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Lowell Brueckner

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Sensitive to God

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This study only attempts to bring out that which God has planted in the book of Zechariah. I see the words of our text below, sent from the heart of God with a design to draw from the heart of a true Christian a longing to be close to His heart, to feel what He feels. Only a true Christian can respond to that challenge, for only that person possesses the love for God, with which one can respond. Do you feel the tug at your heart strings?

As you read, have a Bible open to Zechariah, so that you can follow along verse by verse.

“I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.”
Zechariah 8:2
 

An expository study from Zechariah, chapter 8:1-9

The jealousy of the Lord

The Bible is the revelation of God in written form. No vision or dream will ever send a clearer message to your heart concerning His personality and attributes. From chapter 6 on, we have been studying revelations that have been spoken with the intention that they should be written. You will note that time and again the expression “the Lord of Hosts” is repeated (v.1). It is in almost every verse of chapter 8 and in some verses, it is found twice. I think that we ought to mention it every time that it appears and know the reason that it is used. I just read the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, where the Lord came against the army of Pharaoh and triumphed. When the divided waters of the Red Sea fell on the Egyptians, we see the Lord demonstrating that He utilizes His creation as an army to fight in His favor against the enemy. In this verse the Lord of Hosts relates to revelation. He moves heaven and earth in order to manifest His word and to keep it faithfully. His word is powerful; it is pure, refined seven times, as silver is refined (Ps.12:6).

Are We Really on God’s Side?

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The sign of genuine love is found in the constant desire to seek the happiness of the beloved. God looks for love from Israel and that that, which would be good for their God, would be the most important thing in their lives, far beyond what they want for themselves. The heart of Israel had become more and more hardened and calloused, because they had been resisting His word constantly. As a result, the wrath of God had to fall! I don’t know why we find it difficult to speak of the wrath of God. We have been ashamed of one of the attributes of the Lord, in whom we claim to believe. As Francis Chan wrote in his book, Erasing Hell: “Refusing to teach a passage of Scripture is just as wrong as abusing it. I really believe it’s time for some of us to stop apologizing for God and start apologizing to Him for being embarrassed by the ways He has chosen to reveal Himself.”

I want to remind you again to keep your Bible open and at your side in order to look at each verse, as it is quoted. That’s the way a Bible study works…

“When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves?                                           Zechariah 7:5-6

 
An expository study of Zechariah, chapter 7

Are we looking for God’s happiness or ours in the things we do?

The second part of the book of Zechariah (v.1) begins in chapter 7 and it is divided by time from the first part. This part occurs two years later, in the 4th year of Darius, in the 9th month, which is Chislev, on the 4th day. To us that would be December of 518 B.C. (compare this with 1:1). The book also could be divided according to the ways that Zechariah received the revelations; the first part was given by visions and the second by the spoken word, which begins, actually, in 6:9-15.

The Priest-King

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An expository study of Zechariah 6:9-15

One of the benefits of a verse-by-verse study of a Bible book, is that you are able to see the unity of thought with that of the rest of the Bible. Zechariah fits right in and harmonizes with both Old Testament and New. Many, who do not study the Bible carefully, miss this "tenor" or "divine mentality" of Scriputre, and tend to wander off into tangents. This is another way of saying that that they take a verse or portion out of its contents. But if we have carefully studied the Bible, when we read or hear a private interpretation of a certain verse, immediately in our hearts, we say, "No, that can't be right; it is contrary to the "tenor" of the rest of Scripture. It doesn't fit into the mind of Christ." Please open to the 6th chapter of Zechariah and follow along in your Bibles...  

A revelation

The coronation of Joshua


Having fulfilled His purpose in the north country, which was a work of propitiation that gave Him rest, God moves forward in the work of reestablishing Israel in its land. He continues to reveal His will to Zechariah (v.9). The preceding revelations came in visual form; they were visions. From this point onward, he does not describe things that he sees, but things that he hears, which God has spoken; they are audible revelations. “The word of the Lord also came to me saying…”

God names three men, who have recently arrived from Babylon, from whom Zechariah is to take an offering (v.10). They are quickly involved in His work. The King of heaven does not need the things that men hold, nor does He want to take things from them, but He wants to change temporal things into eternal things, earthly things into heavenly things, and material things into spiritual things. This is an area of daily life, of which Jesus had much to teach us and through this we can see the great difference between a humanistic point of view, which is egoistic, and divine thought, which is totally opposite of egotism.

God’s Spirit at Rest

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An expository study of Zechariah 6:1-8


The eighth vision: The mission of the four chariots and horses

We come to a chronological end of the Old Testament with the books of Zechariah, Haggai, Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah and Malachi. If you are following this study of Zechariah in your Bible, you should have noticed that God is presented many times in the prophecy as the Lord of Hosts. He and His heavenly forces are warring in the affairs of men. We have seen angels mounted on horseback on reconnaissance missions (1:10), led by the majestic divine Angel of the Lord. It is all demonstrated in visions, according to the military system known in the time of Zechariah. They report situations that occur on earth and then, the Lord of Hosts dispatches military movements to carry out His will. They have to do with His purposes in the time of the prophet, but they also extend far into the future until the end of world history. The God of all the earth is also God of all time on the earth.

We will try to see and understand what Zechariah saw, as best we can, but we also can bring into play different portions of the Bible, in order to clarify principles and symbols that remain constant throughout the divine revelation. God is giving His people, in every century, the opportunity and privilege to know things, of which there are no other fountains of information on earth. Besides, He shares His feelings, speaking of His anger, jealousy, pleasure and comfort, showing us the reasons behind His actions. This can only stem from a desire to have intimacy with individuals, who care about how God feels (1:12-14; 2:8; 8:2).

Clearly, in chapter one, as the book begins, God opens His heart to His people. In verse 12, the Angel of the Lord prays to the Lord of Hosts and we will notice the little word ‘O’, which always signifies deep desires. The Angel is the Son of God, who exclaims, ‘O righteous Father’ in John 17:25 in a prayer that is meant for believers in the entire history of the church (John 17:20). In Paul’s letters to the churches, we can see how his writings reached and informed members to the end of time (1 Th.4:17; 2 Th.2:1-12; 1 Tim.4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-9 and 4:3-4, for example).

About Building a Temple in Babel

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An expository study in chapter 5:5-11

I remind you again to read my comments with the Bible open and at hand, so you can read each verse as we come to it. This is how a Bible study functions and the main purpose is to perceive what the Author, the Holy Spirit, wants to impart to Zechariah for the people of his day, as well as for future generations. We can then consider how it may apply personally to our lives and the situation around us.

The seventh vision: The Ephah


When sin fills to the brink

In the previous vision, Zechariah lifts his eyes without prompting, but in this seventh vision, before he can react, the angel commands him to lift his eyes. The text states (v.5) that the angel “went out”, that is, that he without delay proceeded forward. In the last vision, the angel asked, “What do you see?”, but this time Zechariah asks, “What is it?”

Perhaps Zechariah cannot identify the object physically. It may be that it was not an object known to him and that he could not recognize its properties and so he needs a good explanation. I think that concerning some things, people would rather not “lift up their eyes” and they are afraid to ask about them. There are things that they would rather not know, but the person, who sees the things of God as vital to his life, is in a school where he continually is learning new things (v.6).  

This is his eighth question. I never tire of emphasizing the importance of asking questions. The Gospels mark a difference between those who only came near Jesus to experience His presence, hear His voice and observe His works, and those who looked for Him to be alone, so that He would explain the meaning of the things, of which He spoke. These two categories still exist today among Christians and the difference between them is a matter of trust. In what do they trust? The first category of people trusts in a certain atmosphere and in things that they experience. The second are only satisfied, when they know the truth.

The Inscription: I WILL REMOVE THE INIQUITY

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I repeat: If you will read the biblical text first, then go on to peruse my comments with the open Bible handy, you will see exactly to what I am referring. This is the way that a Bible study works and the idea is to perceive what the Author, the Holy Spirit, wanted to share with His prophet, Zechariah, so that he would write His thoughts, first of all, for the benefit of the people of his day. Then, as He knew perfectly well, these words would be transferred through the millenniums until they found the people, who would experience personally their final fulfillment.

An expository study of the book of Zechariah

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died.”           Romans 8:33, 34

Chapter three: The fourth vision

The judgment of Joshua

Before we begin this study, we ought to know that Joshua is symbolic. That is clearly revealed later in verses 8-10 and this vision points to a future time. Joshua was the high priest in the time of Zechariah, who received the order to rebuild the temple. In a court scene, he is before the Angel of the Lord. Satan, the accusing attorney, is at his right hand and is opposing the work that God wants to carry out (v.1). He always finds plenty of evidence for his case. How we need the paracletos… a Defense Attorney, a Helper, a Comforter!

The Angel of the Lord is the Mediator between Joshua and the Father, and in the name of the Father, He rebukes Satan (v.2). We might think that Jude 9 refers to this case, because of the similar words, “The Lord rebuke you!”, but Jude mentions the archangel Michael and the body of Moses, who is accused because of his sin at Meribah. So this is another case. We note three things that the Lord (the Son) does: 1) He rebukes Satan, 2) by His grace, He elects an unworthy Joshua, and 3) he reveals a purpose for Jerusalem. God rebukes the satanic opposition to the people and places, where God is working. This man is already condemned… God knows exactly everything, of which Satan accuses him. He knew it before he chose him, but he rescues and saves him.

God’s Glory in Jerusalem

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I repeat: For your own profit and better understanding, read our text first, then go on to peruse my comments with the open Bible handy. In this way, you will see exactly to what I am referring. This is the way that a Bible study works and the idea is to perceive what the Author, the Holy Spirit, wanted to share with His prophet, Zechariah, so that he would write His thoughts, first of all, for the benefit of the people of his day. Then, as He knew perfectly well, these words would be transferred through the millenniums until they found the people, who would experience personally their final fulfillment.

An expository study of the book of Zechariah

Chapter two:   The third vision

An urgent word

God said in 1:16 that a measuring line would be stretched over Jerusalem. Here we see in 2:1 a man with a measuring line (some think it is the Angel of the Lord who measures the city). First he is going to measure its dimensions and afterwards Jerusalem will be built according to the measures of a preordained plan.

There are people who like big meetings and talk of feeling 'the presence' among the multitude. Great multitudes were attracted to Jesus to see Him and the miracles that He did, to hear His parables and then return home, satisfied for what they had experienced, sharing with everyone the things they had seen.

When the multitude dispersed, there were others, besides the twelve, who were among them, who were waiting for a time, when Jesus would be alone. I am very interested in them (Mk.4:10). They asked Him about the parables and Jesus let them know, “To you has been  given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables” (Mk.4:11). These people were not of the twelve, but they also were not of the multitude en general. They were people with hunger and thirst to know the mysteries of God. Jesus not only lauded them for their good desires, but He gave them the answers that they desired.

This same longing beat in the heart of the young man, Zechariah, and in verse two he asks his fourth question. He wanted to know what was to be measured with this line. Now we see the same good will on the part of God and His angels to answer the questions of those who are desirous to know the movements of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the Word of God and Words are for communication. “All things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you” (Jn.15:15). God is a communicator. He is more than willing to share with those, who are sincere in their search. For that reason, He gave us a Bible.