Subject: Zechariah #1 Title: Zechariah: Prophet of Hope Text: Miscellaneous, Reading Zechariah 14;4-9 Zechariah 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. Bulletin Blurb - June 7, 2015 There is only one David in all of Scripture. David is mentioned more times (over 1,000) than any other person by name (other than God) in the Old and New Testaments. On the other hand, there are 29 Zechariahs in the Bible! In other words, it s easy to get the Zechariahs confused. The most well-known of all 29 is the author of the prophetical book bearing his name, Zechariah. The book is sandwiched between two other post-exilic Minor Prophets, Haggai and Malachi. The tone of Zechariah is one of encouragement and hope. Charles Swindoll says, Zechariah... overflows with hope in the future reign of the Lord over His people. It is easy to get caught up in the oftentimes depressing events of day-to-day life. To lose our perspective and live as people without hope... Zechariah serves as a correction for that tendency. Zechariah (Jehovah remembers) emphasizes the fact that God remembers His promises to His people. Of course,zechariah is speaking to the children of Israel as they returned from the Babylonian captivity, but this truth is no less true for His people, the children of God, bearing the name of Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Zechariah speaks of both the first and second comings of Messiah. Jesus will come as Savior, Judge and ultimately as the Righteous King ruling His people from Jerusalem. It is very human to focus on the negative circumstances, inconveniences and threats of this life. It is a challenge for all of us to maintain a positive perspective when we are squeezed and stressed. Zechariah proclaimed hope. Wherever the gospel goes it makes things better. 1
We live in a world that gives us many challenges and things about which we might worry. * political corruption * Putin * civil unrest * China * racism * climate change * ISIS * national debt * war on terror * economy/jobs * radical Islam * family/marriage * social issues * moral deterioration * the future of our children * Mideast: Israel, Iran The Bible is a book of encouragement and hope. Zechariah is a book of encouragement and hope. There are four important components of life that everyone needs to be successful: * know what you believe and why * a sense of belonging * a cause or reason to be part of something greater than self * hope - a belief that the future will get better or I can make things better The first three are moot if the fourth does not exist. Introduction * Zechariah means God remembers. * Zechariah is one of three post exilic minor prophets (Haggai & Malachi). * Zechariah written 520 B.C. (chapters 1-8) and 480 B.C. (chapters 9-14). * Zechariah is similar to Daniel and Revelation when it comes to Bible prophecy. *There are 29 Zechariahs in Scripture. * Main theme: Jerusalem, Restoration of Israel, Messiah * The first six chapters record eight visions, some interpreted, some not. * More Messianic prophecies per verse than any other book, with the possible exception of Isaiah. * The task of rebuilding the Temple is stalled; the people are reminded of its present and, most notably, future importance. * Christ appears in Zechariah: - the angel of the Lord (3:1, 2) - the BRANCH (3:8; 6:12, 13) - stone (3:9) 2
- king-priest (6:13) - humble king (9:9, 10) - cornerstone (10:4) - good shepherd (11:4-13) - pierced one (12:10) - cleansing fountain (13:1) - smitten shepherd (13:7) - judge and righteous king (14) General Outline of the Book I. Messiah s Coming is Anticipated (1-8) II. Messiah s Arrival and Rejection (9-11) III. Messiah s Return and Reception (12-14) The Book of Zechariah naturally divides into two main parts, chapters 1-8 and chapters 9-14. It is believed that the second half of the book (9-14) was written some 40 years after the first part. This has led many to believe that there are two authors to the book. Both halves end very positively, and it would be difficult to deny the fact that the book was written to encourage the Jewish people. The first half of the book contains several thoughts or messages. We will focus here for our message today. Message #1 - God Overrules in the Affairs of the Nations (1:7-2:13). In other words, God is sovereign, His will and His way will ultimately be done. * The Christian world view speaks of purpose and intent. Life is not random. Everything is not chance or luck. * Fulfilled prophecy is proof that God s intentions will be completed. * Free will and choice exist within the sovereignty of God but is never powerful enough to overrule it. Sovereignty - God s will, will be done. Message #2: God s Love Is Unconditional (3:1-10) * The setting: Joshua, Satan, the angel of the Lord. * Joshua s clothes are filthy and the angel said take away the filthy clothes and bring new and clean garments. This pictures the sin and iniquity of Israel being removed by the Lord. Joshua is given a change of raiment (3:4). The BRANCH, stone, and seven eyes are introduced, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day (3:9). 3
* That day will come! * God s ultimate will and promise for the nation of Israel was not conditioned on their performance. * God chose Israel by grace to demonstrate His grace. * Note that the Lord Himself corrects the problem of Joshua s filthy garments. He removes the iniquity! Love - God loves His elect, Israel. Message #3 - God s Ways Are Higher and Nobler than Our Ways (4:1-14). * Isaiah 55:8-9, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. * Zechariah 4:6, Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. * Life is a search for God and the ways of God. It is my opinion that we will not understand everything about God. It is evident that He has told us much about Himself and He has made available His wisdom to successfully traverse this life. * Wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7). Wisdom Message #4 - God Demands that His People Be Spiritually Clean (5:1-11) * The flying roll (5:1) is the Law, the Word of God. It is called a curse in the sense that every violation will be sought out and discovered and judged (5:4). * The wickedness is personified (5:7, 8). The wickedness is removed to Shinar (Babylon). * In this message we can see the need to be morally clean before God. * The text reminds us of the importance of the Law. We see the Holiness of God. * (Salvation analogy) Holiness 4
Message #5 - God Will Repay Those Who Abuse Israel (6:1-8) * Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:9). God will deal justly and equitably with all one day. * All accounts are not settled here in this life. Judgment Message # 6 - Messiah Will Be Israel s Priest and King (6:9-15) * BRANCH - he shall bear the glory - he shall sit and rule upon his throne. * Messiah will come. This speaks of what we call a Millennial Kingdom. * Christianity is about the Person of Christ. Jesus saves. Jesus is the way... Christ Message #7 - God Seeks Obedience and Despises Ritualism (7, 8) * The question about fasting provokes Zechariah s response: Ritual or Reality? Passion or Pretense? * We spoke about chapter 7 a couple of weeks ago. The issue is simply what is true worship? What is the real deal? Worship or religion? Worship Message #8: God Will Remember His Promises (8:3, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 22, 23) * The theme of the Book - Zechariah - God Remembers. * Promises of Hope - Live in Hope. * Everyone needs to know what he/she believes and why...belong?...cause?...hope for the future. Hope motivates us to get up tomorrow! Hope Zechariah Outline (Adapted from Knowing God Through Zechariah - Radio Bible Class) I. Messiah s Coming Is Anticipated (1-8) A. Message One - God Overrules in the Affairs of the Nations (1:7-2:13) 5
1. Vision #1 - The Man among the Myrtle Trees (1:7-17) 2. Vision #2 - The Four Horns and the Four Craftsmen (1:18-21) 3. Vision #3 - The Surveyor (2:1-13) B. Message Two - God s Love Is Unconditional (3:1-10) 1. Vision #4 - The Priest s Dirty Garments Are Replaced (3:1-10) C. Message Three - God s Ways Are Higher and Nobler Than Our Ways (4:1-14) 1. - Vision #5 - The Golden Candlestick and the Two Olive Trees (4:1-14) D. Message Four - God Demands that His People Be Spiritually Clean (5:1-11) 1. Vision #6 - The Flying Roll (5:1-4) 2. Vision #7 - The Woman in a Basket (5:5-11) E. Message Five - God Will Repay Those Who Abuse Israel (6:1-8) 1. Vision #8 - The Four Chariots (6:1-8) F. Message Six - Messiah Will Be Israel s Priest and King (6:9-15) The Command to Put a Crown on Joshua (6:9-15) G. Message Seven - God Seeks Obedience and Despises Ritualism (7, 8) 1. The Question About Fasting (7:1-3) 2. God s Reply (7:4-8:23) a. a rebuke (7:4-7) b. a command (7:8-14) c. a promise of restoration (8:1-17) d. assurance of worldwide renown (8:18-23) II. Messiah s Arrival and Rejection (9-11) A. The Lord Will Judge Israel s Oppressive Neighbors (9:1-8) B. Messiah: The Coming Deliverer (9:9) C. The Absence of Messiah (9:10-11:3) D. The Rejection of Messiah (11:4-17) 6
III. Messiah s Return and Reception Described (12-14) A. Israel s Endtime Physical Deliverance (12:1-9) B. Israel s Endtime Repentance and Spiritual Revival (12:10-13:6) C. Israel s Suffering and Salvation - Consequence of Striking the Shepherd (13:7-9) D. Israel s Final Rescue and Full Restoration (14:1-21) 7