Zechariah
Zechariah was from the priestly line, being the son of Berekiah, the
son of Iddo who was listed as the head of a returning priestly family
from the exile (Neh. 12:4, 16). He served together with Haggai in
encouraging the exiles to resume the rebuilding of the temple (Ezr. 5:1;
6:14). However, Zechariah appeared to have served long after Haggai and
his prophecies in the first 8 chapters are clearly dated from 520-518
B.C. while those of chapters 9-14 are undated. It is worth-noting that
Zechariah, being fully awake, experienced all eight visions during the
course of one night and not as dreams (1:8).
“The book of Zechariah addresses both the first and second coming of Christ, but clearly demonstrates the first advent to be a necessary preparation for the second. The use of the ‘Branch’ motif (Zech. 3:8; 6:12,13), emphasizing Jesus’ humanity and service, has an unquestionable link to previous uses of that designation in Isaiah and Jeremiah where Christ’s deity and kingship are stressed (Isa. 4:2; 11:1-5)…The smiting of the divine Shepherd is anticipated (Zech. 13:7, cf. Isa. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 34:5-31; Matt. 25;32 [sic*]; Jn. 10:14,15). The betrayal and crucifixion of Christ (Zech. 11:12, 13; 12:10) are connected with Israel’s repentance (Zech. 12:10–14:9).”
(The Hebrew-Greek Study Bible) (*Matt. 26:31)
The name Zechariah means “the Lord remembers”.
The Introductory Message—1:1-6
(1) When did the word of the Lord first come to Zechariah?
a. What is the historical background at the time? (see Ezr. 4:24; 5:1ff; 6:14)
b. Who appeared to be speaking first to those who had returned from exile? (see Hag. 1:1; 2:1, 10, 20)
(2) Reference to their ancestors (vv. 2-6)
a. Why was the Lord very angry with their ancestors? (vv. 2, 4)
b. What eventually happened to their ancestors? (v. 6)
c. Why? (v. 5)
d. What should they learn from their ancestors? (vv. 3-4)
e. What did their ancestors do when they were overtaken by the words of the Lord (i.e. when their nation was destroyed)? (v. 6)
f. What lesson should they also learn from this?
1:7-11—The 1st Vision—Horses among the Myrtle Trees
(3) When was this vision given? (It is quite obvious that the rebuilding work had already been resumed in spite of opposition.)
(4) The man riding on a red horse standing among the myrtle tree appears to be the leader to whom the other riders report back to. It might not be helpful to speculate on the meaning of the different colors of the horses, as their colors (as well as their mission) differ from those in Revelation 6.
a. What have the other riders been doing? (v. 10)
b. What is their finding? (v. 11)
c. What does it mean? (v. 15a)
d. Why is the Lord jealous for Jerusalem and Zion? (v. 14b)
e. What has the Lord done to Jerusalem? (v. 14; see Jer. 25:11-12)
f. What promise does the Lord make in response to the question of the angel? (v.16)
(5) What does the above vision mean to those who have just resumed rebuilding the temple? (It was done in spite of opposition and the risk of disobeying the royal decree.)
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as He determined to do’.” (Zech. 1:6)
According to the book of Ezra, both Haggai and Zechariah contributed to the resumption of the rebuilding of the temple with their preaching and encouragement to the people (Ezr. 5:1-2; 6:14). I believe that apart from the short oracles, i.e. direct revelation from the Lord to them, both prophets taught and preached other words that are not recorded in the Bible.
As far as oracles from the Lord are concerned, Haggai’s messages are short, and those of Zechariah are more visions in nature that point mainly to the first and second coming of the Messiah. Neither has chastised the people as harshly as the other prophets did.
As for Zechariah, his opening
oracle simply draws the attention of this immediate audience (those who have
just resumed the rebuilding work of the temple) to the example of their
ancestors and asks them not be like their forefathers (Zech. 1:4). Consider what Zechariah noted:
- They have not listened to the warnings of the many prophets that God sent to them.
- As a result, they have been overtaken by the words of the Lord, meaning that they—the people, the nation and even the temple of the Lord— have faced death and destruction.
- Only then, did they repent and said, “The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as He determined to do.” (1:6)
Of course, we know that even those who were spared from death and who were left in Jerusalem did not truly repent but went to Egypt against the words of the Lord (Jer. 42-43). Those in exile, according to Ezekiel, continued their wicked ways (Ezek. 33:30-32). Therefore, these words of repentance related by Zechariah are words likely uttered by those who were about to die or words that represented how they felt during their calamities. Just the same, these words point to the fact that their remorse was too late—their families were no more, their nation was no more, and the temple of the Lord was no more! This is the example which should serve as a warning to the post-exilic generation so that they may not follow in their footsteps.
For those who have yet to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there will also be a day, like these forefathers of Israel, when it will be too late!
1:18-21—The 2nd Vision—Horns and Craftsmen
(1) The prophet now sees four horns (vv. 18-19)
a. What do horns normally portray? (see Lam. 2:17)
b. What have these four horns done to the nations of Judah, Israel and Jerusalem? (v. 19b)
c. Who might these four horns be? (see Dan. 2:36-44)
(2) The Lord then shows the prophet four craftsmen (vv. 20-21)
a. What are these craftsmen going to do to the four horns (i.e. world powers)?
b. While no clues are provided here as to who these four craftsmen are:
i. What does the use of craftsmen to overthrow the horns indicate?
ii. Read Revelation 6:1-8 and get a sense of what these four craftsmen might refer to?
(3) How does this vision dovetail with the first one?
(4) What is the message to the post-exilic audience of Zechariah?
2:1-13—The 3rd Vision—The Coming of the Lord
(5) The man with a measuring line (vv. 1-5)
a. In OT prophesies, a measuring line may be used to refer to the judgment of the Lord because of the short-comings of Israel (Isa. 28:17; Lam. 2:8). What is it used to denote here instead? (see 1:16; 2:4-5)
b. What does a city without walls signify? (v. 4)
c. How will a city be protected without walls? (v. 5)
d. What kind of glory will Jerusalem have in the future? (v. 5b)
e. Why should the angel be told to “run” and to speak to this young prophet?
(6) The Judgment of Babylon (vv. 6-9) – Now, many exiles are still scattered around the world, especially in the land of the north (i.e. Babylon).
a. In this vision, what does the Lord tell them to do on the day He returns to Jerusalem? (v. 6)
b. Why are they told to flee? (v. 9)
c. What reason is being given for the plundering of Babylon? (v. 8)
d. V. 8 is a difficult verse to understand concerning this “Glorious one” or the One honored.
i. He has been sent by the Lord (v. 8b)
ii. He will raise His hand against the nations (v. 8c)
iii. He identifies Himself as the speaker, the Lord Almighty (v. 8a)
Who might He be?
(7) The Coming of the Lord (vv. 10-13)
a. Why should the Daughter Zion be glad? (v. 10)
b. Consider how special this coming is:
i. What does v. 10b relate about it?
ii. Who will join the Lord and be His people as well?
iii. Who really is the One that is coming to live among them? (v.11b)
iv. What is the special message to Judah and Jerusalem? (v. 12)
v. What is the special message to all mankind? (v. 13; see Ps. 2)
(8) What does this vision mean to the post-exilic audience of Zechariah who obeyed the command to resume the rebuilding work of the temple?
(9) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“For this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you — for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye'.” (Zech. 2:8)
As much as God was using the Babylonians as His instrument to judge the sins of His people, we can see that God did so with a father’s heart in that He felt the pain of His children: “I was only a little angry (with Israel), but they added to the calamity” (1:15).
And, as much as Israel has sinned horribly and fully deserved the judgment of the Lord, the Lord still sees them as “the apple of His eye” (2:8). That speaks volumes of not only His covenantal relationship with Israel, but of His unwavering love for them.
Obviously, we are now saved by the blood of His own Son Jesus Christ and have become His children, and we are just as loved. Therefore, whoever plunders us — and for that matter, whoever tries to harm us in anyway—is also touching the apple of His eye as well, and we can be rest assured that He will raise His hand against them and defend us (2:9).
At the same time, this particular verse (2:8) also gives me a sense that while we do not fully understand all the end-times prophecies, His promise to “inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem” (2:12) will certainly be fulfilled in its reality, because the Daughter of Zion does remain the apple of His eye!
The 4th Vision— Joshua, the High Priest
(1) The court of heaven (v.1)
a. How does this scene remind you of Job? (see Job 1:6-12)
b. What is Satan doing in the court of heaven? (see also Rev. 12:10)
c. What might be Satan’s purposes to accuse Joshua at this time of the resumption of the rebuilding of the temple?
(2) The Lord defends Joshua (vv. 2-5)
a. What word is being repeated by the Lord against Satan? (v. 2)
b. What does it mean?
c. Can the Lord deny that Joshua and the people he represents have not sinned? (v. 3)
d. What does the Lord appeal to? (v. 2b)
e. How does the Lord deal with the filthy clothes (symbol of their sins)? (v. 4)
f. Why can’t Joshua take off his own filthy clothes? Why do they have to be taken off at the command of the angel of the Lord?
g. What is he given instead to put on? (v. 5b)
h. Since Zechariah should only be an onlooker, consider his actions:
i. Why does he ask to have a clean turban (which is actually a tiara—K&D, 527) put on the high priest?
ii. Why does he jump into the action?
(3) A new charge to Joshua (vv. 6-8)
a. What is the charge and promise given to Joshua? (v. 6-7)
b. How meaningful is it given what Joshua and his people are facing at the time?
c. Is this charge given before or after Joshua is cleansed and forgiven?
d. V. 8 gives us an important guideline in how to interpret this vision. (This should also apply to all the other visions in Zechariah.)
i. What is this guideline?
ii. Who is the central figure of these visions? (see also Jer. 23:5; Isa. 11:1)
Who is the “Branch”?
(4) The day of salvation (vv. 9-10)
a. What is being set in front of Joshua in the vision? (v. 9)
b. Who is that stone with seven eyes? (see Isa. 28:16; Ps. 118:22; Rev. 5:6; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6-8)
c. How will salvation be achieved? (v. 9b; Heb. 9:26-28)
d. What will the salvation of the Branch mean to His promise to Israel? (v. 10; see Isa. 11:1-10)
(5) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.” (Zech. 3:1)
Both Job 1:6-12 and the vision of Joshua before the court of heaven (Zech. 3:1) give us a clue as to the work of Satan today, but the clearest description in this respect comes from Revelation 12:10: “For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down.”
The reasons for Satan to appear before the Lord to accuse Joshua are quite obvious. He was trying to remind Joshua how filthy he and his people were, so that he would be so discouraged that he would stop leading his people to resume the work of the rebuilding of the temple. Also, he might even try to convince God that Joshua was not worthy to be the high priest anymore, and God should remove him from his office. Of course, his accusation was met with the Lord's rebuke in that
To those of us who belong to Him, it is not just a powerful reminder of God’s love and forgiveness, but it is also a reminder to us not to accuse our brothers and sisters in Christ before the Lord. We have to be aware that even if our brothers and sisters have indeed committed a horrible sin, even against us, Satan is the first one that has brought their sin before the Lord to accuse them. Do we also join Satan in the heavenly court as their accusers? Should we not plead on behalf of our brothers and sisters instead?- He is the one who has chosen Jerusalem and His election is unshakable and His plan is unchangeable.
- He still loves His people and His high priest. He has pity on their demise, even though it might be self-inflicted. He snatches them like a burning stick from the fire and He is not done with them.
The 5th Vision—The Golden Lampstand
(1) The vision (vv. 1-4) ― As Zechariah fell back to sleep, the angel woke him up again.
a. What does the prophet see? (v. 2; it is perhaps helpful to draw your own simple diagram of the golden lampstand)
b. Describe how this golden lampstand differs from the one in the temple in the following ways.
i. Its shape and structure (see Exod. 25:31-40)
ii. Its source of oil (see Exod. 27:20-21)
(2) The Interpretation—Part I (vv. 5-10)
a. While Joshua is the high priest and Zerubbabel is the governor, why is this message directed to the latter? (v. 6)
b. What is the message? (v. 6)
c. How does this picture of a golden lampstand convey this message?
d. What is the mountain that stands in front of Zerubbabel in terms of the rebuilding work of the temple? (see Ezr. 5:3-5)
e. How will this mountain be removed? (v. 6)
f. What is the specific promise given to Zerubbabel concerning the rebuilding project? (vv. 7b-9)
i. When was the foundation of this temple laid? Was it by the hand of Zerubbabel? (See Hag. 2:18; 2:3-4)
ii. What does the bringing out of the “capstone” signify? (vv. 7b, 9)
iii. What or who does this capstone symbolize? (see Ps. 118:22; 1 Pet. 2:8)
iv. Why should we not despise the day of the fulfillment of this vision? (v. 10)
(3) The Interpretation—Part II (vv. 11-14)
a. What is the question asked twice by the prophet? (vv. 11-12)
b. What is the angel’s reply?
c. Since Joshua and Zerubbabel are symbols of the future, consider the following:
i. What might the pouring out of “golden oil” symbolize?
ii. If “oil” symbolizes the Holy Spirit, who might be the one who is anointed by the Holy Spirit and can impart the Holy Spirit? (See Matt. 3:11; Lk. 4:18; Jn. 15:26; 20:22. See Note below.)
(4) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Some opine that the two olive branches may symbolize the two witnesses in Revelation 11. However, it could refer to the two-fold ministry of Christ as the priest and the king. I think the best conclusion is that we do not really know.
“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zech. 4:6)
Irrespective of what the ultimate interpretation of the golden lampstand and the two olive trees might be, the immediate message to Zerubbabel is very important to him and to us also.
The rebuilding work of the temple has been halted not only by opposition of their hostile neighbors, but the stoppage has been backed by the king’s decree. And after almost two decades, the zeal of the returned exiles has waned; everyone has conceded it is probably not the right time (Hag. 1:2).
Although they have the wonderful teaching and encouragement of the two prophets, they had a huge mountain to overcome (Zech. 4:7):
- The rejuvenating of the zeal of the people
- The fanning off of the opposition
- The non-intervention of the king
- The gathering of money needed to procure not only wood, but silver and gold
In other words
- They do not have the might: They do not have external resources nor do they have internal will power and unity.
- They do not have the power: The opposition has power backed by the royal decree.
Zerubbabel is the governor and every eye looks upon him for leadership. This is why this vision is directed at him affirming him that
- The temple is the golden lampstand that shines forth the glory of the presence of the Lord.
- The light source of this golden lampstand does not depend on men anymore; God will be the one who makes it happen through His Spirit.
- Thus the completion of the temple is guaranteed: Zerubbabel who has laid the foundation will be able to cap the finished temple with the capstone.
As we read the book of Ezra, we have come to know that this vision greatly encouraged Zerubbabel and his people:
“So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.” (Ezr. 6:14-15)
Need I say what the lesson is for us today, irrespective of what our “mountain” might be?
5:1-4—The 6th Vision—The Flying Scroll—Now the angel shows Zechariah a “flying scroll”.
(1) The scroll:
a. What is a scroll usually used for?
b. What does the size of the scroll signify? (v. 2; 30’x15’)
c. What is the purpose of flying over the whole land? (v. 3)
(2) One sin is written on each side (perhaps, symbolic of the two tablets of the Ten Commandments).
a. Which two sins are being singled out? (vv. 3b-4)
b. How do they correspond to the Ten Commandments? (Exod. 20:1-17; 34; 26)
c. Based on the citing of these two commandments (especially the second one) who might be the object of this curse—the Jews or the Gentiles?
(3) What is the message to the immediate audience of Zechariah?
5:5-11—The 7th Vision—The Woman in the Basket
(4) Zechariah sees a “basket”. In Hebrew, the word is “ephah” which is the “dry standard to measure grains”. How appropriate is its use to signify “the iniquity of the people throughout the land”?
(5) Since a woman is the symbol of life-giving, what might the use of a woman to denote wickedness signify?
(6) Since the basket is to be flown to Babylon, what might “the land” in v. 6 denote?
(7) What does the pushing of the woman back into the basket and the putting of its heavy lid on symbolize?
(8) What do the following symbolize? (v.11)
a. The flying of the basket to the land of Babylon
b. The building of a house for it
c. The setting of the basket in its place in the house, when it is ready
(9) This refers to end-time
events. Although we cannot be sure that this vision is tied to that in
Revelation 17:1-13, how might their similarities give us some understanding
concerning the following things?
a. The kind of wickedness being referred to
b. The reference to Babylon
c. The basket being set in place when a house is ready for it (see Note below)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“In this vision of the measuring basket there is a blending of elements from Zechariah’s time with those of the far distant future. The basket is employed to indicate how the measure of Israel’s sins had accumulated in that day…For such iniquity there must be first of all, the restraint of God in order that the righteous may be permitted to live in the land; this is symbolized by the basket’s lead cover. Second, evil must be completely eradicated from the land and carried back to the seat of idolatry and defiance of God, namely, Babylon; this is indicated by the flight of the basket to Babylon, its base. Compare Rev. 18.”
(Scofield Study Bible, 947)
“To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set in its place.” (Zech. 5:11)
The vision of the woman in the basket offers hope to the immediate audience of Zechariah in that even though there has been wickedness in their land, the Lord is willing to put a lid on it and would carry it away from them, giving them encouragement to repent and to press on with the rebuilding work of the temple. This is typical of the type of motivation in the book of Zechariah which Chuck Swindoll calls, “intrinsic” motivation:
“There are two distinct styles of motivation. One is the aggressive, highly, charged emotional style that appeals to the will. It relies on fear and, if necessary, public demand to motivate us to get a job done. This is what we might call ‘extrinsic’ motivation: It offers tangible rewards. It provides us with visible stimuli to get a big job done.
"There is a second type of motivation, which is called ‘intrinsic’: It is quiet. It digs deep. It is at least outwardly less emotional but much more inspiring. It does not dangle the carrot and offer us a lot of external reward. It doesn’t use guilt or fear to motivate us, but it appeals to our sense of purpose and/or inner feelings of deep-seated passion and concern…
"You can motivate extrinsically only so long, and then there must be inspiration. That’s when Zechariah stepped in. One writer put it this way: ‘He does not rebuke or condemn or berate the people. With striking colors and vivid imagination he paints glowing pictures of the presence of God to strengthen and to help the people. Words of inspiration flow from his lips. His hope for a new kingdom rests upon the faith he has in his own people.’ Do you sense the difference in styles between Haggai and Zechariah. I repeat, both of them helped get the job done, but there was something about Zechariah that was especially helpful in applying balm for the healing of the wounds that had remained opened since the captivity.
"Haggai’s message was the one side of the coin, as he said, in effect, ‘Shame on you for living in your houses!’ Zechariah turned the coin over, saying, in effect, ‘Look at the way God will be lifted up when we finish this task! Look at the place where God will be glorified. Think of the benefit to Zion! Why, Israel will never be forgotten. The Messiah will inhabit this nation!’ What a wonderful warmth in his leadership style.”
(The Living Insight Study Bible, 981-2)