Today's Reading:

Zechariah 1
Zechariah 2
Zechariah 3
Zechariah 4
Zechariah 5
Zechariah 6
Zechariah 7

Joshua, the same high priest from the books of Ezra and Haggai, was standing before the Lord with Satan, like a courtroom scene. The accuser (Satan) stands at his right side. The filthy clothes were in reference to the priest, Joshua, bearing the guilt, like wearing the sins of the people. Grace comes in because Joshua did not speak, and Zechariah did not speak. The Lord spoke. He did not make a legal speech to defend Joshua. What He did do was to say it was His choice. “See, I have taken away your iniquity” (Zechariah 3:4). Then Joshua received a clean turban to show his duties were restored.

The servant, “the Branch,” (Jesus) will come. Joshua and other priests would be the “men who are a sign,” like walking billboards, made so the people would look past the priests to the Messiah.

 

 

Zechariah was a prophet and also a priest who came back to Judah after the exile to Babylon with the group led by Zerubbabel. Zechariah was the son of Berekiah and the grandson of Iddo. Zechariah means “The Lord remembers,” and Berekiah  “The Lord blesses,” and Iddo is often read as “appointed time,” so together the family line says, “God has not forgotten His people and will bless them when the time comes.” The Lord remembers and does not forget His people. This was about two months after Haggai started to yell for the Temple to be built. God said not to be like their ancestors. Return to Him, and He would return to them. They had ignored the prophets, and then the warnings of judgment came true. God told them that what the prophets had said before would still count. The eight night visions of Zechariah (1:7–6:8) were given to encourage the returned exiles to finish rebuilding the temple by showing that God still watches over Jerusalem, will judge the nations that scattered Israel, will cleanse His people and their land of sin, will complete the work by His Spirit rather than human power, and will one day bring the Messiah.

Vision 1: A man/rider (pre-incarnate Christ) came on a red horse, with other horses at the myrtle trees in a ravine, with other horses behind him. They patrolled the earth and noted the peace and nations at rest. Although Judah was still under foreign power, they were allowed to rebuild the Temple. The myrtles in the low place were a picture of the remnant, which was not yet the mountaintop. God’s messengers, heavens warriors, were hiding in the bushes of myrtles. There had been about 70 years of exile without God’s mercy or comfort for Jerusalem. The Lord was angry and loved Jerusalem, so He would return, and His house would be built there in restoration.

Vision 2: The horns meant raw power, and nations came from all four directions that scattered Judah. God does not send more horns and nations just to devastate them. Instead, He sent craftsmen to throw down the horns. Scripture never names each empire; it names the work God will do against whoever scattered His people.

In vision 3: A man with a tape measure was going to measure Jerusalem for walls. The angel had said to stop because the city would be too full for walls, and that is not real defense. God would become the protective wall of fire. In Zechariah 2:8, “Whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.” Poking His people was poking Him in the eye. He stopped the tape measure, and touching the eye (the remnant) was not a small political act; it was personal to God.

Vision 4: This was a courtroom, and Zechariah was shown Joshua, who was standing before the Lord and Satan. God took responsibility for taking away the sins of the priest and cleansing him through His grace, then dressed him in clean clothes and a turban. The foundation stone with seven eyes set in front of Joshua showed that God is omniscient and sees all. One day, the Day of Atonement (this can be seen as Good Friday) will take away sin. Gone in a single day through Jesus, the Branch, who removed sin once and for all, the day this promise was kept.

Vision 5: The lampstand in chapter 4, and the two olive trees made a menorah with one olive tree on either side. There were 7 lamps (sprouts) and 7 channels. 7*7= 49, which creates an abundance and steady supply of oil and light. The oil points to the power and the Holy Spirit. The two trees are the two anointed ones, often seen as the royal line of David through Zerubbabel, and Joshua the priest. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4: 6) is echoed when Jesus talked of faith that can move mountains. God told Zerubbabel the builder that he would finish the house, but this would not be how Zerubbabel would picture it. The normal lamp needs human help to press the olives, pour the oil, trim the wicks, and repeat. This new lamp is hooked up to the olive trees, and Zechariah admitted that he had no idea how this worked. God showed that was good; it was the point. The light comes not by human strength, but by God. There is a mighty mountain of opposition in the way. Zerubbabel would lay the first and the last stone, and when it was done, they would shout, look at what we did, but in actuality it was by grace. 

The new temple looked sad compared to Solomon’s. The old men had already cried to Ezra, but God said not to worry about the small things. Those same 7 eyes that watch the whole earth are also looking at the foundation and plumb line. Zechariah still did not understand the two trees. This could be Joshua the priest and Zerubbabel the governor, which equated to worship and work. The two men who stood next to God were fed by the same oil. The trees feed the lamp, and God feeds the trees. The lamp is what shines as worship, and temple life starts up again.

Vision 6: A flying scroll about 30 feet by 15 feet; you could not pretend you did not see it. The scroll was written on both sides against stealing and lying under oath, to show the sins in the market and in God’s name, both religious sins (the whole reason Jesus flipped the tables). God does not just want them to get rid of idols, but to look at how they treated others and how they used His name. A scroll sitting on a shelf could be ignored. Remember, Hilkiah found the scroll of the Book of the Law during the time of Josiah, but a flying scroll could not be ignored. Commandments 3 and 8 are represented (false oaths and stealing).

Vision 7: was of a woman called Wickedness in a basket. They shoved her back down and slammed a lead lid shut. The two women with stork wings picked up the basket and flew it to Shinar (Babylon) and built it a house. Sin is not just in an empire; it shows up as part of daily life. Showing the removal of wicked and evil is done by God alone. Wickedness is not being evicted from Judah like us; Zechariah kept asking questions like what and where. Sin left, and only after it was removed could the land be holy.

Vision 8: The four chariots came out between the two bronze mountains (possibly Mount Olives and Mount Zion). The horses were different colors: Red was an image of war or judgment, black the north and heavy judgment of death from famine, white was victory or peace, and dapple was from the south as pestilence and mixed outcomes. These were the four spirits of heaven that came out of the mountain like a gate, sent by God to patrol the earth. The spirits oppressed Israel, and now it was time for judgment. Each color was not necessarily an empire but more of all of the forces God uses that leave the gate at the same time. Scripture noted that those who went north gave God’s Spirit rest there. Wickedness had just been flown to Babylon in vision 7, and this was followed by God’s scouts settling the judgment on the oppressors. God’s work is done there.

After the eight visions were over, Zechariah was told to go take silver and gold from the exiles, make a crown, and then crown Joshua as the priest. Why a crown when the priest wore a turban and kings wore crowns? God put the crown on the “wrong” head on purpose. The coming man known as the Branch (Jesus) will be both the priest and king and will build God’s house. The crown would be stored in the temple as a reminder, not as Joshua’s new hat, because he could not fulfill that whole role.

Chapter 7 came two years later. The men from Bethel asked if they should still fast in the fifth month. This was the fasting that had memorialized the destruction of Solomon’s temple. They had been doing this for 70 years during exile. It was marked on the calendar, and they wanted to know if it should be continued. God asked where their heart was during this time, whether it was for Him or whether they were fasting for themselves. Their hearts should be seen in how they treat people. God wanted kindness and mercy given. They did not listen and had hard hearts, so He would not listen to them.

Today's Discussion question:

Click here to link to our Facebook group for discussion, questions, and additional content.