Lets meet Zechariah !!
Zechariah is acknowledged on all sides to be the
most difficult of all the prophets.
( C.J. Ellicott )
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INTRODUCTION
Before we tackle any Old Testament book, and especially these Old Testament prophets, it is vital to have a grasp of the situation in which they lived. Too many prophecy preachers appropriate a text from the midst of one of these obscure, neglected books, wrench it from its context, and apply it to some event recorded in todays newspaper.
But much of what these prophets
spoke (tho not all !) was a message to the people of their own day. It was given at a specific time in history
because a specific situation had arisen. These prophets not only FORETOLD some
future events but they FORTHTOLD the Word of God to their contemporaries.
Beware
beware
beware of the
pop-prophecy preacher who applies everything to our day. True
there are some predictions that take
the reader to our day
and even beyond.
The Apostle Peter tells us that sometimes the prophets did not even
understand their own message !!!
1 Peter 1: 10 This salvation was something the
prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious
salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it
all could mean. 11 They wondered what the Spirit of
Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about
Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to
whom all this would happen.
12 They were
told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years
later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who
preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so
wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
But remember there was usually a message for their own day !
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BACKGROUND
It is important to familiarize ourselves with such places as
Israel , Babylonia (Chaldea) ;
Assyria; Egypt; Persia; Syria; The River Tigris and the River Euphrates.
When
a place is mentioned in Scripture , check it out in a Bible map.
The House of Judah had been
conquered by the Babylonians ( 606
586 B.C )
and spent years in captivity. With the coming of the Medes and
Persians, Babylon fell and Cyrus the Great ( Persian ruler) made a decree that
the Jews could return to Judah, rebuild their city and their Temple
So 50,000 returned, led by
Zerubbabel, their governor and a descendant of King David. They laid the foundation of the new Temple.
( Ezra 3:11) But opposition from the
Samaritans and discouragement from within their own ranks caused the building
program to cease. Sixteen years later
God raised up Haggai and Zechariah to call His people to repentance
and to
rebuilding. Whilst Haggais messages
deal more with the practical side of this program ( bring the wood) ,
Zechariah takes a mystical
or even spiritual view
to encourage his
listeners. Strange visions flit before his eyes.
Haggai rebukes for the
rebuilding had ceased
Zechariah encourages
for the work of rebuilding is now
under way.
It is two months after Haggais
prophecy that Zechariah begins to preach
( c.f. Haggai 1:1 ; Zech. 1:1)
Zech.1:1 In mid-autumn of the
second year of King Darius's reign, the LORD gave this message to the prophet
Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo.
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OUTLINE
The Book is divided into two
sections
Chapters 1-8
Events
in his own day.
( Whilst rebuilding )
Chapters 9-14
Events
relating to the coming Messiah.
( After rebuilding.)
As a matter of fact, New Testament writers quote this book nearly
fifty times !!!!
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THE PROPHET
He was not only a prophet (who
spoke as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance,) but he was also a priest. His
father, Iddo, (Zech. 1:1) had returned with Zerubbabel sixteen years previous. ( Nehemiah 12:4,16) The New
Testament speaks of a Zechariah being martyred for his faith,(Matthew 23:36)
but that may be a different Zechariah.
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THE FIRST SERMON (1:2-6) ( using the
Living Bible Translation , not the L.B. Paraphrase.)
1:2 "I, the LORD, was very angry
with your ancestors. 3 Therefore, say to the people,
`This is what the LORD Almighty says: Return to me, and I will return to you,
says the LORD Almighty.' 4 Do not be like your ancestors
who would not listen when the earlier prophets said to them, `This is what the
LORD Almighty says: Turn from your evil ways and stop all your evil practices.'
5 "Your
ancestors and their prophets are now long dead. 6 But
all the things I said through my servants the prophets happened to your
ancestors, just as I said they would. As a result, they repented and said, `We
have received what we deserved from the LORD Almighty. He has done what he said
he would do.'"
(a) Gods Wrath. (2) We must never forget that God is a Holy God
whose very nature demands that sin be punished. Both Old and New Testaments speak of His wrath being poured out
upon the ungodly. It was because of their sin that God sent them into captivity.
And their indifference to building His Temple when they returned revealed the
condition of their hearts.
(b) Gods Warning (3-4) Zechariah reminds
them that their forefathers did not hearken to the prophets
and were
punished
so they will feel Gods hand
of judgment again if they do not repent.
It seems they have started to
rebuild, not for Gods glory, but to escape the manifold problems they were
experiencing. ( Haggai 1:5 )
It is possible to do Gods work
from unworthy motives
or in a half-hearted manner. Repent ! cries our prophet.
.
(c) Gods Word (6-7) Gods word to the
forefathers came true. Judgment fell and thousands died in captivity. Eventually the time came when there were
indications of repentance. The early returned exiles went home to Jerusalem
with high hopes of establishing their nation and rebuilding their Temple.
Repentance had delivered them. But now
the old lethargy has set in again.
Repent ! cries our prophet !
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THE
EIGHT VISIONS OF ZECHARIAH ( 1:7-6:9)
(a)
THEIR ODDITY
These
curious visions
all seen by the prophet during the same night
24th/11th/
2nd year of Darius, King of Persia,
remind one of a trip through
an art gallery where modern art is displayed !
.
(b) THEIR NUMBER
some commentators say there are seven ( Sidlow Baxter ) whilst others say there
are ten ! (Coleman Luck ; Moody Press ). They seem to be as difficult to count
as they are to explain. I think there are eight !!
.
(c ) THEIR PURPOSE
is to encourage the Jews as they rebuild their Temple. Although there are some references to the
Messianic Age, they all have to do with events taking place in Zechariahs own
day.
..
(d) THEIR CONTENT
(1) THE FOUR HORSES
..
.1:7-17
(2)
THE FOUR HORNS
.
.
1:18-21
(3) THE FAITHFUL SURVEYOR
..2:1-5
(4) THE RECLOTHING OF THE HIGH PRIEST
3:1-10
(5)
THE REPLENISHING OF THE LAMPSTAND
.. 4:1-14
(6)
THE FLYING SCROLL
5:1-4
(7)
THE FLYING BASKET
.
..5:5-11
(8)
THE FOUR CHARIOTS
.. 6:1-8
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(1) THE FOUR HORSES
They represent the Lords scouting party,
reviewing the world situation, and reporting back to Him. It is an
encouragement to the Jews for them to know that God is still on the throne
their God !!!
and that He is going to bless them.
1:7 Then on
February 15 of the second year of King Darius's reign, the LORD sent another
message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo.
Zechariah said:
8 In a vision
during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among
some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were red, brown, and white
horses, each with its own rider. 9 I asked the angel who
was talking with me, "My lord, what are all those horses for?"
"I will show you," the angel
replied.10 So the man standing among the myrtle trees
explained, "They are the ones the LORD has sent out to patrol the
earth."
11 Then the
other riders reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the
myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and the whole earth is at
peace."
12 Upon hearing
this, the angel of the LORD prayed this prayer: "O LORD Almighty, for
seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah.
How long will it be until you again show mercy to them?" 13
And the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked
with me.
14 Then the
angel said to me, "Shout this message for all to hear: `This is what the
LORD Almighty says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and
strong. 15 But I am very angry with the other nations
that enjoy peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but
the nations punished them far beyond my intentions.
16 "
`Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I have returned to show mercy to
Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the LORD Almighty, and plans will be
made for the reconstruction of Jerusalem.' 17 Say this
also: `This is what the LORD Almighty says: The towns of Israel will again
overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem
as his own.' "
There is no need to find some hidden message
in the fact that they were myrtle trees or that the scouts rode horses
instead of walking. It is simply a
picture of God having His eye on the world at that time, not only on His
people, but that He was also watching the enemies of His people !
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(2) THE FOUR HORNS
1:18 Then I
looked up and saw four animal horns. 19 "What are
these?" I asked the angel who was talking with me.
He replied, "These horns
represent the world powers that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."
20 Then the
LORD showed me four blacksmiths. 21 "What are these
men coming to do?" I asked.
The angel replied, "The
blacksmiths have come to terrify the four horns that scattered and humbled
Judah. They will throw them down and destroy them."
These four horns represent the enemies of
Gods people
from the four corners of the earth. And God will smite
them. The blacksmiths are Gods agents,
be they human or angelic.
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(3) THE FAITHFUL SURVEYOR
2:1 When I looked around me again, I saw a man with a measuring
line in his hand. 2 "Where are you going?" I
asked.
He replied, "I am going to
measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is."
3 Then the
angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. 4 The other angel said, "Hurry, and say to that young
man, `Jerusalem will someday be so full of people that it won't have room
enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls, with all their
livestock--and yet they will be safe. 5 For I, myself,
will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the LORD. And I will be the glory
inside the city!'
Now Zechariah sees a man measuring out the
boundaries of Jerusalem. He is told that there will be so many inhabitants, due
to Gods blessing, the walls will not enclose them all. God will protect them anyway !
In verse 6 the prophet cries to the Jews who
are still in Persia , Come home !
2:6 The LORD says, "Come away!
Flee from the north, for I have scattered you to the four winds. 7 Come away! Escape to Jerusalem, you who are exiled in
Babylon!"
All of which is reminiscent of Revelation 18:4
where God exhorts His people to flee from spiritual Babylon before judgment
falls upon them.
And it is a reminder that the New Testament
speaks of Christians as
Abrahams seed ( Galatians 3:29)
and as The Israel of God (
Galat. 6: 16). Likewise, the Church of the Living God is called Zion ,
the city of Jerusalem in the New
Testament. (Hebrews 12:22-23)
So whilst Zechariahs word has application to the Jews of his day, it is vaster and wider and deeper than that. It is also a promise for us.
2:8 "After
a period of glory, the LORD Almighty sent me against the nations who oppressed
you. For he said, `Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession. 9 I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves
will plunder them.' Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent
me."
10 The LORD
says, "Shout and rejoice, O Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. 11 Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that
the LORD Almighty sent me to you. 12 The land of Judah
will be the LORD's inheritance in the holy land, and he will once again choose
Jerusalem to be his own city. 13 Be silent before the
LORD, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy
dwelling."
Here it is again
a double reference
to Zechariahs fellow Jews and to Gods
people today.
The church which He purchased with His
own blood is His precious possession, (8)
and the Gates of Hell will not overthrow it !(9) God dwells in His Temple (Zech. 2:10) ( the church is spoken of as His Temple in
the New Testament. (1
Corinth 3: )
and Gentiles as well as Jews will belong to it ! (11)
Here we have Old Testament language describing
New Testament truths. There was a partial, literal fulfilment in
Zechariahs day. But it is a promise for the Messianic Age
from the First
Advent to the Second.
John Newton grasped this truth when he penned
the hymn
Saviour
if of Zions city,
I through grace a member am
..
Round
each habitation hovering
See
the wall of fire appear
(
Glorious things of thee are spoken )
The vision of the Surveyor is a reminder that
God is about to bless and prosper Jerusalem and protect her inhabitants. It does not mean that the Jews were to throw
caution to the winds and fail to prepare for any attack.
Later,
under Nehemiah, they did build a literal wall.
But their trust was to really be in God, not in bricks and mortar. As an army officer said two hundred years
ago, Trust God !
and keep your powder dry.
Trust in God does not rule out taking
reasonable precautions. We are not to tempt the Lord our God with our folly.
..
So these first three visions have to do with
Gods people ( the Jews then
and the
Church today !)
Vision 1
God sees ! All over the world, He sees !
Vision 2
God Saves ! He will deliver His people from their enemies.
Vision 3
God
Secures ! He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him! ( 2 Timothy 1:12)
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Now we come to two visions dealing with the
leaders of Gods people.
(4) THE RECLOTHING OF THE HIGH
PRIEST
Jeshua, High Priest of Israel and representative of the nation, is clothed in defiled garments. Satan is seen accusing him !
3:1 Then the
angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD.
Satan was there at the angel's right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "I, the LORD, reject your
accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This
man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from a fire."
The Lord has defended His
servant
the nation of Israel has been rescued from Babylon ! (2) And now they
are about to be cleansed !
3:3 Jeshua's
clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. 4 So the
angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy
clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your
sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes."
5 Then I said,
"Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?" So they put
a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel
of the LORD stood by.
The
meaning is clear. God not only saved His people but He expects them to be holy
in their lives. Sin is to be put away. If it is not
there will be no blessing
!!
Note the If in verse 7. !
3:6 Then the
angel of the LORD spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, 7 "This is
what the LORD Almighty says: If you follow my ways and obey my
requirements, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its
courtyards. I will let you walk in and out of my presence along with these
others standing here.
Now
the prophecy takes a distinctly prophetic note. The Branch is introduced, (8) a
title of the coming Messiah. He will be a branch from the family tree of King
David.
but we will examine verses
8-10 in a later study
.
3:8 Listen to
me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of the
good things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single
stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the LORD
Almighty, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day. 10 And on that day,
says the LORD Almighty, each of you will invite your neighbour into your home
to share your peace and prosperity."
Think about it .
What is the symbolism of the jewel (
vs 9) What does the inscription suggest
to you ? When did the fulfilment of
verse 10 take place ?
See a later study
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(5) THE REPLENISHING OF THE
LAMPSTAND
4:1 Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and
woke me, as though I had been asleep. 2 "What do
you see now?" he asked.
I answered, "I see a solid gold
lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps,
each one having seven spouts with wicks. 3 And I see two
olive trees, one on each side of the bowl."
4 Then I asked
the angel, "What are these, my lord? What do they mean?"
5 "Don't
you know?" the angel asked.
"No, my lord," I replied.
As
the previous vision dealt with the religious ruler of Gods people,
Jeshua the High priest, so this vision deals with the political ruler,
Zerubbabel the governor of Judah. As the lampstand was continually sustained by
oil from the olive trees, so Zerubbabel will be sustained by the Spirit of God.
4:6 Then he said
to me, "This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor
by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty. 7 Nothing, not even
a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel's way; it will flatten out before
him!
No
obstacle will hinder him from leading the people in the rebuilding of the
Temple.
4:7 Then Zerubbabel will set the final
stone of the Temple in place, and the people will shout: `May God bless it! May
God bless it!' "
8 Then another
message came to me from the LORD: 9 "Zerubbabel is
the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then
you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.
As
for this Temple having no comparison to the grandeur of Solomons Temple (that the Babylonians had destroyed
when they conquered Jerusalem and took the Jews into exile )
despise not the
day of small things (vs.10.KJV) One
day the Messiah will come to this Temple and its glory will
exceed that of Solomons ! (Haggai
2:9)
4:10 Do not
despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to
see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand. For these seven lamps represent the
eyes of the LORD that search all around the world."
11 Then I asked
the angel, "What are these two olive trees on each side of the lamp-stand,
12 and what are the two olive branches that pour out
golden oil through two gold tubes?"
13 "Don't
you know?" he asked.
"No, my lord," I replied.
14 Then he said
to me, "They represent the two anointed ones who assist the Lord of all
the earth."
So
who are represented by the two olive trees ?
Apparently they speak of two angelic beings. ( 14) Mmmm ?
These two visions
the Reclothing and the Replenishing
have to do with the
Leaders of Gods People. They need to be Holy and they need to be Upheld.
Vision 4
God cleanses from defilement and
supplies our new Robe of righteousness. (Justification )
Vision 5
God strengthens and sustains us to live for Him and carry out His plans
for our lives. ( Sanctification )
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(6) THE FLYING SCROLL
5:1 I looked up
again and saw a scroll flying through the air.
2 "What
do you see?" the angel asked.
"I see a flying scroll," I
replied. "It appears to be about thirty feet long and fifteen feet
wide."
3 Then he said
to me, "This scroll contains the curse that is going out over the entire
land. One side says that those who steal will be banished from the land; the
other side says that those who swear falsely will be banished from the land. 4 And this is what the LORD Almighty says: I am sending this
curse into the house of every thief and into the house of everyone who swears
falsely by my name. And my curse will remain in that house until it is
completely destroyed--even its timbers and stones."
No
Zechariah did not see a flying saucer ( as Gordon Cove suggests in his
book.) It is simply a symbol of Gods
judgment going forth among the wicked. And there will be no place to hide. (4)
.
(7) THE FLYING BASKET !
5:5 Then the
angel who was talking with me came forward and said, "Look up! Something
is appearing in the sky."
6 "What
is it?" I asked.
He replied, "It is a basket for
measuring grain, and it is filled with the sins of everyone throughout the
land."
7 When the
heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, there was a woman sitting inside
it. 8 The angel said, "The woman's name is
Wickedness," and he pushed her back into the basket and closed the heavy
lid again.
9 Then I
looked up and saw two women flying toward us, with wings gliding on the wind.
Their wings were like those of a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew
with it into the sky.
10 "Where
are they taking the basket?" I asked the angel.
11 He replied,
"To the land of Babylonia, where they will build a temple for the basket.
And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its
pedestal."
Now the prophet sees wickedness
being removed from Judah and returned to Babylon. These two visions
The Flying Scroll ( Vision 6) and the Flying
Basket (Vision 7) both reveal
something of Gods severity against sin.
In Vision 6 sin is judged. In
Vision 7 sin is removed from Israel.
(8) THE FOUR CHARIOTS
6:1 Then I looked up
again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. 2 The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by
black horses, 3 the third by white horses, and the
fourth by dappled-gray horses. 4 "And what are
these, my lord?" I asked the
angel who was talking with me.
5he replied,
"These are the four spirits of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the
earth. They are going out to do his work. 6 The chariot
with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west,
and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south."
7 The powerful
horses were eager to be off, to patrol back and forth across the earth. And the
LORD said, "Go and patrol the earth!" So they left at once on their
patrol.
8 Then the
LORD summoned me and said, "Those who went north have vented the anger of
my Spirit there."
As the visions come to a close the Lords scouts report again.
Babylon ( who had previously attacked from the north) is now conquered by the Medes and Persians
( vs. 8)Bear in mind
that these visions and the messages they symbolised were
(a) CONDITIONAL
The IF of 3:7 still remained . A
disobedient Isarel would not experience any blessing
and (b) PROPHETICAL
There are passages here that also refer to
the coming Messiah and the blessings He has for us
now ! Today ! He is able
to protect and prosper us IF we walk in His ways
6:7 "This
is what the LORD Almighty says: If you follow my ways and obey my
requirements,
I will let you walk in and out of my presence along with these
others standing here.
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A MESSIANIC PROPHECY
( 6:9 - 15)
6:9 Then I
received another message from the LORD: 10 "Heldai,
Tobijah, and Jedaiah will bring gifts of silver and gold from the Jews exiled
in Babylon. As soon as they arrive, meet them at the home of Josiah son of
Zephaniah. 11 Accept their gifts and make a crown from
the silver and gold. Then put the crown on the head of Jeshua son of Jehozadak,
the high priest. 12 Tell him that the LORD Almighty
says: Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out where he is and
build the Temple of the LORD. 13 He will build the
LORD's Temple, and he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his
throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect
harmony between the two.
14"The
crown will be a memorial in the Temple of the LORD to honor those who gave
it--Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah son of Zephaniah."
15Many will
come from distant lands to rebuild the Temple of the LORD. And when this
happens, you will know my messages have been from the LORD Almighty. All this
will happen if you carefully obey the commands of the LORD your God.
A
deputation of Jews arrive from Babylon bearing gifts. (9) (The Three Wise Men
from the East of Old Testament days !) The High Priest is
crowned and seated upon a throne.(13) His Title is The Branch
there is so more to be examined in this remarkable
Messianic prophecy that we will discuss it in our final study.
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THE FOUR SERMONS
.
The next two chapters are probably the easiest to understand in the Book of Zechariah. They form a complete section in themselves as the various dates, given in many translations, makes clear. This is section 3 of the book.
First section
Introductory; 1:1 . ( 2nd year of Darius; 8th
month.) (NIV)
Second section
the Eight Visions; 1:7 ( 2nd year of Darius, 11th
month. )
Third section
Concerning Fasting; 7:1.( 4th year of Darius, 9th
month. )
..
(1) A QUESTION TO CONSIDER (7:1-3)
A deputation of Jews arrive to ask the prophet whether they should continue to
observe the special fast days they have been observing each year to commemorate
the destruction of Solomons Temple. After all, a new Temple was soon to be
completed.
7:1 On December
7 of the fourth year of King Darius's reign, another message came to Zechariah
from the LORD. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer
and Regemmelech, along with their men, to seek the LORD's favor. 3 They were to ask this question of the prophets and of the
priests at the Temple of the LORD Almighty: "Should we continue to mourn
and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple's destruction, as we have
done for so many years?"
These fast days were in
+ the 10th month
the time the Babylonians had laid
siege to Jerusalem (
2 Kings 25:1)
+ the 4th month
the time the Babylonians breached
the walls of Jerusalem nearly two years later. ( 2 Kings 25:8-10)
+ the 5th month
when the city of Jerusalem and the
Temple had been razed by fire. (2 Kings 25:8-10)
+ the 7th month when Gedaliah , appointed by
Nebuchadnezzar to govern the poor of the land who were left behind, was
assassinated. ( 2 Kings 25:22-25)
Thus
it was the Jews had instituted these occasions as fast days. (Zechariah 8:19)
Must
they still observe them ???
.
(2) A CRITICISM TO FACE ( 7:4-7)
Message No. 1
A Rebuke
The
men from Bethel (7:2) get more than they bargained for in Zechariahs reply !
Not just one sermon
but four ! Each commences with the same phrase. ( 7:4;
7:8; 8:1; 8:18)
The
first two messages are a word of Rebuke !
The
last two are words of Re-assurance.
7:4 The LORD
Almighty sent me this message: 5 "Say to all your
people and your priests, `During those seventy years of exile, when you fasted
and mourned in the summer and at the festival in early autumn, was it really
for me that you were fasting? 6 And even now in your holy festivals, you don't think about
me but only of pleasing yourselves.
7 Isn't this the same message the LORD proclaimed
through the prophets years ago when Jerusalem and the towns of Judah were
bustling with people, and the Negev ( southern Palestine) and the
foothills of Judah were populated areas? "
The
point of all this is that whilst the exiles in Babylon kept those fast days,
they did it from the wrong motive! It was because they were feeling sorry for
themselves and the plight they were now in.
And what Zechariah is telling them now is what former prophets had told
their ancestors. Isaiah especially had condemned fasting by disobedient Jews !
( Isaiah 58 )
(4) A CONFIDENCE TO INSPIRE (7:8-14)
Message No. 2
A Warning !
The
prophet exhorts them to honest dealings with their fellow man. Again he reminds
them of the sins of their forefathers and the consequences that befell them.
7:8 Then this message came to Zechariah
from the LORD: 9 "This is what the LORD Almighty
says: Judge fairly and honestly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. 10 Do not oppress
widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And do not make evil plans to
harm each other.
11 "Your
ancestors would not listen to this message. They turned stubbornly away and put
their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. 12 They
made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the law or the
messages that the LORD Almighty had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier
prophets. That is why the LORD Almighty was so angry with them.
13 "Since
they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they
called to me, says the LORD Almighty. 14 I scattered
them as with a whirlwind among the distant nations, where they lived as
strangers. Their land became so desolate that no one even travelled through it.
The land that had been so pleasant became a desert."
Isnt
verse 13 a solemn statement ? It says that God turns a deaf ear to those who
actually call to Him
with a wicked heart.
Solomon says that the prayers and sacrifices of the wicked is an
abomination to Him ! ( Proverbs 15:8)
Unless, of course they are sincere and accompanied by repentance.
.
Message No. 3
A Promise
But
now they are re-building the Temple , ten blessings are outlined for them in
the next two messages ! All of which commence with the same phrase ...
"This
is what the LORD Almighty says
(8:2;3;4;6;7;9;14;18;20;23;)
8:1 Then another
message came to me from the LORD Almighty: 2 "This is what the
LORD Almighty says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am
consumed with passion for Jerusalem!
3 And
now the LORD says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in
Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the
LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain. 4 This is what
the LORD Almighty says: Once again old men and women will
walk Jerusalem's streets with a cane and sit together in the city squares. 5 And the streets of
the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.
6 "This
is what the LORD Almighty says: All this may seem impossible to you
now, a small and discouraged remnant of God's people. But do you think this is
impossible for me, the LORD Almighty? 7 This
is what the LORD Almighty says: You can be sure that I will rescue
my people from the east and from the west. 8 I will
bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and
I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.
9 "This
is what the LORD Almighty says: Take heart and finish the task! You
have heard what the prophets have been saying about building the Temple of the
LORD Almighty ever since the foundation was laid. 10 Before the work on
the Temple began, there were no jobs and no wages for either people or animals.
No traveller was safe from the enemy, for there were enemies on all sides. I
had turned everyone against each other. 11 But now I
will not treat the remnant of my people as I treated them before, says the LORD
Almighty. 12 For I am planting seeds of peace and
prosperity among you. The grapevines will be heavy with fruit. The earth will
produce its crops, and the sky will release the dew. Once more I will make the
remnant in Judah and Israel the heirs of these blessings. 13 Among the
nations, Judah and Israel had become symbols of what it means to be cursed. But
no longer! Now I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of
blessing! So don't be afraid or discouraged, but instead get on with rebuilding
the Temple!
14 "For
this is what the LORD Almighty says: I did not
change my mind when your ancestors angered me and I promised to punish them,
says the LORD Almighty. 15 Neither will I change my
decision to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don't be afraid. 16 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other.
Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. 17 Do not make evil plots to harm each other. And stop this
habit of swearing to things that are false. I hate all these things, says the
LORD."
18 Here is another message that came to me
from the LORD Almighty. 19 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: The
traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer,
midsummer, autumn, and winter are now ended. They will become festivals of joy
and celebration for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace.
20 "This
is what the LORD Almighty says: People from nations and cities around the
world will travel to Jerusalem. 21 The people of one
city will say to the people in another, `Let us go to Jerusalem to ask the LORD
to bless us and to seek the LORD Almighty. We are planning to go ourselves.' 22 People from many nations, even powerful nations, will come
to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to ask the LORD to bless them.
23 "This
is what the LORD Almighty says: In those days ten people from nations and
languages around the world will clutch at the hem of one Jew's robe. And they
will say, `Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with
you.' "
..
Ten
blessings
to encourage the builders,
(a)
God loves Jerusalem. It was the centre
of worship for His (Old Testament) chosen people. (vs.2) Notice I say Old Testament. Today Jerusalem
has no special significance. The Lord
Jesus told the Samaritan woman the day was coming that there would be no
special place of worship
neither Mnt. Gerezim ( sacred to the Samaritans) nor
Jerusalem ( sacred to the Jews. ) ( John 4:21-23) But where-ever two or three
gather in His Name
.
.
(b)
Jerusalem will be rebuilt ! (7:3)
.
(c)
Jerusalem will be happy and secure ! (7:4-5)
..
(d) He is able to perform this ! (7:6)
..
(e)
Many Jews will return to join with Gods people already in Jerusalem. (7:7-8)
..
(f)
Whereas in the days of their disobedience they experienced hardship (10) now
God will bless them (7:9-13)
(g)
Just as Gods word of judgment came true for their ancestors, so His word of
blessing will come true for them. (7:14-15)
..
(h) Turn your fast days
into Feast Days !
(8:18-19)
(i)
Others will come to seek the Lord. Even Gentiles !! ( 8:20-22)
.
(j)
Some folk will even plead with Gods people to discover how they might know Him
too ! (8:23)
.
All of which only had a partial, literal Old Testament fulfilment for it
was conditional on obedience to His law
and a promise of a spiritual fulfilment if Christians live as they
ought
today.
8: 16 But this is what
you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that
are just and that lead to peace.
..
Message No. 4
a Prophecy
(5) A CAUTION TO HEED !
Some prophetic preachers apply all this to a Millennium. Others see verse 4 as a sign of the Second Comings nearness.
It seems to me it literal for Zechariahs day , and a spiritual lesson for ours.
Beware of wrenching obscure verses from
obscure passages in obscure Old Testament books and applying them to End-time
events. See when the prophet said what he did , and why he said
it
and to whom.
(6) A CONDITION TO OBEY
But it did not all come true in Old Testament
days ! Why not ?
Because Gods promises of blessing were
conditional. And the Jews failed continue in obedience. One only has to read
the Book of Malachi, 80 years later, to see how they had returned to their old
ways
But
God had said
Zechariah
1:3 Therefore,
say to the people, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: Return to me, and I
will return to you, says the LORD Almighty.'
And when they returned to Him, they did experience His blessing.
And when they departed from Him again, they came under His curse.
Gods promises are conditional.
By the time our Lord Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem, things had grown even worse. Gods commands had been made void by man-made traditions. (Mark 7:6-7, 13) The religious leaders were a generation of vipers, hypocrites, blind leaders of the blind. (Matthew 23:13-33)
And in our day ... thousands follow man-made traditions , they attend church but have no understanding of the new birth. Thats what Zechariah is on about in these chapters.
The Jews were keeping Fast-days God had never told
them to keep
and not doing the things He did tell them to do ! (
8:16-17)
Its comparable to the crowds who flock to our churches at Christmas and Easter (which is not a Scriptural command) but who neglect the observance of the Lords Day for the rest of the year ! The Fast days may have not been wrong if accompanied by a sorrow for sin. But mere outward observance of a ritual without the proper motive is vain. Indeed, its even dangerous. The more religious rites and ceremonies and rituals creep in, the more likely it is for a heart-felt faith to depart.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MEET THE MESSIAH !!
.
Concerning the remainder of the book ( Chapters 9-14) H. L. Ellison writes , in such prophecies the general drift is clear enough, but detailed interpretation is impossible. He who thinks otherwise should learn humility from those as good as he who have interpreted them otherwise.
So we need to tread carefully here. And
prayerfully. And avoid dogmatism. But
we also need to beware of dodging these chapters altogether for All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God
and is profitable ! ( 2 Timothy 3:16)
We should also beware of parting company with
other believers who may interpret these chapters differently to the way we do.
..
We have arrived at a new section of the book.
The style is so different from the preceding chapters that Liberal theologians
have decided they come from a different author. But there is no real proof of
this. Zechariah 1-8 was probably the product of his younger days whilst these
chapters (9-14) could reflect his old
age. Besides, the subject matter is different. The Temple has been completed
and he now looks forward to the day the Messiah will come.
.
(1) TWO CLUES
(a) The Old Testament
Quotations
These certainly provide us with a clue as to when these prophecies were fulfilled.
For example
+
Zech. 9:9 is quoted as being fulfilled in Matthew 21:5
+
Zech. 12:10 speaks of the Messiah being pierced. (John 19:37)
+
Zech. 13:7 is quoted in Matthew 26:31 as being fulfilled when the
disciples fled.
+
The living water of Zech. 14:8 seems to have its New Testament
counterpart in John 4:10.
Now all these were fulfilled at
our Lords first coming
not the Second Coming. And that is an
important point to notice.
..
(b) The New Testament
Teaching.
Our second clue reveals how
to interpret these Old Testament prophecies.
For example
+ Does the New Testament teach that the Jews are still Gods
chosen people ? No. It says the kingdom shall be taken from
you and given to another nation. (Matthew 21:43) That kingdom is the church. ( 1 Peter
2:9)
+ Does the new Testament say that
if you are a Jew then you are still one of Gods chosen ones ? No. If ye
be Christs
then are ye Abrahams seed. (Galatians
3:29) Christians are spoken of as the
true children of Abraham
and that may include Jews, of course, who put their
trust in the Lord Jesus. But an unsaved Jew is spoken of as a child of the
devil
the same as any unsaved person. (John 8:44; Matthew 13:38) And the
church is spoken of in the New Testament as Mnt. Zion and Jerusalem ! (Hebrews 12:22-23)
The Old Testament prophets
use the language of their day to describe the blessings of the Messianic
Age
that is; from our Lords first
coming to His second.
The clincher is in Acts 15 . Here, at a council meeting of the early Christians, James quotes the prophecy of Amos and interprets it for us ..
Amos 9:11"In
that day I will restore the fallen kingdom of David. It is now like a house in
ruins, but I will rebuild its walls and restore its former glory. 12And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the
nations I have called to be mine. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do these
things.
And
here is the interpretation which was acceptable to all the Christians,
including Paul and Peter, gathered at the meeting.
Acts
15: 13 When they
had finished, James stood and said, "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the
Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And
this conversion of Gentiles agrees with what the prophets predicted. For
instance, it is written:
16 `Afterward
I will return,
and I will restore the fallen kingdom of
David.
From the ruins I will rebuild it,
and I will restore it,
17 so
that the rest of humanity might find the Lord,
including the Gentiles--
all those I have called to be mine.
This is what the Lord says,
So the prophecy of Amos concerning Davids
kingdom spoke of the church. .
And that it would include Edomites
( Amos 9:12) is interpreted as meaning that Gentiles ( non-Jews) would come
into the church as well. (Acts 15: 17)
Amos was using Edomites in a figurative way
as a picture of the
enemies of Gods people who would one day find salvation.
Now if we have misinterpreted
the New Testament way of interpreting Old Testament prophecy we will end up
with literal Jews still being Gods chosen people, and one day rebuilding a
literal Temple and having literal Edomites coming to visit
. There will be literal animal sacrifices again
All this is believed by many
Christians.
But it certainly does not seem
to be the interpretation put upon Amos 9 by James in Acts 15. Nor will be be able to interpret Zechariah
9-14 correctly. Zechariah ( and Amos and the other prophets) used the language
of their day to describe spiritual blessings in the Messianic
age. Which is now !
.
(2) TWO SERMONS
There are two sermons here both commencing
with the same phrase
(a) First sermon.
The Messiahs Rejection.
..(
9:1 - 11:17)
(b) Second sermon
.. The Messiahs Victory
..( 12:1 14:21)
(3) TWO SOVEREIGNS
(a) A hundred years
later (9: 1-8)
The fact that Zechariah is about to describe events a century after his lifetime is another reason why the critics deny his authorship. He sees an invading army coming from the north. The places mentioned in verses 2 8 describe the march of the Greek armies under Alexander the Great.
9:1 This is the
message from the LORD against the land of Aram and the city of Damascus, for
the eyes of all humanity, including the people of Israel, are on the LORD. 2 Doom is certain for Hamath, near Damascus, and for the
cities of Tyre and Sidon, too, though they are so clever. 3 Tyre has
built a strong fortress and has piled up so much silver and gold that it is as
common as dust in the streets! 4 But now the Lord will
strip away Tyre's possessions and hurl its fortifications into the
Mediterranean Sea. Tyre will be set on fire and burned to the ground.
5 The city of
Ashkelon will see Tyre fall and will be filled with fear. Gaza will shake with
terror, and so will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed. Gaza will be
conquered and its king killed, and Ashkelon will be completely deserted. 6 Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. Thus, I will
destroy the pride of the Philistines. 7 They will no
longer eat meat with blood in it or feed on other forbidden foods. All the
surviving Philistines will worship our God and be adopted as a new clan in
Judah And the Philistines of Ekron will join my people, just as the Jebusites
once did. 8 I will guard my Temple and protect it from
invading armies. I am closely watching their movements. No foreign oppressor
will ever again overrun my people's land.
Most
interesting is the reference to Tyre and its fortifications being cast into the
sea. (4) Hearing of the Greek armys approach, the inhabitants of Tyre fled to
an island off-shore. Alexander ordered his men to use the masonry from the now
deserted city to be flung into the sea and thus make a causeway out to the
island. Over this his army marched to attack the isle to which the population
had fled. And conquer it.
The Greeks did not attack Jerusalem. (
8). This fact is confirmed by Josephus,
the Jewish historian, and other secular writers.
But No foreign
oppressor will ever again overrun my people's land. ??
Alas
! the promise was conditional upon the Jews keeping Gods laws. And they
did not ! So their land was over-run, firstly by Syria, and later again
by Rome.
..
(b) Four Hundred years later (9:9-17)
Now Zechariah gazes further into the future and sees another King not riding a horse (as Alexander did ) but a donkey ! For this King was coming in peace.
9:9 Rejoice
greatly, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your
king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding
on a donkey--even on a donkey's colt.
Bear in mind that verse 9 is quoted by Matthew and applied to
our Lords entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This entrance was our Lords way of making a public declaration
that He was the Messiah foretold by the Old Testament prophets.
10 I will
remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and I
will destroy all the weapons used in battle. Your king will bring peace to the
nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to
the ends of the earth.
Hey ! whats this ? Verse 9 was fulfilled when our Lord rode
into Jerusalem on a donkey
but he didnt go on to destroy battle chariots
did He ?
Ah ! We are back to the phrase Ive used a few times already
this is an Old Testament way of saying that He is coming to bring peace for all
who trust in Him. And that will extend to the uttermost part of the earth.
(vs.10) (Acts 1:8)
It is a spiritual peace in the hearts of His followers
described in Old Testament terminology.
Now it goes on to say the Messiah, when He comes, will make a
covenant with His people and seal it with His blood which He did. (This is the
new covenant (or agreement) in My blood Matthew 26:28)
And the purpose was to set the captives (of sin ) free !
(11)
And to doubly bless those who trust in Him. (12)
And give them victory over their enemies, the world, the
flesh and the devil !(13-15)
This is poetry
and Old Testament language used to
describe New Testament blessings.
.
11 Because of
the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners
from death in a waterless dungeon. 12 Come back to the
place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet hope! I promise this very
day that I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes! 13
Judah is my bow, and Israel is my arrow! Jerusalem is my sword, and like
a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.
14 The LORD
will appear above his people; his arrows will fly like lightning! The Sovereign
LORD will sound the trumpet; he will go out against his enemies like a
whirlwind from the southern desert. 15 The LORD Almighty will
protect his people, and they will subdue their enemies with sling stones. They
will shout in battle as though drunk with wine, shedding the blood of their
enemies. They will be filled with blood like a bowl, drenched with blood like the
corners of the altar.
.
(4) TWO SHEPHERDS
(a) A Good Shepherd
Zechariahs prophecy continues in the same vein the coming Messiah is described as a shepherd who rescues and feeds His sheep. The Lord Jesus applied this imagery to Himself. ( John 10:11) He will abundantly provide their every need. (9:17-10:2)
16 When that
day arrives, the LORD their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd
rescues his sheep. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. 17 How wonderful and beautiful they will be! The young men and
women will thrive on the abundance of grain and new wine.
10:1 Ask the LORD for rain in the spring, and he will give it. It is
the LORD who makes storm clouds that drop showers of rain so that every field
becomes a lush pasture.2 Household gods give false advice,
fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce
comfortless falsehoods.
.
(b) The
Evil Shepherds
Judahs
religious leaders will be blind
leaders of the blind. They are
hirelings who care not for the flock committed to them.(John 10:12)
10:2 So my people are wandering like lost sheep, without a
shepherd to protect and guide them. 10:3 "My anger burns against your
shepherds, and I will punish these leaders.
.
(c) The Good Shepherd
again !
10:3
For the LORD Almighty has arrived to look after his flock of Judah; he will
make them strong and glorious, like a proud warhorse in battle. 4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,
the tent peg, the battle bow, and all the rulers. 5 They will be like mighty warriors in
battle, trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet. Since the LORD is
with them as they fight, they will overthrow even the horsemen of the enemy.
Verse
4 gives us some prophetic pictures of the Lord Jesus
using Old Testament
language.
+
He is the cornerstone ( 1 Peter 2:7)
the foundation of the spiritual Temple
He is building. Everything depends upon Him just as the stability and
uprightness of a building depends upon the cornerstone.
+
He is the tent peg
the one who upholds the walls. He can be totally
depended upon not to let you fall ! ( He is able to keep that which I have
committed unto Him
( 2 Timothy 1:12)
+
He is the battle bow
the one who will ultimately conquer all His enemies.
(
Revelation 20:14-15)
+
The rulers are Gods people who are equipped by the Holy Spirit to overcome
the world ! (1 John 5:5)
The
prophecy continues with a promise of blessings galore.
There
is a partial literal fulfilment in Zechariahs day. And a wider, vaster, more
exciting fulfilment in the Messianic age. Not the literal return of the jews to
Palestine , but sinners coming into the church. God likens Himself to a bee keeper who blows his whistle to
attract them to the hive. ( 8)
Verse
11 did not literally happen again
it is a poetic way of saying God will save
His people as He did when they were in Egyptian bondage. And their enemies will
be defeated. The power of sin will be
broken when the Messiah comes. ( at His first advent !)
6 "I will
strengthen Judah and save Israel; I will re-establish them because I love them.
It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the LORD their God,
who will hear their cries. 7 The people of Israel will
become like mighty warriors, and their hearts will be happy as if by wine.
Their children, too, will see it all and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in
the LORD. 8 When I whistle to them, they will come
running, for I have redeemed them. From the few that are left, their population
will grow again to its former size. 9 Though I have
scattered them like seeds among the nations, still they will remember me in
distant lands. With their children, they will survive and come home again to
Israel. 10 I will bring them back from Egypt and Assyria
and resettle them in Gilead and Lebanon. There won't be enough room for them
all! 11 They will pass safely through the sea of
distress, for the waves of the sea will be held back. And the waters of the
Nile will become dry. The pride of Assyria will be crushed, and the rule of
Egypt will end. 12 I will make my people strong in my
power, and they will go wherever they wish by my authority. I, the LORD, have
spoken!"
11:1 Open your
doors, Lebanon, so that fire may sweep through your cedar forests. 2 Weep, you cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the
tallest and most beautiful of them are fallen. Weep, you oaks of Bashan, as you
watch the thickest forests being felled. 3 Listen to the
wailing of the shepherds, for their wealth is gone. Hear the young lions
roaring, for their thickets in the Jordan Valley have been destroyed.
It
is such a wonderful passage of Scripture describing what the messiah will do
lets look at it again !
He
will strengthen and save us. (6)
He
will have compassion on us
(6)
He
restores us to what we ought to be ! (6)
He
answers our prayers. (6)
He
gives joy !(7)
He
calls us to Himself ( 8)
He
redeems !( (8)
He
delivers us from our foes. (10)
He
provides for us (10) And Gilead is Israels most lush, fertile area. It is a picture of our spiritual prosperity.
He
sends judgment upon the enemies of His people.
( 11:1-3)
(
If we were to take all this literally we might well ask , when will the Lord
deliver literal Israel from literal Assyria ? For literal Assyria is hardly a
world threat
if it exists at all. )
(5) TWO STAFFS !!
The evil shepherds are devoid of compassion for the flock
instead they make money out of them ! (4-5)
11:4 This is what
the LORD my God says: "Go and care for a flock that is intended for
slaughter. 5 The buyers will slaughter their sheep
without remorse. The sellers will say, `Praise the LORD, I am now rich!' Even
the shepherds have no compassion for them. 6 And
likewise, I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land," says
the LORD. "I will let them fall into each other's clutches, as well as
into the clutches of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and
I will not protect them."
This latter verse may well be a prophecy of the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70A.D.
Now Zechariah acts out
the part of the good shepherd
taking two staffs to illustrate his role play.
It illustrates the rejection of the Messiah and the doom that was to fall upon
the Jewish people as a result.
11:7 So I cared
for the flock intended for slaughter--the flock that was oppressed. Then I took
two shepherd's staffs and named one Favor and the other Union. 8
I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a single month. But I became
impatient with these sheep--this nation--and they hated me, too. 9 So I told them, "I won't be your shepherd any longer.
If you die, you die. If you are killed, you are killed. And those who remain
will devour each other!"
But
Zechariah ( a picture of the Messiah , the good shepherd) is hated. Rejected.
So
judgment is pronounced upon them. Who are the three evil shepherds who oppose
him ? A symbol of the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes ? So he breaks his staff called Favour
symbolizing the end of Gods favour toward the Jewish nation. The kingdom is
taken from you ( Jews) and given to (
another) nation bringing forth the fruit that you were supposed to bear
for Me ! (Matthew 21:43) That new
nation is the church , comprised of saved Jews and saved Gentiles. (1 Peter 2:9) Zechariah, in his role play
( did he have
some fellow actors in this market-place production ?) is even given severance
pay
30 pieces of silver ! (12) Which , remarkably, he is told to give to the
potters ! ( 13) Likewise the Lord Jesus was betrayed and rejected for the same
amount of money , money that eventually went to buy a potters field. (Matthew
27:9)
Then
Zechariah breaks the second staff
called Union
a symbol of division among
the nation and destruction by the Romans.
(14)
11:10 Then I took
my staff called Favour and snapped it in two, showing that I had revoked the
covenant I had made with all the nations. 11 That was the end of my covenant
with them. Those who bought and sold sheep were watching me, and they knew that
the LORD was speaking to them through my actions. 12 And
I said to them, "If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but
only if you want to." So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of
silver.
13 And the LORD
said to me, "Throw it to the potters"--this magnificent sum at which
they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potters in the
Temple of the LORD. 14 Then I broke my other staff,
Union, to show that the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken.
Again
Zechariah takes the role of a shepherd at the Lords bidding
a worthless one
this time. It illustrates the wrath of
God upon these evil religious leaders.
Or is it a picture of just one supreme evil shepherd of whom the New
Testament speaks ? The Man of
Sin ! ( 2 Thessalonians 2:3)
11:15 Then the
LORD said to me, "Go again and play the part of a worthless shepherd. 16 This will illustrate how I will give this nation a shepherd
who will not care for the sheep that are threatened by death, nor look after
the young, nor heal the injured, nor feed the healthy. Instead, this shepherd
will eat the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves. 17 Doom is certain for this worthless shepherd who abandons
the flock! The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye! His arm will
become useless, and his right eye completely blind!"
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Farewell Zechariah !!
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Dr. C.J. Ellicott warned us in his commentary that Zechariah
is acknowledged on all sides to be the most difficult of all the
prophets. If we didnt believe him
before, we certainly will by the time we finish !
Most acknowledge that the
final chapters of Zechariah are the most difficult. ( J.M. Boice)
There are two basic
interpretations and even they have commentators squabbling among themselves.
(a) THE DISPENSATIONAL VIEW sees herein a
glorious future for literal Jews in a literal Jerusalem. This
means animal sacrifices will be restored and Canaanites are back on the scene.
(14:21) It would mean we are to go on
an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to attend a Jewish festival. ( (14:16) In spite of the fact the Book of Hebrews
makes it clear that the Lord Jesus wrote finish to all such practices. As for camels(14:15) and the Kings
winepress (14:10) and the family of Shimei (12:13)
where are they today to
fulfil these chapters literally ?
(b) THE TRADITIONAL VIEW suggests we
have a picture of the Messianic age
our day !
expressed in Old Testament
language. But weve said that before!
Notice how famous
commentator, Matthew Henry, applies these chapters to the church
The apostle (Galatians
4:25,26) distinguishes between "Jerusalem which now is, and is in
bondage with her children"--the remaining carcase of the Jewish church
that rejected Christ, and "Jerusalem that is from above, that is free, and
is the mother of us all"--the Christian church, the spiritual Jerusalem,
which God has chosen to put his name there;
.
Now, in this chapter, we have
many precious promises made to the gospel-Jerusalem by him who (Zechariah 12:1)
declares his power to make them good. It is promised,( I.) That the attempts of
the church's enemies against her shall be to their own ruin, and they shall
find that it is at their peril if they do her any hurt,
A key to understanding
these chapters ( 12-14) is further found in the phrase in that day or on that day which occurs about 20
times. It refers to our day
the day that commenced with our
Lords first advent and ends at His second coming.
And some texts are quoted
in the New Testament and shown to refer to events then. Not in a future millennium.
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Sermon No. 2
The Messiah
Victorious !
12:1 This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the
LORD: "This message is from the LORD, who stretched out the heavens, laid
the foundations of the earth, and formed the spirit within humans. 2 I will make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink
to all the nearby nations that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem. 3 On that day
I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone, a burden for the world. None of the
nations who try to lift it will escape unscathed.
In other words, the gates of Hell will not prevail against the
church. We are on the winning side! Remember, this is Old Testament imagery of
a New Testament truth.
4 "On
that day, says the LORD, I will cause every horse to
panic and every rider to lose his nerve. I will watch over the people of Judah,
but I will blind the horses of her enemies. 5 And the
clans of Judah will say to themselves, `The people of Jerusalem have found
strength in the LORD Almighty, their God.'
6 "On
that day I will make the clans of Judah like a brazier that sets a woodpile
ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all
the neighbouring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem
remain secure. 7 The LORD will give victory to the rest
of Judah first, before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal
line of David will not have greater honour than the rest of Judah. 8 On that day
the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as
mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like
God, like the angel of the LORD who goes before them! 9 For my plan is to destroy all
the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 "Then I
will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all
the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn
for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a
firstborn son who has died. 11 The sorrow and mourning
in Jerusalem on that day will be like the grievous mourning of Hadad-rimmon
in the valley of Megiddo.
12 "All
Israel will weep in profound sorrow, each family by itself, with the husbands
and wives in separate groups. The family of David will mourn, along with the
family of Nathan, 13 the family of Levi, and the family
of Shimei. 14 Each of the surviving families from Judah
will mourn separately, husbands and wives apart.
Whilst
it may sound like a description of the end of the Age, it probably refers to
the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans a generation after the crucifixion.
Or the Lords followers mourning over His crucifixion ? ( See 13:1 !)
13:1"On that day a fountain will be opened for the
dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them
from all their sins and defilement.
Was not that a prophecy
of the Cross
?
Lets read the rest of chapters 13 and 14 at one sitting before
we analyse them. And notice the on that day phrase that continually recurs.
13:2 "And on
that day, says the LORD Almighty, I will get rid of every trace of idol
worship throughout the land, so that even the names of the idols will be
forgotten. I will remove from the land all false prophets and the unclean
spirits that inspire them. 3 If anyone begins
prophesying again, his own father and mother will tell him, `You must die, for
you have prophesied lies in the name of the LORD.' Then his own father and
mother will stab him.
13:4 "No one
will be boasting then of a prophetic gift! No one will wear prophet's clothes
to try to fool the people. 5 `No,' he will say. `I'm not
a prophet; I'm a farmer. The soil has been my means of livelihood from my
earliest youth.' 6 And if someone asks, `Then what are
those scars on your chest?' he will say, `I was wounded at the home of
friends!'
13:7 "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, the man who is my
partner, says the LORD Almighty. Strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will
be scattered, and I will turn against the lambs. 8 Two-thirds
of the people in the land will be cut off and die, says the LORD. But a third
will be left in the land. 9 I will bring that group
through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and
purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I
will answer them. I will say, `These are my people,' and they will say, `The
LORD is our God.' "
14:1 Watch, for the day of the LORD is coming when your
possessions will be plundered right in front of you! 2 On
that day I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city
will be taken, the houses plundered, and the women raped. Half the population
will be taken away into captivity, and half will be left among the ruins of the
city.
3 Then the
LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times
past. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the
Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives
will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west, for half the
mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south.
5 You will flee through this valley, for it
will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in
the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all his
holy ones with him.
6 On that day the sources
of light will no longer shine, 7 yet there will be
continuous day! Only the LORD knows how this could happen! There will be no
normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light. 8 On that day life-giving waters will flow out from
Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing
continuously both in summer and in winter.
9 And the LORD
will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one LORD--his
name alone will be worshiped. 10 All the land from Geba,
north of Judah, to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become one vast plain. But
Jerusalem will be raised up in its original place and will be inhabited all the
way from the Benjamin Gate over to the site of the old gate, then to the Corner
Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. 11
And Jerusalem will be filled, safe at last, never again to be cursed and
destroyed.
12 And the LORD
will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their
people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes
will shrivel in their sockets, and their tongues will decay in their mouths. 13 On that day they will be terrified, stricken by the
LORD with great panic. They will fight against each other in hand-to-hand
combat; 14 Judah, too, will be fighting at Jerusalem.
The wealth of all the neighbouring nations will be captured--great quantities
of gold and silver and fine clothing. 15 This same
plague will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the other
animals in the enemy camps.
16 In the end,
the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each
year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate
the Festival of Shelters. 17 And any nation anywhere in
the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD
Almighty, will have no rain. 18 And if the people of
Egypt refuse to attend the festival, the LORD will punish them with the same
plague that he sends on the other nations who refuse to go. 19 Egypt
and the other nations will all be punished if they don't go to celebrate the
festival.
20 On that day even the
harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: SET APART AS
HOLY TO THE LORD. And the cooking pots in the Temple of the LORD will be as
sacred as the basins used beside the altar. 21 In fact,
every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be set apart as holy to the LORD
Almighty. All who come to worship will be free to use any of these pots to boil
their sacrifices. And on that day there will no longer be traders
in the Temple of the LORD Almighty.
Whew !!! Now lets examine it in detail
.
(a) A Persecuted People (12:2)
Here ia a picture of the church besieged by the world, the flesh and the devil. This Holy War ( as John Bunyan called it ) sees the City of Mansoul under attack.
(b) A Protected People (12:8-9)
But God is watching over His people. Even if we suffer death , not a hair of your head shall perish. ( Luke 21:16-18) Those seeking to overthrow the church will be like a man trying to lift a rock only to have it fall and crush him. (12:3)
(c ) A
Proclaiming People (12:6)
He maketh His ministers a flame of fire ! ( Hebrews 1:7) They go forth to spread the seed of the Gospel and bring in the sheaves.
(d) A Pentecostal People (12:10)
The Spirit of God will empower them for service in spite of opposition.
(e) A Penitent People (12: 11-14)
There will be weeping over sin, such as occurred during the first Passover night when the firstborn was slain in many households and when good King Josiah was wounded at Meggido. (12:11) Notice that there is repentance from the greatest (symbolised by the House of David) to the lowliest ( house of Shimei ) each must individually respond to the gospel. No man can repent on behalf of another. ( 12-14)
(f ) A Pardoned People (13:1)
Thanks to the sacrifice of Calvary , we can know the joy of sins forgiven.
Charles Wesley was thinking of this text when he wrote
Forever here my rest shall be,
Close to Thy bleeding side;
This all my hope, and all my plea,
For me the Savior died!
My dying Savior, and my God,
Fountain for guilt and sin,
Sprinkle me ever in Thy blood,
And cleanse, and keep me clean.
And that fountain
filled with blood still avails to wash the foulest sinner clean. Sin, illustrated here by idolatry and
following false prophets (2) must be put away. And the converted false prophet,
when asked about the self-inflicted scars from his initiation ceremony, will be
too ashamed to admit how he came by them.(6) Note his excuse.!
..
(g) A Prophesied People (13:7-9)
This is quoted in Matthew 26:31 and applied to the smiting of the Lord Jesus and the scattering of His the disciples. It is another confirmation that we are dealing with our Lords first advent.
Verses 8-9 may well look forward to the events of 70 A.D. when two thirds of Jerusalems population died as a result of Romes siege. And 500,000 were taken into slavery. Or it may have reference to the ongoing persecution of the church.
..
(h) A
Peculiar People (14:9)
peculiarly His , that is! The imagery is that of a nation divided in their allegiance to Him Some crown Him King whilst others reject His Lordship. (9)
For some it is day, for some it is night, spiritually speaking. But it is a day when the living water of the gospel pours forth in season, out of season. (8)
To say that it refers to geographical changes in Palestine that will cause Jerusalem to become a sea-port strains the imagination. Jerusalem is 1000 feet above sea level and, according to the Dispensationalist, will be exalted even higher. This is simply a prophetic picture of the division caused by the coming of the Lord Jesus.
.
(i) A Preserved
People (14:11)
On that day when the King returns His people will be eternally secure in the New Jerusalem.
.
(j) A
Praising People (14:16-19)
Here we have an Old Testament picture of Heavenly joy !
(k) A Purified People . (14:20-21)
Everything everything even pots and pans and bells will be pure in that Heavenly City. (20). Nothing that defileth shall enter in. ( Revelation 21:27) The enemies of Gods people will be forever gone ! (21)
But to be an inhabitant of that Heavenly Home, one must first be cleansed in that fountain that washes away sin ( 13:1)
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CHRIST IN ZECHARIAH
In this final study we take
a special look at some of the passages that relate to the Messiah
the Lord
Jesus. Notice in the following verses
that Jeshua, the High Priest, and the other priests, are spoken of as a symbols of good things to come.
In the New Testament the
Lord Jesus is our Great High Priest
whilst Christians are spoken of as a
kingdom of priests. (Revelation 1: 6) (1 Peter 2:9)
3:8 Listen to
me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of the
good things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single
stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the LORD
Almighty, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day. 10 And on that day, says the LORD Almighty, each of you will
invite your neighbour into your home to share your peace and prosperity."
(1) THE TITLE OF THE MESSIAH
The Branch (3:8) is a
Messianic title. The Jews themselves recognized this. The same Title is also used in Zechariah 6:12; Isaiah
4:2;11:1; and Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15.)
Simply put it means the Messiah will be a branch from King Davids
family tree.
Actually the Lord Jesus was
both root and branch (Revelation 22:16) He precedes David, for He existed from all eternity
past, but He became a descendant
of David when the incarnation took
place.
(2) THE OFFICES OF THE
MESSIAH ( 6:9-15)
+ Jeshua is called the
Branch (12)
a type of the Messiah.
+ He is the Priest
who
rules as King ! (13) How can this be
for Priests come from the Tribe of Levi but Kings from the tribe of Judah
? The solution is found in Hebrews
the Lord Jesus is priest after the order of Melchizedek (not the tribe of
Levi ) as well as King. There is
perfect harmony between the two because the Messiah combines both offices in
one person. ( 13)
+ He is the Builder of the
Temple. (13) In New Testament language,
He is building His church. Both Jews (9) and Gentiles (15) are involved in this.
+ He receives honour and
glory from His followers. (11)
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Now to Chapter 6
6:9 Then I
received another message from the LORD: 10 "Heldai,
Tobijah, and Jedaiah will bring gifts of silver and gold from the Jews exiled
in Babylon. As soon as they arrive, meet them at the home of Josiah son of
Zephaniah. 11 Accept their gifts and make a crown from
the silver and gold. Then put the crown on the head of Jeshua son of Jehozadak,
the high priest. 12 Tell him that the LORD Almighty
says: Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out where he is and
build the Temple of the LORD. 13 He will build the
LORD's Temple, and he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his
throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect
harmony between the two.
14"The
crown will be a memorial in the Temple of the LORD to honor those who gave
it--Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah son of Zephaniah."
15 Many will come from distant lands to rebuild the Temple of the
LORD. And when this happens, you will know my messages have been from the LORD
Almighty. All this will happen if you carefully obey the commands of the LORD
your God.
(3) THE KINGDOM OF THE
MESSIAH
Perhaps the reason the High
Priest is crowned, and not Zerubbabel,
the governor, is because the Messiahs
kingdom is spiritual
not of this world.
(John 18:36) It is described as
not meat and drink
but love and joy and peace in the Holy Ghost. ( Romans
14:17) He reigns over the hearts of those who have submitted to His
Lordship. Not an earthly kingdom for a
1000 years as some teach. But now
What about after the Second
Coming ?
will it not be a literal Kingdom then on a New Earth. Yes
but at
that stage it becomes the Kingdom of God the Father, not God the Son.
1 Corinthians 15:24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over
to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. 25
For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath
his feet.
Note
between the First and Second Advents is the
Messianic Kingdom. After the Second Coming is the Kingdom of God the Father.
..
(4) THE TEMPLE OF THE MESSIAH
AS Jeshua saw the Temple
being built in his day
so living stones (1 Peter 2:5 ) are being added to
the spiritual Temple daily. ( Acts 2:47)
The reference to the stone
before Joshua is difficult to explain. ( 3:9)
3:9 Now look at the jewel I have set
before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription
on it, says the LORD Almighty, and I will remove the sins of this land in a
single day.
It may be a reference to a
memorial stone to be set in the wall of the Temple then being rebuilt
something to be unveiled at the opening ceremony. The seven facets speaks of its perfection. On that day God will bless His people again,
their sin will be removed. (3:9) It is
a reminder that one day the Church will be completed, the last living stone
will be placed, and Gods people will be saved to sin no more !
Imagine that the
inscription will read something like this
THE CHURCH WHICH HE PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD
BEGUN ON EARTH
COMPLETED IN GLORY !
Saved to sin no more . Hallelujah !
BUILT BY THE
BRANCH
Jesus, The Son of God.
.
(5) THE PEOPLE OF THE MESSIAH
The closing verses of chapters 3 and 6 describe the
blessings awaiting those who belong to the Lord Jesus. Sitting under ones fig tree is Old
Testament language for peace and security and prosperity
And 6:15 reminds us that those who are afar
off may share in the blessings also.
Timothy Dwight penned a hymn with all this in mind ..
I love Thy kingdom, Lord,
The house of Thine abode,
The church our blessed Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood.
I love
Thy church, O God.
Her walls
before Thee stand, ( Zech 2:5)
Dear as
the apple of Thine eye, ( Zech 2:8)
And written
on Thy hand. (Zech 3:9)
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CONCLUSION
Wow ! Did you make it to the end ?
True , there were some difficult
passages with which to grapple
but some gems along the way.
And when you meet Zechariah up in
Glory-land youll be one of the few who will be able to look him in the eye and
say, I read your book !
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