Again, through Zechariah, God sets before them the standards that he expects them to live by. These are the standards which the generation before the exile had failed to live by, and which chapter 7 has told us was the reason for the judgment in Babylon (7:4-14).
This reminds us of the new commandment of Christ. Do we understand that much of what happens to us and the providences that God sends into our lives result from his observation of our secret life within? The sinner tries to shut God out of this secret place, but the disciple welcomes him to come in and purify the heart.