the idea that divine grace is indeed dependent on our merits. Consequently, some select scriptures, like “Turn to Me, and I will turn to you,” to suggest that our merits in turning to God earn His grace, or His turning to us. In addressing those who deny that our very conversion to God is also a divine gift, we note that it is precisely because of this gift that we ask, “This God, restore us” (Psalms 79:8), and “Wilt Thou not revive us again?” (Psalms 84:7), along with other similar expressions, which would take considerable time to enumerate. Coming to Christ and turning to Him in faith are not identical actions; indeed, He stated, “No man can come to Me, unless it be given him of My Father” (John 6:65).

Therefore, although the Lord was displeased with the fathers now facing judgment, it was not with overwhelming wrath, as is noted by the Seventy, but rather with righteous anger. Had His wrath been extreme, He would not have sought to lead the exiles to repentance through witnesses like Daniel and Ezekiel. Since He expressed disappointment, the Lord of Hosts instructs you—where the Hebrew term Sabaoth is rendered as either omnipotent or powers—to “Turn to Me, and I will turn to you,” echoing the words, “Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you.” Conversely, the implication of these words is, “You have distanced yourselves from Me, and I have distanced Myself from you.” He advises those returning from Babylon to turn towards the Lord so that He may also turn toward them, preventing the children from repeating the actions of their fathers to whom the prophets similarly proclaimed the message of repentance. Notably, in various passages and brief proclamations of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, it is frequently emphasized: “The Lord of Hosts speaks,” ensuring that the audience understands that the Lord commands with authority over kings and opposing nations, thereby motivating them to undertake the reconstruction of the temple.

By affirming that it is not beyond His power to bestow upon them the fullness of His gifts, He frequently identified Himself as the Lord Almighty and the Lord of hosts, thereby revealing that He, as the Creator and Sovereign of all, can effortlessly alter the course of events, shifting from abundance to hardship, and restoring those in adversity to a state of blessing.