The Book Of Zechariah Overview Pt. 1 A Call For Repentance, Promised Restoration and Visions From Jehovah
There is a lot going on in the book of Zechariah, and it will take 2-3 posts to provide you with a good overview.
My Pastor, Pastor Michael Alvis preached lessons giving an overview of Zechariah, on August 27, September 10 and 24, 2023.
Zechariah is one of 3 post exilic prophets, meaning that they prophesied when the Jews captivity was over. Haggai and Malachi are the other two post exilic prophets.
These men prophesied when the Jews returned from Babylon, to rebuild the Temple of Jehovah, and the holy city Jerusalem.
Zerubbabel was a chief leader of the very first wave of Jews who returned to Jerusalem, after the decree of King Cyrus.
One theme in this book, is how God can turn the hearts of pagan kings in order to accomplish His will.
Another theme in this book is that Satan will try to resist or thwart God's purposes.
Haggai's message was telling the people they must return to work on the house of Jehovah, instead of building nice homes for themselves.
Zechariah essentially builds on Haggai's theme, by showing the people who Jehovah is.
There is an initial call to repentance, followed by 8 visions that concern Israel.
There are 4 distinct messages and 2 burdens pronounced by Zechariah.
Jehovah calls all Israel to repent of sin and return to Him.
Zechariah 1:1-6 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2) The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. 3) Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. 4) 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 evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. 5) Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? 6) But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
Jehovah was displeased with their fathers, who committed immorality and idolatry. That was the reason Jehovah allowed both Israel and Judah to be taken into captivity for 70 years.
Jehovah reminds them that He punished their fathers, as He said He would. He is telling the current generation to remember what happened here. It was their father's sins that moved God to judge the people.
The idea is that if this generation does no obey, they will suffer the consequences.
Jehovah asked some rhetorical questions.
"Where are your fathers?" They were dead.
"Do my prophets live forever, to help guide you in the right way?" No, they too die off.
"Did not my word come to pass and take hold of your fathers, as I said it would?" Yes, God's word came to pass in every particular.
Therefore, all these things being true, Jehovah says "Repent! Turn to me and I will turn to you."
Their failure to complete construction of Jehovah's temple, and not rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, was a sin. God had told them to do this, and that He would be with them.
Instead, when opposition came, they gave up and stopped working. They built themselves some comfortable homes to live in while Jehovah's temple lay in ruins.
A vision of a man riding a red horse.
Zechariah 1:7-10 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 8) I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 9) Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 10) And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
The first vision consisted of a man riding a red horse. An angel told the prophet that these were appointed by Jehovah to walk back and forth through the whole earth.
The idea is that Jehovah establishes a universal patrol. He observes the actions of men and governments everywhere, and He especially takes note of how they treat His people.
Those appointed by God to keep watch over the earth, report to Jehovah all that they see, whether good or bad.
Jehovah's righteous indignation over Jerusalem's destruction.
Zechariah 1:14-16 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 15) And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. 16) Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
The angel explained to Zechariah what the vision symbolized. Jehovah is jealous for the city Jerusalem, where He put His name.
He was very displeased with the other Gentile nations who were living a good life, while Judah suffered.
Jehovah promised to lead His people to a place He chose for His name.
Deuteronomy 12:5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
After God used Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egyptian bondage, He promised to lead them into the land of Canaan.
Moses records Jehovah's promise to guide His redeemed people to the specific place He would choose to put His name there.
Jehovah chose Jerusalem as His Holy City.
2 Chronicles 6:6 But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.
Jehovah expressly declared that He chose Jerusalem that His "name might be there."
Thus, Jerusalem is where God guided His people to build His house, and to be the central point of where they met with God to confess sins, and worship.
Jerusalem is the Holy City because God put His name in that place. He sanctified it for Himself.
Babylonian armies destroyed the city and left piles of burnt rubble in their wake. They took all valuable things made of metal and precious stones away as their spoils. They took all the consecrated items from the Temple back to Babylon.
Therefore, the LORD God declared that "my house shall be built" and the city reconstructed.
A vision of horns and carpenters.
Zechariah 1:18-21 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 19) And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. 20) And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. 21) Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.
In the Bible, a horn is a symbol of power and authority. Therefore, it is often a symbol of a powerful nation or king.
To a people of animal husbandry and farming like the Jews, the horns are the strongest in the herd represented a symbol of power and pride of conscious strength.
Horns depicted the ruling powers of the world (See Revelation 17:3; 17:12). In this case, the 4 horns are 4 kings which invaded and conquered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.
God's people were conquered by the 4 kings and sent away into 70 years of captivity.
The vision of 4 carpenters is connected to the vision of the 4 horns. The 4 carpenters were sent by God to turn back and "fray" the 4 kings who oppressed Israel, Judah and Jerusalem.
The 4 carpenters used in crushing the Gentile powers which scattered Judah, will crush and scatter the enemies of God's people.
Historically, the Egyptians, Persians, Babylonians and Assyrians conquered and scattered God's people.
Jehovah used them as instruments of His judgment for Israel and Judah's sins.
For each one of the four horns there was a carpenter to beat it down. For every enemy of God’s people, God has provided a counteracting power adequate to destroy it.
The word "fray" means that the 4 carpenters sent by God will strike terror into His enemies, such that they tremble and quake with fear.
The vision of 4 horns and 4 carpenters reminds us that Jehovah is all powerful and irresistible in His universal rule.
A vision of a man measuring Jerusalem and God's wall of fire.
Zechariah 2:1-5 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2) Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3) And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4) And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: 5) For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
Zechariah has a vision that addresses the needs at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, as well as containing a future look at Messiah's work.
The man with a measuring-line connects with the same image to represent the same future reconstruction, as Ezekiel prophesied (See Ezekiel 40:3-4).
The “man” is Messiah who, by measuring Jerusalem, is shown to be the Author of its coming restoration.
Thus, the Jews were encouraged in Zechariah’s time to proceed with the building.
Still more so shall the Jewish people be greatly encouraged to build and work, in the future restoration of Jerusalem and the future kingdom that God will build.
In that future day, Jerusalem will be filled with people, herds, flocks, and abundant crops. It will be a city without walls.
This is a striking reality. Normally, throughout history, walled cities were considered to be the best form of defense against thieves and enemy warriors.
Yet, Jerusalem will have no walls. How can this be? What will protect Jehovah's redeemed people?
Jehovah protected the Hebrews with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.
Exodus 13:21-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22) He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Exodus 14:24-25 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25) And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
The LORD Himself, shall be an impenetrable wall of fire who surrounds His people with complete safety.
When Jehovah led the Hebrews away from Egypt, He set Himself before them as a pillar of a cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire by night.
He never took that away from them until they entered the promised land.
The second text recounts how Pharaoh and his army pursued the Hebrews, but the LORD fought for them, through the pillar of fire.
Therefore, Zechariah's vision is a preview of how God will protect His people and the new Jerusalem. He will be the wall of fire, because God is a consuming fire (See Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; Hebrews 12:29).
A picture of God's kingdom rule on earth.
Zechariah 2:10-13 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 11) And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 12) And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13) Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
This part of Zechariah's visions stops to look into the future rule and reign of Messiah.
We all have a deep longing built into us for all things to be made right, and fair and for justice to be done equally and impartially.
Our desires will be realized when Jesus Christ is on the throne as King of kings and Lord of lords.
This text tells us what those days will be like. The people of God will be singing, rejoicing and praising Jehovah for He will be dwelling with them.
Israel will teach other nations, and many nations will join them in knowing and serving the One, True God of Heaven and earth.
The holy habitation of Jehovah in Jerusalem shall be built up and all people will come there to worship.
It will be a time of great glory, with the majesty and power of God on display.
I hope that these words from God's prophet bless us, encourage us and fill us with hope.
May the Lord find us waiting for Him, working for Him and worshipping Him, until He comes for us.
Bob
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