Zechariah – Study Notes and Commentary
By Doug Schofield
There are about 20 individuals
named Zechariah in the Bible. There was
Zechariah the 2nd king of
Another view: In Matthew 23:35, preaching
to the Scribes and Pharisees about their hypocrisy, Jesus pronounces them
guilty of all of the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of
Able to the blood of Zachariah who was slain in the court of the temple. Of course, the account of Abel’s murder is in
Genesis 4:8. There is an account in 2
Chronicles 24:20-21 of the murder of a prophet named Zechariah which occurred
in the court of the temple. In making
this reference, our Lord may have been using hyperbole, as we often do when making
a sweeping generalization. Because the Chronicles were placed at the end of the
collection in the Tanakh, (or Hebrew Bible), Christ’s statement was
all-encompassing; as we might say from Genesis to Revelation.
The prophet who wrote the
next-to-last book in the Old Testament cannon is called the son of Bechariah,
the grandson of Iddo. Family names were
frequently reused for several generations, so similarity in the name of two
different individuals would not be unusual.
It was common to refer to someone as the son of their grandfather,
particularly if that grandfather were a notable individual, as was Iddo. Iddo was head of a priestly family among
those recruited by Ezra for the second group who returned to
Zechariah began to prophesy
exactly 2 months after Haggai, but was probably much younger, perhaps having
born in
The book is principally divided
into two distinct parts, chapters 1- 9 and 10 -14. It is filled with allusions, shadows, images
and prophesies about the coming Messiah.
There exists some dispute among scholars as to whether the book might
contain some of the work of Jeremiah because of a quote attributed to him in
Matthew 27:9-10 that comes from Zechariah 11:12-13. Bible critics have seized on this and cried
‘contradiction’, but there is no basis for that claim. Matthew says that the reference to the blood
money paid to Judas was “spoken” by Jeremiah.
God through the Holy Spirit may well have inspired Jeremiah to “speak”
the prophecy, and may also have inspired Zechariah to write it. There is no contradiction at all, nor is
there any valid evidence to support misplaced text. The Hebrew Bible, or
Tanakh, consists of 24 books, but contains all of the text of the 39 books in
the body of work known to Christians as the Old Testament. (For example, all of
the 12 Minor Prophets are included in a single division, as are 1 & 2 Kings
and 1 & 2 Chronicles). There are three major divisions, the Torah (the
Law); the Nevi’im (the Prophets); and the Ketuvin (the Writings – which begins
with Psalms, commonly referred to by that book). Thus the New Testament references to the Law,
the Prophets and the Psalms. A group of
books was usually referred to by the first book in its division, i.e. Psalms,
and Jeremiah (the first book in the division of the Prophets). Thus, in quoting from Zechariah
Chapter 1
In the opening verses we first see
that this is a message from God delivered by angels in visions. Against a background of the history of their
fathers’ transgression and punishment God warns the people to be faithful. “Return
to me and I will return to you”, verse 3.
In verses 5 & 6 is a rhetorical question, reminding us of the consequences
of being disobedient to God. God has
brought them back from captivity to allow them a chance to obey Him, but if
they fail to do so there awaits even greater punishment.
Keep in mind the time frame,
coincidental with the preaching and prophecy of Haggai, urging them on to
complete the rebuilding of the temple so that proper worship may be
restored. Recall that authorized worship
under the Law of Moses required a Levitical Priest, the blood of animal sacrifices
sprinkled on the altar, and once yearly on the mercy seat in the Holy of
Holies. Until they rebuilt the temple,
it was impossible for them to observe divinely authorized worship. However, restoration of Mosaic worship would
not be the final purpose to be served by the rebuilt temple, but the fact that
it is here that the Savior will come to pay the ultimate cost for the sins of
man. (Romans 6:23). As such,
In verse 8 he begins a series of 8
visions in one night, representing a symbolic history of
1:8 In the first vision, God is depicted as
receiving a report on the conditions in the world at that time. The red horse is indicative of blood – the
blood of evil doers perhaps. The red
horse in Revelation 6:4 is clearly representative of carnage and warfare. Here depicted as in defense of God’s people. The rider on the red horse may be symbolic of
Christ. The myrtle trees may represent
the Jewish people, and might be contrasted with tall stately cedars. They are
lowly but fragrant, representative of the current condition of the Jewish
state. God’s presence among them is to
give them courage. In this vision, God
is assuring the returned exiles that He has kept his promise to them and will
bless them as they serve Him.
Verse 12 makes reference to the 70
years of captivity, still fresh in the minds of the people; then 13-17 assures
them of God’s intentions. He is also
acknowledging the conduct of the gentile nations as well. They were reveling in peace and prosperity;
although God has used them to accomplish His divine retribution against
The horns in verse 18 symbolize
strength and power, and may refer to the four corners of the earth, the four
points of the compass. Wherever the Jews
turned there were hostile nations confronting them; to the North were the
Assyrians and Samaritans; to the South,
Thus far, we’ve seen the
reassurance that God is watching over His people in the first vision; and that
He will punish those nations who have abused the power He had granted them in
order to carry out His divine punishment because His people had disobeyed Him,
illustrated in the second vision.
Chapter 2
In chapter 2, the third vision is
of a man with the measuring line, (a surveyor), symbolizing God’s intentions
that
The metaphor of a measuring device
appears numerous times in the scriptures.
(Revelation 11:1; 21:15, 17) The
key underlying point is that God’s word is the standard by which all will be
measured at the judgment. (Job 31:6;
Daniel 5:27).
2:6 & 7 Here the call goes out
to those who had been scattered by the Babylonians. Some feel that the term “
<8,9>
The chapter concludes with reason
to sing and rejoice because God is coming to dwell in their midst. In verse 11 the Lord says, “Many nations
shall be joined to the Lord and shall be my people”. This is clearly, a picture of the
church. See Ephesians 2:11-13.
Chapter 3
In the first 3 visions God is
giving the Jews comfort and assuring them that the enemies of
3:8 is a pivotal prophecy
concerning the promised coming of Christ!
The branch reference is found in many places: Job 14:7; Zechariah 6:12;
Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; 53:2, and others. Think on this beautiful symbolism; like a
plant, the church can sprout and grow anew from the root, no matter what men
(Satan) may do to destroy it. Realize
that the royal blood line through whom the Savior was to enter the earth had
become almost extinct. We sometimes fail
to realize how many times the continuity of God’s Great Eternal Plan for the
salvation of mankind has come very close to being destroyed by Satan. His
attacks down through the ages have been numerous and powerful, aimed at
preventing man from being reconciled with God.
Satan tried to snuff out the royal blood line many times; (Noah and 7
others survived the flood, Genesis 6; Exodus 1:22, Pharaoh’s edict at the time
of the birth of Moses; Matthew 2:16, Herod’s killing of babies; and numerous
other instances in between).
3:9, reference to the “stone” –
Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11. The eye is a symbol of God’s providence. 7 eyes indicate His complete watchfulness
over His people. Engraving on precious
stones was a specialized art in this era, especially in the manufacture of
signet rings for royalty. The image was
engraved in reverse so that it made a legible impression when pressed onto wax,
clay or some other malleable surface.
Indeed God did remove the iniquity of those who will obey Him in one day
– the day that Jesus died on the cross.
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 is filled with some very
beautiful illustrations of God’s marvelous grace. Without delving into a study of the
sleep-like state of those who received visions from God, we will simply observe
some similar events: Daniel, 8:18; Jeremiah 31:26; and the disciples on the
Mount of Transfiguration, Luke 9:32; 2 Corinthians 12:2; and Revelation 1:10.
The lampstand represents the
presence of God, both in the temple furnishings and in the church, bearing the
light of God’s word; Revelation
The significance of the lampstand
is monumental. In John 1:4-5 we learn
that Christ is the light of men. Jesus
said, “I am the light of the world…”, John
Naturally, the bowl is indicative
of God as the source of supply for all our needs. The pipes may represent His abundant grace
toward us – those things that sustain life itself, the Bible and the provisions
for our redemption through faith and obedience.
4:7, The task of rebuilding the
temple was much more than just a simple construction project; it also involved
re-establishing the worship rituals, and bringing the people into compliance
with God’s law. It was a monumental task
– a mountain. Yet, God promises
Zechariah that once the job is done it will appear to have been a walk in the
park. The headstone here is the
keystone, the final lynch block in a completed stone structure.
The golden lampstand symbolizes
the restoration of God’s favor to the people through restored worship. The seven candlesticks, each connected by a
pipe from a bowl above represent the flow of God’s grace to those who will
dwell in His light, (John 8:12). It is also a symbol of Christ as the light of
the world (and of the church); the bowl as the reservoir of fuel signifies God,
the entire vision demonstrates how grace flows from God through Christ to the
church and thus to individual mankind.
The two olive trees on either side
may represent Zerubbabel and Joshua, King and Priest, the civil and religious
leadership of the city in restoration.
It could be an image of Christ and the church; Christ is both King and
Priest, (Matthew 27:11 and Hebrews 5:6;
Olive oil has always been
considered a precious commodity; used as a food, in the preparation of food, as
a medicine, as fuel, and used for anointing.
We are reminded of the anointing of God’s emissaries to carry out His
work. The message is that the success of the rebuilding effort depends not on
men but on God. The work they are doing
now is by the authority of God. Recall
from our study in Haggai that the people suffered a lack of prosperity because
they were doing their own will and not the will of God; their purpose in
returning to Jerusalem was to rebuild the temple, but instead they had been
building their own houses – something they were not yet authorized to do. Now that their priorities have been properly
focused, they receive the anointing of authority from God. Anointing with oil was a sign of consecration
to God’s service. God told Moses to
anoint Aaron and his sons as priests; the tabernacle and the Ark of the
Covenant were anointed; Saul was anointed King over
Chapter 5
In chapter 5, the flying scroll
represents God’s judgment upon sinners. Its size is the same as the
specifications for the temple porch, (1 Kings 6:3), perhaps emphasizing its
divine authority. Verses 3 and 4 condemn lying and stealing together. To be guilty of one is to be guilty of the
other. My Dad used to say ‘when you steal
you lie and when you lie you steal’; he meant that a thief lies in claiming
ownership of that which he has stolen; and he steals the confidence of those to
who whom he lies. The lesson is that God
will deal with sin – whether by judgment or by grace depends upon mankind, and
whether or not we choose to humble ourselves, repent and accept his grace
through obedience.
The woman in the basket represents
the sins of the nation. Why a
basket? The ephah was the largest
container of measurement in this culture, holding about a half-bushel, or about
5 gallons. It’s use might symbolize the
magnitude of the sins of God’s people.
Individual sins might be seen as addressed by the previous vision of the
flying scroll; sins that one at a time might go almost unnoticed, but
collectively they would fill up a large basket.
The last part of verse 6 indicates that it represents a universal
condition.
The woman is representative of the
sins of the nation of
It was typical to place a flat
stone over the opening of a basket full of grain, both to prevent foreign
debris from contaminating the grain and to keep the grain inside from
spilling. A heavy cover is not unusual, but
a cover of lead emphasizes the point of the importance of keeping the contents
inside the basket. In Isaiah
Those who carry away the basket
are also feminine, symbols of the evil nations God had used to punish
The sins of stealing and false testimony have been dealt
with, now the sin of idolatry is symbolically being carried away. It is notable that after the Babylonian
captivity never again is idolatry a major issue among the Jewish nation. Idolatry is so abhorrent to God because it is
an indicator that man’s heart is set on earthly things, sensual pleasures and
worldly possessions and not on spiritual things. “But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned”, 1 Corinthians 2:14.
Chapter 6
In chapter 6, the 1st 8
verses, the prophet sees the four chariots – coming from between two mountains
of brass. Possibly the
The chariots represent power and
judgment on the surrounding gentile nations, the four powers of Daniel
2:39-40. In the first vision there were
horses and riders only; chariots indicate a military action. As war machines, chariots were the jet
fighters of that day. The red horses may
represent the Chaldeans who overthrew the Assyrians; the is the
The two mountains represent the
undisputed authority of God and that they are of brass signify the unchanging
character of God. Brass is also used to
represent strength and power. Work in
brass is mentioned as early as Genesis chapter 4; Tubalcain, ‘bul-can’,
(perhaps Vulcan), Cain’s great-grandson, is mentioned as an instructor in the
art of working with brass. Thus it would
appear that from the very earliest times this was a known skill. In his Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus
enlarges on the KJV rendering of Genesis 4:22, asserting that Tubal-cain was
one who instructed others in the art and craftsmanship of working with
brass. Secular history refers to this
time frame as the “Bronze Age”. Brass
and bronze are essentially the same amalgamation of copper and tin, brass
usually having a little more copper than bronze. Recall that there were two pillars of brass
set up on the porch of Solomon’s temple, (1 Kings
In prophetic symbolism, the number
four, particularly relating to directions, usually indicates the whole of the
world. North and South are significant
because these are the only directions from which enemies could approach
The four winds are ascribed
various roles in scripture; in Ezekiel 37:9, in the valley of dry bones they
give life; in Jeremiah 49:36 the four winds bring destruction to Elam; and in a
number of other places the four winds of heaven are mentioned in various
roles. Predominantly however, I believe
that the four winds symbolize the omnipresence of God and His role in all the
affairs of mankind.
The color of the horses may or may
not necessarily convey a specific message, depending upon context, and the
description of their rider and what the rider may be carrying. Usually, red represents war and violence, but
not always. White usually represents purity
or holiness; black is mourning or suffering.
Bays and grizzled or mottled may be a mixture of good and evil –
representing the need for cleansing. In
this context, however, the various colored horses appear to represent the
nations which God had or would use to accomplish his purposes;
6:8 - God’s spirit having been quieted or set at rest in
the
The Visions of Zechariah
|
1 |
1:7-17 |
Horseman among the myrtle trees |
God’s watchfulness over His people |
|
2 |
1:18-21 |
Four horns and four craftsmen |
The putting down of |
|
3 |
2:1-13 |
The surveyor |
Plans for a |
|
4 |
3:1-10 |
Cleansing and re-clothing of Joshua |
Restoration of authorized temple worship |
|
5 |
4:1-14 |
The golden lampstand and two olive trees |
The grace and providence of God; the Godhead |
|
6 |
5:1-4 |
The flying scroll |
Judgment on individual sins |
|
7 |
5:5-11 |
The woman in the basket |
Sins of the nation removed |
|
8 |
6:1-8 |
The four chariots |
Judgment on |
The crowning of a priest as king is directly symbolic of
Jesus, prophet, priest and king, (Psalms 110:4).
In verse 8 of chapter 3, following
the vision of Joshua the high priest, Joshua is told “…behold, I will bring
forth my servant the Branch.” The BRANCH
– referring to Jesus. John
The temple spoken of in 13 is the
church. Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Peter
24-5. This is a pivotal event in
scripture in that it brings to focus all of the previous prophesies of the
coming Messiah. The specific parallels
which are reflected in the New Testament serve to fortify our faith.
The crown (or crowns) was to be
placed in the rebuilt temple as a memorial of God’s promise concerning the
Branch. We have a memorial that reminds
us of the Branch – a memorial that we observe on the first day of every week, a
living memorial that cannot be taken away; it is the Lord’s Supper. Zechariah’s prophecy extends far beyond the
work immediately at hand, but at least a part of the purpose seems to be to
place emphasis on the vital importance of that work to God’s eternal purpose.
Verse 15 speaks of those Jews who have yet to return and
take part in the work of rebuilding the physical temple. But more than that, it is also a reference to
Gentile nations coming into the church, Ephesians 2:13; 17; Acts 2:39.
We have been studying the events surrounding the return to
This is relevant to us today because we have work to do in
building the spiritual temple; Paul wrote, “For we are laborers together
with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given
unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another
buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that
is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:9-11). Isaiah 28:16 is a key passage concerning the
church, “therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a
foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner –stone of sure
foundation: he that believeth shall not be in haste” (quoted by Christ in
Matthew, Mark and Luke). Ephesians
2:19-22, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner stone; In whom all the building
fitly framed together rowth unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for a
habitation of God through the Spirit.”
We noted how that immediately upon returning from
Summary of the 1st section of Zechariah
(Chapters 1-6)
In the opening chapters of
Zechariah we noted a series of 8 visions that came to him in which God
delivered some very important messages to the people. Those messages included God’s assurance that
He was watching over them, (#1 the man in the myrtle trees and the riders); and
the He would give them peace on all sides as they set about their work,; and
that He would execute Divine judgment upon those enemies who had oppressed
them, (#2 the four horns and four craftsmen.)
God assured them that it was His plan that Jerusalem would be restored,
but more than that, He hints at a far greater plan – spiritual Jerusalem, the
church of our Lord, (#3 the surveyor).
In the 4th vision is God’s message that authorized temple
worship is to be restored. The 5th
vision of the golden lamp stand and two olive trees is a beautiful depiction of
the Godhead, the Father Himself, with the Son and Holy Spirit on either
side. The pipes flowing with olive oil
represent God’s grace flowing freely to all who will obey His Great Eternal
Plan for the salvation of mankind; one olive tree, the Son, who would carry out
that plan; and the other tree, the Holy Spirit, who would reveal that plan
through the word. He reveals that
individual sins must be abandoned, (#6 the flying scroll); and illustrates the
purpose of the captivity had been to remove the sins of the nation, carrying
them away into Babylon and leaving them there, (#7). Finally, in the eighth vision, the four
chariots give assurance of peace all around and reveal that God is ready to
resume a covenant relationship with them, if they will submit to Him and do His
will.
Following the conclusion of the visions the Holy Spirit
instructs Zechariah to make a crown of gold and silver and place it on Joshua,
the high priest; saying to him, “behold the man who is the Branch; and he
shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord”;
a clear reference to Jesus and the building of His church. The crowning of Joshua, as representing the
Branch, illustrates the combining of divine authority and the priesthood. “And Jesus came to them and spake unto
them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth”,
(Matthew 28:18 ASV).
Joshua could not have actually been king over
“If therefore
perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received
the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the
order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the
priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the
law. For he of whom these things are
spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the
altar. For it is evident that our Lord
sprang out of
Some of my dear friends sincerely believe that Christ is
going to return to earth and reign here for a thousand years – but they have
been misled and are so sadly mistaken.
The scriptures never speak of Christ setting foot on the earth again,
(not even in chapter 14); further, were He to do so, He could not be our High
Priest, “For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that
there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:”
(Hebrews 8:4). That Christ is our Great
High Priest is one of the foundational blessings we have as Christians. “Seeing then that we have a great high
priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast
our profession. For we have not a high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”, (Hebrews
Now, following the visions, time
passes – about two years. Before
proceeding, it might aid our understanding to stop here and consider the
spiritual implications of the temple.
After the exodus from Egyptian captivity, God instructed Moses in the
building of a tabernacle – a portable tent in which worship activities were to
be carried out as directed by God. In
Exodus 25:9 God instructs Moses that everything is to be done according to the
pattern that he will reveal. Later, the
temple was constructed by Solomon to replace the tabernacle, and there was a
very specific pattern given by the Holy Spirit for that as well, (1 Chronicles
28:11-12).
Consider Paul’s admonition to Timothy, “Hold the pattern
of sound words which thou hast heard from me, in faith and love which is in
Christ Jesus”, (2 Timothy
We are not left to wonder how we
should worship or what we should do, we have been given a pattern from God by
the Holy Spirit; and we are not at liberty to do whatever tickles our fancy
when it comes to the worship of God. Worship
is about pleasing God, not man.
The temple served as more than
just a place of worship – it was also seen as a monument to God’s covenant with
His people through Moses. As such, the
structure itself was indeed precious and sacred to the Jews. We have an even greater memorial to remind us
of God’s new covenant with us through Jesus Christ, the Lord’s Supper. Unlike the stone temple of old, ours is a
memorial that cannot be destroyed.
Solomon constructed the first
temple in about 965 BC. The wood and
stone cutting was done away from the temple site “…so that there was neither
hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in
building”, (1 Kings 6:7). That
temple was sacked by the Egyptians in about 912 BC, (1Kings
In 732 Hezekiah became king in
At the end of the period of
Babylonian captivity, a remnant of Jews returned to
In about 20 BC Herod the Great
started a rebuilding project that went on for 46 years, greatly enlarging the
temple grounds, and constructing additional buildings including a garrison for
Roman soldiers. Of the 10,000 workmen
1,000 of them were priests, trained as carpenters since the Law of Moses
prohibited any but priests from entering the temple itself. They shaped the
stones some distance away to prevent noise around the
To the north, a deep valley was
filled in for enlargement of the temple mount. On the West side, parts of the
enclosure wall still stand, forming the lowest level of the Western retaining
wall (known today as the Wailing Wall). The construction of the temple continued
for 46 years (John
“But will God indeed dwell on
the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how
much less this house that I have built?” (1 Kings
“Howbeit the most High dwelleth
not in temples made with hands;…”(Acts
In the first 6 chapters we examined the 8 night visions
through which the Holy Spirit delivered certain specific messages to Zechariah,
Joshua the High Priest, Zerubbabel and to the people. A notable passage from Job may help us to
understand this visionary means of communicating God’s will to man; “Behold,
in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than
man. Why dost thou strive against him?
for he giveth not account of any of his matters. For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man
perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a
vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the
bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose,
and hide pride from man,” (Job
33:12-17).
Chapters 1-6 go together; next
7&8; followed by 9-14 (although there are some subdivisions in 9-14). 7&8 deal with a basic understanding of
what God expects of us as His followers.
Chapter 7
(1-7) Time has passed – 2
years. The specificity of time given
firmly establishes the historical authenticity of the prophecy. Bear in mind now that at this point they are
about halfway finished with the reconstruction of the temple, (this would have
been 518 BC).
The captives had for the past 70
years observed special memorial days to commemorate their overthrow, capture
and removal from their homeland.
Inasmuch as the temple appears to be nearing completion, they ask the
question as to whether they should continue to observe the memorial days of
mourning and fasting which they had practiced while in
There were in fact at least 5
fasts that the Jews had taken upon themselves to observe during their
captivity, that were not authorized by God.
On the 5th day of the 10th month they fasted in
observance of the burning of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. On the 7th day of the 3rd
month they fasted to observe the murder of Gedliah and those who were with him,
(Jeremiah 41:1-10, also 2 Kings 25:25).
On the 7th day of the 5th month they mourned the 2nd
burning of the temple and the breaking down of the walls of the city, (2 Kings
25:8-21).
The only fast authorized by God
was the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16:29;
“Wherefore have we fasted, say
they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest
no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all
your labours”, (Isaiah 58:3). It was
common practice among the Jews to give attention to the ceremonial fasting, but
the observance was entirely superficial.
They are to be reminded that all things are to be done to the glory of
God, 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Fasting or feasting is meaningless
to God –the heart is what matters. Matthew 6:2; 5, 16; 23:5. Romans 14:6-9, 17; 1 Corinthians 10:31;
Colossians 3:17, 23.
The message is that if they had
been sincere about submitting to the will of God, (they and their ancestors),
they would not have had to suffer the 70 years of Babylonian captivity. James 4:8-10.
Instead of being concerned with
maintaining meaningless self-designed rituals, they should have been more
concerned with examining their hearts in humility before God and seeking to do
His will. We too should take care that
our attitude toward the Lord is not superficial, and that we are not negligent
of those things which He expects of us.
Geographically,
7:9 The word of the Lord directs their attention
(and ours) to those things which God expects of His people: fairness,
consideration, honesty and compassion. (1
John 3:17; Matthew 23:23). The sins of
lying and false testimony are specifically condemned in the vision of the
flying scroll, (5:1-4).
12 Note the language, it is clear
that it was the people who would not hear the words of the prophets of God;
only after they stopped listening to God did He close His ears to them. Isaiah 59:2. Matthew 13:15; Luke 8:12;
Chapter 8
In the previous passages, the people are admonished to
repent and live righteously because of the punishment they had experienced; now
they are given the same admonition but for a different reason…the promises of
future restoration. There are two
reasons we obey God, love for Him and fear of Hell; there are two reasons
children obey their parents, respect for authority and fear of
consequences.
Here we see God’s love and mercy – He is ready to receive
His people if they will return to faithfulness; His conditional promises are
renewed and the future glory of spiritual
See also Revelation 21:3 for future fulfillment.
Divine jealousy may be seen as a component of the
relationship between God and those who would be His people. Exodus 20:5; 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9;
8:3
The prophecy is now that there will be peace, of such a
duration that men will grow old peacefully and there will be children who will
feel safe to pass the days in the streets of the city. Contrast verses 4 & 5 with the scene in
Lamentations 2:11,19.
8:6. That the people
should marvel at the things God has promised shows their need for greater
faith. That ‘remnant’ of Jews, (that
last few who would at least give an impression of faithfulness), seeing the
destruction and desolate condition of the temple and of the city marveled at
the things God promised. By using the
word ‘remnant’ God may be reminding them from whence they had just come. Man is all too prone to limit God’s power by
his own unbelief. Remember in 4:10, ‘who
hath despised the day of small things?’
It should be noted that there is always a shaking out of the insincere,
leaving a “remnant”. The term appears
repeatedly in the text of the Old Testament, and Jesus in Matthew 7:14 stated
that only a few will enter the kingdom of Heaven.
8:7 speaks of the universality of the church, indicating
that people all over the world will have the opportunity to come into spiritual
Jerusalem and receive the freely offered grace of God by obedience to His
divine will. 1 Peter 2:10 speaks of
Gentiles as those who “were not a people but are now the people of God” having
obtained His mercy. How? Through hearing the gospel, believing it, repenting of
their sins, confessing faith in Christ and being baptized.
8:8 “They will be my
people and I will be their God” is a theme often repeated down through the
ages. What a glorious promise! What great and magnificent love the Father
has for His children! (Gen 17:8) God said to Abraham, “And I will give
unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger,
all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their
God.”
(Exo 29:45) To Moses
God said, “And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their
God.”
We find the expression 3 times in Jeremiah, ( 24:7) “And I will give them a heart to know me,
that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for
they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” And (31:33) “…I will put my law in their inward parts,
and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people.” And (32:38) “And they shall be
my people, and I will be their God:”
It appears 4 times in Ezekiel, (11:20) “That they may walk in my statutes, and keep
mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their
God.” (14:11) “That the house of Israel
may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their
transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith
the Lord GOD.” (34:24) “And I the LORD will be their God, and my
servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.” (37:23)
“Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor
with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will
save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will
cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.” And
(37:27) “My tabernacle also shall be
with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
(2Corinthians 6:16)
“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
(Revelation 21:3)
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
The righteousness of God is revealed in faith, Romans
1:17. Many people miss the mark because
they do not submit to the righteousness of God, Romans 10:3. (For reference to bringing in the Gentiles
see Romans 11:15-16).
8:9–11 is encouragement for them to go forward with their
work; a reminder that when they arrived in Jerusalem there was nothing but
devastation. No formal employment, no
organized work – they had to start from scratch, so to speak. Haggai and Zechariah urged them on, and now,
several years later, there are signs of progress. At the outset they faced many challenges and
obstacles, but now, besides a good start on the project, they had the promise
of God that He would be with them and protect them and grant them prosperity…a
reversal of their earlier experiences revealed in Haggai. As the work has progressed and they have
moved closer to the restoration of temple worship as commanded by God, the
people appear to be moving closer to God – therefore He is moving closer to
them. The future is bright and full of
promise, but to realize those promises righteousness and hard work are going to
be necessary.
8:12-13 The future is full of hope for the Jews so long as
they seek to do God’s will. God is
promising to reward their efforts both with immediate results and, more
importantly, future blessings of far greater value. The remnant of this people – clearly a
specific reference to those who will be faithful. The scriptures speak often of the
“elect”. It does not mean individuals
who have been arbitrarily selected by God to be saved, but it means those who
themselves have elected, or chosen or their own free will and volition,
to obey God. All such people are the
elect, the remnant, God’s chosen people – those who will choose to serve Him
and obey His commands.
8:15 Hope is ever renewed in God’s promise, “But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,” (1
Corinthians 2:9). But, God’s promises
are always conditional upon obedience.
8:16 – “These are the things that ye shall do…”,
there can be no misunderstanding that here is a declaration from the God of
Heaven that is to be obeyed. These same
attributes must characterize our lives as well, although we are not bound by
the commands of the Old Testament, these principles are reflected in the
teaching of Jesus. This declaration
constitutes a specific command from God Almighty; just as does the command, “Ye
must be born again”, (John 3:7). We
might take this command to speak the truth as going beyond simple honesty in
dealing with fellowmen, to include speaking “the truth of the gospel” every man
to his neighbor. God’s denouncement of
baseless hatred of individuals and of false testimony would certainly include
those false witnesses who testified against Christ, (John 15:25).
In 8:19 we see the answer to the question posed in chapter
7. This emphasizes the importance of the principles of truth and justice above
form and ritual. The fast of the 4th
month commemorated the taking of Jerusalem, (2 Kings 25:3; Jeremiah 39:2;
52:6,7). The 5th month, the
ruin of the temple, (2 Kings 25:8; Jeremiah 52:12,13). The 7th month, the murder of
Gedeliah, (Jeremiah 41:1-17). And the
fast of the 10th moth, commemorating the siege of Jerusalem, (2
Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 52:4; Ezekiel 24:1,2).
These occasions of mourning were now to become feasts of joy. Many modern Jews still observe these days
with fasts not feasts however, having resumed them after the destruction of AD
70.
8:22 We see the fulfillment of
this prophecy in Acts chapter 2 when Jerusalem was filled with people from all
over the world; many of whom heard and obeyed the gospel of Christ.
The chapter concludes with
prophesies of the conversion of many gentiles – indeed, history indicates that
there was an increase in the number of proselyte Jews during the ensuing years;
but more than that, it depicts the fact that the church (which has been in view
in much of this prophecy), will consist of a proportionately greater number of
gentiles than Jews. Gentiles from
Antioch, Thessalonica, Macedonia, Corinth and many other places became Christians
very early on.
8:23 might well refer specifically
to Christ, “shall take the skirt of him who is a Jew…”. (John 4:9 specified that Jesus was a Jew).
Many did in fact take hold of His garment, (Matthew 9:20; Mark 6:56). Certainly those of all languages who heard
the apostles preach on the day of Pentecost ‘took hold of the skirt of the
Jewish born Son of God’.
We might view the word “Jew” as
generic, referring to anyone who has become a part of spiritual Israel –
grafted in, as Paul stated in Romans chapter 11.
Chapter 9
The last portion of the book is an
unfolding of God’s great eternal plan for mankind, beginning at the very time
and place where Zechariah was living and continuing on through the coming of
the Messiah, His rejection and death, the coming of His Kingdom (church), telling
of persecution that Christians would face and of the ultimate triumph at the
end of time. Here is introduced some of
the strongest imagery of future conflicts which would try the faith of the Jews
and demonstrate the providence of God during the coming 500 years or so. Also in view are events leading to the
establishment of the church and the events which precipitate the spread of the
gospel and growth of the church.
Although there
is much speculation among those who have little respect for the inspiration of
the scriptures about the authorship of chapters 9-14 of Zechariah, that
speculation must be dismissed completely.
Time has passed, circumstances have changed, the message is different as
is the purpose of divine inspiration.
Anything other than a direct reading of the inspired text leads to
imagination, speculation and false doctrine of men. Many indeed find some of these passages
convenient to twist and veil in their vain attempt to support false teaching.
Some who hold themselves out as
learned scholars try to speculate that the last 6 chapters of Zechariah were
written by a different author. They
point to change in the tenor and style of the writing, and of the subject
matter. But when they do so, they call
into question divine inspiration. Never,
until the past couple of hundred years, has the authenticity of this portion of
scriptures been called into question. It
was understood to be a part of the inspired work of Zechariah without question
for more than 2,500 years. Indeed, it is
among the most quoted and referenced sections of the OT by NT writers.
There is also speculation among
others that chapters 9-14 are out of place chronologically and may have been
written at an earlier time, and that they might refer to the dissolution of the
northern kingdom of Israel and disbursement of those people by the
Assyrians. But whatever the time frame,
the prophecy of Christ in verse 9 is absolutely unmistakable. The first portion of Zechariah’s writings
reveal a Divine explanation with each vision, whereas in this section the
meanings are more obscure. Yet, in the
light of secular history they become clear.
{ God
comes to protect and bless (chs. 9—10)
{ The
people reject God's shepherd (11:1-14)
Overview { The worthless
shepherd hurts the flock (11:15-17)
{ The
nations come to destroy Jerusalem (12:1-9)
{ The
people repent and turn to God (12:10—13:6)
{ Spiritual
Jerusalem is established (13:7—14:21)"20
Another overview might look like this: Chapters 9-11 deal
primarily with the surrounding enemy nations, and with false leaders –
particularly false prophets and evil rulers, both secular and religious. Chapters 12-14 deal primarily with the
shepherd and the coming King of Judah.
The first section of the 9th
chapter speaks of the conquering of Tyre and Sidon, Syria and the Philistine
nation by Alexander the Great. Although
the Mediterranean coast was a part of the Promised Land it had never been
possessed by the children of Israel.
Therefore Tyre and Sidon were areas inhabited by pagan nations. 9:1
Hadrach is a comprehensive name encompassing a number of locations in the
vicinity of Syria. In 1903 archeologist
H. Pognon identified the capital city of Lu’ash, located in north Syria, south
of Hamath. Hamath, Tyre and Sidon are
also encompassed in this region. The
entire region symbolizes the perennial enemies of Israel and Judah. Hiram, king of Tyre was an ally of David, (1
Kings 5:1); and sent skilled workers who constructed David’s house at Jerusalem. He also aided Solomon extensively in the
construction of the temple, providing cedar and fir timber, gold and brass, and
skilled workers. In return, Solomon gave
Hiram food and cities, and made a lasting peace treaty with him.
Hadrach is mentioned by that name
only once in the Bible. It probably
refers to the area which includes Tyre, Sidon, Hamath and Damacus. The fall of
Hadrach is particularly notable in that history documents it as a bloodless
coup in which Alexander gained control of that region, including Damascus and
all of its wealth. Ezekiel also
prophesies these events. It is clear from Daniel 8:20-21 that these prophesies
relate to the transition to Greek dominance on the world scene. Because it represented a major turning point
in history – and the putting in place of the conditions and circumstances which
would be conducive to God’s purposes – these things are foretold and in the
context of reassuring the people of God that He is looking out for their best
interest. The admonition to them is that
they remain faithful and obey the commands of the Lord in all their ways.
It is interesting to observe that
the geography described corresponds precisely to the advance of Alexander the
Great. Certain of these prophesies it
seems could possibly have been previous events that are incorporated here by
reference for the purpose of illustrating the lesson that God will punish
unrighteousness. However, such is not
usually the case in the writings of any of the prophets.
Now, before leaving verse 1, what
is the significance of the reference here to Damascus? It was in Damascus that Saul became a
Christian – as the apostle to the Gentiles, he turned their eyes toward the
Lord, to obey and serve Him.
Verses 3 &
4 The prophecy of the destruction of Tyre by Alexander the Great is not
new…Ezekiel also foretold it, (Ezekiel 26:7-14). And Nebucadnezzar certainly did a great deal
of damage to Tyre by laying siege to it for 13 years; it was not ultimately
destroyed until attacked by Alexander.
Tyre and Sidon are frequently mentioned together because Tyre was
originally a colony founded by Sidon.
“Built herself a stronghold…” may refer to the 820 yard breakwater
constructed in addition to other fortifications, like her 150 foot high
walls. The principle part of the
fortifications was constructed on fill in the sea, a highly defensible city.
Alexander tore down the mainland city and used the stones and rubble to
construct a causway 200’ wide in order to reach the stronghold. Thus, Tyre was literally ‘cast into the
sea’. Tyre’s pride in her own wisdom
robbed from God that glory which was due to Him.
Some of the
defenses described in Alexander’s journal included the fact that the city was
an island of some 212 miles around; it has a fleet of 180 battleships defending
from the sea; there were numerous catapults and other war machines and
inventions. She had divers who tried to
sabotage the causway; nets and grappling hooks to snare would-be invaders;
melted metal, or boiling sand to pour from the walls to penetrate the armour of
attackers. Bags of sea-weed were
gastened to the gates and walls to soften the blows of battering rams. Fireships navigated to destroy enemy vessels
with escape craft for their crews; Wheels put in place like shields that could
be made to spin, thus deflecting missiles launched against them. Yet, Alexander pressed his attack undaunted,
until he had destroyed all of the inhabitants of the city.
Verse 5, upon seeing the fall of
the great citadel of Tyre, these other cities essentially caved at even the
threat that they too would be so severely attacked.
As we study the prophesies of
Zechariah keep in mind that for about 3,500 years, beginning in the garden of
Eden, God has been gradually unfolding His Great Eternal Plan to reconcile
fallen mankind to Himself. Bit by bit,
in shadows and types and forms – through promise, and prophecy and providence
we are blessed to be able to look back over time and see these things coming to
be. Zechariah and Malachi are the last
two prophets to speak of these things.
Their prophesies are designed first of all to encourage the motivate the
people of the day in which they were revealed; and second to encourage us and
to strengthen our faith that we may be strong in the Lord and faithful to Him.
Verse 6 most likely refers to
Alexander the Great, inasmuch as there was, to say the least, a shadow over the
question of his paternity. His mother,
Olympia was married to King Phillip II of Macedon, but according to the Greek
historian Plutarch, Phillip was not Alexander’s father. Olympia claimed that Jupiter Ammon had
entered her apartment in the form of a dragon and fathered her baby.
9:7, Of course, the eating of
blood was forbidden by God, (Genesis 9:4).
This prophecy denounces the pagan practice of drinking blood; some were
known to drink the blood of their enemies in order to receive their
strength. Likewise, it was commonly
practiced among heathen nations to eat meat saturated with blood – this prophecy
indicates not only a defeat of these nations, but a dramatic change in
lifestyle. The heathen nations will be
punished for this abomination, (including their idolatry). Yet, even they will have an opportunity to repent
and turn to the God of Heaven. The
former inhabitants of Ekron and Jebus (formerly Jerusalem), apparently
converted, were circumcised and became a part of the Israelite nation. Indeed, according to Josephus, many
Philistines became proselyte Jews – forerunners of many generations of gentiles
would become a part of spiritual Israel, the church of our Lord. The Philistines are not heard from again
after this.
Verse 8 may be fulfilled in the
fact that in 333 AD Alexander (as a willing agent of God in preparing the way
for the coming of the Kingdom), spared the city of Jerusalem and the temple,
though it had not been his intent to do so.
Alexander claimed to have had a dream in which the God of the Jews
commanded him to go on his quest to conquer the world. He is said to have bowed himself before the
high priests in who came to meet him and permitted them to show him Daniel’s
prophesies which they were able to convince Alexander pertained to him. Thus he spared Jerusalem and the temple. Whether or not he received a message from
God, he certainly acted within the providence of God. Alexander introduced the Greek language to
Palestine; the NT was written in Greek, the almost universal language at that
time – much like English is today throughout the world. The Greek language has
remained almost unchanged down through the centuries, except for the
archaic-isms similar to those which have occurred in English.
On the other hand, the term “my
house” may be taken to mean the people of God – those who are faithful to Him;
thus the passage would be a message of comfort and assurance of God’s divine
protection. Certainly the physical house
(temple) was repeatedly overrun by various enemies – just as the church has
been persecuted even to the death, yet has survived even until today.
Verse 9 is a very specific
prophecy of Christ, fulfilled in Matthew 21:5.
Christ is the only true king to reign over Judah since before the
captivity. As we have seen, Joshua could
not have been king, since he was not descended from David. “Having salvation” further proves that this
could only be in reference to Christ, because there is not salvation in any
other than Christ, (Acts 4:12). The
kingdom of Christ would not be enlarged by military might, not by horses and
chariots, “Not by might, nor by power,
but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”, (Zechariah 4:6); “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this
world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I
should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence”,
(John 18:36).
9:10. That Jesus made His entry into Jerusalem on a
donkey is symbolic of the nature of His kingdom. Conquering warriors rode horses; it was not
uncommon for kings to parade in honor through the city on a donkey as a symbol
of peace. Thus the language of horses
and chariots and weapons indicates the transformation into the spiritual
kingdom. Zechariah uses the term Ephram
here as he does Joseph and Israel in other places as a generic term to refer to
the whole of God’s people. The inclusive
language, from the sea to the sea and from the river to the ends of the earth
is meant to indicate that the kingdom of Christ will encompass the entire
world.
9:11.
Note the shift from a worldview to a specific address to the people of the day.
The blood of the sacrifices offered in worship under the Mosaic Law made it
possible for God’s mercy to extend to the children of Israel- we may take this
to indicate that temple worship has been restored now and that their sacrifices
are acceptable to God. But a deeper
meaning is inculcated, pointing to the ultimate sacrificial blood of Christ,
with which he sealed the New Covenant. Matt 26:28. The covenants with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob and with the Israelites had been ratified by the blood of
countless animals; a shadow of the shedding of the blood of the Messiah until
He came and gave his own blood once for all.
And, by that blood He ratified his New Covenant with mankind. [Jesus
never released anyone from jail; and forgiveness could not be had under the OT.
Freedom from the waterless pit contrasts their captivity in Babylon – or any
place we might go away from God; Jesus is the water of life, (John 4:10;
Revelation 22:17).
9:12 Prisoners of hope refers to
those who hoped for the kingdom. Acts 28:20; Gal 3:23. May refer to the
Maccabean war in 165 BC. Of course, God
Himself is our stronghold; Nahum 1:7;
Psalms 27:1; 28:7.
9:13-14 weapons are a metaphor for
spiritual power – see “whole armor”, Eph 6.
Remember, Judah is still under the rule of the Persian Empire – as
Zechariah reveals future events he must do so in a way that delivers the
promise to the people of God without appearing to be an insurrectionist. This is not a new revelation, it appears in
Isaiah 66:19, and also referenced in Joel 3:6.
Judah did come under Greek rule, not as a result of having been attacked
and defeated by them directly, but in that Alexander the Great, in conquering
the Persian Empire acquired all of its possessions.
The use of lightening and wind to
represent the power of God is familiar to us.
2 Samuel 22:15; Psalms 144:6; Matthew 24:27 and Luke 17:24. The whirlwind of the south is mentioned in
Job 1:19
9:15 ~~see ESV, NKJV~~ John 6:53, re: drinking the blood of the
lamb. It is God who is our defender;
Genesis 15:1; Psalms 7:10, and numerous other passages depict this as
well. The successful survival of the
Children of Israel is assured by Divine Providence for a Divine Purpose, and
therefore is a Holy promise.
Verse 16 – Malachi 3:17 speaks of
God’s obedient followers as jewels. We
are His flock, Psalms 100:3; Ezekiel 34:22-26; also contrast Ezekiel 34:31 with
Zechariah 8:8 and other similar passages.
Verse 17 is praise to God and
speaks of a peaceful circumstance in which food and drink is plentiful, and
people are happy.
Chapter 10
The opening verse emphasizes
reliance on God for the blessings upon which we depend. Jesus promised to grant blessings to those
who asked in John 16:23-24 and Mathew 7:7-8.
This chapter is a beautiful depiction of God’s loving care for those who
love Him. We are taught to ask God for
those things we need, as in the model prayer, “give us this day our daily
bread”, (Matthew 6:11). James 5:7,
16-18. God’s instruction that we ask Him for the rain is interesting. He made the ground and the seed; he gives us
the knowledge, strength and ability to prepare the soil and plant the seed then
instructs us to ask Him for the rain to make it grow.
10:1 Note that the instruction is
to make the request for rain in the proper season. It is pointless to pray for a harvest until
after we have planted. The same
principle is true whether we are planting corn or wheat, or sowing the word, as
in the parable of the sower, (Matthew 13:3). 1 Corinthians 3:6 speaks of the
spiritual harvest of having sown the seed of the kingdom.
The former or early rain and the
later rain were terms very familiar to the residents of Palestine. Deuteronomy 11:13-15 promises the rain in due
season. The early or former rain came at
the appropriate time to prepare the soil so that seed planted would have
sufficient moisture to germinate and Grow.
The later rain came at just the right time to enable the fruit of the
crop to develop and mature, ready for harvest. We understand the principles of
rain and crops, but let us not miss the spiritual application. In Deuteronomy 32:2 we find these words, “My
doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the
small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:” The former rain then was the Old Law, and the
later rain may be found in the New Testament.
The Old teaching prepared for the planting of the seed. Jesus used this illustration in reference to
His own burial, (John 12:24). His
resurrection was the harvest. Mar 4:26-32,
“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed
into the ground; And should sleep, and
rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not
how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit
of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the
ear. But when the fruit is brought
forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the
kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which,
when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the
earth: But when it is sown, it groweth
up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so
that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.” In Leviticus 26:4 God gives His promise of
rain in due season.
10:2 Here the Jews are reminded
of their past sins of trusting in idols – something never again heard of among
them after this time. In the past they
had been guilty of calling on false gods for benefits, “Are there any among the
vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers?
art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou
hast made all these things.”, (Jeremiah 14:22).
The Canaanites looked to Baal for rain, yet in 2 Kings chapter 18 Elijah
demonstrated to them that it is the God of Heaven who controls all things. There is the story of the little girl who
loved to help her mother in the kitchen.
When her Sunday school teacher related the account of Elijah pouring
water over the sacrifices on the altar she asked the students why they thought
he did this. The little girl quickly
replied, “To make the gravy”.
The diviners were the false
prophets of the idol gods, and they themselves knew that everything they said
was a lie, (or perhaps they had repeated the lies so often that they had come
to believe them); yet, their followers believed them and placed trust in them,
instead of in the true God of Heaven. (The
Discovery channel recently aired a documentary of some of the mechanical tricks
invented and used by idol priests to trick people and make it appear that the
idols were alive). Many stunts, performances and theatrics are employed today
by purveyors of false religion to entice followers. Pay particular attention to the language in
the last half of the verse… “they went their way as a flock, they were
troubled, because there was no shepherd.” We’ll see this shepherd reference again
later. “And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became
meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My
sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my
flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek
after them”, (Ezekiel 34:5-6). The
message is that because they had listened to false shepherds they were
troubled, because a false shepherd is no shepherd at all. Jesus asked, “Can the blind lead the blind” – Luke 6:39.
10:3 The shepherds were their
former leaders, unfaithful priests and ungodly civil rulers. God points out the fact that it is He who has
protected and preserved them and provided for their needs. The image is one of strength, power and
confidence.
10:4 The corner-STONE, (Christ).
Much is said in the scriptures about foundations. Jesus in Luke 6:48 makes reference to digging
deep in order to lay a foundation on a rock.
Isaiah 28:16, (“…Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation…”). Psalms 118:22 is another pivotal passage
identifying Christ as the corner stone.
Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:1-8 complete the picture.
The nail may symbolize a sense of
security, or it could relate to the cross, (Isaiah 22:22-25; Ezra 9:8). Some versions translate the Hebrew word here
as ‘tent peg’; essentially the same meaning – a symbol of stability, security
and firmly in place. In Acts 15:15-17 we
find the symbol of the tabernacle (tent) representing the church. The bow is the word of God, (Ephesians 6:17). The relationship that Judah will sustain with
the nations of the world in the ensuing years is one in which they are not
politically oppressed, even though they (as a nation) will remain subjects to
various foreign rulers. With the coming
of the kingdom of Christ, the power of earthly rulers became only transcendent,
while the power of God is eternal.
Reference to the nail is seen in Ezra 9:8; Isaiah 22:23 and 25,
representing security. Christ is the
cornerstone upon which is built God’s plan for the redemption of man; He is the
nail, steadfast and sure, giving support to all who rely on Him; and He is the
bow, from which come the arrows of truth that, like the sword of Hebrews 4:12
can pierce the hearts of men.
10:5,6 Mighty men may be the
Maccabees, (looking ahead to around 165 BC); riders on horses likely the
Macedonians who had vast cavalry troops.
The Bible makes reference to “mighty men” more than 70 times in the
OT. Four times in the book of Joshua we
find the reference “mighty men of valor”.
Certainly a high ideal for us to emulate today – are we ‘mighty men of
valor’ for the Lord? Do we valiantly
defend His cause? Are we armed with the
Sword of the Spirit, (Ephesians 6:17)?
It is important to observe that
God has extended this compassion to those who had previously been cut off
because of their sin. Psalms 100:5 – “…the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting…” This statement of restoration to God’s favor
is a beautiful picture of how we are viewed by God after we receive His
forgiveness for our sins; He views us as
though we had never sinned! Paul
assured the Christians in Corinth that their former sinful condition had been
removed, (1 Corinthians 6:11).
The phrase “…for I am the Lord their God…” harkens back to 8:8, and to a dozen
other references in which the father has said, “I will be their God and they will be my people.”
10:7-8 “They of Ephraim” refers to Israel, those of
the northern kingdom, those who were scattered and translocated by the
Assyrians. Ephraim was the second son of
Joseph, he and his brother Manasseh shared the territory located generally to
the northwest of Jerusalem. It was
approximately 20 miles north of Jerusalem and about 5 miles east of Bethel.
Recall that the delegation from Bethel that came to ask about keeping the fasts
in chapter 7 of Zechariah was from this region.
In John 11:54 we learn that Jesus visited the area after raising Lazarus
from the dead. So we may say with
certainty that this reference is to those descendants of the 10 northern tribes.
Note the beauty of the metaphor
used here, “I will whistle for them, and
gather them…”. Can’t you just see a
shepherd in the hills gently whistling to his scattered heard, to bring them
together into the fold? I remember so many times hunting with my boys; each of
the four of us might have gone to hunt in some different area in the woods, but
at nightfall we would give a quite little whistle to signal each other and get
back together to walk out of the woods together. In the cold darkness that soft little
bob-white whistle gave a deep feeling of comfort and assurance.
Our Heavenly Father is depicted
here as calling the scattered and wandering sheep back to the fold – He still
calls today to all people everywhere, gently urging us into His flock.
10:9. The KJV use of the word “sow” may be likened
to the sowing of seed. Certainly, as the
early Christians were ‘sown’ abroad, (through the scattering of them by
persecution), the seed of the Kingdom of Christ was planted and the church
sprang up wherever they went. However,
in the ESV this verse is translated, “Though I scattered them among the
nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children
they shall live and return.”. The phrase
return or turn again denotes repentance, turning back from the journey into the
far country of sin and coming to Christ.
Isaiah 11:11 gives us a glimpse of the extent of the scattering of
Israel. This harkens back to Zechariah
8:23 and the prophecy that people from many nations would take hold of the
skirt of a Jew and ask to go with them to the house of God.
10:10-12. Hosea 1:10
is another view of this same prophecy: “Yet
the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which
cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said
unto them, Ye are not my
people, there it shall be said
unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.”
And just who are
those who become the ‘sons of God’? “But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12). And what is that power? Romans 1:16, “…the
gospel..is the power of God unto salvation…”. But believing is only the first step – by
itself it is simply not enough to believe, James 2:19, “Thou believest that
there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “He that
believeth AND is baptized shall be saved”.
It is through obedience to the commands of our Lord that we receive the
adoption of sons, (Galatians 4:5).
The prophecy here is of the call of the gospel of Christ –
to all men everywhere; even including those who because of their disobedience
were scattered by the Assyrians. Those
descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the “Children of Israel”, were the
first to be invited to become a part of spiritual Israel. Jesus said in Matthew 15:24, “I am not sent
but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” When Jesus sent out the disciples in Matthew
chapter 10, He sent them to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. He specifically instructed them not to go to
the gentiles. Later, after the
Israelites had had ample opportunity, our Lord gave the command to go in to ALL
the world and preach the gospel to EVERY CREATURE, (Mark 16:16).
10:11 There are at
least two events of great significance concerning the sea which are brought to
mind by this verse. There is the parting
of the Red Sea in which God safely delivered the Children of Israel from
Pharaoh’s army, (Exodus 14:21); and the calming of the Sea of Galilee by our
Lord, (Mark 4:39). Here we see an
assurance of God’s loving providence and care for those who love Him. This passage is reflected in Isaiah 43:2,
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
“ The psalmist gives a reminder of the
source of all blessings, Psalms 44:3.
And the apostle Paul reminds us that all glory belongs to God, 2
Corinthians 10:17.
The chapter concludes with a promise of strength from the
Lord. Paul passes on the same assurance
by inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 6:10, and Philippians 4:13. The final phrase “…and they shall walk up and down in His name, saith the Lord” speaks
of those who are faithful to God and who respect the authority of His
word. This is reflected in Colossians
3:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:1 and 1 John 1:6-7.
The picture shown here is of the church and those who
respond to the call of God to come into it and faithfully follow the Lord’s
teaching.
Chapter 11
Daddy used to say “you can’t get to the Promised Land
without going through the wilderness.”
That’s true in many ways. Despite
the wonderful promises about the future glory of spiritual Israel, the people
themselves – being subject to the temptations of the flesh, would go astray
time and again, and would suffer the consequences, before the ultimate
fulfillment of the promises.
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge divides the chapter
like this:
The destruction of Jerusalem; The elect being cared for,
the rest are rejected; The staves of Beauty and Bands broken by the rejection
of Christ; The type and curse of a foolish or worthless shepherd.
11:1-3. 1 Kings
7:1-3 describes Solomon’s use of cedar in his palace; we have every reason to
believe that cedar had been used in the temple in the same manner. For this reason the temple was referred to by
the ancient Jews as Lebanon. The term
Lebanon here represents the temple, of this there can be no doubt; its walls
and ceiling were lined with cedar paneling brought from Lebanon. There are two possible views of the prophecy,
however. One holds that it is in
retrospect, reminding the people of that destruction which had come upon the
temple a little more than 70 years earlier at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. This perhaps was in the form of a warning,
reinforcing the effect of the punishment from which they were emerging,
impressing upon them the importance of being submissive to God. Certainly if Lebanon were a metaphor for the
temple the lesser trees might be the city leaders and their subjects. Basham may refer to the fertile wooded slopes
north of Jerusalem, metaphorically representing the inhabitants of the city.
Certainly in the siege by the Babylonians all of these trees and vines in the
vicinity of Jerusalem were destroyed and consumed. There is much in the context which might be
reflective of past events for the purpose of admonition.
On the other hand, much of Old Testament history is
foreshadowing things which would occur later, as are the prophecies. The verb tenses seem to bear out this view,
and the whole tenor or this section of the book moves decidedly toward the
future. It is very likely that here is
foretold the coming destruction of the temple by the Romans under Titus. The prophecy also appears in Jeremiah 22:6-7;
24:35,36.
In connection with the first three words of the chapter, “Open
thy doors…” there is an event which, (according to the Jewish Talmud and
also referenced by Josephus), occurred 40 years before the temple was destroyed
– at the time of the death of Christ.
Here is the quote from the Talmud:
“ "Forty years
before the Temple was destroyed (30 A.D.) the chosen lot was not picked with
the right hand, nor did the crimson stripe turn white, nor did the westernmost
light burn; and the doors of the Temple’s Holy Place swung open by themselves,
until Rabbi Yochanon ben Zakkai spoke saying: 'O most Holy Place, why have you
become disturbed? I know full well that your destiny will be destruction, for
the prophet Zechariah ben Iddo has already spoken regarding you saying: 'Open
thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour the cedars' (Zech. 11:1).'”
Talmud Bavli, Yoma 39b (http://www.biblehistory.net/newsletter/scapegoat.htm)
[God’s commands concerning the scapegoat may be found in
Leviticus 16].
Further, in connection with this, the Roman armies of Titus
approached from the north, passing through the specific geography named in the
text. The shepherds mourn because the
lions have decimated the flock. The
Jordan valley consisted of what amounted to two banks, one at normal flow, and
another about 600 feet wide, lined with oak thickets, made more dense by
willows, oleanders and other low-growing vegetation. These thickets were inhabited by lions. During the flood season the rising waters of
the river would push the lions out of the thickets, (Jeremiah 12:5;
49:19). The ‘pride of Jordan’ might be
seen as the lions that inhabited this thicket, or even the thicket itself.
The Holy Spirit guided Zechariah in using comparisons which
were familiar to his readers to illustrate the prophetic message. This passage reminds us again of Christ’s
mourning over Jerusalem as he must have looked from the Mount of Olives over
the expanse of the city, (Luke 13:34).
In the metaphor, the shepherds were probably the Jewish
rulers; their glory might be the temple treasures, or their own positions of
prestige and influence. Young lions may
tend to be more aggressive, and therefore represent greater danger. Like young lions, the Jewish leaders had a
hunger for power, and sought to further their own interest at any cost.
11:4-6. The term “thus saith the Lord” appears 17 times in
Zechariah, (it occurs more than 400 times in the scriptures); {it means “God
said this…”}, leaving no doubt as to the divine inspiration of the text. The respect and reverence for the words of
the Lord may be seen over and over again in these writings. By specific reference to the source, the
messages delivered become unequivocal.
“Feed the flock…” is a reference certainly to the people of
Judah – but it is reinforced and enlarged in the New Testament in John
21:15,16, 17 when Jesus told the disciples “feed
my lambs…feed my sheep”. Consider
also Paul’s instructions to the Ephesian elders to ‘feed the flock (church)’ in Acts 20:28; and Peter’s instruction to
elders in 1 Peter 5:2; “feed the flock…”. Then there is the beautiful promise in
Revelation 7:17, “For the Lamb which is
in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
Those who would not (and who will not) head the voice of
the Good Shepherd and thus be saved, are the flock of the slaughter. Visualize all the people of the world as a
flock of sheep; the shepherd calls all who will follow him to come into the
safety of his sheepfold. Those who
choose not to obey the shepherd are destined for the slaughter, i.e. the “flock
of the slaughter”. The shepherd still
provides food for them, and whistles for them and will watch over them if they
choose to follow Him. Even those bound
for the slaughter are allowed to take of the food.
Those who sold the sheep were the corrupt leaders and false
prophets whom they had followed into disobedience. The slayers – we might say the operators of
the slaughter house – were the foreign nations who time and again executed the
Divine retribution of God because of the sins of the Children of Israel. This would have included the major powers
like the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, and the Philistines, in addition to
any number of lesser nations who came against them from time to time; and
surely would include the Greeks and the Romans in later times.
Note the change of person in verse 6 – the Lord is speaking
in the first person down through the end of the chapter.
Even though God would give them a good shepherd, (John
10:11), they would reject Him, and with devastating consequences. This prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 with the
destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple by the Romans, and the suffering and
death of countless of the populace – with the notable exception of the
Christians who had been in the city; according to Josephus, none of them
perished.
11:7 Feeding the
flock of the slaughter, even the poor ones – the image continues of a flock of
sheep having been misguided into the path of destruction. The good shepherd will lead his flock in the
paths of righteousness (Psalms 23:3) if they choose to follow him. The sad fact is however, that the great
majority of people choose to ignore the admonition of Proverbs 4:14 (“Enter not
into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men”) ,
instead they follow the path of the wicked.
The shepherd’s staff was an important and valuable
tool. It was much more than an aid to
walking in the rugged terrain of the Palestinian countryside, it also served as
a weapon of defense when the sheep were threatened by wolves and as an
implement of rescue when a lamb got into a difficult spot. It was also used occasionally as a rod of correction,
(Proverbs 22:15), to encourage the flock to remain in the safety of the fold
and keep them from straying. A shepherd
might have a favorite staff, perhaps one that he had had for a long time, and
it’s not unreasonable to think that sometimes they might have even given a name
to their favorite staff. {Davey Crockett
named his favorite rifle Ole’ Betsy; this rifle was a gift to him by the Whig
party upon his re-election to congress, and not to be confused with another
rifle given to him by the citizens of Tennessee which he also named Betsy. But ‘Ole Betsy’ was his favorite, and it is
the one that he used in defending the Alamo, and she is on display there
today.}.
The names given here are significant in that they convey a
deeper meaning to the symbolic acts in which they are involved. Here, God as the figurative shepherd has
named his two favorite staffs “Beauty” and “Unity”. Beauty representing righteousness, and unity
that oneness for which Christ prayed in the garden. It is a simple fact that unity cannot exist
without righteousness, even as we have seen.
The division between Israel and Judah is an example of how
unrighteousness divides.
11:8 Many scholars
stumble over this verse, trying to identify specific individuals as the three
shepherds. Indeed there may have been a
single month in which three individual leaders were deposed in succession; but,
in my view, the three shepherds here prefigure the elders, chief priests and
scribes mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah in 2:8, and by our Lord in Luke 9:22. “The priests said not, Where is the
LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also
transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after
things that do not profit”, (Jeremiah 2:8);
“The Son of man
must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (Luke 9:22).”
These three groups were leaders of the people, (shepherds),
who hated Christ so much that they killed Him.
These groups met their demise in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70,
perhaps in the final month of that terror – this I think is what is foretold in
this prophecy.
11:9. According to
the writings of Josephus there were instances of cannibalism during the siege
of Jerusalem just prior to its destruction by the Romans in AD 70. The great destruction that came upon
Jerusalem was a result of the Jew’s rejection of Christ. They refused to
acknowledge the fulfillment of the very prophecies in which they were supposed
to be so knowledgeable. We are sometimes
quick to condemn those people, we just don’t understand how they could not have
known, yet the same self-righteous attitudes can mislead us today, if we are
not careful. Deuteronomy 28 sets out
conditions under which God would either bless or curse His people.
11:10. Some versions
translate the Hebrew word here Favor, others Beauty. The literal meaning is the same. Beauty is mentioned often in the Bible in the
context of righteousness, and holiness.
Righteousness was certainly broken in many ways by the rebellious
behavior of the people, and thus God’s covenant with them was broken. In Leviticus 26:15-16, 44; Deuteronomy 31:16,
20; Psalms 89:31-32; and Jeremiah 33:20-21 God warns about breaking His
covenant. Against this background it
becomes clear that the Children of Israel had broken God’s covenant many
times.
The breaking of the staff named Beauty indicates that the
righteousness of God had been broken, thus violating His covenant and making it
void; it indicated the end of God’s favorable relationship with the fleshly
descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
As a result of the people having broken the covenant, God’s grace was
broken as well – another view of the meaning of the name of the staff here is
that Beauty refers to the grace of God.
11:11. The act of
the preceding verse surely came as no surprise to those faithful few who had
knowledge of and respect for the word of God. The covenant with the Children of
Israel was broken when Jesus died on the cross – “that day”. “…the
poor of the flock that waited on me”…those who believed the scriptures and
acknowledged Christ as the Son of God, the true Messiah. They recognized the prophecies of old as they
were being fulfilled in the person of Jesus.
11:12. How do we
value what God has done for us? The
shepherd has been rejected by the flock, and his severance pay is equivalent to
the price of a slave who has been wounded, less than $60 in today’s money,
(Exodus 21:32); the same as the price paid for the betrayal of Jesus by the
elders, chief priests, and scribes, (Matthew 26:15). This price is a sign of contempt. It’s like the fellow who felt the service in
a restaurant was so bad he wanted to make a point with the server by leaving a
nickel for a tip. “Goodly price” is a sarcastic
reference. How little do we value what
our Heavenly Father has done for us?
When people refuse to hear the teaching of His Word, or worse yet, when
having heard they reject it, or still of even greater insult when having heard
and believed it we still transgress God’s will, is such not equally disparaging
to God?
The specific details that are so accurately fulfilled in
Matthew 26:15 that this verse should truly strengthen our faith in God’s
word. There is haggling over the price;
the amount is specified as 30 pieces of silver; the money is weighed out. Later the money is cast – thrown down into
the temple. Can’t you see Judas as in
his despair he went running back to the temple, up the stairway from the street
below and through the outer court, (the court of the gentiles), past the court
of women, through the court of Israel and up the steps leading to the court of
the priests where he would not have been allowed to enter; and, standing at the
door throwing the silver coins down on the marble floor of the temple.
11:13. The fulfillment of this prophecy in Matthew
27:3-10 is so literal and specific that the context of the entire passage comes
more clearly into view. {Matthew
ascribes his quotation to Jeremiah, however, we have already considered how
this came about – “God may well have inspired Jeremiah to “speak” the prophecy,
and also have inspired Zechariah to write it.
There is no contradiction at all, nor is there any valid evidence to
support misplaced text. In Jesus’ day
the scroll containing the work of Zechariah was a division of the scriptures
which began with the book of Jeremiah.
It was common practice to refer to any quote from that collection of
texts by the name of the first book in the group. For Matthew to have quoted Zechariah from the
Jeremiah collection and named it so would have been perfectly correct.”
The blood money, which Judas threw down in the temple, was
equivalent to about $52.80; it was indeed used to purchase a field called ‘the
potter’s field’, (Matthew 27:7, 10).
This could have been a piece of real estate belonging to someone who
made pottery and therefore was known as ‘the potter’; but was more likely it
was a worthless piece of land where potters had obtained material for the clay
to make their wares. Clay dug directly
from the earth is not suitable for making pottery; it must be mixed with
certain types of soil and worked into a suitable medium. Likely, this field was an area from which
material for the making of pottery had been mined, and was no longer of any
useful value. A field of sufficient size
to be used as a cemetery for the poor that could be purchased for such a small
amount of money must surely have been in such a condition that it was virtually
worthless for anything else.
11:14.
Breaking of the staff named “Bands”, or “Union”, signified the end of
the relationship between Judah and Israel…both in the physical sense, and more
particularly in the spiritual sense.
This had first occurred in the division of the nation following the death
of Solomon, however, the chronology here is forward in scope, therefore
something other is indicated. Unity
continued to disintegrate over the ensuing 400 years as different sects and
divisions continued to emerge among the Jews.
It was precisely this disunity which made them vulnerable to the Romans
and brought about their ultimate demise.
But most of all, they broke unity with God by rejecting His Son and
refusing His teaching.
11:15. Zedekiah was
the last Jewish king in Jerusalem before the Babylonian captivity. According to 2 Kings 24:19 he was a worthless
shepherd in that he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, such that
the Lord cast them out (verse 20). A
shepherd’s tools might consist of a bag in which he could carry food for himself,
maybe a sling and a few stones, and maybe a knife. He might also carry a skin of water, perhaps
a pipe or flute of some sort that he would use to amuse himself during the long
lonely hours in the pastures, and a shepherd’s staff. The Hebrew word eliel, translated foolish, may also be translated worthless, idol
(false), or good-for-nothing. A foolish
shepherd may well have the same tools as a wise shepherd, but he chooses to use
them differently. The tools of a foolish
shepherd are false teaching. False
teachers today love to hold a copy of the Bible high as they speak lies about
what it teaches. Simply picking up the
tools does not make one a true shepherd.
Many people who reject the true shepherd will go in search
of false shepherds – actually seek them out.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 bears this our specifically, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables”
11:16. Ezekiel 34 gives a detailed view of this metaphor;
the first 5 verses in particular describe this passage of Zechariah. The description given here is in sharp
contrast to Christ, (see John 10:11-15 where Jesus describes Himself as the
good shepherd). In my opinion, the
foolish shepherd here is the Jewish hierarchy during the 1st century
BC/AD, which cared more about placating the Romans and about perpetrating their
own doctrines than about the truth of God’s word, (Jesus details this in
Matthew 23:1-7). The foolish shepherd
– the false teachers, elders and preachers even today who lead the flock into
apostasy, are depicted here. They don’t
care about the lost, they show no concern for those who have left the fold and
make no effort to win them back. They go
to great lengths to entertain the youth but teach them very little; the healing
of God is withheld because His word is not taught, (Malachi 4:2); and those who
would remain faithful are deprived of sound Bible teaching. This fact is true throughout all of
Christendom today. A friend who is not a
Christian recently expressed frustration over the fact that there is so little
Bible teaching in the churches today.
The foolish shepherd is more concerned with his own gain, and will
consume the last remaining morsel of the faithful in his greed for
self-satisfaction.
11:17. Jeremiah
23:1-5 also speaks to this same subject.
The worthless shepherd receives the same pronouncement of woe that Jesus
expressed against the false teachers of His day. The arm represents physical or political
strength; the eye is a symbol of spiritual enlightenment, or judgment. Recall that the last worthless shepherd of
Judah, Zedekiah, had is eyes put out by Nebuchadnezzar. There is no certainty with which a specific
individual may be identified in this prophecy; but it seems to incorporate all
of the unfaithful leaders of the Jews from this time forward until the ultimate
dissolution of the Jewish system. The
right eye is perhaps symbolic of spiritual righteousness. 2 Peter 1:9 warns of being spiritually
blinded.
Chapter 12
12:1 Here we have a
beautiful and dramatic reminder of just who it is that is speaking to us: none
other than the great God of all creation.
There is no equivocation about the whether or not God created the
heavens and earth, or that He made mankind and placed an immortal spirit within
each of us – those facts are stated as though they are not even subject to
question. Isaiah 42:5; 48:13. These attributes are listed here as a means
of identifying the source of the message, and there can be no doubt that it is
the one and only, true and living God.
The word translated burden means that which is carried or delivered, and
implies weighty importance.
12:2 Isaiah
51:17-23. The description is of how the
people would be affected by the events to come; conditions would be such that
the emotions of distress would be so great that they would be manifested
physically. The term “cup” is used
frequently to indicate a sorrowful event; as the Lord prayed in Matthew 26:39
that the cup might pass from Him – He was referring to the torture, suffering
and death which He would undergo shortly.
12:3 A “burdensome
stone” may be likened to a large stone thrown down on the chest of one who is
condemned to die by stoning. By
struggling against an immovable object sometimes people may injure themselves,
but are not able to affect the object itself.
The picture here may be of the church, and how that no matter how much
effort is exerted against it, it cannot be moved. The rock on which the Church is built is
certainly such an object. There is no
getting around the rock solid fact that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. Psalms
125:1; Daniel 2:34-35; Matthew 21:44; Luke 20:18.
The term “in that day” occurs 16 times in these last two
chapters of Zechariah, (more than a hundred times throughout the OT). Just what is “THAT DAY”? As used here, it can only be the day of
transition from the old covenant to the new.
12:4 This might
foretell of the Maccabean war in 166 BC in which the Jews prevailed, at least
temporarily, over the Syrians. A horse
astonished is one that is spooked – God promises to protect His house (people),
and enemies shall be overcome. Exodus
15:1; Deuteronomy 28:28; Psalms 38:2; 76:6
12:5 Joel 3:16. Where do leaders among men get their
power? They are ordained of God, Romans
13:1. These assurances will instill
confidence in the leaders of all of the surrounding provinces of Judah, and
they will take comfort in reliance upon God, not in the people of Jerusalem
themselves. James 1:17; Philippians 4:13
– “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”
12:6 Isaiah 27:4;
31:9; Obadiah 18. To attempt to resist
the will of God is as futile as it would be for a field of dry briers to try to
resist a blazing fire. This passage
speaks of the gospel of Christ, and its spread throughout the entire
world. The leadership of Judah (the
church) must fan the fire of the gospel, spreading it among all the people -
teaching, preaching, converting, admonishing and encouraging.
The inhabiting of Jerusalem is symbolic of the populating
of the church with obedient believers.
In Hebrews 11:10 we learn that Abraham looked for a city with
foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
That city is identified in Hebrews 12:22-23 – “But ye are come to
mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, and the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels to the general assembly and church
of the firstborn…”. There can be
no mistake; the Bible clearly identifies spiritual Jerusalem as the church of
our Lord; that is the Jerusalem to be inhabited in this verse.
12:7-9 Shall save
the tents of Judah first – the gospel went first to the Jews before being
extended to the entire world. In Acts
21:20 we have a reference to the fact that thousands of Jews had obeyed the
gospel, while at that point, preaching to the gentiles had only recently begun. “Tents” are associated with temporary
shelter, might be more vulnerable, and could imply the absence of wealth. This goes along with our Lord’s plan for the
dissemination of the gospel: Luke 4:18; 6:20; 1 Corinthians 1:26; and James
2:5.
(8) “Defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem” is purely
spiritual – God promises to strengthen and defend all who will resist evil and
faithfully serve Him, (Isaiah 19:20; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Even those who are weak shall be
strengthened, even as David was strengthened when he went against Goliath; when
those who have fallen repent and turn again to God there is the help of God to
grow into greater strength, even as David rose above his sin with Bathsheba and
served God fervently. The House of David
is the church; the picture is of faithful Christians walking in righteousness.
(9) Is reflected in Matthew 16:18 – God will continually
defend, protect and preserve His church until He comes again.
12:10 God will
protect and preserve His church. The
picture here reminds us of the courage of David as he selected five smooth stones
from the riverbed and went out to face the giant Goliath. These passages speak of the permanent and
enduring nature of the church of our Lord, not of the preservation of the
physical city of Jerusalem nor of its fleshly inhabitants.
This is clearly a Messianic prophecy. There can be no doubt about the reference to
Christ; Him whom they have pierced – firstborn - only son – these terms all
point directly to Him. God’s promise
here is to pour out His grace upon the Jews and the Gentiles, just as He has
promised time and again to provide His redemptive grace for all of fallen
mankind. Psalms 22:16; John 19:37; Revelation 1:7.
12:11-14 2 Chronicles 35:20-25 – comparing this mourning
over Christ to that for Josiah.
(Fulfilled in Acts 2). This could
have been a proverbial expression indicating great sorrow; not unlike the way
we might refer to September 11th as a day of sorrow in our
nation. Hadad Rimmon is a town in the
valley of Megiddo. The plains of Megiddo
have long been a battleground; many thousands have died there over the
centuries, therefore it would have been known as a place of great
mourning. This reference could be
specifically to the death of Josiah, (2 Chronicles 35:22).
This speaks of the universal mourning for Christ – the
House of David represents the royalty and the blood ancestors or Christ; The
House of Nathan represents all of the prophets who had foretold these events;
The House of Levi and Shimiei represents the priesthood – all families of the
earth who look to God in faith will mourn over the death of His Son. Yet, although the mourning will encompass the
entire earth and all nations, it is also a very individual and personal
emotion. Christ died for the whole
world, yet He died for you and He died for me; for each of us individually. Isaiah 53:6.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:27 that He will reward every man according to
his works; God will render to every man according to his deeds, (Romans 2:6; also
10); “…every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor”, (1
Corinthians 3:8). Spiritual life and
godliness is not a group event, it is a personal matter, (Matt 6:6).
Chapter 13
13:1 - In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the
house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
The text here continues the subject of the crucifixion of
Christ, and the spread of His church from the previous chapter, (remember, the
chapter divisions are manmade and arbitrary).
Go back to verse 10 of chapter 12, read that then come back to the first
verse of chapter 13. There can be no
mistake about the subject of this prophecy.
This verse reminds me of the old song, “There is a fountain filled
with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood
loose all their guilty stains.” The
metaphor of the fountain appears in Psalms 36:9; 68:26; Proverbs 14:27;
Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13; and Revelation 21:6.
Note the language, ‘opened to the house of David and to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem’, indicating as does Romans 1:16 that the gospel
message would be extended to the Jews first, and then to the gentile world.
Health Departments require food service employees to wash
their hands in running water for a very specific reason. Washing in a pool of standing water is only a
temporary and partial cleansing, very limited in its effectiveness; but washing
in a flowing stream is a means of continual cleansing. The symbol of a fountain implies a continuous
flow; consider 1 John 1:7; the present perfect tense of the verb in this verse
indicates an ongoing action. The purpose
given, (for sin and for uncleanness), characterizes the purpose of the blood of
Christ – the only means of removing the guilt of man’s sin. The writer in Hebrews 10:4 states that the
blood of all those hundreds of thousands of animals that had been sacrificed
under the Law of Moses could not take away sin.
If the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin, then it would have
been unnecessary for Christ to die on the cross.
13:2 -And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD
of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land,
and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and
the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
Jeremiah 10:11-15 speaks of the perishing of false
gods. There is no mention of idols in
Palestine during the earthly ministry of Christ, they are not discussed nor is
the name of any of the idols of old mentioned.
No more did prophets foretell future events – there is mention of those
who prophesy in the early days of the church, but this prophecy is the
preaching of the gospel by means of aid from the Holy Spirit.
Tumah Ruwach, ‘Unclean spirit’ here is more accurately
translated ‘spirit of uncleanness’ in the ESV.
This is a different term from the ‘unclean spirit’, (akathatros [aka-that-ros] pneuma), of whom Jesus speaks in Matthew 12:43. This may refer to the overpowering of false
teachers in spiritual Jerusalem. Not
that they won’t return, as indeed they do time and again, but now there is the
written word of God by which we may try those spirits, (1 John 4:1). Warnings against false prophets – false
teachers – are abundant in the scriptures.
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall
be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 Peter 2:1
13:3-5 – And it shall come to pass, that when any
shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begot him shall say
unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD:
and his father and his mother that begot him shall thrust him through when he
prophesieth. And it shall come to pass
in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision,
when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a husbandman; for man
taught me to keep cattle from my youth.
An interesting element of Old Testament prophecy is that
God through the Holy Spirit frequently reminds all who hear/read it, (those
immediate subjects of the day, as well as all succeeding generations), of
various significant historical events.
This helps to establish the continuity of the revelation of God’s will
and of His divine plan for the redemption of mankind.
In Deuteronomy 13:1-11 –
the Israelites were commanded that false prophets should be put to death, even
if they arose from within one’s own family.
The message here is that false prophets bring death (spiritual death) to
those who follow them. The outward
appearance of a prophet was typically such as would identify him, even to the
casual observer, (2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6). False prophets would try to appear as
genuine, in their dress and manner – even as they do today. Acts 20:29 warns of grievous wolves that will
attack the flock; Zechariah appears to be forward looking, foretelling of the
persecution of the church by false teachers.
13:6 - And one shall say unto him, What are
these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I
was wounded in the house of my friends.
False prophets of
idol gods were known to make cuts in their flesh as a means of evoking emotion
and drama in their ceremonies. As a
result, they were identifiable by the scars.
The prophecy is that they would lie about the origin of the scars, like
someone today might say they walked into a door to cover up the truth about an
embarrassing wound, or one that might reveal some truth one would wish to keep
hidden. Various translations substitute
back or body for hands in this verse – but the Hebrew word yad literally
translated means open hand.
13:7 - Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the
man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the
little ones.
This prophecy is contiguous with the betrayal, foretold in
11:2. This appears to be indicative of
God allowing Christ to be put to death, and of the scattering that would take
place of His followers when that momentous event happened, (Mark 14:27). This verse is quoted by Christ in Matthew
26:31. In John 1:1 and 10:30 He affirms
His oneness with the father. It is notable that the sacrificial death of Jesus
is presented as having been carried out by the father. Indeed, it was God’s divine plan for the
redemption of mankind since before the earth was created, (1 Peter 1:20). We are reminded of the numerous passages which
quote the Father as saying things like, I will call them, I will gather thee; I
will call; I will cleanse; I will redeem you with a stretched out arm; I will
save my people. Isaiah 53:10-11; Acts
2:23;
In John 13:33 Jesus refers to His disciples as ‘little
children’. Paul uses the term in
addressing the Christians at Galatia, and John uses the term ‘little children’
9 times in the book of 1st John.
13:8-9 - And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts
therein shall be cut off and die; but
the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring
the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and
will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear
them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
The perishing of unbelieving Jews in the destruction of
Jerusalem is foretold here – the symbolism of the 2 to 1 ratio of those lost to
those saved refers to those who believed on Jesus and obeyed His gospel and
thus were saved – able to escape the Roman armies – versus those who perished
in the final abolition of the Mosaic economy.
Jesus said that only a FEW will be saved, (Matthew 7:14). To be sure, the prophet teaches that the
faithful would face many trials – even trials by fire – thus the metaphor of
the refining of silver and gold 1 Peter 1:7-9 bears this out. Romans 8:35-37; James 1:12. My dad used to say “if you put a piece of
metal into the fire if it’s lead it will melt and run off, but if it is gold it
will glitter.”
Chapter
14
I think that this chapter is primarily about the
destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and about the subsequent spread of the
gospel of Christ and of his glorious church as a result of persecution. Those who try to make it twist and turn to
support the false idea of a literal and physical return of Christ to the earth
are made to look like a contortionist in cirque de sole¢. Let’s consider what the text actually says, and not try
to make it say that which it does not say.
14:1 - Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil
shall be divided in the midst of thee.
“The Day of the Lord” is mentioned more than 2 dozen times
in the scriptures, and is always a pivotal point in God’s dealing with
mankind. Here the phrase refers to the
day in which He will break His two staffs “Beauty” and “Bands”; the day in
which He will take away His covenant with the physical nations of Israel and
Judah, and establish His New Covenant through His Son. The term “The Day of the Lord” is also used
to refer to the day in which the earth will be burned up, (2 Peter 3:10); but
the definition in focus here is the day of the death of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God.
The dividing of the spoil refers to the soldiers dividing his garments
at the foot of the cross (Psalms 22:18; Matthew 27:35).
14:2 – 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to
battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women
ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue
of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
The armies of Rome
included men who had been conscripted from conquered nations and of mercenaries
from all over the world; thus the Roman armies fulfilled the term “all
nations”. The extent of the horror and
devastation they carried out against the city of Jerusalem in AD 70 cannot be
adequately exaggerated for us to be able to understand just how awful it was. The residue of people refers to those who had
become Christians and who were able to escape the city when the Romans withdrew
temporarily allowing them to do so, exactly as had been prophesied. Isaiah 2:2, speaking of the establishment of
the church, may be reflected here. There
are those who want to insist that this refers to the 1948 UN charter that
created the present nation called Israel; but there are many reasons why that
cannot be true. Gentiles are not being
invited to join with Jews there, nor is the word of the Lord going forth from
there.
14:3 – 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against
those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
After the armies of Rome had been used by the providence of
God to complete the removal of the Jewish economy and the religion of the Law
of Moses by the destruction of its temple, then it was their lot to suffer
punishment for their atrocities. It was
precisely at this point in history that the fall of the great Roman Empire
began to occur. Although it extended
over almost 300 years, the fall of Rome is widely considered by have begun
during the later third of the 1st century AD. The battle of righteousness against Satan
might also be in view in this verse.
14:4 – 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the
mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives
shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and
there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove
toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
The Mount of Olives is located on the east side of
Jerusalem just across the Kidron Valley, about a Sabbath Day’s journey. Jesus ascended into Heaven from Bethany,
located on its southeastern slope; the Garden of Gethsemane is located at the
foot of the mountain on its western slope.
The Mount of Olives is notable in that it towers above all other
surrounding mountaintops in the region of Jerusalem, some 2,900 feet above sea
level. Isaiah draws on this fact in
2:2-3 referring specifically to the establishment of the church and its spread
from Jerusalem. Micah makes the same
reference in 4:2 as does Zechariah earlier in 8:3.
Numerous times in the scriptures we find reference to
mountains in association with the presence of God. (Nehemiah 9:13; Psalms
144:5; Isaiah 31:4; 64:1,3; and Micah 1:3,4).
This passage cannot refer to anything that will take place on earth
after Christ returns, as He promised to do.
He never at any time promised to come and live on the earth again. In fact, He said, “I GO to
prepare a place for you…” {Please notice, He did not say ‘I will come and
prepare a place for you’} “…and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am ye may be also,”
(John 14:2-3); {again please notice, He did not say ‘…that where ye are I may
be also’}. The prophet does not any way
state or imply that Jesus will once again give up His spiritual form, take on
the physical flesh of a man, and literally place his feet on the soil of the
earth.
Another significant fact is that of all the hundreds of
quotations and references to Old Testament prophesies in the New Testament,
there is absolutely nothing said or written to even suggest the idea of a
thousand year earthly reign on our Lord.
Instead, the apostles writing in the New Testament repeatedly emphasize
that the Old Testament prophets foretell salvation through the blood of Christ,
(1 Peter 1:10-11). In Acts 3:24 Peter
unequivocally states that all of the prophets spoke of “these days”, meaning of
course the days of the church – if there were anything said in Zechariah
chapter 14 about a time of earthly return of Christ this would have been a
wonderful opportunity for the Holy Spirit to have inspired Peter to so state;
but such never happened – never in all the pages of holy writ. Further, when the Lord does return He will
deliver up the kingdom to the Father, (1 Corinthians 15:24), just one more
reason that there will be no earthly reign.
The dividing of the mountain may be viewed in the context
of Ephesians 2:14, in which we learn that Christ broke down the middle wall of
partition – removing forever the separation between Jew and Gentile. Another interesting fact has to do with the
Eastern gate of Jerusalem. This gate is
prominent in Jewish tradition. According
to Luke 19:37, Jesus probably entered the city through this gate riding on a
donkey colt. When the Ottoman Turks
(muslims) captured Jerusalem in 1530 AD they sealed the gate with stones –
exactly as prophesied in Ezekiel 44:1-2.
This verse speaks of the dramatic events that accompanied
the establishment of the church of our Lord – spiritual Jerusalem – and perhaps
also encompasses the cataclysmic destruction of physical Jerusalem and the
Jewish economy in AD 70. It cannot refer
to anything that many want to think will take place on the earth after His
coming, because there will be nothing here, (2 Peter 3:10).
14:5 – 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains;
for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like
as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and
the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
Azal may be used as a metaphor for a great distance, there
is no certain information about it as an actual place. The literal earth quake
that occurred at the moment of Christ’s death, (Matthew 27:51), triggered a
greater cataclysm in the hearts and minds of all mankind. To emphasize the monumental significance of
this event, the Holy Spirit guided the prophet to remind his audience of a
great earthquake that had occurred some 200 years previous; it was of such
great force and power that it was still remembered. The earthquake in the days of Uzziah may be
the same referenced by Amos in 1:1; otherwise we don’t know any more about this
reference. Archeological evidence has
demonstrated that a quake estimated at over 8 on the Richter scale did indeed
occur in the later part of the 8th century BC.
For those who try to make these passages imply a literal
earthly return of Christ, there are some questions they need to consider: Who
shall flee, the righteous? No, “we will all be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, from mortality to immortality and caught up to be to be
with Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord,” (1 Corinthians
15:23-24; 51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
So, the righteous will not flee.
Well then is it the unrighteous? No, Matthew 25:41, “Then shall he
say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Also, consider Revelation 20:10, 15, “And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,
where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night
forever and ever; … And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” The
unrighteous will not be here, so who is left?
We plainly see from the scriptures that the events described by
Zechariah cannot refer to the 2nd coming of our Lord, therefore they
must speak of some specific event that was to occur between that 2nd
coming and the time of this writing, circa 487 BC. That event emphasizes the great divide among
humanity – the choice which must be made by all men whether to follow Satan or
the God of Heaven.
The term saints here might refer to the saints mentioned in
Matthew 27:52; – or, if the passage is
taken to speak of the final judgment, then is may speak of all the dead in
Christ.
14:6 -7 - 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the
light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7 But it shall be one day which shall be
known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at
evening time it shall be light.
Matthew 4:16 speaks of the light coming to people in
darkness, of the shadow of death. In
Matthew 8:12 He speaks of the Jewish leaders who refused to see the light being
cast into outer darkness. Luke 1:78-79;
John 1:5; 12:46. Of course, I think the
culminating point of these two verses in Zechariah is found in Matthew 27:45;
Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44; John 8:12; 2
Corinthians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:5.
On the other hand; if we accept the view that this section
speaks of the coming persecution of the church, it is easy to see the clouds of
discouragement followed by the light of triumph in Christ.
This could also be understood to speak of the final
judgment.
14:8 - 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters
shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of
them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
A number of elements in this verse make it clear that it
speaks of the living water of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel went out from Jerusalem. Jesus spoke of the gospel as living water in
John 4:14; 7:37-39; Rev 7:17.
To keep us on track, lets briefly summarize the first 8
verses of chapter 14: In the midst of persecution; 4, Jehovah will be near; 5,
he will provide a place of escape; 7, hope; 8; waters of salvation will go
forth.
14:9 – 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in
that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
“King over all the earth…” Matthew 28:18; 1 Timothy 6:15;
Revelation 17:14; 19:16. We do not wait
for a day in which He will become king - He is now King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. When Jesus instructed His
disciples to pray “thy kingdom come”, (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2), the kingdom
had not yet come. Jesus preached that
the kingdom was then at hand, (Matthew 4:17); and it did in fact come into
being on the day of Pentecost following our Lord’s resurrection, (Mark 9:1;
Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 12:28).
14:10 - 10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from
Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in
her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the
corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.
This verse speaks of the universal, all-encompassing nature
of the spiritual kingdom, using for comparison familiar landmarks, north to
south; (we saw east to west in verse 4).
See Isaiah 40:4.
14:11 -11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no
more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Speaking of the fact that the kingdom of Christ, (His church)
cannot be destroyed. Jesus Himself said
that not even the gates of Hell would be able to prevail against it, (Matthew
16:18).
14:12-15 – 12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the
LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh
shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall
consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their
mouth. 13 And it shall come to pass in
that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall
lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up
against the hand of his neighbour. 14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem;
and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold,
and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 15 And so shall be the plague of
the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts
that shall be in these tents, as this plague.
This passage cannot refer to a period after a literal
return of Christ to the earth, because, as we have seen, there will be no flesh
left on earth after His second coming; rather it speaks of those who persecute
the church. Remember it is figurative
language; the picture is of those who are blinded to the truth, who do not
speak the truth and therefore cannot stand before God in the judgment. Isaiah 66:24;
(13) Galatians
5:15. Conflict in the world will be an
ongoing reality, yet the church will prosper under even the most adverse
circumstances. Foretold of Ishmael in
Genesis 16:12; but Paul taught that love “seeketh not her own”, (1 Corinthians
13:5).
(14) Lay not up
treasure on earth…(Matthew 6:19-20; Romans 9:23; 11:23; Ephesians 1:7,18; 3:8;
Colossians 2:2).
(15) Enemies will suffer a great defeat, extending to all
their possessions. Deuteronomy 13:15; Joshua 7:24.
14:16-19 - 16 And it shall come to pass, that every one
that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up
from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast
of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the
families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts,
even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and
come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will
smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This
shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come
not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
These verses certainly do not suggest a return to the
Jewish worship regimen, (Heb 9:1-[5]-14); they speak of the church of
Christ. The feast of Tabernacles was at
the time of harvest and involved great rejoicing; its reference here speaks of
the rejoicing of Christians over salvation in Christ. Those dear souls who look for a return to the
Mosaic economy simply do not understand the death of Christ. Such would imply that the offering of Jesus
for the sins of mankind was inadequate.
Paul and John both state that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins,
(Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). The
word propitiation means ‘atoning sacrifice’ or ‘timely and adequate
payment’. The fact is that Christ is the
ultimate fulfillment of the typology of the animal sacrifices for the sins of
man, not the other way around.
14:20-21 - 20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of
the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be
like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah
shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall
come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no
more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
In this I perceive the Christian lifestyle – the gospel
goes out like bells on horses harnesses; there are no physical objects that are
held to be holy of themselves, yet everything is holy if the individual is
himself wholly dedicated to serving the Lord.
The term ‘Canaanite’ is used to indicate anyone who is not of the nation
of Israel. In this context, it addresses
the exclusivity of spiritual Israel, in that only those who have obeyed Christ
are permitted to enter His church…kingdom…house.
Sometimes we contemplate the question of why some people go
to such great lengths to convince themselves that there will be an extended
time of life on earth. Could it be
because of a materialistic nature? John
wrote, “love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world”, (1 John 2:15). The great sorrow of the rich young ruler
(Matthew 19:22) was his attachment to his material possessions. The tragedy of the rich farmer (Luke
12:16-20), lay in is infatuation with worldly things. Jesus instructed “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth…”, (Matthew 6:19);
because the earth will not endure.
The purpose and message of the prophecy of Zechariah (1)
was, in the day of its giving, urging the people to faithfulness, assuring them
that God is in control of the affairs of men, and foretelling the coming of the
King of Kings and of His church; and (2) it is, for us today, urging us to
faithfulness, assurance that God is in control of the affairs of men,
reinforcing our faith in God in that we are able to see the detailed
fulfillment of everything that He has prophesied.
Some general points from Zechariah: The prophet
successfully fulfills his role as God’s messenger, presenting the message
without putting himself in the forefront.
God’s church – His great eternal plan for the salvation of mankind by
the blood of His son – is the central theme of the entire Bible and the single
most important element of human existence.
There is an ongoing battle between Satan and those who would serve the
Lord, but we must not be discouraged because the righteousness of god will
ultimately prevail. The rituals of
worship are nothing in and of themselves, unless they affect the heart of the
believer. All humanity is dependant upon
the God of Heaven for life, both physical and spiritual. When men realize the horrible consequences of
sin, and the magnificent depth of God’s love they will mourn over sin and
strive to serve God as He has commanded.
Christ appears in
Zechariah’s prophecy
at least a dozen times:
10. There will be great mourning for Him.
12:11-14.
12. He will be a
fountain opened for cleansing of sin. 13:1