Children Wey Dey Play for Street

Imagine one city square wey quiet almost finish. Small stones wey dem pack together. One dog wey dey sleep for di dust. No laughter. No games. Now listen to wetin God talk say dat same square go sound like.

Na di fourth year of King Darius of Persia. Di exiles don come back to Jerusalem for some years, and di new temple dey go up, slowly slowly. But di city still thin, e no strong. Plenty families remain for Babylon. Di walls na rubble. People dey wonder whether God promises really be for dem, or na only for dem great-grandparents. One group of men even come from di town of Bethel with one question for di priests and prophets. We go still dey fast and mourn, as we don dey do for so many years? Through di prophet Zechariah, God answer with plenty promises, one after another. Some of di ones wey fine pass dey for chapter eight.

E start with God deep love. I dey jealous for Zion with big jealousy. Dis one no be small jealousy of person wey dey envy. Na di strong love wey dey protect, like husband or parent wey no go allow anything harm di person wey dem love. Then God talk: I don come back to Zion, and I go live for di middle of Jerusalem: and dem go call Jerusalem city of truth; and di mountain of Di Lord of hosts, di holy mountain. God don come back. E go live again for di very middle of im people. And di place where e dey live go dey known for truth.

And how e go be? No be armies. No be gold. Something wey simple pass, and e sweet pass. Old men and old women go still sit down for di streets of Jerusalem, and every one of dem go hold walking stick for hand because dem don old well well. Grandmothers and grandfathers, wey don old reach to need walking stick, dey sit down for sun for di open squares. People wey dey live long life with peace. And then: Di streets of di city go full with boys and girls wey dey play for di streets. You fit hear am? Legs wey dey run. Shouting. Somebody dey count for hide and seek. One child dey cry because e fall down, and another one dey help am get up. City wey safe reach so tey children fit play for outside.

God know say e hard for di people to believe dis one. So e ask dem one question. If dis one be like wonder, too good to be true, for di few people wey remain, e go also hard for me? Then e make one more promise. I go save my people from di land of di east and from di land of di west. I go bring dem come back home, and dem go live for di middle of Jerusalem. And dem go be my people, and I go be dem God, for truth and for righteousness. Na di oldest promise of all, di one wey God make for Mount Sinai, wey e talk again to one small community wey don tire. Nothing don forget.

Di fasting wey di men from Bethel ask about na real days of mourning. Zechariah mention fasting for di fifth and seventh months, and after, for di fourth and tenth. Di fasting of di fifth month dey remember di month when di Babylonians burn di temple and di houses of Jerusalem, as di book of Second Kings write am. Later for dis same chapter, God promise say dat sad fasting go turn to happy feasts, days of joy and gladness.

Children wey dey play for street. You go find dis one for di book of Zechariah, chapter eight, verse one reach eight. Promise say God go live with im people, say old people go rest with safety and children go dey laugh for di squares. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin e dey tell you about God, say im picture of good future get children wey dey play inside?