In our study of Zechariah chapter one, we will look at the calling of the prophet as well as looking at the meaning of his visions.
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In the eighth month of the second year of Daryavesh, the following message from ADONAI came to Z'kharyah the son of Berekhyah, the son of 'Iddo, the prophet:
The name Zechariah means "God remembers" and he was the son of Berekiah whose name means "God blesses" and the grandson of Iddo which means "appointed". It is significant to see that this book opens with these three names and to remember that the number three is associated with God's will being revealed. When you put the three names together you get something like: God remembers his people and blesses them at the appointed time. That is not only true for the Israelites but for us Gentiles as well since we are his adopted people. We also see that the message came to him in the eight month and are reminded that, throughout the Bible, the number eight is associated with the kingdom and redemption or that which is made new. It was also in the second year of the reign of Darius and we are reminded that the number two is associated with different views of a given situation and witness as in a legal proceeding.
"ADONAI was extremely angry with your ancestors. Therefore, tell them that ADONAI-Tzva'ot says this: '"Return to me," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot, "and I will return to you," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot.
The name El Shaddai (Almighty) is used three times in this verse and the name serves to remind us that God can do all things. Here God is calling the people to turn back to him and be blessed.
"Don't be like your ancestors. The earlier prophets proclaimed to them, 'ADONAI-Tzva'ot says to turn back now from your evil ways and deeds'; but they didn't listen or pay attention to me," says ADONAI. "Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?
Zechariah urges the people to remember what happened to their relatives who had been disobedient and ignored the word of the prophets. He asks the question: Where are they now? They were actually buried in Babylon where they had been in exile. To the Jews, not being buried in your own land was a very big deal and so this was driving the point home.
But my words and my laws, which I ordered my servants the prophets, overtook your ancestors, didn't they? Then they turned and said, 'ADONAI has dealt with us according to our ways and deeds, just as he intended to do.'"'"
God had Zechariah to point out that the warnings that were given to their forefathers had gone unheeded and so they paid the price. When the people were reminded of what had happened to their relatives they repented.
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Sh'vat, in the second year of Daryavesh, this message from ADONAI came to Z'kharyah the son of Berekhyah, the son of 'Iddo, the prophet:
What a day this is as we shall see. On this night, he has ten different visions or dreams from God. These visions will show him what God is getting ready to do in the lives of His people. We see that this happened in the eleventh month and are reminded that it was during the eleventh month that the law had been given again to the people of Israel while they were nearing the end of their wilderness experience (see Deuteronomy 1).
It was night, and I saw there before me a man riding on a russet-colored horse. He stood among the myrtle bushes in the valley; and behind him were other horses, russet, chestnut-colored and white.
His first vision is of a man on a red horse leading a group of red, brown, and white horses. We must remember that throughout the Bible horses were only used by soldiers for battle. Red is the color that symbolizes the removal of peace, brown is fear, and white is conquest.
I asked, "What are these, my Lord?" The angel speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are." The man standing among the myrtles said, "These are those whom ADONAI has sent to wander throughout the earth."
Yeshua has sent these horses out into the world to perform a sort of survey. This is a big contrast to the horses that we see in Revelation 6 which are horses from Satan.
Then they themselves answered the angel of ADONAI standing among the myrtles, "We have been wandering throughout the earth, and the whole world is quiet and at peace."
The riders on the horses have rode through the nations around Israel and given the results of their survey to the angel of the Lord. Israel has already been defeated and so the nations that surround them are content.
The angel of ADONAI said, "ADONAI-Tzva'ot, how long will you keep withholding mercy from Yerushalayim and the cities of Y'hudah? You've been angry with them for the past seventy years!"
The angel called out to God and asked how long this would continue. The enemies of Israel were living the good life while Jerusalem was in ruins. It had been this way for seventy years which is a combination of spiritual completeness (the number seven) and earthly completeness (the number ten).
ADONAI replied with kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.
God answers the cry of the angel with comforting words. That is the same God that we serve today in that he is our comfort and does not want us to be in distress. We, like the angel, can cry out to God and find comfort and peace in any situation.
The angel speaking with me then said to me, "Here is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot says: 'I am extremely jealous on behalf of Yerushalayim and Tziyon; and [to the same degree] I am extremely angry with the nations that are so self-satisfied; because I was only a little angry [at Yerushalayim and Tziyon], but they made the suffering worse.'
God gives Zechariah a message to share and part of it is the fact that God is not happy with the nations that surround his people. He says that they added to his anger by boasting about the defeat of Jerusalem and Zion.
Therefore ADONAI says, 'I will return to Yerushalayim with merciful deeds. My house will be rebuilt there,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot; 'yes, a measuring line will be stretched out over Yerushalayim.'
God comforts the angel and his people by telling them that Jerusalem which is God's chosen city will be rebuilt. This happened with the return of Israel from exile but it is not complete. In Revelation 21, we see that there will be a new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.
In addition, proclaim that ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'My cities will again overflow with prosperity.' ADONAI will again comfort Tziyon, and he will again make Yerushalayim the city of his choice."
This first vision ends with Zechariah being told to proclaim to his people that the Lord will again cause them to prosper. Even when things are difficult and our enemies are celebrating, God is for us and he has the ability to provide for us and to make us prosper.
Then I looked up and saw four horns. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these?" He answered, "These are the horns that scattered Y'hudah, Isra'el and Yerushalayim."
Now, Zechariah has his second vision in the same night. In this vision, God shows him four horns (powers) that have scattered his people in the past. We remember that the number four is a global number speaking of all of the nations.
Next, ADONAI showed me four artisans. I asked, "What are these coming to do?" He said, "Those horns that scattered Y'hudah so completely that no one could even raise his head - well, these men have come to terrify them, to overthrow the nations that raised their horns against the land of Y'hudah to scatter it."
In this third vision of the night, God shows Zechariah four craftsmen (builders, carpenters). God explains that they are sent to throw down the nations that oppressed his people.
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