Zechariah— Christ will Reign Supreme!
11.30.22
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one LORD, and His name one. (Zechariah 14:9)
Zechariah was a priest as well as a prophet. He was the son of Berechiah, and the grandson of Iddo the priest. His grandfather returned from exile with Zerubbabel and Joshua (Neh 12:4). It is a good thing that the office of priest and prophet should be unified at this time in history. Israel needed to hear one voice from the LORD.
The Greek form of his name is Zacharias. His name means ‘Jehovah remembers.’ The theme of his name runs throughout the book.
He was a contemporary of Haggai, and his prophecy complements that of his friend. He was evidently a young man at the time of his ministry (2:4). He prophesied in 520 B.C.
As we compare Haggai and Zechariah, we find the former to be an older man and very practical, while the latter was a young man with a vision. Haggai looked at the temple and saw it needed to be built. Zechariah looked at the nation and saw that it needed encouragement. He joined Haggai in arousing the Jews to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem, following the return from the seventy year exile. About 50,000 people had returned under the command of the Persian King Cyrus. They had started to build the Temple, but the work was difficult and there was much opposition. They let the foundations lay unfinished for fourteen years while they furnished their own homes. The prophets encouraged the people to finish what they had started.
There was good cause for discouragement—the glowing prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah had not materialized. Zechariah wanted to show that God’s promises were not forgotten, though they might be postponed. Zechariah looked down the ages and beheld the coming of the Messiah King and the dawning of a brighter day for Zion.
The book demonstrates three major truths. First, the prominence of the Temple in God’s spiritual restoration of Israel. Second, the providence of God in bringing back His people to their land. And third, the preeminence of the Messiah in the future spiritual restoration of the Nation. It teaches us that we should be concerned for eternity and not just life as we see it and know it.
The key phrase is ‘the LORD of hosts,’ found over fifty times. The book is the longest of the Minor Prophets.
The many visions Zechariah is privileged to see are interesting, compelling and complex. We won’t take time in this short survey to discuss them. However, we will soon be discussing the book in our adult Sunday School if you would care to visit [Sundays, 10:45-11:30 AM].
Zechariah rivals Isaiah in his presentation of the Lord Jesus. He is seen at least nine times in the book. He is the Angel of the LORD (3:1), the Righteous Branch (3:8), the Stone with the seven eyes (3:9), the One who came in lowliness (9:9), the Prince of Peace (9:10), the One sold for thirty pieces of silver (11:12, 13); the One who is pierced (12:10); the Great Shepherd who dies for the sheep (13:7), and the coming Judge and King (14:9).
Do you know this Lord of Wonder? The nations will one day worship Him as King (14:17), and holiness unto the Lord will prevail on the earth (14:20)!