Zechariah
( Ezra 5: 1; Zechariah 1: 1)
(C3444-3514, 560-490 BC)
The name Zechariah, translation of the Hebrew "Zechariah" which means "Jah remembered", was given to about thirty men who appear in the Bible. This one is identified as the son of Berechiah, which in turn was the son of Iddo, one of the heads of the priestly families that returned with Zerubbabel from Babylon (Zechariah 1:1,7 and Ezra 5:1 and 6:14).
Cyrus, King of Persia, defeated Babylon in 539 BC and had decreed that the captives in exile could return to their homeland. Born in Babylon during the exile, Zechariah was a relatively young man when he returned with the first returning to Jerusalem in 538 BC (Zechariah 2:4).
As a prophet (and possibly priest) Zechariah began his ministry at the same time as the prophet Haggai (520-518 BC), and his first prophecy was delivered in 520 BC, two months after the first of Haggai. Like Haggai, Zechariah encouraged the population to continue the rebuilding of the temple, which had been interrupted for almost 10 years. Zechariah fought the people's spiritual apathy, despair due to the pressures of their enemies, and the dismay on the smaller scale of the foundations of the new temple. The neglect of our spiritual priorities in fulfilling the purpose of God can be equally devastating.
In the preface of his book (Chapter 1:1-6), Zechariah recalls the past history of the nation, with the purpose of presenting a solemn warning to his generation. Then, a series of eight visions (chapters 1:7 to 6:8), following one another on the same night as a symbol of the nation of Israel, which are intended to provide comfort to the exiles who returned and promote hope among them. The symbolic act of crowning of Joshua (Chapter 6: 9-15), describes how the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ in the Millennium.
Two years later the word of the Lord came to the people through Zechariah, explaining why judgement had come over the nation (chapters 7 and 8). God had called the people to practice justice, mercy and compassion, but they did not want to hear. As a result the divine wrath fell on Israel, their prayer was not answered, and finally they were scattered among the Nations and their land was desolate. They now asked if they should fast, but the evil that they were suffering was a result of their own sin and disobedience. In the eyes of God His commandments and ordinances never override the justice and faith of His people. He finishes with an incentive to the people, assuring them that He still wanted to bless them.
After an interval, the duration of which cannot be determined, the prophet describes two burdens that he carries (chapters 9 to 14):
1. He presents a sketch of the path taken in the providential relations of God to His people, until the first coming of Christ:
Enemy Nations of Israel will be punished (Chapter 9:1 to 8), then the people of God are encouraged by the promise of the coming of the Messiah (King). Verse 9:9 describes His first coming, humble, on a donkey. Both Matthew as John mention this verse as referring to the so-called "triumphal entry" of our Lord in Jerusalem. Verse 9:10 brings us to His second coming, when He comes in power and great glory. The weapons of war will be abolished, and Christ will reign "from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the Earth" (Zechariah is citing Psalm 72:8 here). The church of Christ is hidden between verses 9 and 10, because it was a mystery until it was revealed.
2. The second burden (chapters 12-14) points out the glories that await Israel, on the last day, the final conflict and the victory of the Kingdom of God:
At a future date Jerusalem will be a stunning source to all nations around, and also to Judah, during a siege against Jerusalem. It is like a heavy stone for all peoples, and all those who fight against it will be seriously injured. The Lord is there to beat the invaders, enemies of the Jews, with madness and panic, and these will finally recognize the God of the Jews as their strength (chapter 12:5). Jerusalem shall be inhabited again by the Jews. The Lord will strengthen the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will destroy all the nations that come against it, and will pour out the spirit of grace and of supplications on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem. "Then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a first-born” (chapter 12:10).
That day there will be great mourning in Israel. "The One whom they pierced" is a reference to Jesus Christ, the Lord. The mourning for an only son was the saddest for an Israelite. The first verse of Chapter 13 is closely linked with the previous chapter. After the people of Judah and Israel are brought to repentance of their rejection of the Messiah, this will be followed by a great national day of Atonement. The fountain for purification opened on Calvary, but Israel as a nation does not come into his blessing until the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is described in the last chapter, as well as the geographic transformation that will take place in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. He is the Lord ("YHWH" -see HERE ). It ends with a description of Jerusalem and of the people in the millennial Kingdom of Christ (see HERE ).
After describing the glorious expectation of the Kingdom of God on Earth, Zechariah ended with this sentence: "In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts". The Canaanites were the original inhabitants of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. God commanded the Israelites to completely eliminate them during the conquest of land, due to their idolatry and perversity. But this they failed to do, and the remnants became bitter enemies of Israel. The new temple will be inaccessible to the enemies of God and His people, so as to keep it holy.