The man among the myrtle trees
Then the angel of the LORD said, “LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
The angels in Zechariah’s vision reported that there was universal peace and rest. But there was one flaw. The angel of the Lord himself pointed it out: “LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” It does not seem fair. The heathen had rest and peace. God’s people had just come out of 70 years’ worth of persecution and affliction. Would there be retribution? Would the course of events be justified and things put on their right course again?
Tomorrow we will read God's comforting answer.