Zechariah 8

[1] Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,

·         God is so compassionate that after almost every prophecy of judgment there followed a prophecy of mercy and healing.

[2] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

·         One of the first thing God says is that He is a jealous God

·         It means that He is protective of the things that matter to Him

[3] Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

·         This is a personal promise that God would Himself dwell in the city

·         Holy Mountain is a phrase used by Isaiah and Ezekiel mainly, and it’s typically with respect to the messiah coming, see Ezek. 20

[4] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.

·         Currently there were likely very few people that made it to old age. Old age is a sign of comparative riches and ease.

·         In other words, no more judgment would come

[5] And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
[6] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.

·         This is seen as an incredible statement to the people, but to God it’s a very ordinary thing

·         Reminiscent of the famine in Samaria where God promised abundant food

·         Children playing in the streets speaks also to the lack of danger, and blessings that God would give

[7] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
[8] And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

·         This is reminiscent of Exodus 6:7, and a reinstatement of Jeremiah 30:22, 32:38. Hebrews 8:10 takes this as directly applicable to the new covenant (which we are in)

·         The idea of East and West is that the kingdom shatters geographic barriers, being a spiritual kingdom. God is bringing everyone into His house from all over the world.

[9] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

·         A command to build up the temple and worship as they should. Be strong, you are doing what God wants you to do.

[10] For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

·         Peace is from the Lord. If He does not grant it then we will never cooperate with our neighbor

·         Isaiah 19:2 (I write this because I just read it) points to the same thing, without God there is only violence

·         See Hag 1:6-11, God had set His face against them, but this was not going to be so forever

[11] But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts.
[12] For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

·         God will deal with the remnant differently than before

·         He will soon give them the blessings that come from obedience to the Mosaiac law. This on the one hand points back to His promises, and points toward it’s fulfillment

[13] And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

·         God promised to Abraham that he would bless the nations. Now God is going to secure this promise for them

·         The Jews were a smoke to the eyes of the nations, and a cursing, but now the people of God would be pure and separate.

[14] For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:
[15] So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.

·         In the same way and with the same determination that He punished them He would restore them. With the notion of punishment firmly in their mind this was a great comfort. His punishment was severe but the same ferocity would be turned upon them for good.

[16] These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
[17] And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.

·         I do not want your fastings, says God, I want your obedience. I want you to treat each other kindly, and be honest. Be truthful and loving. Be like Me.

·         This is a re-iteration of the message in chapter 7

[18] And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying,
[19] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

·         This may or may not have been understood properly by the people, so there is a break and another prophetic word comes to Zechariah.

·         They still do not get it after the third message so God will send a fourth message. Their days of fasting will become feasts

[20] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
[21] And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.

·         There were very few people in the city at this point, so what God is promising is His ever present protection and care to grow them.

·         There were people from every nation and tribe and tongue in Jerusalem for the Passover seeking God. But God was really seeking them.

[22] Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
[23] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

·         They are taking hold of Christ. They are seizing His robes and pleading with Him for salvation. And just so, the Gentiles took hold of Paul and the Apostles and begged to be shown God.

·         This is the swarming of the Gentiles into the church that took place in the book of Acts.

Zechariah 7

[1] And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;

·         Two years before the temple was finished, and two years after the previous vision. This would be December 518BC.

[2] When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,

·         Likely they came to where the temple was being built, the city of Jerusalem.

·         The people from the surrounding regions send their ambassador to ask the question for them

[3] And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

·         God only required fasting once, Lev 23:27, on the day their sins were atoned for.

·         They had set up a fast in the fifth month for the lost temple, (among others) and now want to know if that is something that should be done further, in light of a new temple being built

·         The Pharisees asked this question in a presumptive manner “Why don’t your disciples fast”

·         The question appears today in the form of should we reflect over our previous sins?

[4] Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,

·         God graciously and quickly (it seems) answers this request.

·         They take it for granted that He would even answer their request at all.

·         Jesus often arrested a certain line of questioning with a completely different and strange answer. “Will the number of the elect be few” “You worry about yourself.”

[5] Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

·         In fact the Israelites in Babylon were doing it for themselves. They are like children who sulk because they get caught, not because they did something wrong.

·         Scribes and Pharisees look haggard when they are fasting, but they are seeking a reward from men. They have received their reward in full.

[6] And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

·         This is a strong rebuke, however they did eat and drink for themselves. Sacrificing was a mere formality for them. In Malachi they are warned to stop bringing unsuitable animals to sacrifice

·         There is no concern to worship God

[7] Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

·         The prophets warned of a coming destruction and their fathers didn’t listen. If God has placed them back in Jerusalem then they should rejoice. They are still not listening nor watching Him.

[8] And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,

·         Now there is time for them to think about the vision God has given them, and they digest it.

·         Your whole premise is wrong, you are fasting because that’s something you thought you should do, but better than inventing things for yourselves should you not do what I told you?

·         Paul says in Romans they are inventors of evil. This is such an evil and that was such an invention. It seems harmless because we don’t understand it properly.

[9] Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

·         Go and learn the meaning of this: I desire mercy, not sacrifice

·         The modern Catholic Church is rampant with this sad legalism. I find it easier to confess and be sorrowful every once in awhile than to live out a holy life.

·         This is the second command: love your neighbor as yourself.

·         It’s telling that even this commandment is ignored by man. Man is so set against God that all of His good commandments, which are good for us, are rebelled against.

[10] And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

·         This is going to be picked up later for the Sermon on the Mount. Do not hate in your heart.

·         Again, they were sorry for the punishment that their behavior brought, but they were not sorry for the behavior. Crushing the poor and weak should have brought them grief, but here they are after the exile still doing it.

[11] But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

·         Their rebellion was simple: they did not want to hear the words of God.

·         This is in the New Testament as well, they stopped their ears and rushed at Stephen that they should not hear the gospel.

·         This is a similar thought to Matthew 13:13, John 12:40. They do not want to hear, they will resist hearing

[12] Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

·         This is why Ezekiel 36:26 is necessary, we have hearts of stone.

·         God sent His spirit to the prophets of old, and He even told them the people would not listen. See Is 6

[13] Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:

·         As each man has sown so will each man reap.

·         Those who confess me before men, I will confess before God.

·         This does not mean that they cried out to God, because when they do that He relents. They would cry out but not to Him. They would express their misery but not to repent of it.

[14] But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

·         This was a necessity because God had promised through Moses that He would boot them from the good land for bad behavior.

Zechariah 6

[1] And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.

·         The 8^th and final vision

·         The four horsemen from chapter 1 now re-appear to book-end the vision. The idea is that

·         The mountains of brass represent strength and power. Some commentators think that since this is Jerusalem the two mountains are Olives and Temple mount.

[2] In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
[3] And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.

·         We should resist the urge to import a later meaning from Rev 6 to this and assert the red is war, black is pestilence, white is victory, and bay is death.

·         I’m not sure what that leaves us with however, I don’t want to over sell the significance of the colors.

[4] Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
[5] And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

·         There are four spirits because four is the number of the earth (four compass directions)

[6] The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.

·         There were really only the north and south to go from Jerusalem to encounter a world power. East and West didn’t make sense, therefore God sends His eyes, or angels, into the world powers to punish them, or stir them up

[7] And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
[8] Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.

·         Because of their work to the north the Persian culture has become quiet.

·         The meaning is likely that God is going to stir up judgment against the Persians and deliver the Jews from the northern empire

·         This might be the wrath that went out from God and brought quiet to the world. The space between the mountains would be the garden of Gethsemane.

[9] And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[10] Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;

·         The prophet was to take the gift of some of the recent returnees, allowing their participation

[11] Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;

·         Here the crown’s plural means multiple crowns done together into a single, elaborate crown. This is the same thought in Rev 19:12 where Jesus is crowned with many crowns.

·         It was unthinkable to crown the high priest as a king, this was to point toward Jesus, who would be the priest/king

[12] And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

·         The same reference is given here to BRANCH as in 3:8.

·         The priest king would build the temple. This was fulfilled in Christ who built His body, the temple

[13] Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

·         Jesus would be the one who has the Glory, the throne, the priesthood. He will bring all the offices across all time together in Himself.

·         And He will be called, Prince of Peace. The justified have their peace in Him.

[14] And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.

·         The crown was to be shown to Joshua, it was not to be given to him. Christ was the one who would wear the many circlets together as a crown

·         This was the crown of thorns, twisted together, that the soldiers placed upon Him

[15] And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

·         Another reference to Christ’s work coming to the Gentiles