Union Zechariah

Introduction

Why Zechariah?

Significance of being second best

Next best description of the Messiah’s suffering next to the Psalms and Isaiah

Next best description of the Messiah’s victory next to Isaiah and 2nd Samuel

Next best description of the role of the Messiah to Isaiah and Ezekiel

Next best description of how to deal with pain and grief next to Lamentations

Next best description of future historical events to Daniel

Next best description of the New Covenant to Isaiah, Joel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel

Why is it worth studying?

Does add on further detail

Does synthesize and organize promises from other books

Zechariah’s name means “YHWH remembers”

This is why there are so many illusions back to all these other books - God is saying I remember

Theological Themes

God is faithful to remember His people and all of His promises made to them

Key to remember when you have a hard time keeping track of all the connections and allusions that we will make - God remembers, He doesn’t forget, He doesn’t have a hard time, He does keep His promises, He is faithful

The Messiah is at the center and the end of all of God’s promises and purpose for History

Christ carries the weight for all of theology and history on his shoulders

Practical Purposes of the Book

The importance of obedience in the plan of God to fulfill His promises

Exilic living in light of the hope of the Messiah’s work

Historical and Contextual Background

Abrahamic Covenant

Genesis 12 - promises

Gift of the Land

Great nation

Global blessing

Genesis 2 blessing vs. Genesis 3 curse - the blessing of God upon the nations is tied to the fate of Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Israel

Fate of the entire creation is tied to Israel

Davidic Covenant

The promises of Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosiac covenants are all tied into covenant with David

2 Sam 7 - promises

Make you a great name/Appoint a place for His people (Abraham)

Give you rest from your enemies (Moses/Noah)

Build you a house - Establish kingdom forever

Descendent will build me a house - Temple

Be Father to King - be My Son

Punish Him for sin but will not abandon Him

His Throne endures forever

Jerusalem - David’s city, Mount Moriah (Abraham/Isaac), Temple - becomes central within the covenants made with Israel

The blessing of the entire creation is now tied up with the Son and City of David

Exile

When the kingship fails and the city falls - it’s all over

Where was Abraham from? Ur of the Chaldeans. Who conquered Jerusalem - the Chaldeans - Hab 1:6

Conclusions:

We are going back to square one

God’s plan has stopped

God has walked away

End of Exile - Sort of

Israel returns home from Exile after 70 years - Jer 25:11

Tremendous Effort to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem - get plan back on track

faced tremendous road blocks

Problem - this doesn’t sound like what God promised

Miraculous restoration of Jerusalem and all of Israel to this edenic like land

Restoration of the King on the throne who would rule over the world

The nations would stream to Jerusalem to worship

Implication for original audience

Skepticism and cynicism

No motivation to build the temple

Very comfortable and affluent people - tempted to keep Babylonian lifestyle and not be devoted to God

Does it make a difference if I repent or obey? Why should I be faithful if God isn’t really all the way faithful?

Implication for Today

Same level of comfort and affluence

Same level of temptation from the land of our exile

Same question - does it make a difference if I repent or obey?

1. Call to Repentance 1:1-6

A Positive Introduction

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying,

The Time

Haggai prophesied at end of the 7th month - Late October

Haggai 2:6-9, “For thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Once more⁠—in a little while⁠—I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the desirable things of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says Yahweh of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ declares Yahweh of hosts. 9 ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares Yahweh of hosts.”

to build or not to build, does it make a difference?

The latter glory of the Temple will be greater than the former

Your building plays a role in this plan

How is this going to happen? 2 weeks later Zechariah gives his first prophecy - Early November

What is going on in Jewish Calendar at this time - Feast of Tabernacles/Booths - set up tents to celebrate the end of the Exodus - God was faithful to both dwell with them in His Tabernacle, but to deliver them out of the Exodus to the promised land

End of the Exodus is at the building of the Temple - 1 Kings 6:1

End of exile tied with the building of the Temple

The Prophet

The Name of the Prophet means - YHWH Remembers

The name of the father - Berechiah - YHWH Blesses

The Sermon: Return - vs 2-6a

A Negative Note

2 “Yahweh was very wrathful against your fathers.

super anger - key word to denote God’s ultimate judgement of exile

Angry at your fathers - reference to 1st Generation Exodus Israelites

Daniel 9:16, “O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us.”

Daniel Pleading with God to turn His anger and wrath away

Return

3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts.

Return to me - Deuteronomy 30:1-6, “So it will be, when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you cause these things to return to your heart in all the nations where Yahweh your God has banished you, 2 and you return to Yahweh your God and listen to His voice with all your heart and soul according to all that I am commanding you today, you and your sons, 3 then Yahweh your God will return you from captivity and return His compassion on you, and He will gather you again from all the peoples where Yahweh your God has scattered you. 4 If those of you who are banished are at the ends of the sky, from there Yahweh your God will gather you, and from there He will take you back. 5 And Yahweh your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 “Moreover Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

In God’s plan, Israel must be exiled so that they must return - repent

How will Israel return? God will circumcise their heart

Return to God - Joel 2:12-13, “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh, Return to Me with all your heart And with fasting, weeping, and wailing; 13 And tear your heart and not your garments.” Now return to Yahweh your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, And relenting concerning evil.

Call to return

Promise of pouring out of Holy Spirit

Return O Israel and I will Turn - Hosea 14:1-4, “Return, O Israel, to Yahweh your God, For you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words with you and return to Yahweh. Say to Him, “Forgive all iniquity And take what is good, That we may pay in full the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us; We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ To the work of our hands; For in You the orphan finds compassion.” 4 I will heal their turning away from Me; I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them.

Israel is spiritually adulterous: Pursued other nations, worshiped other gods - solution: Return back to me

Turn from idols of the heart - Ezek 14:3-6, ““Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be inquired by them at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I Yahweh will be brought to give him an answer in light of it, in light of the multitude of his idols, 5 in order to seize the house of Israel by their heart, those who are estranged from Me through all their idols.”’ 6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Turn back and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations.”

Israel worshiped idols in their hearts

Spirit is promised in Ezekiel to dwell in the heart

Return back from idols of the heart - heart must be cleansed

Return from the inside out is what is required

What does this show about the nature of repentanceRepentance?

The total cessation of one thing and the total following after another in the opposite direction

Not half hearted or superficial - all your heart

Not lax - determined turning

Not just sorry and grief

Returning brings about the end of exile - call to repentance is God’s faithful care for His people

Acts 2:38 - what did Peter say at the end of his sermon after the Spirit was poured out? Repent

Return to You

God declares that He will return to them

What does it mean for God to return?

Daniel 9:16, “O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain;”

Joel 3:1, “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I return the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,”

Does this make God’s turning conditional?

Who initiates repentance?

Break the Cycle

4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did not listen or give heed to Me,” declares Yahweh.

Don’t be like the former - be like the latter

What’s the difference from ways and deeds?

Ways - overal pattern

Deeds - individual actions

Whole life turning

Did not listen and heed

How does the OT describe the fundamental nature of obedience - listening

Matthew 13:14–15 ESV

14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

Did not heed me - rejecting God’s word is rejecting him

Where are they?

5 “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My slaves the prophets, overtake your fathers? Then they returned and said, ‘As Yahweh of hosts purposed to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has done with us.’”’”

God’s words and statutes came to pass - they were exiled

God’s word endures - God did to them in accordance with their ways and deeds

Did they really return?

They turned from the mouth but not from the heart?

Or

Penitent confession of their sin and of God’s justice in executing His judgement upon them and their fathers

Applications

What do we learn about God in this section

He is faithful to His promises - He will accomplish His word

He disciplines His beloved so that they will return to Him

He is quick to show mercy

What do we learn about the nature of repentance?

Whole hearted

Spirit empowered

Total: Ways and deeds

2. The First Vision - 1:7-17

Introduction - vs 7

Vision: Horses - vs 8-13

Oracle: Vengeance - vs 14-17

3. The Second Vision - 1:18-23

Divine Vision: Horns - vs 18-19

Divine Vision: Craftsmen - vs 20-23

4. The Third Vision - 2:1-13

Vision: Measuring Line -vs 1-4

Oracle - YHWH is the Wall - vs 5

Call to Escape - vs 6-9

Call to Joy - vs 10-13

5. The Fourth Vision - 3:1-10

Vision: Courtroom of Heaven - vs 1-5

Vision: Charge to Joshua - vs 6-7

Oracle about Sprout - vs 8-10

6. The Fifth Vision - 4:1-14

Vision: Lamp stand and Olive Tree - vs 1-6a

Oracle: Zerubbabel - 6b-10a

Vision: Lamp stand and Olive Tree Again - vs 10b-14

7. The 6th and 7th Visions - 5:1-11

Vision: Flying Scroll - vs 1-4

Vision: Flying Epha - vs 5-11

8. The 8th Vision - 6:1-8

Description of Scene pt 1 - vs 1-3

Interpretation of Scene pt 1 - vs 4-6

Description of Scene pt 2 - vs 7

Interpretation of Scene pt 2 - vs 8

9. Prophetic Play - 6:9-15

Formula - vs 9

Exhortation 1 - vs 10-11

Exhortation 2 - vs 12-13

Exhortation 3 - vs 14

Explanation - vs 15