Day 263 (Zechariah 1-4) - Year 8
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Who is Zechariah and why does God emphasize His anger toward past generations?
Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.
Yesterday we met Haggai, the first of two prophets who are prophesying to the returned exiles of Judah. And today we met his pal Zachariah, another minor prophet who also happens to be a priest. We haven't read through all the prophets yet, but in what we have read so far, we've gotten a good sampling of different ways God communicates to them and through them. Sometimes he calls them to preach sermons, sometimes he commands them to do sign acts, and sometimes he speaks to them via dreams and visions. Zachariah at least falls into the latter category. He's a dreams and visions guy. But first, God starts out by telling Zach how angry he was at the past generations of Israel. He wants the current generation to know just how much their ancestors' sins impacted things, and he begs them not to walk that same path.
He says those people are gone and even the prophets he sent to warn them are gone, but he's still here with the same truths and the same message because the truth doesn't die. He says their ancestors eventually repented while in exile and acknowledged that their sins deserved punishment. Then we launch into Zack's first vision. There will be nine total visions in this book, and he probably had the first eight visions back to back, maybe even on the same night. And his visions are among the strangest in scripture, so buckle up.
What does Zechariah’s first vision of the horses reveal about God’s judgment?
Vision one is a bunch of horses. They're sent out to patrol the earth and they come back reporting that everything is at rest. That sounds great, except the problem is the nation should not be at rest. They've mistreated God's people and he's not gonna let it slide. God says he has returned to Jerusalem with mercy, but that mercy is for his people, not for those who oppose him. He says he will comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem, not his enemies. For those who oppose him, his anger has increased. Verse 15 says, While I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. One thing worth noting in the midst of all this is that man in the trees, verses eleven and twelve referred to him as the angel of the Lord, so it's quite possible that this is a Christophany, and that this man who is acting as a mediator between God the Father and his patrolling horses is God the Son before he was born on earth as Jesus.
Vision number two is of horns and craftsmen, which refers to a broader range of skilled workers like stonemasons and blacksmiths. The four horns represent, guess what? Nations and empires. More specifically, the nations and empires that have scattered God's people. And this could be specific, as in Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome, or it could just generally apply to any and all nations that harm his people.
How do the four horns and blacksmiths in Vision 2 symbolize hostile nations?
The blacksmiths come to smash them as punishment. In Vision 3, a man is measuring Jerusalem. Just a regular man with a regular tape measure, not a man with eight heads covered in eyes, or something like that. Savor it. Then two angels show up and tell Zack to let the man know that God is going to fill Jerusalem and that he himself will be their protection all around them. He tells the exiles to return home to Jerusalem because he'll personally deal with anyone who messes with them. They are the apple of his eye. And in 211, he reiterates what we've heard him saying all along. It says, Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. We reminded again that God will bring people from other nations to join with Israel as his people.
The high priest Jeshua slash Joshua is a key figure in Vision 4. He's standing in front of the angel of the Lord, who is probably God the Son, and Satan is right there too, making accusations against Jeshua. The word Satan means accuser. So it logically follows that the accuser is there accusing.
Why does God send a measuring man and angels in Vision 3 and what promise do they give Jerusalem?
But despite the fact that Jeshua is there wearing filthy garments, the Lord rebukes Satan for his accusations against Jeshua. Then God refers to Jeshua as a stick that was snatched from the fire. That's some powerful imagery.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Who is Zechariah and why does God emphasize His anger toward past generations?
0:01–1:24
2
What does Zechariah’s first vision of the horses reveal about God’s judgment?
1:24–2:42
3
How do the four horns and blacksmiths in Vision 2 symbolize hostile nations?
2:42–3:46
4
Why does God send a measuring man and angels in Vision 3 and what promise do they give Jerusalem?
3:46–5:02
5
What is the significance of the high‑priest Jeshua’s filthy garments and clean vestments in Vision 4?
5:02–6:15
6
What do the golden lampstand, seven lamps, and two olive trees represent in Vision 5?
6:15–7:18
7
How can listeners join the New Testament reading plan and invite others to The Bible Recap?
7:18–8:13