The sacking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians devastated the city (Lam 2:2–12, 20–22; 4:9–20; 5:1–18). Employing essentially a “scorched earth” military policy, the Babylonians leveled the city walls, razed the royal court, and utterly demolished the temple

After suffering these indignities, Judah lost not only its national identity, but more importantly the nation also no longer had the means to worship God through sacrifice to the Lord as commanded in the Torah. This unprecedented turn precipitated the single greatest crisis in the history of God’s chosen people

The name Zechariah in Hebrew (zĕkaryāh or zĕkaryāhû) means “Yahweh remembers,”

The prophet’s name, along with his message, consistently reminded the nation that the Lord had made a covenant with Israel, a binding commitment that God would assuredly keep.

without the miraculous intervention of God, the people had no future

The one hope for world peace rests in the person of the Messiah and his righteous reign

Zechariah deals in the first instance with the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the temple after they were destroyed by the Babylonians almost 70 years earlier.

Years ago I heard something called the “Parable of the Pit.” The parable talks about a man who suddenly falls into a deep pit. It’s too deep for him to jump out of. The walls of the pit are impossible to climb, and so he’s stuck there. The question is, How will he get out of the pit?

People begin to pass by.

A self-righteous person passes by, looks down at the man, and says, “Only bad people fall in pits. You must be a really bad person to fall into a pit like that.” And the man’s still in his pit.

A philosopher passes by and says, “You’re not really in that pit; you just think you are.” The man’s still in the pit.

A politician passes by and says, “I’ve got a new program that I’m proposing in Congress, and it’s going to eliminate pitfalls just like yours.” And the man’s still in the pit.

A county inspector passes by and says, “Do you have a permit for that pit?” And the man’s still in the pit.

A pessimist passes by and says, “You’re never going to get out of that pit. And it looks like it’s going to start raining.” And the man’s still in the pit.

An optimist passes by and says, “So you fell in a pit. Make the most out of it. Maybe you could decorate it.” And the man’s still in the pit.

An engineer passes by and says, “The pit you are in is 20 feet deep, 15 feet wide, and 25 feet long.” And the man’s still in the pit.

A preacher passes by and says, “I want you to notice three things about that pit. It’s a deep pit. It’s a dark pit. It’s a dirty pit.” And the man’s still in the pit.

A psychologist passes by and says, “Maybe your mother pushed you into that pit. And how does being in that pit make you feel?” And the man’s still in the pit.

A self-pitying person passes by and says, “You think you’re in a pit? You ought to see my pit!” And the man’s still in the pit.

But then Jesus sees the man in the pit, and He takes him by the hand and lifts him out. He extends God’s deliverance.