Zechariah Part 1: An Overview

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Intro: For me, Zechariah was only one of those books in the OT that you just read through in order to complete your task of reading through the Bible. The quick observations that i made every time while reading through it could be boiled down to intimidating, confusing, apocalyptic, and cryptic. It was only when i decided to take time for myself to really dig in and try to understand what the context was behind when this book was written and what is actually being said that I started to really enjoy this book. I was struck by the promises that God makes in this book, the repeated prophecies of the Messiah that are made with striking detail, and the overall beauty of the message of faithfulness to God and to His covenant with His people. Over the next few weeks, i want us to dive into this book, understand its message, magnify Christ in it, and hopefully come out of it knowing more about the Bible then we did going in to it.

Zechariah The Prophet

Who Was He?

Zechariah (Yahweh Has Remembered)

Nehemiah 12:16 lists him as being in the priestly line

Zechariah was a prophet of God who is called to preach faithfulness to God’s covenant during a time of apathy and repeating wickedness.

Mentioned in Ezra 5:1-2, working along side Haggai

When Did He Live?

during the rebuilding of the temple

2nd year of king Darius (520 BC)

he preached in 520-518 BC

death

not much known outside of Matt. 23:35.

Context

Israel had been in Captivity in Babylon because of their rebellion to God and unfaithfulness to His covenant, even after they recieved many warnings. They have been out of Babylon since around 538 BC (18 years give or take). While Haggai focused on preaching about getting them to continue building (Haggai 1:4), Zechariah focuses more on their spiritual state before God and rewards for faithfulness to His covenant because they were staring to backslide again and tried to bring to remembrance that this is the reason why you went into captivity (Zechariah 1:2-3).

I Would like to say this story immediately has a happy ending after everything they have been through, but we all know it doesnt

Structure of Zechariah

Purpose Statement For The Book

“Yahweh has remembered you and pulled you out of Babylon because He is faithful to you. Are you going to be faithful to your covenant with God, not repeating the sins of your fathers, so that God’s anticipated Kingdom and long awaited Messiah will finally come, restore Israel, and magnify the worship of Yahweh among the nations.” Secondary question, “Will you obey the Messiah when He does finally come?”

Theology

Restoration of Israel

Israel lies in the dust as a shadow of its former self

Zechariah 10:9.

God’s Sovereignty

Zechariah 4:6.

Zechariah 14:9.

Hope

of God’s Return

Ez. 10:18, He Left because of Covenant unfaithfulness (idolotry)

He will return because of covenant faithfulness (Zech. 1:3)

return of the King (Zech. 1:16)

of The Messiah

The Full Restoration of Israel will come about by the appearance of the long awaited Messiah. He alone will be the means of full reconciliation to God. Jesus is everywhere in Zechariah, without even trying to forcefully insert him in passages. this is probably why it is the 2nd most quoted book in the passion narratives of the gospels, right behind the psalms.

we learn of a branch who will cause the removal of iniquity in a single day (Zechariah 3:8-10)

we learn of a king riding in on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)

we learn of him being abandoned by his disciples in the hour of need (Zechariah 13:7)

We Learn of His prophesied betrayal (Zechariah 11:12-13)

We Learn of The Messiah’s Crucifixion (Zechariah 12:10)

and more than this

Literary Style

apocalyptic literature

what western eyes do with apocalyptic imagery is read their day and time events into it but that’s not how apocalyptic imagery works.

Kaleidoscope literature

the Hebrews sometime wrote in ways that we just would not. Sometimes they would write in ways that were very much not chronological and sometimes they would write in ways that give you different parts of the full story, out of sequence, with differing emphasis’s, that could leave the 21st century reader feeling like they've been shotgunned with differing points and messages that don't seem to mesh together. Zechariah does this as well and gives more of a story that seems to be given through the lens of a kaleidoscope.

highly symbolic

mountain's

branches

trees

lampstands

horsemen

Layout

Before The Temple is rebuilt (Zech. 1-8)

in which 8 visions are given all relating to Israels past wickedness, Gods faithfulness to His people, challenges to faithfulness to God, and promises of The Kingdom.

After Completed (Zech. 9-14)

gets into a kaleidoscopic view of the Messiahs arrival and what will happen with him and those around him

Key Verse (Zech. 14:9)

this verse is the driving force for the whole book

this is the hope long waited for

this hope is repeated many times and many ways in the OT

Num. 14:21, Is. 11:9, Hab. 2:14, Ps. 22:27, and many others

but this will only come when the Messiah appears and He reigns on His throne (Ps. 110:1)

but it is done in a way that Israel didn't expect

Mark 4:30-32

(1 Cor. 15:25)

OUR KING IS REIGNING NOW!

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