"Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, Thus has the Lord of hosts said, 'Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another." (vv.8-10)
Earlier in chapter 7:7, Zechariah rebuked the people of God and their ancestors for a basic neglect of obedience. Now here in our text Zechariah described the kind of obedience God wanted, beginning with decent and loving treatment of one’s neighbor. Some among the people of God found it easy to ignore a brother or sister in need instead of truly treating others in a godly way. Their bad relationship with others demonstrated a fundamentally bad relationship with the LORD.
Our religious acts, our treatment of others, and our words about them—all of this is important—but our hearts, our motives, and our intentions, must be right before a holy and loving God. That we are to help those in need is seen throughout the Bible - use what you have and to help others. As the Lord leads you practice kindness to those in need, for in doing so you reflect the heart of God.
The Truth: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: "to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world". (James 1:27)
