Zachariah

Zechariah Chapter 1

• Zechariah 1:1 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,

Zechariah was both a prophet and a priest from the tribe of Levi contemporary with Haggai. He lived at the time of the rebuilding the temple in the days of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. He was to encourage the remnant in Judah after the 70 years captivity in Babylon to rebuild the temple. This is recorded in the first part of the book. The second half of the book concerned the coming Messiah. This chapter took place about 520 BC according to some scholars.

Zechariah was later killed by those who opposed the preaching of the word of God. This was spoken of by Jesus and recorded in Matthew 23:35.

Jesus warned those who refused to listen to His preaching while He was on the earth:

• Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
• 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
• 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 

Ironically years before the time of Zechariah, a prophet with the same name was killed. This was recorded in 2 Chronicles 24: 20-21. God's word was rejected at that time also.

• 2Chronicles 24:20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.
• 21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. 

People that resist the truth will persecute and even kill those that speak the truth. Imagine their hearts so hardened that they would kill those that want to warn them of being eternally lost. Eternal life is available to all but not all receive this.

There are 8 visions in the book of Zechariah. The 1st 5 is about hope and consolation. The last three are of judgment. The 4th vision is Messianic prophecy present and future.

• 2 The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

When King Darius of the Medes and Persians ruled over the known world at that time, Zechariah was the prophet. It was the 8th month in the second year of the reign of Darius that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah. This was a call to repentance as a nation.

The Lord was displeased. He was displeased with the previous generations of Israel and Judah. They once had fellowship with God and trusted Him in the wilderness. Once they arrived into their own land, they began to desire to be like the heathen nations around them. They began to copy heathen ways and even worship heathen gods. As a result God allowed the heathen that they desired to be like to rule over them. When they followed after Babylon, Babylon was allowed to take over them and scatter them. 

We must be careful what we desire and seek after, for we just might get what we want and it will not be what we expected. Israel found out that the other nations that they once wanted to copy were nations that oppressed and brought bondage instead of freedom to do as one pleased.

• Zechariah 1:3 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.

Even in the Lord's displeasure though there was a way out. There was a way of salvation. That was simply repenting of sin and turning back to God.  Except for a few prophets that listened to God, the majority did not fully understand the need for repentance and salvation. They did not recognize the need for a permanent sacrifice and a savior to save them from their sins. They knew of a coming Messiah but not as a savior from sin but as a deliverer from oppressive nations.

Before Christ came they still could be saved by faith. They still had to repent and turn to God. The sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of Christ in the future would cover their sin if they repented of sins and turned to God before the time Jesus our Christ came to become that sacrifice.

They could look forward to the cross while we today look backward to that point in history. The same savior died for all past and present. That is why Christ's death meant so much in that it saved all who believed the word they heard or read. They were made free from sin and granted eternal life. 

• Zechariah 1:4 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?

They still were saved by faith. Those who believed these words of warning and turned to God were saved. Most of them refused to repent of their evil ways and refused to hear the word of God. The majority were in rebellion. That is why it says here, "Your fathers, where are they and do they live forever?" 

God has an eternal purpose for those who believe and turn to Him. That same promise exists today not only among Israel but also the whole world. The majority do not heed the word of God or live by faith. Most do not see any need to repent of sins and do not see any need of a savior from sins. That is why many are in a lost condition now.

• Zechariah 1:6 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.

The state of mankind has not changed much. They preferred their own ways instead of God's ways. Everybody did his or her own thing. They did what was right in their own eyes. In doing so, they reaped what they sowed and came under bondage of Babylon. If we desire sin over the savior, we too will be in bondage. Sin causes destruction both in this life and in eternity.

• 7 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 show 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.

We see here an answer to the questions in the mind of Zechariah when he saw the vision of the horses and the riders upon the horses. He wanted to know what they represented. He sought wisdom and the Lord did not leave him in confusion. He answered.

• Zechariah 1:11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

The angels or representatives walked back and forth throughout the earth and reported that all was at rest and still. There are still angels today obeying the word of God by ministering to the saints and watching out for them, although most of us do not see them unless the Lord allows us to.

• Hebrews 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 
• 14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

God's angels are ministering spirits that minister to the heirs of salvation. That means us, those that receive Jesus Christ. However, remember if we ever see an angel, we listen and respect them but worship is for God only. A true angel of the Lord will not accept our worship.

• Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

Here an angel of the Lord is requesting mercy for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. For 70 years they were in bondage and had no control over their own land. This started with the Babylonian captivity until the day of Zechariah.

The rider of the red horse is an angel of the Lord interceding on behalf of Israel after their 70 years of captivity. Some believe this angel to be Christ since Christ is the intercessor between God and man who was to come and give Himself as a sacrifice for sins. The rider is a different angel than the one talking to Zechariah.

• Zechariah 1:13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

God is a God of restoration and salvation. He is comforting them now after their bondage to Babylon.

• Zechariah 1:14 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.

God is a jealous God. He does not share worship with anything or anyone else. The worship of anything and anyone else is harmful to His creation. God wants what is good for us. He knows best. Anything that harms us is displeasing to Him. He knows that Satan desires to steal, kill and destroy. Sin harms and also the worship of anything other than God is harmful. To walk in obedience to God is beneficial. It brings eternal salvation and is for our good. 

Satan has always hated Israel because Israel was the apple of God's eye. Through Israel the promised Messiah, the seed of the woman that was to bruise the head of Satan, was to come.  Satan has always wanted to destroy Israel from off the map. The more Israel got away from God, the less protection they had against their enemies. 

• Zechariah 1:15 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.

In spite of God's displeasure with Judah for their sins, he was even more displeased with the heathen who were cruel to His people while they were in captivity. They went beyond what they were allowed to do in bringing Judah and Israel in captivity.

• Zechariah 1:16 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.
• 17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

Here we get to the prophecy of the future restoration of Jerusalem. Although Jerusalem was restored and the temple rebuilt; that lasted through the time of the first coming of Christ until 70 AD when it was destroyed again, I think this prophecy refers to the latter day restoration and the 2nd coming of Christ, which will usher in true peace and Jerusalem will be restored forever.

The restoration done during the rule of the Medes and Persians was only temporary to fulfill the events concerning the first coming of the Messiah. The Second Coming will be the final fulfillment. Some bible scholars believe the temple has to be rebuilt again before the coming of Jesus Christ.

Israel has to be a nation again and the Jewish people in their own homeland before the latter day  bible prophecy will take place. This has been the case since 1948. I'm not sure that the temple has to be rebuilt before his coming but most assuredly they do have to be in their own homeland in latter days. 

• Zechariah 1:18 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.

The horns could very well be nations that have scattered Judah and Israel throughout the earth and removed them from their homeland. We know now their judgment came as this prophecy states. Some list the kingdoms as Assyria, Babylon, Rome (70 AD) and the future revised Grecian Empire because Egypt and Medo-Persia did not scatter the Jewish people. 

• Zechariah 1:20 And the LORD showed 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.

The four carpenters come to cast out the power of the Gentiles and defeated their power over  Judah and Israel. This would seem to indicate a latter day fulfillment since up until 1948 Israel had no nation of their own and other nations controlled them. Even now they are surrounded with enemies who hate them and continually fight them. It would seem according to bible prophecy that the day of Israel's troubles will not be ended until another leader tries to overcome them and is defeated at the coming of Christ with the armies of heaven.

See how serious it is for any nation to come against Israel whether by force with armies or by pressuring to give up their land for peace. The nations that come against Israel are asking to be defeated. Even though it is prophesied some nations will do these things, they will be judged severely by God and the armies of heaven if they do these things. Some believe hurricane Katrina was a judgment on the United States for forcing Israel to give us Gaza and drive out the Jews from that area. I wonder about that occasionally. DC

Leave Israel alone.