Chapter 14 - Read text in Bible.

Chapter 14 - Read text in Bible. The concluding chapter describes the warring against the Messiah s reign that would follow. It began with the Jews (14) and continued with the Romans. But, God would be fighting on their side. In that day the living waters will go out from Jerusalem to all the world (8). The Christ will be a worldwide king (9). The universal kingdom of the Christ is described in the last few verses. The feasts of booths or tabernacles was one of thanksgivings and rejoicing. The picture seems to be that following the Jewish and Romans efforts to destroy the early church, remnant will prevail, turning to God in gladness, both Jews and Gentiles as one. But, those who refused (17-19) would dwell in a perpetual spiritual desert. And as the book closes, we see a beautiful, glorious, joyful picture. There are bells on horses holy to the Lord. The everyday pots in use in houses is as a bowl used at the altar. Everything shall be holy to the Lord. And everyone can then be a priest offering his sacrifice. And the very last line And there shall be no longer be a trader (Canaanite) in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day. What does this mean? This may be seen to be describing the ultimate end of the kingdom, having all enemies put under the Lord s feet and in heaven at last none but the holy ones of God. Page 16 Page 1

8 In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. 9 And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, They are my people; and they will say, The LORD is my God. Jehovah of hosts is mentioned 52 times in this short book. This description for God suggests that the Lord has limitless resources to employ for the good of his people. Jehovah figuratively addresses the sword (a symbol for an instrument of death), as though it has been slumbering while awaiting the eventual and inevitable death of the shepherd. The object of the sword (instrument of judgment) is my shepherd. Christ took the fatal blow that was due all who have earned the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). Note that even though the Shepherd is to be killed, he still is acknowledged as my Shepherd. Further, he is identified as a man, who became flesh and dwelt among men. The term shepherd brings to mind the affirmation of Christ: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10). There is another prophetic declaration in connection with the slaying of the Shepherd: the sheep shall be scattered (7b). On the night before his death the Lord referenced this prophecy: Then Jesus said unto them, All of you shall be offended in me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad (Matthew 26:31). But those who repent will be accepted, though they will be in the minority. Page 2 Page 15

name of the LORD. And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies. 4 On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, 5 but he will say, I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth. 6 And if one asks him, What are these wounds on your back? he will say, The wounds I received in the house of my friends. The prophet declares that in that day, i.e., at the commencement of the Messianic era, there shall be a fountain opened. The tense denotes progressive duration, i.e., it is opened and remains open. The expression fountain suggests a fresh, steady supply. It is a source adequate for all needs. The efficacy of Jesus death was so powerful that, potentially, it could have atoned for the sins of every human being in the entire history of the world both past, present, and future! The fountain symbolizes the blood of him who has been pierced (12:10). The fountain of blood was opened for sin and uncleanness. The residue of sin can be removed. In that day the idols will be no more. And it is so. In physical Israel, and in spiritual Israel. In that day prophecies will cease. Prophecies will all be fulfilled, so that any continuation of it will be false and not tolerated. And the unclean spirits will be removed. We read of them being cast out in the New Testament. 13:7-9 - Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, declares the LORD of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. Introduction Date: 500 B.C. approx. After the return from 70 years of Babylonian captivity. Author: Zechariah God remembers was of priestly descent, who along with prophet Haggai, worked to stir the people to complete the rebuilding of the temple. One of his motivations is promising them they are setting things up for the coming Messiah (Christ) in the future. Zechariah was murdered between the altar and temple (Matthew 23:35), although who Jesus names could be a reference to another Zechariah mentioned in II Chronicles 24:20-22. Overview: The book of Zechariah is a very positive message of the future, in order to stir the people of his day to repentance and zeal for restoration. The Lord is going to make things happen, so get on the ball! And he was successful (Ezra 6:14). In this period of Jewish history it was Zechariah s chore to declare that even though Israel no longer had a king (only a foreign-appointed provincial governor), the Messianic torch had not gone out. The glorious day of the coming Ruler was on the prophetic horizon. Isaiah is oft called: The Messianic Prophet, but Zechariah rivals him for most references to the coming Christ the most of the so-called Minor Prophets. The book is divided into three major parts. 1) Eight night visions chapters 1-6; 2) Questions about fasting chapters 7-8; 3) World powers and the kingdom of God chapters 9-14. The part with the most Messiah references is the last, but, there are a few in the earlier chapters and so we shall take a look at those, too. Page 14 Page 3

1:17 - Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem. Though somewhat vague, still the language seems to be pointed towards a time well into the future. Zion is the hill of Jerusalem and so once again it shall prosper, shall be comforted, shall be chosen of God. This is a good place to start. Jerusalem will shine again. 1:18-21 - And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! 19 And I said to the angel who talked with me, What are these? And he said to me, These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. 20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, What are these coming to do? He said, These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it. This is another vague reference to the demise of the nations of the world that had opposed Jerusalem, Judah and Israel. But, this seems once again to be pointing into the future, when craftsmen will be raised up to do this. Page 4 12 The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves. In these verses, the prophet speaks of a coming day when there would be great mourning in Jerusalem. This is not a mourning over Jerusalem s fall, but a mourning on the part of many Jews because of the realization that they have crucified their Messiah. But, they were not to despair in hopelessness. The Lord would pour out a spirit of grace and supplication, an allusion to the salvation in Christ. Many of the Hebrews would reflect deeply upon him whom they pierced and as a result they would mourn. The apostle John suggests that the effect of seeing Jesus crucified was at least a partial fulfillment of Zechariah s prophecy (John 19:36-37). 13:1-6 - On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. 2 And on that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. 3 And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, You shall not live, for you speak lies in the Page 13

dus 21:32). Christ went to the cross as the servant of God (doulos a slave; Philippians 2:7). Zechariah s prophecy indicated that the money would be returned to the Jewish leaders, the custodians of the house of God. Matthew s record reveals that Judas, in a swoon of regret, brought back the coinage to the chief priests and elders. But they would have none of it. The ancient prophet indicated that in some way the silver coins were to be cast (thrown) into the house of Jehovah. Zechariah perfectly depicts the act of the betrayer. Judas cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary (Matthew 27:5). Finally, Zechariah suggests that the ultimate destination of the goodly price would be to the potter. Matthew explains this enigmatic expression. The chief priests took the money and purchased a potter s field, which would serve as a burial place for strangers. At the time Matthew penned his Gospel record (some twenty to thirty years after Christ s death), the place was still known as the field of blood (27:8; cf. Acts 1:18-19). 12:10-14 - And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. Page 12 Chapter 2 - Read text in bible. A new Jerusalem beyond the current one being rebuilt would be an ever expanding one without walls. God will be the glory in her midst. This sounds like the description of the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:23. Many nations (Gentiles) will be included in this coming age and God will dwell in your midst (vs. 11). Immanuel means God with us. You Comments: 3:8-10 - Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. 9 For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10 In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree. Earlier in the chapter Joshua the high priest is encouraged to lead the way and is blessed by God in doing so. And in this will lead as a wondrous sign to the coming Messiah. The prophet Isaiah had spoken of a branch that would come out of the stock of Jesse, father of David (Isaiah 11:1-5), and Jeremiah echoed the happy refrain, telling of the righteous Branch who would reign as king, and who is himself divine, Jehovah our righteousness (23:5-8; cf. 33:14-18). Through Zechariah the Lord proclaims: Behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch (3:8). The Christ will be the Father s ser- Page 5

vant. Interesting. Also, there is a fulfillment tied to the priesthood. Later it will be said in Zechariah that the Christ will be a priest on a throne as king. And there is a single day alluded to as well. In one day iniquity will be removed. In that day, when people are reconciled to God, they will invite others to join them in this peace, possibly alluding to the spread of the gospel. Matthew tells us that Jesus is a fulfillment of the Branch prophecies in Matthew 2:23. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: He will be called a Nazarene Now get this the Hebrew word for branch is nazer. Jesus came from a town known as branch. What an amazing fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus was the branch of Jesse and of David, as he was directly descended from both, but he was also the Branch, in that he was born in a city known as Branch. In the first century, a common name for the followers of Jesus was the Nazarenes the followers of the Branch. Chapter 4:11-14 - Then I said to him, What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand? 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out? 13 He said to me, Do you not know what these are? I said, No, my lord. 14 Then he said, These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth. Zerubbabel was governor and God shows Himself to be working through him to succeed in the temple being rebuilt. Sure, it might Page 6 11:12-14 - Then I said to them, If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them. And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the LORD said to me, Throw it to the potter the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter. 14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. Zechariah 11 deals with a projected slaughter of Jehovah s flock, designated as the flock of slaughter (4, 7). This is probably a prophetic preview of the Roman invasion of the Jewish people in A.D. 70. The reason for the prophesied devastation lies in Israel s rejection of Jehovah s true Shepherd, Jesus Christ. The treachery involved in the betrayal of Christ is vividly portrayed in verses 12-13. The prophecy suggests there would be a haggling of terms in connection with the betrayal of Jesus. If you think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. Matthew records Judas words as follows: What are you willing to give me, and I will deliver him unto you? (Matthew 26:15). The prophet specified the metallic composition of the coinage by which the transaction would be made. It was neither gold nor copper, but rather silver (Matthew 26:15). The precise number of coins was prophetically declared thirty pieces of silver. The amount is not incidental. Thirty pieces of silver, under the Mosaic law, was the price paid to remedy the damage done to a slave that had been gored by a neighbor s ox (Exo- Page 11

viewed as a curse but a blessing (13). People from all over will learn of this and seek Jehovah through them (20-22). And verse 23 says it this way In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they 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. This was accomplished through the spiritual Jews (Christians). 9:9-10 - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. This must seem a shocking picture that Israel s king will approach His coronation riding on a donkey, even a colt of a donkey. From the time of King Saul (1 Samuel 8:11), then David and Solomon, the kings of Israel had employed the majestic horse as a war implement, and to demonstrate their grandiose stature. Jehovah had forbidden his people to multiply horses, i.e., trust in these powerful animals as defense mechanisms instead of him (Deuteronomy 17:16), but was disobeyed. In verse 10 these chariots and horses are going to disappear. Three characteristics of the Messiah s rule are mentioned. 1) It will be humble or meek. 2) It will not be a rule of the sword and bow, but of peace. 3) It will be a universal kingdom. Page 10 have been smaller than Solomon s, but the seven eyes of the Lord approve of it, and it must not be despised. The meaning given of the angel to Zechariah of this vision of the lampstand, olive trees and Anointed ones seem to point towards a few things. One, the light which will come through Christ (John 1:4,9). Two, The lampstand may be the church. Paul says I Timothy 3:15 that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. The light is Jesus, but the stands are the church (Revelation 1-3). Three, the oil might be the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 says the love of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Christ means Anointed One. Hebrews 1:9, quotes Isaiah 61 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. And fourth, the two anointed ones mentioned are not further identified, but possibly this is a reference to the two anointed ones of the Hebrew system (priest and king) being joined as one in the Christ to come. This is dealt with more in chapter 6. 5:5-10 - Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out. 6 And I said, What is it? He said, This is the basket that is going out. And he said, This is their iniquity in all the land. 7 And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8 And he said, This is Wickedness. And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening. 9 Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. Page 7

10 Then I said to the angel who talked with me, Where are they taking the basket? This reference to Shinar is another name for Babylon and is surely pointing to the gospel age being worldwide with the removal of wickedness. It is clearly being mentioned in prophecy the inclusion of Gentiles in the age of the Messiah to come. 6:12-15 - And say to him, Thus says the LORD of hosts, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. 13 It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15 And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God. God speaks through the high priest words of the coming one named Branch, the one mentioned earlier in the book. More Messianic truths are revealed about Him 1) He shall grow up out of His place. This similar to Isaiah saying in 53:2 that the Christ would be like a root out of dry ground. The Savior would rise from very humble beginnings. 2) And He shall build the temple of Jehovah. We find in the New Testament that it is made of living stones, the Christians in His church make for a temple, or habitation of God (Eph. 2:21-22). 3) And he shall bear the glory, and Page 8 shall sit and rule upon His throne. This is a reference to Him occupying the throne of David, promised to David 500 years prior to Zechariah. Jesus Christ is king of kings. He answered Pilate in the affirmative when asked are you a king. 4) And he shall be a priest upon his throne. The Branch will combine both kingship and priesthood into one person. His kingship descends from David, but David prophesied in Psalm 110:4 that His priesthood would be after the order of Melchizedek. He occupies now that position (Hebrews 5:9-10; 7:1-3; 1:3). 5) And the counsel of peace shall be between them both. The offices of priest and king running simultaneously will provide peace for the subjects. He is called the Prince of Peace. All of these and many more show how the Jews 500 years later really missed it they should have expected this they could have expected this to be the nature of the coming Christ. Chapter 8:20-23 - Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going. 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. 23 Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. This chapter provides Jehovah an opportunity to tell them more of the future. It will include Him dwelling in Jerusalem, the city of truth (3) and saving His people scattered in different countries (8). The remnant shall be heirs of an inheritance (12) and will not be Page 9