Day 277: Zechariah 1-4

(The Book of Zechariah was the eleventh of the twelve books that made up the minor prophet section of the Old Testament. Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. He also was a prophet about sixteen years after the time of Cyrus' decree from Ezra 1:1-4. The Book of Zechariah encouraged the Israelites concerning both the immediate and future restoration of Israel.)

Zechariah 1
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,

(The Word of God to Zechariah in the eighth month (during Haggai's prophesies). Zechariah along with Haggai, directed the rebuilding of the temple in the days of Zerubbabel.)

2 Jehovah was sore displeased with your fathers.

(God was displeased with Israel's fathers.)

3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts.

(God directed Zechariah to tell them that if they turned to God, God would turn to them.)

4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith Jehovah.
5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? and they turned and said, Like as Jehovah of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

(Verse 7 began the description of the first of ten visions that Zechariah received. Zechariah's first vision (verses 7-17): Spirit Horses.)

7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,

(The Word of God to Zechariah in the eleventh month.)

8 I saw in the night, and, behold, a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the bottom; and behind him there were horses, red, sorrel, and white.

(The "man on a red horse" was an angel of Jehovah. Myrtle-trees represented the Jewish Church.)

9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these are.

(This angel was different from the man on a red horse.)

10 And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

(The man on the red horse spoke.)

11 And they answered the angel of Jehovah that stood among the myrtle-trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
12 Then the angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

(The angel of Jehovah asked God how long His mercy would be removed from Jerusalem.)

13 And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me with good words, even comfortable words.

(God answered the angel with good and comforting words.)

14 So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith Jehovah of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.

(Mercy was back with Jerusalem and the temple would be built in Jerusalem.)

17 Cry yet again, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity; and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

(Zechariah's second vision (verses 18-19): Four Horns.)

18 And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.
19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

(The four horns were the four world powers mentioned in Daniel 7:
1) Babylon
2) Medo-Persia
3) Greece
4) Rome.)

(Zechariah's third vision (verses 20-21): Four Smiths (carpenters).)

20 And Jehovah showed me four smiths.

(Smiths in this verse were the four world powers who took part in destroying the land of Judah.)

21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head; but these are come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.




Zechariah 2

(Zechariah's fourth vision (verses 1-13): Man with the Measuring Line.)

1 And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.
2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

(A man (angel) with a measuring line was measuring Jerusalem in preparation of rebuilding it.)

3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,

(The angel talking with Zechariah went to meet another angel.)

4 and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, by reason of the multitude of men and cattle therein.

(Jerusalem would have no walls to contain the inhabitants. This represented the church being open to Jews and Gentiles.)

5 For I, saith Jehovah, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.

(God would act as the wall and would be the glory "in the midst" of the church.)

6 Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north, saith Jehovah; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah.
7 Ho Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
8 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After glory hath he sent me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
9 For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to those that served them; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me.

(Israel will be regathered in the Millennium.)

10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

(Christ will reign in Zion (Jerusalem) during the Millennium.)

11 And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts has sent me unto thee.

(Gentiles would also become God's people.)

12 And Jehovah shall inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
13 Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah; for he is waked up out of his holy habitation.




Zechariah 3

(Zechariah's fifth vision (verses 1-7): Joshua the High Priest and Satan.)

1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.

(Joshua, the high priest, represented the Church/Israel. Satan accused Joshua. The angel of Jehovah represented Christ who was the church's advocate/defender.)

2 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, Jehovah that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

(Satan was rebuked.)

3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel.

(Filthy garments represented sin.)

4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take the filthy garments from off him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich apparel.
5 And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of Jehovah was standing by.
6 And the angel of Jehovah protested unto Joshua, saying,
7 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou also shalt judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee a place of access among these that stand by.

(Zechariah's sixth vision (verses 8-10): God's Servant, the Branch.)

8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee; for they are men that are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.

(The Branch was Christ.)

9 For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; upon one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall ye invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig-tree.




Zechariah 4

(Zechariah's seventh vision (verses 1-14): The Golden Candlestick and the Two Olive Trees.)

1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.

(The angel awoke Zechariah.)

2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have seen, and, behold, a candlestick all of gold, with its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are upon the top thereof;

(The candlestick represented the Church which Christ as the Head: bowl upon the top.)

3 and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

(The olive trees supplied the oil. They represented the Holy Spirit supplying the anointing oil (grace) to the Church.)

4 And I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings of Grace, grace, unto it.

(Zerubbabel was anointed with the Spirit and with power.)

8 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; these are the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

(Zerubbabel was to finish the restoration of the temple.)

11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

(Zechariah asked about the two olive trees.)

12 And I answered the second time, and said unto him, What are these two olive-branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that empty the golden oil out of themselves?
13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

(The angel told Zechariah that the olive trees "are the two anointed ones," literally meaning Zerubbabel and Joshua. The last three of Zechariah's ten visions will be covered in chapters 5 and 6. There was also a reference in Revelation 11:4 that stated the Two Witnesses (Elijah and Enoch) are two olive trees and two candlesticks during the Tribulation.)

(This post covered Zechariah's first seven visions.)

Day 278

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