Zech's visions continued

Good news spreads fast! When the new Premier said this week that he cared about both the economy and people’s health, I was overjoyed! In fact, I think I even let out a shout.

Today we have some real good news for the people of Zech’s day and our day. Our verse of the week has given it away, but lets take the time to dig into God’s word and see more!

Review:

Yahweh Remembers

Zech was young for a prophet - 2.4

Jerusalem 42x

“Lord of Hosts” 52x

God is the King over all the Earth.

1.The Third Vision of The Surveyor

2.1-13

This third vision continues the themes of God’s protection for His people and the miraculous restoration underway.

A.The Lord builds and protects. 1-5

Zechariah 2:1–5 ESV

And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

God has cared about Jerusalem since it became known as the City of David. In fact, it is the only city we are commanded to pray for.

Psalm 122:6 ESV

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!

A town without walls was important information! This information had several implications that were important to the Jews of the day.

They would not be living in fear of attack.

God says He will be the very first “firewall” in verse 5.

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

This vision is also a prophecy. He has to look into the future to a time when all this will happen.

Time of Christ & future

B.Zech did not see a weak nation, but a place strongly protected by God. 6-9

Zechariah 2:6–9 ESV

Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me.

It is time to return. Many did not return at the first opportunity. Life would have been harder at the first. Now God is encouraging them to return quick-smart.

ILL: With things opening back up, many church goers may have to be encouraged to “get up and get moving back to the place God wants them to be.”

Remember, God is about to punish the other nations for going too far in their treatment of Israel. God wants them to leave those places before they have to see God’s wrath once again because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When He is shaking His hand in verse 9, It is not a greeting handshake but a shaking of the finger and hand.

This is also one of the famous, “apple of His eye” passages. A place that is highly importance and protected!

Deuteronomy 32:10 (ESV)

“...He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

Psalm 17:8 (ESV)

Keep me as the apple of your eye; ...

C.Respond to God and what He is doing! 10-13

Zechariah 2:10–13 ESV

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

God tells them He is coming! It will be another 519 years before Christ’s birth, but what they are doing at that point in history will be graced by the very presence of God. So do it well!

They are told to “Sing and rejoice”. Not something people doing hard work often think of doing. God wants them to take joy even in times of fear and hard work.

The real reason they can sing and rejoice is because they are seeing so much about God in these verses.

He is coming!

People everywhere will be drawn to Him

He will dwell! not just passing through

John 1:14 (ESV)

the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Colossians 2:9 (ESV)

In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Coming in and among them

His coming will change the nations view of the Jews

They will be seen as His inheritance. 12

God will silence all sceptics - leaving them in awe! 13

2.The fourth vision about the High Priest. 3.1-10

This vision teaches us a lot about how God has worked in the past, about Salvation and about what God will do for His people in the future.

Zechariah 3:1–2 ESV

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”

A. The Situation 1-2

This vision takes place in Heaven’s throne room.

This vision has different players:

Interpreter “he” 3.1

Zech “me” 3.1

Joshua the high priest 3.1

Angle of the Lord - Jesus! 3.1

Satan (adversary) - like Job 1.6

Yahweh Himself 2.1

Satan points out how sinful Joshua is and God deals with it. (implied between verses 1-2)

B.The Salvation 3-5

Zechariah 3:4 (ESV)

The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

add to this the end of verse 9: “I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”

This happened ultimately at the cross. The application of this salvation takes place individually as people confess their sins and take Christ’s righteousness in exchange for their filthy sinful coverings.

C.The Saviour 8-9

Here he has the nicknames “my servant” (a favourite of Isaiah) & “the Branch”(6.12, Is, Jer; Romans 11) vs 8

“The Stone” vs 9 The one that the builders rejected, but has become the cornerstone”

Ps, Mt, Mk, Lk, Acts, 1 Pet.

Acts 4:11 ESV

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

Only Jesus can take away the stain of sin and restore a relationship with God.

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

D.The Sure Future 6,7,10

“I will give” v 7

Zechariah 3:6–7 ESV

And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.

God has given us a future! Yes, He wants us to show that we are interested in a relationship with Him, but His salvation brings a sure future!

The Jews have been promised a particular future as a reflection of what it was like during Solomons Reign 1 Kings 4.25. (only promised in the OT, Only given to the Jews and not the Nations, Not repeated for believers in Christ in the Book of Revelation)

Zechariah 3:10 ESV

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.”

Micah 4:4 ESV

but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

Believers in Christ are promised the presence of the Lord. Acts, 1 & 2 Thess, Rev.3 & 4

Conclusion:

God is King of everything and everyone! Yes, He is the God of the Jews but also the God of the nations! He has great plans for His people and for Jerusalem itself. Through the rest of Scripture God will unfold, explain and in many ways make clear exactly what those plans are.

Todays chapters were great news! I hope you were encouraged by them. I hope you were challenged to trust God more. I hope you were blessed to see that the future for those who follow God is bright.

1.Have you personally dealt with this issue of Salvation yet?

2.As verse 6 makes clear, we need to make the things of God our priority. How can people around us tell that we seek to “walk in God’s ways”?