Prophet: Zechariah

The prophets warned the people of God’s need to punish sin, and pleaded with the people to turn to God. But the Jews almost never listened (2 Ki 17:13–14). So God exiled them to foreign lands. The northern tribes were carried off by Assyrians; the southern tribes went to Babylon for 70 years.

Now when the Jews had been released to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of the Lord, the city is in ruins. God sent them a new prophet: Zechariah. This prophet had colorful visions and messages of comfort and hope to the Jews. He began with a simple request from God: “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you” (Zechariah 1:3).

Zechariah’s writings encouraged and admonished the Jews of Jerusalem. He chastised the foolish leaders among them (Zechariah 11), and called the people to follow God and remember the words of the prophets before (Zechariah 1:6). Most importantly, he anticipates a full restoration of God and His people with the temple rebuilt, Israel purified and enemies overcome. But he reveals that this restoration isn’t only for the Jews, since the Lord will rule the whole earth, and all the nations will worship Him (Zechariah 8:22; Zechariah 14:9).

Zechariah is among the hardest of the prophets to understand, partially due to the dense symbolic nature of his writings. Whereas Hosea, Micah, and others give direct instructions and warnings of what is to come, Zechariah “lifts up his eyes” to see scenes, characters, and strange objects.

Zechariah had vivid visions, similar to those seen in the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation. He sees lampstands (Zechariah 4:2), horses(Zechariah 6:2), flying scrolls (Zechariah 5:2), and other images that symbolize the spiritual landscape. Luckily, an angel interprets many of these symbols (Zechariah 4:4–6).

When quoting "the word of the Lord," Zechariah projects prophetic discourse, as God uses him as His mouthpiece to the people. Symbolic demonstrations are used as well, with one example being Zechariah's forging of a crown for the high priest Joshua to remind him that in the future there will be a Man who is both king and high priest in Jerusalem.

The prophets Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries: the book of Ezra notes that these two prophets compelled the Jews to finish rebuilding the temple of the Lord, even though the surrounding nations were opposing them (Ezra 5:1–2). Haggai’s recorded ministry seems to conclude after three months, but Zechariah continues to preach for at least two more years (Zechariah 1:1, Zechariah 7:1).

Zechariah had a series of visions revealing that God is in control of history and will bring a glorious blessing to the faithful remnant of His people. Jerusalem is pictured as so prosperous that it must be enlarged to contain all the people. The vision of Joshua, the high priest, clothed in filthy rags  apparently is a vision of the future cleansing of the nation at the return of Christ. Other visions in the book point to the coming judgement of God, His ultimate victory over sin, and the coming of the Messiah. (Zechariah 9:9-10)

Zechariah predicted the destruction of nations which had oppressed the Jews; and foresaw a time when people would come from every part of the world to worship in Jerusalem. He spoke more about the Messiah than any other prophet except Isaiah.