Welcome back, readers! Two weeks ago, I decided that we would study the book of James. But the more I tried to make that happen, the more I realized Holy Spirit wanted to do something else.
At his prompting, we are going to switch gears and take a look at the Old Testament book of Zechariah.
When was the last time you read or studied the Old Testament book of Zechariah? If the answer is 'never' or 'a long time ago', then I think you will find our current study interesting.
Zechariah is considered one of the Minor prophets. What does that mean?
For our own ease, we classify the Old Testament prophets into two categories: Major prophets and Minor prophets. This designation has nothing to do with the importance or significance of their messages. The difference between the two it is nothing more than the amount or volume of written work that is present in the scriptures.
Thus, the longer books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel) are considered Major prophets, while the smaller works (the last 12 books of the Old Testament, including Zechariah) are considered Minor prophets.
Is it worthwhile to study the Minor Prophets?
Many people hesitate to study the Minor prophets. They either feel that the messages are not applicable to the current generation, or that the works are too difficult to understand. Let's briefly address those issues.
Like all prophetic words, Zechariah's messages will have multiple fulfillments. As we will see, the word he gave clearly had a significant fulfillment or meaning for the people of that day. But because of the astonishing greatness of Holy Spirit, that same message will also have multiple fulfillments in the generations after Zechariah's death.
So, is God speaking to this generation through Zechariah? The only way to know for sure is to study his message!
Will we understand every single facet of this Old Testament book? No, we definitely will not. But I would argue that the same is true for any book of the Bible. Have you ever read a particular portion of scripture "a million times" only to find that Holy Spirit suddenly reveals something new to you through that passage? Did you subsequently wonder why you never saw that truth before?
We should not be surprised when this occurs; it is the work of Holy Spirit. He searches the mind of the Father and reveals things to us so our understanding is increased.
I Corinthians 2:10-12 – For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
In other words, as we study and seek understanding from the word of God, Holy Spirit will reveal greater, deeper and more complex truths to us. He will give us timely understanding of the kingdom principles that apply to our generation. Thus, we will always benefit from studying scripture, even if we don't fully understand every single aspect of it.
When did Zechariah prophesy?
Zechariah, the author of the book bearing his name, includes a few dates within his work. The first date corresponds to October/November of 520 BC. A few months later (February of 519 BC), he gave a series of eight visions. He gives yet another word from the Lord in December of 518 BC. However, no dates are given in chapters 9-14.
All we know for sure is that his ministry lasted at least two years, but probably more. There may have been a gap of time after chapter 8 and before chapters 9-14.
Why did Zechariah prophesy?
God called Zechariah (and Haggai) to encourage the remnant of Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity. God called these Jews for a special mission – to rebuild his temple and the walls of Jerusalem.
But due to opposition (see discussion below), the work had all but stopped. In fact, no progress had been made on the temple foundation for almost sixteen years! It was time for the people to lean into God and finish their task; God sent his prophets to encourage the people and get them moving once again.
Who was Zechariah speaking to when he delivered his messages/visions?
He spoke directly to Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the high priest and the people who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
In a broader sense, we could say that Zechariah spoke to the civil/judicial authorities, the religious leaders and all the believers dedicated to doing the work of the Lord.
Historically speaking, what was happening with Israel when Zechariah gave his message?
Let's take a brief look at the history of Israel. The Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) gives us the details of how God formed the nation of Israel. The book of Joshua shows us how God fulfilled his promises to Israel by helping them conquer the Promised Land.
Once the land was subdued and Joshua died, the Israelites fell into a detestable pattern of serving idols, getting into trouble, repenting, and asking God to deliver them. In his great mercy, God raised up a series of judges who delivered the nation from foreign oppression over and over again (see the book of Judges).
Eventually, when Samuel was leading Israel (I and II Samuel), they begged God for a king. God granted that request, even though it was not his perfect will for Israel.
The era of the kings (I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles) began with King Saul. Subsequently, the kingship passed to David, then to Solomon, then to Solomon's son Rehoboam. Under his leadership (or lack of it) Israel split into two separate kingdoms – Israel and Judah (Jerusalem and the temple were located in Judah).
Both kingdoms eventually went into exile and captivity due to continued idolatry. Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC.
After a 70-year period of exile/captivity (Jeremiah 25:11-12, Daniel 9:2, II Chronicles 36:31), God miraculously caused Cyrus king of Persia to release the Jews so they could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-11).
Those who wished to return to their native land were allowed to leave. Eventually, they returned to Jerusalem in three main waves and began to rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem (Ezra, Nehemiah).
When the Jews first returned to Jerusalem, they experienced many difficulties. The area was governed by Gentiles who opposed the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. These Gentiles now had control of the region and they did not want to surrender it to God's people.
They attacked/opposed the Jews in three main ways:
- The Gentiles publicly taunted, ridiculed and mocked the Jews in an attempt to discourage them from completing their mission (Nehemiah 4:1-3).
- The Gentiles physically threatened the Jews to the point where work on the walls was carried out with one man working while his partner literally guarded him with a sword.
Nehemiah 4:16 - And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants worked in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the armor.
- The Gentiles legally blocked the work of the Jews at every opportunity. Through false accusations and lawsuits, they halted/delayed work on the temple for years.
Eventually God' people grew disheartened and stopped work altogether. The end result was that the Jews were financially poor, mentally burned out, spiritually discouraged and completely hopeless. Even the Samaritans gave them trouble! The Jews were outnumbered and overwhelmed; it didn't look like they would ever be victorious and accomplish the work God had set before them.
But, hallelujah, that was not the end of the story!
God began to move in their midst in powerful and miraculous ways:
- He raised up holy priests and teachers (like Joshua and Ezra) to lead the nation into repentance.
- He provided courageous leaders/governors and judges (like Zerubbabel) to establish the civil and judicial authority of the Jews.
- He moved upon the hearts of wealthy individuals to give money and supplies to the Jews.
- He gave the Jews legal victories in the lawsuits their enemies filed against them.
- He spoke through prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to give the Jews words of comfort, encouragement, and instruction.
With the help of God, the Jews did indeed accomplish all that God had given them to do.
What does this have to do with us?
Do you see any parallels between the situation of the Jews during the time of Zechariah and the situation of the American church today?
In Zechariah's time, God called his faithful followers to build his temple/house in Jerusalem. Today, he is calling his faithful followers to build his church/house by bringing sinners to salvation. The harvest is plentiful; we must diligently work to bring it into God's storehouse, even in the midst of opposition.
In Zechariah's time, Gentiles opposed God's people by mocking/taunting them, legally blocking/harassing them and even physically harming them. In our generation, non-believers regularly mock and taunt Christians in public and private forums. We have many instances where our own government has blocked, penalized or harassed Christians because of their beliefs. While Christians are not physically persecuted in America yet, there are those who would welcome that chance.
In Zechariah's day, God called his people to repent and live lives of holiness before him. What about today? Is there a substantial difference between the world and the church? Should we be concerned about repentance and holy living?
In Zechariah's day, victory over the forces of evil looked impossible. But nothing is impossible with God! He motivated, strengthened and blessed his people. Because the Jews leaned upon God, they were victorious. They built the house of God, despite the work of the enemy.
What does the situation in America look like today? It may seem like evil is in control, but get ready – God is going to give his church victory in this generation!
If you feel like God may be speaking to our generation through the book of Zechariah, then I invite you to continue this study with me. Let's find out what wisdom, truth and spiritual strategies he wants to impart to us, so we can build the temple/church of God by winning the lost to Christ.