The Introduction to Zechariah
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Important messages
An
expositional Bible study
How privileged we are! God
has surrounded us with divine riches for our good! The treasure over all others
is His Word, for which He has endowed us with the supernatural faculty to be
able to grasp it. He has given us the mind of Christ, which is governed and
guarded by the Holy Spirit. To be illuminated concerning spiritual, heavenly
things is a great work of the triune God. We also have the opportunity to learn
mutually from each other, sharing what we have received, and for me it would be
a pleasure to leave you with some things that I have learned while studying the
first verses of the book of Zechariah. Would you like to study this book verse
by verse? There is simply no question that an expository study is the most
profitable approach to studying the Word and the best way to deliver a Bible
study is to explain verse by verse what the Scripture presents. We really do
not have enough of that kind of teaching.
The name Zechariah means “the
Lord remembers” and that name would serve as title for the book. Israel has
been in captivity for 70 years and now the Lord is bringing them out of that
situation and helping them to return to their land. Zechariah was the son of Berechiah
and the grandson of Iddo. He may have been only an infant when he returned from
Babylon with his grandfather. We know nothing of his father. Possibly, he died
when Zechariah was very small, but his grandfather, on the other hand, is
mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ez.5:1; Neh.12:4, 16). Often in
the Bible a grandfather is presented as the father of a certain person, so that
it is not unusual that Zechariah is sometimes called the son of Iddo.
Haggai and, Ezra were contemporaries of Zechariah. Esther was queen some years later than the events that took place in this book, and Nehemiah rebuilt the walls still later. Lastly Malachi prophecied. Zechariah, as his grandfather Iddo, was a priest, but to
become a prophet is not something, which can be inherited from ancestors or
from belonging to a certain tribe; it only happens to someone to whom the Word
of God has come.
Chapter one
In the month of November of
520 B.C., during the time of the Persian Empire in the reign of Darius, the Word
of God came to Zechariah (v.1). That was the moment when he began his prophetic
ministry. This is the only means to qualify a man for the profession. With the
exception of Isaiah, this is the prophet, who has most to say about the coming
Christ.
For the most part, he has a
very positive message, but he cannot ignore the wrath of God. He reminds Israel
of His indignation against their fathers (v.2)… and indignation that carried
them to 70 years of captivity (v.12). If you want to know something of the
intensity of that wrath, you only have to read the book of Lamentations. There
you will see the sad calamities that occurred at the hand of the Babylonians.
The gospel of the New
Testament does not ignore the wrath of God. It reminds us that we all were subject
to it and that in the present time, unbelievers are sons of wrath. The book of
Hebrews tells us that it is a horrendous thing to fall into the hands of the
living God. However, nowhere else in the entire Bible is there a book like
Revelation, in which more is said about the wrath of God and the Lamb and of
the unhappy end of those who do not surrender to Him.
Let me give you a list of
verses from the New Testament, which speak of the wrath of God:
Mt.3:7; Lc.3:7; 21:23; Jn.3:36; Ro.1:18; 2:5,8; 3:5; 5:9; 9:22; 12:19; 13:4; Eph..2:3; 5:6; Col.3:6; 1 Th.1:10; 2:16; Heb.3:11, 4:3; Rev.6:16, 17; 11:18;
14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:15.
Also, Jesus, who perfectly
represented the person of the Father upon this earth, became angry with His
disciples, because of their attitude towards those who brought children to Him
for His blessing (Mk.10:14). In the temple, he became indignant upon seeing the
hardness of heart of the Jews, who could not rejoice over the healing of a man
with a withered hand, because their interpretation concerning keeping the Sabbath
was more important to them (Mk.3:15). Besides these occasions, I think all of
us know of the day, when Christ entered the temple and observed the people negotiating
in the place dedicated for worship to God. He was incited to anger and chased
them all out with a whip, turning over the tables and spilling the money on the
floor (Jn.2:13-17).
Now in our text, Zechariah
speaks to the Jews of the new privilege that they have to enjoy another
opportunity and that they should be careful not to follow their fathers (v.3). God,
in absolute wisdom, knew that 70 years in captivity, not one day more or less,
were necessary to break the stubbornness of His people; His mercy did not allow
that one day too many would pass above that which was needed.
And now it was time to
invite them to return to the Lord and to tell them that the Lord was ready to
return to them. The name of God that is repeated throughout the book is the “Lord
of Hosts”. He will come for the good of His people, fighting for them with all
His armies. This expression appears various times in this chapter alone (v.4,
6, 14, 17, and 26) and many more times in the rest of the book.
Zechariah
tells a little of the history of the Jews, reminding them of God’s demand for
repentance from their fathers, but they paid no attention (v.4). Then, with His
wrath ignited, He came against them with his forces. See how a prophet can make
an impression upon his listeners or his readers. He not only gives a message,
but he does it in a manner, that will most likely draw their attention. If
anyone has a call from God to preach His Word, he must find and cultivate this
way.
Zechariah
emphasizes human limitations (v.5), in contrast to the Word of God. The fathers
that disobeyed were dead, he told them, and the prophets who had warned them
also were fallible and dead; but the Word of God is infinite, permanent, sure
and without fail is fulfilled (v.6). The disobedient fathers came to recognize
it, during those 70 years of dark trial in Babylon and now, their children can
testify of the same. There is recognition that the Lord of Hosts has been
faithful to His Word.
The
best way to apply these six verses, inspired by the Holy Spirit through the
mediation of a God-called prophet, to our lives, is by paying the closest
attention to this warning. You and I will die, as this inspired prophet died,
but the Word of God has come to us into the 21st Century and most
surely will be fulfilled in our lives.
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