Zechariah 7 · Grade 4
Show Kindness and Compassion
Read and Think
Zechariah 7:1 says Yahweh's word came to Zechariah in the fourth year of King Darius, on the fourth day of the ninth month. People from Bethel sent men to ask the priests and prophets whether they should keep weeping and fasting in the fifth month, as they had done for many years.
God answered with questions. He asked, did you at all fast to me, really to me? When you eat and when you drink, don't you eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? God was more concerned with their hearts than their schedule.
Then God repeated what the former prophets said: execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother. Don't oppress the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor. Their fathers refused to listen and made their hearts as hard as a diamond, and so they were scattered.
Show What You Know
What did the people of Bethel want to know?
What question did God ask about their fasting?
Which four groups should not be oppressed?
What did their fathers do with their hearts?
Word Bank Fill-In
Use the word bank to fill in each blank.
- answered with questions.
- He asked, did you at all to me, really to me?
- Then God repeated what the former prophets said: execute judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
- Their fathers refused to and made their hearts as hard as a diamond, and so they were scattered.
Think About It
God cared more about kindness than about religious routines. How can your worship show up in how you treat people?
God names the widow, the fatherless, the foreigner, and the poor. Who in your community needs kindness and compassion?
Memory Verse
““Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.”
Zechariah 7:9 (WEB)
Copy It
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for your kindness and compassion. Help me . Amen.
Take It Home
For families: talk about these together.
- Why do you think God wants your love more than your rules?
- How can you be a friend to someone new in your neighborhood?
Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.