ZECHARIAH

When King Cyrus of Medo-Persia conquers the vast Babylonian empire in 539 BC, he reverses the forced re-settlement policies of the Babylonians. He issues an edict in 538 BC that the peoples exiled by Babylon are allowed to return to their ancestral lands and rebuild the temples of their gods (Ezr 1:2-4), thus fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy that he exile would only last seventy years (Jer 29:10).
Some forty-two thousand high-minded Jews respond to this historic turn of events and move back to the promised land in 536 BC. The Jews had actually fared better than expected in exile and to give up all they built up there to return to Israel is a sacrifice. They have high hopes of God restoring the fortunes of his people, giving them back their land and fulfilling the amazing promises spoken by prophets like Isaiah, Micah and Amos.
But for all their hopes, obedience and sacrifice the returned Jews find themselves in a less than ideal situation: they are still under the over-lordship of the idolatrous Medo-Persian empire, they have to share the land with other peoples that had moved in during the exile, and they struggle economically. Upon arrival they manage to restore the altar in Jerusalem, re-establish the sacrificial system and feasts and lay the foundations of the temple (Ezra 3:3-7). But quickly opposition arises: the foreign peoples with which they now co-live use threats, bribes and red tape to frustrate the Jews’ efforts of temple rebuilding (Ezra 4:4-5). The returnees are discouraged and they stop building the temple. Some sixteen years pass.
Then in 520 BC, God calls both the prophet Zechariah and the prophet Haggai to challenge the Jews to start building the temple again. Zechariah first calls the Jews to repentance (Zec 1:1-6) and then assures them of God’s hand with them in eight quite difficult visions (Zec 1:7-6:8). The visions contain many themes: God protecting his people, God blessing his people again, God defeating their enemies, God challenging the exiles to return, God again choosing Jerusalem, God cursing sin, God removing sin from his people and the stability of the current political situation.
A recurring theme in the visions are the two leaders of their day: One is Zerubbabel, made governor over the Jews by Medo-Persia, a grand-son of King Jehoiachin of the Davidic line. The other is the current high priest Joshua. In one vision (Zec 4) Zechariah sees these two leaders as olive trees, providing oil for a lamp stand. The message is an encouragement to Zerubbabel to rely on God for the daunting task of the temple building: ”Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” (Zec 4:6-7).
In another vision the high priest Joshua is accused by Satan, then cleansed and given the prophecy of a branch, a single stone, removing the guilt of the land in one day (Zec 3:9). In another vision the two figures, governor and priest, are merged together into a crowned high priest, under which ‘those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple for the LORD’. (Zec 6:9-15) All these prophecies are clearly Messianic and speak of Jesus, who will the Branch, the Cornerstone, King of kings, the true High priest, the one who builds the temple (the church) from people of all nations.
Zechariah is then addressed by people who have been mourning and fasting over the first temple’s destruction at special days these last seventy years. The prophet uses this opening to call them to repentance and to true fasting, which he defines as a wholehearted commitment to seek and obey God (Zec 7-8).
The remaining chapters are difficult, but many famous verses about Jesus’ first coming quoted in the New Testament are found in them, like ”Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!… Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey” (Zec 9:9). Jesus is pictured as the rejected shepherd, who is valued at thirty shekels of silver (Zec 11) and as the pierced one mourned over (Zech 12:10-14). The prophecy concludes by descriptions of Jesus’ second coming very similar to Revelation: God’s final victory, judgment over evil and complete restoration.

The author

Zechariah identifies himself as the recipient of the words of God mentioned in his book and as its author. His name means ‘God has remembered’. He is the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo. A person named Iddo is mentioned in Neh 12:4 as one of the priests who came to Jerusalem with governor Zerubbabel in the first return in 536 BC. This fits well as Zechariah starts prophesying in 520 BC. He would then have been still quite young when he returned to Jerusalem together with his father Berechiah and his grand-father Iddo. This also would mean that Zechariah belonged to a priestly family. Some see the verse Zech 2:4 as further evidence that Zechariah is still young at the start of his ministry.
He is mentioned as Zechariah, son of Iddo in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 together with his contemporary prophet Haggai. Jesus mentions a prophet Zechariah, son of Barachiah “whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar” (Mth 23:35), most likely referring to this same Zechariah. No other sources mentioning his martyrdom are available.

The historical context

Zechariah mentions several dates when God speaks to him (Zech 1:1, 1:7, 7:1). This and Ezra’s mention of him (Ezr 5:1, 6:14) make the historical context of his messages very clear:
Zechariah addresses the Jews that have returned from the Babylonian exile to Judah and Jerusalem (Ezr 5:1). When King Cyrus of Medo-Persia conquers the vast Babylonian empire in 539 BC, he reverses the forced re-settlement policies of the Babylonians. He issues an edict in 538 BC that the peoples exiled by Babylon are allowed to return to their ancestral lands and rebuild the temples of their gods (Ezr 1:2-4), thus fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy that the exile would only last seventy years (Jer 29:10).
Some forty-two thousand high-minded Jews respond to this historic turn of events and move back to the promised land in 536 BC (Ezr 2:64). The Jews had actually fared better than expected in exile and to give up all they had built up in Babylon is a sacrifice. The returning Jews are therefore those who are obedient to God’s call, those who have high hopes of God restoring the fortunes of his people, giving them back their land and fulfilling the amazing promises spoken by prophets like Isaiah, Micah or Amos.
But for all their hopes, obedience and sacrifice, the returned Jews find themselves in a less than ideal situation, nothing is quite like it was. At this ‘second exodus’ the Jews are a small group, some mere forty-two thousand, in comparison with the roughly two million at the first exodus during Moses’s time (Exo 12:37). They are only from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Ezr 1:5), all other tribes of Israel are lost. Though they have an own governor of the line of David, he is not king and they are still under the over-lordship of the idolatrous Medo-Persian empire. They have to pay taxes and are struggling economically. On top of that, the Jews have to share the land with other idolatrous peoples that have moved in during the exile. The cities are still ruined from the Babylonian invasion and afford no protection. The Jews have brought along some of the original temple equipment that Cyrus returned to the Jews (Ezr 1:6-11), but the ark is lost and the Holy of Holies will remain empty even when the temple is built.
Upon arrival they manage to restore the altar in Jerusalem, re-establish the sacrificial system and feasts and lay the foundations of the temple (Ezra 3:3-7). But quickly opposition arises: the foreign peoples with which they now co-live use threats, bribes and red tape to frustrate the Jews’ efforts to rebuild the temple (Ezra 4:4-5). The returnees are discouraged, they stop building and turn to establishing their lives and livelihoods. Some sixteen years pass.
Then in 520 BC, God calls both the prophet Haggai and the prophet Zechariah to challenge the Jews to restart building the temple. Zechariah starts prophesying two months after Haggai, but keeps speaking at least half way through the temple building, which takes about four years (520-516 BC). From Zech 9 onward Zechariah’s prophecies are no longer dated. The time line of Haggai and Zechariah’s messages and the response of the people is as follows:

PROPHETIC WORD OR HISTORIC EVENT
REFERENCE
GIVEN DATE
MODERN DATE
Haggai’s first message
Hag 1:1-11; Ezr 5:1
2y 6m 1d of Darius
29 Aug 520 BC
Resumption of the building of the temple, Haggai encourages them
Hag 1:12-15
Ezr 5:2
2y 6m 24d of Darius
21 Sep 520 BC
Haggai’s second message
Hag 2:1-9
2y 7m 21d of Darius
17 Oct 520 BC
Beginning of Zechariah’s preaching (2m after Haggai)
Zech 1:1-6

Oct / Nov 520 BC
Haggai’s third message
Hag 2:10-19
2y 9m 24d of Darius
18 Dec 520 BC
Haggai’s fourth message
Hag 2:20-23
2y 9m 24d of Darius
18 Dec 520 BC
Tattenai’s letter to Darius concerning temple construction (probable time lapse bet-ween start of work and Tattenai’s letter)
Ezra 5:3-6:14

519-518 BC
Zechariah’s eight night visions
Zech 1:7-6:8
2y 8m of Darius
15 Feb 519 BC
Joshua crowned
Zech 6:9-15
2y 8m (?)
16 Feb 519 BC
Repentance urged, blessings promised
Zech 7-8
4y 9m 4d of Dairus
7 Dec 518 BC
Dedication of the temple
Ezra 6:15-18
6y Adar-m 3d of Darius
12 Mar 516 BC
Zechariah’s final prophecy
Zech 9-14
?
after 480 BC

If Zechariah was indeed still young in 520 BC at the start of his ministry, he could have spoken for decades to come, possibly as late as 460 BC, near the time when Ezra will come with a second group of returning Jews (458 BC).

The opening message

In his first message Zechariah simply calls his contemporary Jews to repentance: “Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you” (Zec 1:3). He challenges them to not be like their ancestors, who refused to listen to the voice of the earlier prophets (Zec 1:4-6). He calls them to repent, to understand God’s character and to enter into a relationship with God, all of which are the typical messages of a prophet.
Since Zechariah speaks this word about two months after Haggai’s first message, we know that the Jews are already obeying God and have started the construction work of the temple according to his command. So it seems that Zechariah is not primarily trying to get the Jews to obey a building command, rather he is speaking about an attitude beyond the outward obedience, challenging his hearers in their very hearts.

The eight night visions

Some two months later Zechariah has a series of eight night visions (Zec 1:7-6:8), some of which contain quite bizarre imagery. They are symmetrically arranged (is seems) with the first and the eighth, the second and the seventh, the third and the sixth and the fourth and the fifth having similarities. There is also a ninth vision (or an enacted symbol) which sheds light on the fourth and fifth vision. Note the increasingly Messianic themes as one approaches the central visions.
In many visions there is an “angel who talked with me”. Often God talks directly also. It is not always clear who is talking to whom.

1st night vision Zec 1:7-18 The Horseman A

Zechariah sees a man on a red horse among myrtle trees, surrounded by red, sorrel and white horses. These are identified as ”those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth”. They report that the whole earth is at peace.
The angel responds by asking “How long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?” The peace is therefore negative here, meaning Jerusalem’s bad situation is unchanged. In answer God says “comforting words”: “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse. Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it… My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem” (Zec 1:14-17).
Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon was 586 BC, which at the time of this vision (519 BC) is sixty-seven years ago. The seventy years that Jeremiah predicted are nearly up (Jer 25:12), therefore the question of God soon intervening is understandable. God promises to see that the current effort to rebuild the temple will be successful and to turn Judah’s fortunes around. He acknowledges that Babylon, the nation he used to judge Judah, overdid it and therefore brought God’s anger on itself, resulting in the 539 BC defeat of Babylon.
The first night vision is therefore affirming the current temple construction and assuring the Jews of God’s favor.

8th night vision Zec 6:1-8 Four Chariots A’

The eight night vision brings the series of visions to a conclusion by picking up on pictures from the first vision. Zechariah sees four chariots coming out from between two mountains of bronze, one with red, one with black, one with white, one with dappled grey horses. They are identified as the four winds or four spirits, sent by God to patrol the earth. The message is that they “have set my spirit at rest in the north country” (Zec 6:8). The vision assures God’s watchfulness and control over the situation. The event that has “set his spirit at rest in the north country” is probably that Babylon has been judged in 539 BC.

2nd night vision Zec 1:18-21 Horns and the Smiths B

Zechariah sees four horns (horns symbolizing strength or kings) that are identified as having scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. So the four horns represent Assyria and Babylon, the empires used by God to judge Israel (722 BC) and Judah (586 BC) for their sin.
Then Zechariah sees four blacksmiths who have come to terrify and strike down the four horns. The four blacksmiths therefore represent Medo-Persia, the empire God used to bring Babylon down (539 BC).
The message of the vision is again comforting, affirming God’s sovereignty over powerful empires and his justice in judging them eventually. Some interpret that blacksmiths are craftsman, so they represent God’s favor for the temple construction.

7th night vision Zec 5:5-11 The woman in the Basket B’

Zechariah sees a woman in a basket. The word for basket is ‘ephah’ in Hebrew, a word which is used as a measure in trade. The woman is identified as “wickedness” or the “iniquity in all the land”. The woman is thrust back into the basket, the lid shut and the whole thing is removed by two women with stork wings and brought to the land of Shinar and placed there on a base in a house. The term Shinar appears eight times in the Bible and seems to refer to Mesopotamia. Sometimes it appears in connection with sin, the place where sin originated (garden of Eden).
The picture then again is a comforting one of God being in control over sin and God removing sin from Judah. Both the second and seventh vision are about past sin and God dealing with it.

3rd night vision Zec 2:1-13 The Man with the measuring line C

Zechariah sees a man with a measuring line wanting to measure Jerusalem. A message is sent after him “Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls, because the multitude of people and animals in it. For I will be a wall of fire all around, says the LORD, and I will be the glory within” (Zec 2:4-5).
Again the vision is a comforting one: God promises that Jerusalem will expand, the population will grow abundantly and God himself will be its security and glory, all needed messages to the small band of Jews trying to build the temple. Nehemiah will later build walls for Jerusalem (Neh 2-6) and try to increase Jerusalem’s population (Neh 11). The vision also reminds the Jews of their role of being so inhabited by God, of being such an attractive community that God’s glory would be seen by those around (Exo 19:4-6, Deu 4:6-8).
This is followed by a command to the Jews who have remained in exile to join those in Jerusalem: “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the LORD… Up! Escape to Zion, you that live with daughter Babylon” (Zec 2:6-7). God again assures his protection: “Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye” (Zech 2:8).
Then the whole passage turns Messianic: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD… Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst.” (Zec 2:10-11). This is a very clear picture of the Jews being chosen, of Jerusalem as pivotal point (the cross), and the opening of the blessing for all nations to join in. What a prophetic picture of the New Testament church, with the Gentiles grafted in, becoming God’s very own people in and God dwelling in the midst of his believers. Parallel passages are Mic 4:1-2 and Zec 8:20-23.

6th night vision Zec 5:1-4 The Flying Scroll C’

Zechariah sees an unrolled scroll, flying like a flag of leather. It is called the “curse that goes out over the face of the whole land”, cutting off those who steal or swear falsely. The scroll likely represents the Law, and stealing and swearing falsely represent sin.
The vision describes a purifying of God’s people through the Law or the scriptures. It is parallel to the 3rd night vision which showed an international Messianic Jerusalem community glorifying God.

4th night vision Zec 3:1-10 High Priest Joshua and Satan D

Zechariah sees the current high priest Joshua in filthy clothes and accused by Satan, standing passively throughout the scene. It is God who acts unilaterally. God calls Joshua “a brand plucked from the fire”. He commands him to be stripped of his filthy clothes and clothed in a clean turban and priestly apparel.
He is then given a promise: “If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access” (Zec 3:7). As also in the Law, Kings and Chronicles, the promises hinge on Joshua’s obedience. God re-affirms the priesthood that had been humiliated by the destruction of the temple and the exile. The priesthood is again established at the new altar, before the temple soon to be finished, and re-affirmed in its mediating role.
But then the vision turns Messianic with God saying “Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you! For they are and omen of things to come: I am going to bring my servant the Branch” (Zec 3:8). “The branch” as well as “my servant” are known Messianic titles (Isa 11:1, Isa 49:6, Jer 23:5 etc.).
God continues “For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day” (Zec 3:9). What a prediction of the cross! Stones are another picture used quite frequently in connection with the Messiah: In Dan 2:44 the stone from God destroys all the kingdoms and grows into a huge mountain (the kingdom of God). Isa 28:16 says “I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation”, referring to Jesus (Mrk 12:10). In the gospels Jesus is called the stumbling block, the foundation stone and the finishing stone, the Alpha and the Omega, the author and the finisher of our faith (Isa 14:8, Rom 9:33, 1 Pet 2:8, Heb 12:2, Rev 1:8). The vine and the fig tree mentioned in Zec 3:10 are pictures of peace and prosperity (parallel to Mic 4:4, Jer 23:5).

5th night vision Zec 4:1-14 The Lampstand and the Olive trees D’

The corresponding fourth vision was mostly about the spiritual leader, the high priest Joshua; the fifth vision is mostly about the political leader, the governor Zerubbabel from the Davidic line.
Zechariah sees a golden lampstand with seven lamps, fed with oil from two by-standing olive trees. The two trees are identified as the “two anointed ones”, referring to Zerubbabel and Joshua, because in Israel’s history both priests and kings were anointed.
Zerubbabel is given a word “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts” and a promise: “What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts and ‘Grace, grace to it!’… The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it” (Zec 4:4-9). The vision affirms the role Zerubbabel, from the Davidic line, has played. He – like David – has championed the temple building. Haggai’s last word (Hag 2:20-23), spoken some two years ago, has also called Zerubbabel chosen by God, a signet ring and declared him a type of Christ. Now Messianic aspects are added: besides the physical temple God will build a spiritual temple not by might nor power, but by his spirit. The picture of a lamp stand giving light hints at Jesus, the light of the world (Jhn 8:12); and also with the church, the lamp stand of Rev 1:20. And the crucial thing will be grace.

9th vision or enacted symbol Zec 6:9-15 The Coronation of the Branch

Zechariah is commanded to perform an enacted symbol, to have a crown made and put it on Joshua, the high priest. In this symbol as well as in the word that God gives, there is an increasing overlapping of the role of priest and king, which is untypical for the Old Testament. In the Old Testament God strictly separates between political and spiritual functions and seems to judge quite severely where there is an overstepping of the boundary: Saul’s unlawful sacrifice (1 Sam 13:8-14), David’s military handling of the ark (2 Sam 6:1-11, 1 Chr 15:1-15) and King Uzziah’s incense in the temple (2 Kin 26:16-20).
God says to Joshua: “Here is the man whose name is Branch: for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he that shall build the temple of the LORD; he shall bear royal honor, and shall sit upon his throne and rule. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them” (Zec 6:12-13). Note the mixing and shifting picture. In this ninth vision the roles of Joshua and Zerubbabel, the role of priest and king, the role of spiritual and political leadership are merged. It is only in the Messiah, that these two function are united: Jesus is both High Priest and King of Kings, and he is the ultimate fulfilling of both roles. In a corrupt human it would be too much authority for one person and lead to a disaster.
Also note that the words “Behold the man” (Zec 6:12) is an expression unwittingly used by Pilate to present Jesus to the mob who want to crucify him (John 19:5).
The visions are concluded with another Messianic prophecy about the Gentiles joining in: “Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD” (Zec 6:15), God’s temple, the community of all believers will be built by people of all nations and will be made up of people of all nations.

Hypocritical and true Fasting Zec 7-8

Almost a year after the night visions, more than two years into the building of the temple, in 518 BC, some Jews come to Zechariah with a practical question. They have been observing regular mourning and fasts to commemorate the tragic events around the temple: a fast in the 4th month (the date when Jerusalem was breached, Jer 39:2), a fast in the 5th month (the date when the temple and Jerusalem was burnt, 2 Kin 25:8), a fast in the 7th month (the date when Gedaliah was murdered, 2 Kin 25:25) and a fast in the 10th month (the date when Nebuchadnezzar first closed the siege on Jerusalem, 2 King 25:1). Now with the temple being re-built, these commemorative fasts seem to loose meaning, hence the question.
Zechariah comes back quite strongly (Zec 7:5-7). There is no record of a divine instruction to observe these fasts and basically people put it on themselves, possibly even in an attitude of remorse or self-pity. God isn’t impressed with their fasting. Rather God had made clear through Jeremiah what he wanted: repentance, an acceptance of Babylon’s conquest as God’s judgment on sin and faith in a future restoration.
Zechariah declares to them the ‘fast’ that God wants (parallel to Isa 58): “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another” (Zec 7:9-10, also 8:16-17 and 8:19).
God’s expresses his hope and his commitment to them: “I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy… I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city… the holy mountain. …Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets… the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets… Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me?” (Zec 8:2-6, onward till 8:19). God promises that if they are willing, repentant and obedient, God will make all the good predictions come true. Again this fulfills only partially as many people remain halfhearted (see Ezra and Nehemiah).
God ends again with a Messianic prediction of the Jews being a light to the surrounding nations and many people from many nation and every language joining in to seek the Lord (Zec 8:20-23).

A kaleidoscope of future visions Part 1 Zech 9-11

The remaining chapters of Zechariah are a wild ride, they are highly predictive, highly symbolic and have apocalyptic features. They therefore need to be interpreted figuratively. Remember that the goal of apocalyptic writings is to encourage the faithful under difficult circumstances, to assure them of God’s goodness, his power and his ultimate justice (see the teaching about Revelation). There are many interpretations as to what any specific part may mean. Somebody called Zechariah ‘a Bible scholar’s humility’, referring to the difficulty of interpreting this book. What is clear is that many Messianic passages are found interspersed, and Zechariah is often quoted in the New Testament.

Zec 9:1-8 is a prediction of God’s judgment on neighboring provinces or peoples. The basic message is that God is powerful, sovereignly judging Israel’s traditional enemies in his time. The predictions are probably fulfilled by the conquest of the entire area through Alexander the Great in about the sequence suggested by the text. Some historical information pertaining to this time:
333 BC Damascus treacherously surrendered to Alexander’s general
332 BC Tyre conquered after seven months of siege by Alexander
332 BC Philistia surrenders to Alexander
Zec 9:7b predicts that “Philistia… shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites”. This hopeful prediction comes true: by New Testament times the former Philistia is part of Israel. Note though that Zec 9:8 is not fulfilled literally, neither between the testaments nor during the New Testament time: “Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that no one shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again overrun them, for now I have seen with my own eyes.” Israel is overrun several times in the time between the Testaments (Alexander, Ptolemies, Seleucids) and only for a short time experiences a time of self rule with the Maccabees. By New Testament times the Romans have conquered the area and dominate it.
Zec 9:9-17 describes a very different king arising and setting up a very different kingdom: the Messiah. Zec 9:9 is quoted in Mth 21:5, Luk 19:35 and Joh 12:15. Most likely Zec 9:10-16 is figurative language, referring to the expanding New Testament church. Note how specifically and accurately Jesus and his character is projected in Zec 9:9-10 and how accurately and strongly the New Covenant is prophesied in Zec 9:11-12.
Zech 10:1-11:3 describes a restoration of Judah and Israel. These passages would encourage the little remnant in Judah, struggling to build a temple. It would inspire them to be faithful even though being under the domination of foreign empires for now.
Zec 11:4-17 has a running theme of a good and some bad shepherds (leaders). The reference to the good shepherd is most likely Messianic, but the story is not very clear other than that. The good shepherd is rejected by the bad shepherds and removed from his post. He is given a meagre thirty shekels of silver, which he throws into the treasury. This is quoted in Mth 27:9-10 and has clear parallels to Jesus being sold for thirty shekels of silver. In the Law (Ex 21:23) thirty shekels was the worth of a dead slave, so the amount is derogatory. Some think that this is a true story of Zechariah actually acting as shepherd and being mistreated, giving rise to the prophecy.
The passage has some scary tones to it, maybe referring to the Jews’ refusal to believe Jesus, but more likely expressing that with Jesus, the stumbling block, each heart must eventually either come to believe or rebel.

A kaleidoscope of future visions Part 2 Zech 12-14

The time element “on that day” (Zec 12:4) probably relegates this entire prophecy to a time beyond, beyond Jesus’ first coming and beyond us today, likely referring to Jesus’ second coming. Zechariah’s prophecy has parallels to descriptions of the final battle in Joel 3, Eze 38 and Rev 20. The prophecy is written in terms of “Israel” and “Judah” but probably needs to be interpreted as ‘God’s people’ here (believing Jews and Gentiles, Gal 3:6) and the term ‘Jerusalem’ as “the city of God” in its extended meaning as the community of believers, the church (Mic 4:1-2).
Zech 12:1-9 describes the last battle and Jerusalem’s victory, a picture of God judging all evil governments and humans. But a transformation is needed also in the hearts of the willing: Zech 12:10-13:9 describes a repentance happening, an acceptance of the shepherd, which is the work of the Spirit: “And I will pout out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him” (Zech 12:10, quoted in Joh 19:37). This is most prominently fulfilled in Acts 2 with thousands converting, but also in Luke 23:48 when people witness Jesus’ death “And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts”. In a wider sense it is also fulfilled in every person who turns to Christ, every repentance being a work of the Spirit. Parallel passages are the Messianic verses in Psa 22 or Rev 1:7 “Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.” Isa 53:5 reminds us why he was pierced “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole”. Zec 13:1-9 describes the cleansing of sin and impurity the Messiah will accomplish, leading to a transformed life. The famous Zec 13:7 “Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered” is quoted in Mth 26:31 and Mrk 14:27.
Zec 14:1-5b describes the fall of Jerusalem, possibly referring to the conquest and destruction by the Romans in 70 AD, detailing in figurative language the escape of the Jerusalem church to Pella (68 AD, Zec 14:3-5). Or else the entire passage (Zec 14:1-21) refers to Jesus’ second coming with its decisive and final judgment on evil and complete restoration for all that is redeemable, leading to a state where everything will be cleansed, holy, perfect and put to right use.
Zechariah leaves his listeners with a picture of hope, with a vision to hold on to and with a desire for the Messiah.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Who wrote? Zechariah – the person

• Zec 1:1 word came to Zechariah, a repeated introductory sentence in the 3rd person, also in 1:7, 7:1, 7:8
• Zec 1:8 “I saw …” visions and interaction in the visions are in the “I” form, 1st person almost throughout ch 1-6
• So most likely written by Zechariah himself, a growing collection of his written visions and oracles.
• Because of some distinct differences between the chapters 1-8 and 9-14 some suggest another author (or two other authors).
• Actually it is suggested that Malachi (whose name is simply “messenger”) as well as the second part of Zechariah were written by other prophets, whose writings were stuck at the end of the minor prophets, and later got absorbed into Zechariah and Malachi.
• Others hold that there is a chiastic structure underlying the book that holds the two parts together naturally. Indeed the two parts are not that alike, but there is lots of common themes and the same tone of encouragement and challenge through the whole book.

What can we know about Zechariah?

• Zechariah means “God has remembered”. All in all there are 28 Zechariahs in the Bible, so careful with identification
• Zec 1:1 “Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo.”
• Iddo, his grandfather, could be the same person as the Iddo mentioned in Neh 12:4 as one of the priests that came to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in the first return. If so Zechariah was both prophet and priest.
• It would also mean he is still quite young, and returned some 16 years ago with his father and grand-father to Judah.
• In Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 he is called “son of Iddo”. Some think his father Berechiah died early, but also ‘son of’ means ‘descendant of’.
• a Zechariah is also mentioned to be a “head of ancestral houses” in the days of Joiakim the priests. Neh 12:16
• Jesus mentions Zechariah, son of Barachia as one of the prophets that got martyred “whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar” Mth 23:35. There are no other sources mentioning his martyrdom.

When written? The timing

• First date          Zec 1:1     8th m, in the 2nd year of Darius                                        Oct / Nov 520 BC
• Second date     Zec 1:7     24th day of the 11th m of Shebat, 2nd year of Darius    Feb 15th 519 BC
• Third date        Zec 7:1    4th y of King Darius, 9th m Chislev                                  Nov / Dec 518 BC
• Zechariah starts prophesying 2m after Haggai and continues to do so at least through half (probably more) of the 4 y of temple building. The remainder of the book is not dated any more.
• When was the book written? Records probably shortly after getting the visions, words, oracles. In the Zec 2:4 vision Zechariah is described as a ‘young man’ (?), so he may well live another 60 years. Estimated 520 – 460 BC latest.

Written to whom? The first hearers and first readers

• Ezr 5:1 … the returned Jews (1st group) under governor Zerubbabel and high priest Joshua in Jerusalem and Judah
• Haggai and Zechariah: same time / same basic practical message of temple building / same audience
• First hearers > 1st group returning
• First readers > going on 2nd generation after returning

Where from?

• Ezra 5:1 clearly suggests Jerusalem. Also Zechariah addressing the high priest and the governor, as well as speaking about the temple strongly suggests Jerusalem

Literary kind

• Prose:    Zec 1-8, as well as roughly Zec 11:4 to the end.
• Poetry:  Zec 9-10, as well as Zec 11:1-3; 11:17 and 13:7-9.

Literary structure

• prophecy, including visions, words, oracles, allegory and apocalyptic imagery

Composition

• dreams, visions, apocalyptic imagery

Political Condition

• When King Cyrus of Medo-Persia conquers the vast Babylonian empire in 539 BC, he reverses the forceful re-settlement policies of the Babylonians.
• He issues an edict in 538 BC that the peoples that had been exiled by Babylon were allowed to return to their ancestral lands and rebuild the temples of their gods (Ezr 1:2-4), thus fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy that he exile would only last seventy years (Jer 29:10).
• Some forty-two thousand high-minded Jews respond to this historic turn of events and move back to the promised land in 536 BC.
• The Jews had actually fared better than expected in exile and to give up all they built up there to return to Israel would have been a sacrifice.
• They have high hopes of God restoring the fortunes of their people, giving them back their land, and fulfilling the amazing promises spoken by prophets like Isaiah, Micah, Amos etc.
• But for all their hopes, obedience and sacrifice the returned Jews find themselves in a less than ideal situation: they are still under the over-lordship of the idolatrous Medo-Persian empire, they have to share the land with other nations that had moved in during the exile, and they struggle economically.
• Upon arrival they do manage to restore the altar in Jerusalem, re-establish the sacrificial system and feasts and lay the foundations of the temple (Ezr 3:3-7).
• But quickly opposition arises: the foreign peoples with which they now co-live use threats, bribes and red tape to frustrate the Jews’ efforts of temple rebuilding (Ezr 4:4-5). The returnees are discouraged, they stop building the temple and some sixteen years pass.
• Then in 520 BC, God calls both the prophet Zechariah and the prophet Haggai to challenge the Jews to start building the temple again.

Persian history of the time

• 530 BC Cyrus killed in battle
• 529 BC Cambyses II, Cyrus’ son reigns. He is tyrannical, fearful of any threat to the throne, kills his popular brother. Conquers Egypt, adding it to the Persian empire. His armies passing through Israel would have caused damage and poverty by looting.
• 522 BC Cambyses hears that one person, pretending to be his brother, usurped the throne, Cambyses commits suicide. These unsure & instable times would have increased people’s Messiah hopes.
  Darius son of the governor of Susa claims the throne, kills the usurper, defeats rebel faction.
• 520 BC Haggai and Zechariah prophecy. Temple building restarted. Challenged by Persian governors, who write to Darius. Darius find’s Cyrus’ approval of the project in the court records (Ezr 5:6-6:12). Darius stops the interference and orders that material help must be given to the Jews (> he does not fear a Jewish rebellion
• 516 BC Temple is finished without further interference
  Later Medo-Persian clashes with Greece and oppression of Jews by Persian Governors based in Samaria (high taxes, etc) would have created a feeling of helplessness in the Jews, future hoped are dampened, leading to low morale > low morals / religious apathy

Religious Condition

• See Ezra 1-6 and the background information given for the prophet Haggai.
• faithful, believing, sacrificial remnant returning (1st group), yet seems to quite easily compromise (build own houses first), be discouraged (temple stopped) etc.

Reigning Kings?

• Medo-Persia
  • 539-530 BC    Cyrus
  • 530-522 BC    Cambyses II
  • 522 BC            Smerdis
  • 522-486 BC   Darius I
• Judah
  • 539 BC            Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Jehoiachin? … called prince of Judah in Ezr 1:8
• Highpriesthood
  • 539-508 BC   Joshua
  • 508-473 BC   Joiakim
  • 473-423 BC    Eliahshib

Contemporary prophets?

• Haggai, as stated in Ezr 5:1

Main Ideas

• Command or encouragement to build the temple
• Need for obedience and spiritual renewal in order to be blessed by God, in order to be ‘inhabitable’ by God, in order to recognize the Messiah
• The temple, the priesthood, the Davidic governor, all are pictures pointing beyond the physical, foreshadowing the Messiah and his believers
• Prediction about the messianic age, last days
• God’s sovereignty over past, present, future and any political power

Main Reasons

• Encouraging the 1st hearers, readers to build the temple but even more so to obey and seek God
• Pointing them beyond the inferior, physical, present temple, priesthood, ruler to the Messiah, who is all three functions in one
• Giving clues how to recognize the Messiah

Dates in Haggai & Zechariah

Repeated themes in Zechariah

• “The word of the LORD came”             6 times in 6 verses
• “Thus says the LORD”                          19 times in 19 verses
• “LORD”                                                   141 times in 110 verses
• “LORD of hosts”                                     53 times in 46 verses
• “the angel who talked with me”          11 times in 11 verses
• “the angel of the LORD”                         6 times in 6 verses
• “angel”                                                      21 times in 20 verses
• God saying “I will”                                48 times in 35 verses
• It seems Zechariah is full of God speaking, God promising, God announcing his acting. The whole book is concerned with a God who acts on Israel’s behalf.

Interpretation of Zechariah – the first division

The opening message

• In his first message Zechariah simply calls his contemporary Jews to repentance: “Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you” (Zec 1:3). He challenges them to not be like their ancestors, who refused to listen to the voice of the earlier prophets (Zec 1:4-6). He calls them to repent, to understand God’s character and to enter into relationship with God, all of which are the typical messages of a prophet.
• Since Zechariah speaks this word about two months after Haggai’s first message, the Jews are already obeying God and have started the construction work of the temple. So it seems that Zechariah is not primarily trying to get the Jews to obey a building command, rather he is speaking about an attitude beyond the outward obedience, challenging his hearers in their very hearts.
• It is an interpretation of what happened in the past, an interpretation what is happening currently and a specific challenge for now. Right here we don’t have a future-focused prophesy, but don’t forget, that the future isn’t the only topic of a prophet at all!

The eight night visions

Some two months later Zechariah has a series of eight night visions (Zec 1:7-6:8), some of which contain quite bizarre imagery. They are symmetrically arranged (is seems) with the first and the eighth, the second and the seventh, the third and the sixth and the fourth and the fifth having similarities. There is also a ninth vision (or an enacted symbol) which sheds light on the fourth and fifth vision. Note the increasingly Messianic themes as one approaches the central visions.
In many visions there is an “angel who talked with me”. Often also God talks directly. It is not always clear who is talking to whom.

1st night vision                   Zec 1:7-18                 The Horseman             A

• Zechariah sees a man on red horse among myrtle trees, surrounded by red, sorrel and white horses. These are identified as “those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth”. They report that the whole earth is at peace.
• The angel responds by asking “How long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?” The peace is therefore negative here, meaning Jerusalem’s bad situation is unchanged. In answer God says “comforting words”: “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am extremely angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they made the disaster worse. Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion; my house shall be built in it … My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem” (Zec 1:14-17).
• Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon was 586 BC, which at the time of this vision (519 BC) 67 years ago. The seventy years that Jeremiah predicted are nearly up (Jer 25:12), so the question of God soon intervening is understandable. God promises to see that the current effort to rebuild the temple will be successful and to turn Judah’s fortunes around. He acknowledges that Babylon, the nation he used to judge Judah, overdid it and therefore brought God’s anger on itself (539 BC).
• The first night vision is therefore affirming the current temple construction and assuring the Jews of God’s favor.

8th night vision                  Zec 6:1-8                       Four Chariots                     A’

• The eight night vision brings the series to a conclusion by again picking up on the first vision. Zechariah sees four chariots coming out from between two mountains of bronze, one with red, one with black, one with white, one with dappled gray horses. They are identified as the four winds or four spirits, sent by God to patrol the earth. The message is that they “have set my spirit at rest in the north country” (Zec 6:8).
• The vision assures God’s watchfulness and control over the situation. The event that has set his spirit at rest in the north country is probably that Babylon has been judged.

2nd night vision                 Zec 1:18-21                  Horns and the Smiths       B

• Zechariah sees four horns (horns symbolizing strength or kings) that are identified as having scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. So the four horns represent Assyria and Babylon, the empires God used to judge Israel (722 BC) and Judah (586 BC) for their sin.
• Then Zechariah sees four blacksmiths who have come to terrify and strike down the four horns. The four blacksmiths therefore represent Medo-Persia, the empire God used to bring Babylon down (539 BC).
  The message of the vision is again comforting, affirming God’s sovereignty over powerful empires and his justice in judging them eventually. Some interpret that blacksmiths are craftsman, so they represent God’s favor for the temple construction.

7th night vision                   Zec 5:5-11                  The woman in the Basket            B’

• Zechariah sees a woman in a basket. The word for basket is “ephah” in Hebrew, a word which is used as a measure in trade. The woman is identified as “wickedness” or the “iniquity in all the land”. The woman is thrust back into the basket, the lid shut and the whole thing is removed by two women with stork wings and brought to the land of Shinar and placed there on a base in a house. The term Shinar appears eight times in the Bible and seems to refer to Mesopotamia. Sometimes it appears in connection with sin, the place where sin originated.
• The picture then again is a comforting one of God being in control over sin and God removing sin from Judah. Both the second and seventh vision deal with past sin and God dealing with it.

3rd night vision                    Zec 2:1-13                  The Man with the measuring line    C

• Zechariah sees a man with a measuring line wanting to measure Jerusalem. A message is sent after him “Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls, because the multitude of people and animals in it. For I will be a wall of fire all around, says the LORD, and I will be the glory within” (Zec 2:4-5).
• Again the vision is a comforting one: God promises that Jerusalem will expand, the population will grow abundantly and God himself will be its security, all needed messages to the small band of Jews trying to build the temple. Nehemiah will later build an actual wall (Neh 2-6) and try to increase Jerusalem’s population (Neh 11). The vision also reminds the Jews of their role of being so inhabited by God, of being such an attractive community that God’s glory would be seen by those around (Exo 19:4-6, Deu 4:6-8).
• This is followed by a command to the Jews who have remained in exile to join those in Jerusalem: “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the LORD… Up! Escape to Zion, you that live with daughter Babylon” (Zec 2:6-7). God again assures his protection: “Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye” (Zec 2:8).
• Then the whole passage turns Messianic: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD … Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst.” (Zec 2:10-11). This is a very clear picture of the Jews being chosen, of Jerusalem as pivotal point (the cross), and the opening of the blessing for all nations to join in. What a prophetic picture of the New Testament church, with the Gentiles grafted in, becoming God’s very own people in and God dwelling in the midst of his believers. Parallel passages are Mic 4:1-2 and Zec 8:20-23 for example.

6th night vision                Zec 5:1-4                The Flying Scroll                           C’

• Zechariah sees an unrolled scroll, flying like a flag of leather. It is called the “curse that goes out over the face of the whole land”, cutting off those who steal or swear falsely. The scroll represents the Law, and stealing and swearing falsely represent sin.
• The vision describes a purifying of God’s people through the Law or the scriptures. It is parallel to the 3rd night vision which showed a Messianic international Jerusalem community glorifying God.
• Only on the basis of repentance God’s presence becomes desirable. The stealing and swearing falsely probably stand for typical sinners. For the repentant sin is forgiven and life comes. To the unrepentant sin is judged and destruction comes.

4th night vision                Zec 3:1-10            High Priest Joshua and Satan     D

• Zechariah sees the current High priest Joshua in filthy clothes and accused by Satan, standing passively throughout the scene. It is God who acts unilaterally. God calls Joshua “a brand plucked from the fire”. He commands him to be stripped of his filthy clothes and clothed in a clean turban and priestly apparel.
• He is then given a stunning promise: “If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access” (Zec 3:7). As also in the Law, Kings and Chronicles, the promises hinge on Joshua’s obedience. God re-affirms the priesthood that had been humiliated by the destruction of the temple and the exile. The priesthood is again established at the new altar, before the temple soon to be finished, re-affirmed in its mediating role.
• But then the vision turns Messianic with God saying “Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you! For they are and omen of things to come: I am going to bring my servant the Branch” (Zec 3:8). “The branch” as well as “my servant” are known messianic titles (Isa 11:1, Isa 49:6, Jer 23:5 etc.).
• God continues “For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day” (Zec 3:9). What a prediction of the cross! Stones are another picture used quite frequently in connection with the Messiah: In Dan 2:44 the stone from God that destroys all the kingdoms and grows into a huge mountain (the kingdom of God). Isaiah 28:16 says “I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation”, referring to Jesus (Mrk 12:10). In the gospels Jesus is called the stumbling block, the foundation stone and the finishing stone, the Alpha and the Omega, the author and the finisher of our faith (Isa 14:8, Rom 9:33, 1 Pet 2:8, Heb 12:2, Rev 1:8, etc.). The vine and the fig tree mentioned in Zec 3:10 are pictures of peace and prosperity (parallel to Mic 4:4, Jer 23:5).
• Note how other themes are linked to the Messiah. There is one more passage about “the branch” in Zec 6:11-12: the branch is crowned, the branch builds the temple, the branch shall bear royal honor, shall sit upon the throne. Jer 23:5 “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is righteousness.”
• The stone that is mentioned in Zec 3:9, is probably the same as in Zec 4:7, where it is described as the top stone of the temple construction, the finishing piece.
• Zec 3:10 … the vine and the fig tree probably are pictures of peace and prosperity. Parallel passages are Mic 4:1-4 … God’s kingdom is exalted, many nations flow to Jerusalem, to the mountain of the Lord, it’s a kingdom of security and peace … which is parallel to Isa 2:2-4, 65:25 and also Zec 8:20-23. It is a picture of the New Covenant, of the kingdom of God.

5th night vision                  Zec 4:1-14               The Lamp stand and the Olive trees   D’

• The corresponding fourth vision was mostly about the spiritual leader, the High priest Joshua; the fifth vision is mostly about the political leader, the governor Zerubbabel from the Davidic line.
  Zechariah sees a golden lamp stand with seven lamps, fed by with oil from two by-standing olive trees. The two trees are identified as the “two anointed ones”, referring to Zerubbabel and Joshua, because in Israel’s history both priests and kings were anointed.
• Zerubbabel is given a word “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts” and a promise: “What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts and ‘Grace, grace to it!’ … The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it” (Zec 4:4-9). The vision affirms the role Zerubbabel, from the Davidic line, has played. He – like David – has championed the temple building. Haggai’s last word (Hag 2:20-23), spoken some two years ago, has also called Zerubbabel chosen by God, a signet ring and declared him a type of Christ. Now Messianic aspects are added: besides the physical temple God will build a spiritual temple not by might nor power, but by his spirit. The picture of a lamp stand giving light links with Jesus, the light of the world; and also with the church, the lamp stand of Rev 1:20. And the crucial thing will be grace.
• There are different opinions on the picture itself, whether the olive trees are feeding oil into the bowl or whether they are being fed out of the bowl.
• Do not despise the days of small beginnings, we do not foresee just what God will do with it, we may see some of it, much more will come, trust God with the now, be faithful in the present … how do I spend my time, money, possibilities … so spend it that there will be a blessing for centuries to come.

9th vision or enacted symbol       Zec 6:9-15      The Coronation of the Branch

• Zechariah is commanded to perform an enacted symbol, to have a crown made and put it on Joshua, the high priest. In this symbol as well as in the word that God gives, there is an increasing overlapping of the role of priest and king, which is untypical for the Old Testament. In the Old Testament God strictly separates between political and spiritual functions and seems to judge quite severely where there is a overstepping of the boundary: Saul’s unlawful sacrifice (1 Sam 13:8-14), David’s military handling of the ark (2 Sam 6:1-11, 1 Chr 15:1-15) and King Uzziah’s incense in the temple (2 Kin 26:16-20).
• God says to Joshua: “Here is the man whose name is Branch: for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he that shall build the temple of the LORD; he shall bear royal honor, and shall sit upon his throne and rule. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them” (Zec 6:12-13). Note the mixing and shifting picture. In this ninth vision the roles of Joshua and Zerubbabel, the role of priest and king, the role of spiritual and political leadership are merged. It is only in the Messiah, that these two function are united: Jesus is both High Priest and King of Kings, and he is the ultimate fulfilling of both roles. In a corrupt human it would be too much authority and lead to a disaster.
• Also note that the words “Behold the man” (Zec 6:12), and expression unwittingly used by Pilate to present Jesus to the mob who wanted to crucify him (Jhn 19:5).
• The visions are concluded with another Messianic prophecy about the Gentiles joining in: “Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD” (Zec 6:15), God’s temple, the community of all believers will be built up of people of all nations.
• Note though that the word used for crown here in not the one normally used for crowning kings. It does speak of high honor, not necessarily of royalty.
• Did Zechariah think Joshua to be the Messiah? Note that Joshua is in a sense called “the branch” but straight after it is said, that the branch “shall grow up in this place”, so isn’t here yet.
• Here Joshua is prophesied to build the temple, in Zec 4:9 it said Zerubbabel. Also here the crowned figure (in the physical the high priest) is said to have a priest by his throne Zec 6:13.
• The branch is the servant Zec 4:8. The branch shall build the temple of the Lord Zec 6:12. The branch shall bear royal honor Zec 6:13. The branch shall sit upon his throne and rule Zec 6:13. The branch is identified with and grows up in the place of the high priest Zec 6:12. > the Messiah, the Priest King, the Lord of Lords, the final high priest.

Hypocritical and true Fasting                       Zec 7-8

• Almost a year after the night visions, more than two years into the building of the temple, in 518 BC some people come to Zechariah with a practical question. They have been observing regular fasts to commemorate the tragic events around the temple: a fast in the 4th month (the date when Jerusalem was breached, Jer 39:2), a fast in the 5th month (the date when the temple and Jerusalem was burnt, 2 Kin 25:8), a fast in the 7th month (the date when Gedaliah was murdered, 2 Kin 25:25) and a fast in the 10th month (the date when Nebuchadnezzar first closed the siege on Jerusalem, 2 Kin 25:1). Now with the temple being re-built, these commemorative fasts seem to loose meaning, hence the question.
• Zechariah comes back quite strongly (Zec 7:5-7). There is no record of a divine instruction to observe these fasts and basically people put it on themselves, possibly even in an attitude of remorse or self-pity. God isn’t impressed with their fasting. Rather God had made clear through Jeremiah what he wanted: repentance, an acceptance of Babylon’s conquest as God’s judgment on sin and faith in a future restoration.
• Zechariah declares to them the ‘fast’ that God wants (parallel to Isa 58): “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.” (Zec 7:9-10, also 8:16-17 and 8:19).
• God’s expresses his hope and his commitment to them: “I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy … I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city … the holy mountain. …Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets … the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets … Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me?” (Zec 8:2-6, onward till 8:19). God promises that if they are willing, repentant and obedient, God will make all the good predictions come true. Again this fulfils only partially as many people remain half-hearted (see Ezra and Nehemiah).
• God ends again with a Messianic prediction of the Jews being a light to the surrounding nations and many from many nation and every language joining in to seek the Lord (Zec 8:20-23).
  God stated what he desired many times in the law and through the prophets. Parallel to Isaiah 58 “Is this not the fast that I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness …”. God wants obedience, not sacrifice, mercy, not the following of rituals.
• Again there is the old Deuteronomy-connection between obedience and blessing, disobedience and unpleasant consequences.
  The tone of Zechariah’s answer is challenging, but not negative. He affirms God’s promises to Zion Zec 8:1-17 and prophesies the fast times to become feast times in Zec 8:18-19.
  Again keep in mind the partial fulfillment of these promises in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah and between the testaments … but also the certain disappointment, the certain unsettling feeling that remains …

Interpretation of Zechariah – the second division

A kaleidoscope of future visions Part 1 Zech 9-11

• The remaining chapters of Zechariah are a wild ride, they are highly predictive, highly symbolic and have apocalyptical features. They therefore need to be interpreted figuratively. Remember that the goal of apocalyptic writings is to encourage the faithful under difficult circumstances, to assure them of God’s goodness, his power and his ultimate justice. There are many interpretations as to what any specific part may mean. Somebody called Zechariah ‘a Bible scholar’s humility’, referring to the difficulty of interpreting this book. What is clear is that many messianic passages are found interspersed, and Zechariah is often quoted in the New Testament.
• Zec 9:1-8 is a prediction of God’s judgment on neighboring provinces. The basic message is that God is powerful, sovereignly judging Israel’s traditional enemies in his time. The predictions are probably fulfilled by the conquest of the entire area through Alexander the Great in around 330 BC in about the sequence suggested by the text. Some historical information:
  • 333 BC Damascus treacherously surrendered to Alexander’s general
  • 332 BC Tyre conquered after 7 months of siege
  • 332 BC Philistia surrenders to Alexander
• Zec 9:7b predicts that “Philistia … shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites”. This comes true: by NT times the former Philistia is part of Israel. Note though that Zec 9:8 is not fulfilled literally, neither between the testaments nor during the New Testament time: “Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that no one shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again overrun them, for now I have seen with my own eyes.” Israel is overrun several times in the time between the Testaments (Alexander, Ptolemaians, Seleucids) and only for a short time experiences a time of own rulership with the Maccabees. By New Testament times the Romans have conquered the area and dominate it.
• Zec 9:9-17 describes a very different king arising and setting up a very different kingdom: the Messiah. Zec 9:9 is quoted in Mth 21:5, Luk 19:35 and Joh 12:15. Most likely Zec 9:10-16 is figurative language, referring to the expanding New Testament church. Note how specifically and accurately Jesus and his character is projected in Zec 9:9-10 and how accurately and strongly the New Covenant is prophesied in Zec 9:11-12.
• Zech 10:1-11:3 describes a restoration of Judah and Israel. These passages would encourage and inspire hope in the little remnant in Judah, struggling to build a temple and for their existence as a province under dominating empires.
• Zec 11:4-17 has a running theme of a good and some bad shepherds (leaders). The reference to the good shepherd is most likely Messianic, but the story is not very clear at all. He is rejected by the bad shepherds and removed from his post. He is given a meager 30 shekels of silver, which he throws into the treasury. This is quoted in Mth 27:9-10 and has clear parallels to Jesus being sold for 30 shekels of silver. In the Law (Exo 21:23) thirty shekels was the worth of a dead slave, so the amount is derogatory. Some think that this is a true story of Zechariah actually acting as shepherd and being mistreated, giving rise to the prophecy.
• The passage has some scary tones to it, maybe referring to the Jews’ refusal to believe Jesus, but more likely expressing that with Jesus, the stumbling block, each heart must eventually either come to believe or rebel.
• Scary tones: … “I will cause them, every one, to fall each into the hand of a neighbor, and each into the hand of the king; and they shall devastate the earth, and I will deliver no one from their hand … In one month I disposed of the three shepherds, for I had become impatient with them, and they also detested me. So I said, I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die … I took my staff Favor and broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples” then he asks for wages and is paid by a ridiculous 30 shekels of silver.
• The connection with Jesus makes one think the rejection and the broken covenant refers to the stubborn Jews who refuse to believe in the Messiah and so salvation is passed on to the Gentiles. On the other hand the passage addresses itself at several points specifically to all humans “inhabitants of the earth”,” the covenant that I had made with all the peoples”. Maybe this passage prophesies what in the gospel is “Jesus as stumbling block”, as person at which all human hearts eventually either must come believing or must rebel. This is true for the Jews first, but also for the Gentiles.
• Zec 11:4 Sheep owner, sheep, hired shepherd, buyer.
• Zec 11:6 judgment on leaders and people. Could be the fulfillment of the passages, or what God will do to bad leaders at the time of the first hearers. Zec 8:16-17 talks about injustice in the society, leaders are not mentioned, often leaders would be involved. In Nehemiah we saw that there was corrupt leadership at the time.
• Zec 11:4-6 shows what it will look like when they reject good leadership.
• Zec 11:7 “I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter”, referring to Zechariah. He takes two staffs, ‘favor’ or ‘union’, tended the sheep. Within one month I removed 3 shepherds, probably referring to his fellow-shepherd / leaders. ‘One month’ means within a short time. These are also hired by the owner. Removed doesn’t mean killing them, but removing them. “I became impatient with them, and they also despised me”. ‘them’ is probably those who hired Zechariah (those removed are removed). Zechariah is not watching his own sheep, but does it for an owner, who wants to later sell them..
• Zec 11:9 “so I said, I will not be your shepherd”. Zechariah is impatient with the owners, he resigns from the contract. What is dying let it die … sheep will be sold to slaughter, will be destroyed. Then he takes the ‘favor’ staff and breaks it.
• Zec 11: Word is linked with tribal allotment, with getting the inheritance. Zechariah is rejected as shepherd, so both favor and union is broken. When the people are rejecting the leadership of God, then God will break the relationship with the people, and will establish a new people. This is not a union between Israel and Judah, but with new willing people.
• Zec 11:14 Breaking of union staff = Israel and Judah’s brotherhood broken. 30 pieces of silver. Quoted in the NT concerning Judah.
• How to understand this? Referring in principle to Jesus. People reject Jesus and God as leaders, there will be an end to the old covenant. God will make a new covenant. 30 pieces: ‘price to pay for a wounded slave is 30 shekels. So: price of a slave > derogatory about Zechariah’s work, showing how people look at Zechariah’s leadership. Some say: law values slaves. Neh 5:15 mentions 40 shekels, seen as too much to extract from people, as pressure. It is not clear whether 30 shekels is meant to mean a bigger amount or a laughable amount, but it becomes a symbol of the rejection, but the final destination of the 30 shekel: the temple. This is a now broken covenant.
• From a NT perspective: their understanding of being the people of God. They are the Jews, have the land, the inheritance, but God says: if you reject me then I will set up a new people.
• Zec 11:15-17 Take up the equipment of a worthless shepherd. – Can’t explain these verses. Maybe just to contrast good and bad leadership.
• The big picture of this enactment: type of what Jesus is to do, Zechariah becomes a type of Christ. God will set up a new covenant when the old is rejected.

A kaleidoscope of future visions Part 2                        Zech 12-14

• The time element “on that day” (Zec 12:4) probably relegates this prophecy to a time beyond, beyond Jesus first coming and beyond us today, likely referring to Jesus’ second coming. Zechariah’s prophecy has parallels to descriptions of the final battle in Joel 3, Eze 38 and Rev 20. The prophecy is written in terms of “Israel” and “Judah” but probably need to be interpreted as ‘God’s people’ here (believing Jews and the Gentiles, Gal 3:6) and the term “Jerusalem” as ‘the city of God’ in its extended meaning as the community of believers, the church (Mic 4:1-2).
• Zech 12:1-9 describes the last battle and Jerusalem’s victory, a picture of God judging all evil governments and humans. But a transformation is needed also in the hearts of the willing: Zec 12:10-13:9 describes a repentance happening, an acceptance of the shepherd, which is a work of the Spirit “And I will pout out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him” (Zec 12:10, quoted in Jhn 19:37). This is most prominently fulfilled in Acts 2 with thousands converting, but also in Luke 23:48 when people witness Jesus’ death “And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts”. In a wider sense it is also fulfilled in every person who turns to Christ, every repentance is a work of the Spirit. Parallel passages are the Messianic Psa 22 or Rev 1:7 “Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.” Isa 53:5 reminds us why he was pierced “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole”.
• The mourning in Zec 12:11 is compared to another morning in Judah’s history: for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo which refers to King Josiah 2 Kin 35:22-25.
• Zec 12:1-2 “I will make Jerusalem into a ‘cup of staggering'”, or ‘cup of wine’, cause staggering, destruction on those who ‘drink Jerusalem’. Like Jer 25, a cup of wrath drunk by the nations.
• Zec 12: 3 Jerusalem will be a heavy stone. The nations will come and try to pick it up, and it will crush them. Similar picture as verse before: those who attack Jerusalem will destroy themselves by it.
• Zec 12:4 I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness > they will not be able to mount an attack on Jerusalem. Strike horses with blindness. Nothing to fear.
• Zec 12:5 Clans of Judah shall say to myself, ‘Jerusalem has strength through the Lord of hosts’.
• Zec 12:6 Clans of Judah made like a blazing pot of on a pile of wood … like torch … flammable materials around … pot will inflame pile of wood, torch will inflame the sheaths … picture of Judah victorious and devour their enemies.
• Zec 12:7-9 God will give victory first the tents of Judah, then the house of David in Jerusalem. Probably a picture of unity, Judah will have the same honor as Jerusalem. Feeblest will be like David, able to fight, like the angel of the Lord, a picture of strength, victory.
• Zec 12:9 God will destroy all the nations coming against Jerusalem. Not one specific nation, rather an end time final judgment on the enemies of God.
• Zec 12:10-14 Spirit of compassion and supplication on house of David and Jerusalem, so that when they look on whom that they have pierced, then they shall mourn. Different pictures of mourning. Jn 19 refers to this, Jesus being pierced on the cross. When they look at Jesus they will repent.
• Zec 12:11 great mourning as Hadad-rimmon in plain of Megiddo, as Josiah, son of Amon, strongly mourned him, as at the death of an only child.
• Zec 12:12-14 House of David mourns, Nathan (could be David’s son Nathan or Nathan the prophet), then Levites, priests … meaning leaders are mourning … or meaning everybody is mourning.
• Zec 13:1-9 describes the cleansing of sin and impurity the Messiah will accomplish, leading to a transformed life. The famous Zec 13:7 is quoted in Mth 26:31 and Mrk 14:27.
• Zec 13:1 “On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity”. What a beautiful and specific prophecy! It is fulfilled with Jesus’ atoning death and continuously ever since.
• Note here how again the OT terms “house of David” and “inhabitants of Jerusalem” are clearly applying to the church universal, the believers of the Jews and all nations.
• It is parallel to Eze 47 with the river running from under the throne, with Joel 3:18, with Joh 7:37-38 “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” and with Rev 21, the new heaven and earth
• Zec 13:2-6 is a picture of sanctification, of living a holy life. Specifically there will be no idolatry any more, no “false” prophets, no unclean spirit, no deception. The theme of no place for false prophets in the kingdom is paralleled in Rev 21:8 … no liars in the New Jerusalem. Deu 13: punishment of false prophets. Law will be following the law to well that they will go against children if idolatrous. Prophet will be ashamed of their vision, no hairy cloak to deceive (Jacob deceiving Isaac). Wounds on your back: self-inflicted wounds in idol worship (Elijah on Carmel). All to say that false prophets will no longer dare to operate. Deception won’t influence them any more.
• Zec 13:6 The wounds are literally “wounds between your hands”, that is wounds on your body, whether chest or back. These might refer to self-inflicted wounds of priests of idols, for example the prophets of Baal. There is irony to the explanation “I received them in the house of my friends” … there is a possibility of a sexual connotation in the word “friends”, which would probably refer to immoral rituals in idol worship. In contrast Jesus, the true prophet, has wound on his back and chest because he sacrificed his life.
• Zec 13:7-9 is clearly messianic and is fulfilled when Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane and all the disciples flee. Zec 13:7 is quoted in Mth 26:31 and Mrk 14:27. The sifting and testing in Zec 13:8-9 is a very realistic picture of the pressures on the early church. NT quote. God’s shepherd (back to the shepherd picture), strike him and the sheep will be scattered (disciples leaving Jesus in Gethsemane). Two thirds / one third … Rev use a third, Ezekiel’s hair a third here and there. Meaning: some will reject Jesus and some will not. One third > fire, here positive, as silver is refined, they will call on me.
• Zec 14:1-5b describes the fall of Jerusalem, possibly referring to 70 AD, detailing in figurative language the escape of the Jerusalem church to Pella (68 AD) in Zec 14:3-5. Or else the entire passage (Zec 14:1-21) refers to Jesus’ second coming with its decisive and final judgment on evil and complete restoration for all that is redeemable, leading to a state where everything will be cleansed, holy, perfect and put to right use. Zechariah leaves his listeners with a picture of hope, with a vision to hold on to and with a desire for the Messiah.
• This passage probably describes the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD as climax of the Jewish revolts against superpower Rome. It is the same event that Jesus prophesies about in Mrk 13, interchanged with prophesies about Christ’s second coming
• Verse 3 probably refers to God, making a break in the war (68 AD, death of Nero, Verspasian goes to Rome, army withdraws in 69 AD), so that the believers can escape. Zec 14:4-5 probably figuratively refers to the escape of the church in June 69 to Pella. Azal is a location not known. Shows God’s sovereignty in providing an escape for his people.
• Zec 14:5c-11 Christ’s Second Coming: The text shifts with the words “Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him” from NT time to Jesus’ second coming. “And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one” … sounds very completed.
• Other typical descriptions are the continual day Zec 14:7 > compare with Rev 21:23, Rev 22:5.
• Zech 14:6-7 New creation, Gen 8:22.
• Living waters Zec 14:8 > compare with Eze 47:1, Joel 3:18, Rev 21:6, Rev 22:1.
• Zec 14:8 Living waters, eastern sea, and western sea, covering the whole area, in summer and winter, covering the whole time, everywhere and always.
• Zec 14:9 God is the king, this was is nothing to fear.
• Land becomes a plain, Jerusalem is raised up Zec 14:10 > compare with Dan 2, Mic 4, Isa 2. Whole land turned into plain > picture of victory, removing obstacles, but Jerusalem shall remain on high. Gate of Benjamin … Jerusalem at its greatest extension, a picture of population, fruitfulness, security, no longer destroyed. 70 AD Jerusalem destroyed, so what then of this verse? Jerusalem here metaphorical (as is the plain prophecy).
• No more curse Zec 14:11 > compare with Jesus removing the curse, for example Gal 3:13-14.
• security, God’s protection Zec 14:11
• Zec 14:12-21 The last battle: In the last battle God will wipe out those who oppose him by a plague. There are parallel passages in Rev 22:18 and Eze 38:21-22.
• Zech 14:12- Plague that will strike the attackers
• Zech 14:13 Panic shall fall on them > God will defeat their enemies
• Zech 14:14 wealth will be collected, the wealth of the nations will be brought in, victory over enemies.
• Zech 14:15 Plague will be on humans and animals, God defeating enemies and equipment / provision.
• Zech 14:16 People will worship God every year, feast of booths (remembrance of deliverance of Egypt), not narrowly, or not excluding other feasts, but those who worship God.
• The plague didn’t sound like there were survivors but Zec 14:16 speaks of the survivors of the nations that came up against Jerusalem. The survivors of the nations that came up against Jerusalem now go up to Jerusalem to worship God. This verse probably is one more picture of both God’s final victory as well as of the church, made up of people of every nation, tribe and tongue.
• Zec 14:16-19 mention the festival of booths, which was probably the oldest pilgrimage festival. It was celebrated in post-exilic times (Eze 3:4 and Neh 8:14-18) and so very familiar to the hearers. It was a feast of joy and celebrated the deliverance from Egypt, the dwelling in the wilderness and the coming into the promised land. It is a time of thanksgiving for protection. It was open to strangers. It’s timing is at the complete in-gathering of the crops.
• Zech 14:17-19 no rain on disobedient (Deu 28), contrast to those who will worship him.
• Zech 14:19 Egypt punished, other nations punished. Why Egypt? Old enemy from Exodus, here standing for all enemies.
• Zech 14:16-19 The festival of booths was to the Jews what the marriage supper of the Lamb is to the Church. Watch the parallels: The marriage supper of the Lamb marks the total in-gathering of God’s people. It is the completion of God’s work. It is the fulfilment of all promises. The marriage supper of the Lamb is mentioned in Rev 19:9 and 21:1-3.
• It was also this feast at which Jesus stands up and says “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” the picture of living water, which links us again to Jesus’ second coming and the marriage supper.
• Zech 14:20-21 Hoses’ bells (unclean animals, now clean), bowls all holy. No longer traders (trading in temple, unrighteous gain, can also mean ‘Canaanites’. > nothing unclean will be in the temple, all clean and holy.
• Zechariah ends on a description in Zec 14:20-23 of the new heaven and the new earth, where everything will be cleansed, holy, perfect and right. He leaves his listeners with a picture of hope, with a vision to hold on to, with a desire for the Messiah.
• Chapter 14 Summary: God will defeat his enemies and set up for his people to worship him properly and all things being holy. Referring to 2nd coming, to all of God’s people (from all nations), repeated word ‘all’ … all becoming holy is similar to Rev 21-22.