“Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evildoings; but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord” (Zechariah 1:4).
TEXT — Zechariah 1:1-6
In 1929, the world economy crashed, resulting in “The Great Depression”. In 2008, the world suffered another economic crash, called “The Great Recession”. Economic experts everywhere claimed to know exactly what they were doing, yet in both occasions, not a single person could fix the series of mistakes that crashed the world’s economy. After these financial crises, many were rightfully furious at the bankers, who allegedly destroyed the world economy for their own gain. They directed their umbrage at the Wall Street brokers who received bailouts while millions lost everything. To avoid future financial catastrophes, an unusual library was set up in Edinburgh, Scotland, to compile a collection of sensible economic literature that aims to educate the next generation of economists. Called “The Library of Mistakes”, it contains over 2,000 books, all relating to economics and finance.
Israel, in Bible day, kept making mistakes, because they refused to learn from the past. Prophet Jeremiah prophesied about their going into captivity to Babylon for 70 years, due to their disobedience to God. They eventually returned to their native land as predicted by Jeremiah. Some years later, two prophets began to speak to the people around the period of the rebuilding of the temple. One was Haggai, who urged the people to get their priorities right, and rebuild God’s temple without further delay. The other was Zechariah, who called the people to sincere repentance, with a message of hope. Zechariah, pointed Israel to the litany of mistakes made by their forefathers, while calling them to repentance through blistering visions and prophecies.
This message is not only poignant, but particularly relevant for those who might be experiencing hardship or spiritual stagnation. It is necessary to remind ourselves that turning back to God is the key to receiving His favour once again. It might be useful to see prophets and men of God for prayers and counselling, but one of our best resources is history. We become wise when we are able to make useful adjustments to our present lifestyle, through studying and learning from the mistakes of others.
Thought for the day
Those who fail to learn from others’ experiences suffer double torment.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
