Overview
Zechariah's message to the people of Jerusalem worked hand in hand with the message of Haggai to encourage the people to continue building the Temple of the Lord. At that time, God had been displeased with them for their disobedience to Him and their apathy regarding spiritual things. Zechariah affirmed that God will return to them and bestow blessings upon them, if they would only return to Him. Zechariah used the example of their forefathers to show the result of God's displeasure. The destruction of Jerusalem and The Exile came as a result of disobedience to God and because of not heeding the warnings of His prophets. Even though their fathers and those prophets were dead, Zechariah affirmed that God's Word remains true and endures forever (1:4-6). When their fathers saw the fulfillment of the prophets words with their own eyes, then they returned to the Lord with repentance (i.e. the remnant). While it is not clearly stated, the impression is that at this time they did not follow their fathers' bad example, and Haggai's prophecy confirmed that such was the case (Hag. 1:12-15). Therefore, Zechariah did not dwell upon their need to return to the Lord, but the remainder of his messages were to encourage and comfort those who had already returned to God.
Three months after his first message, the Lord gave Zechariah eight different night visions (1:7-6:8). These were not dreams; they were visions he experienced while awake and aware. Zechariah saw God's activities in the spiritual realm, and an angel interpreted for him. The One on the red horse, which symbolized God's warfare, is referred to as "the Angel of the Lord", the name in the Old Testament that often refers to the second person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ. Here we see that the Son's mediation and intercession on behalf of God's people was not something that started only in the New Covenant period, for here He intercedes for the Father to show mercy to Jerusalem (1:12). The concern was that while other nations were at rest, Israel had been suffering from divine indignation for seventy years (since the Temple had been destroyed). The words of hope and comfort that Zechariah was to give the people was that God was still zealous for Jerusalem, His city, and that He was very angry with the nations He had used to punish His people, for they had executed His judgments with undue cruelty and greed (1:15). God's people were to be comforted in knowing that the wicked nations, represented by the four horns (Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome; cf. Dan. 2, 7, 8), that committed crimes against them would certainly be judged. This judgment would be carried out by God's special agents, the "craftsmen", who would go out and use their skills to break apart the strength ("horn") of the wicked (1:21).
Jerusalem, however, would be visited with God's mercy and abundant blessings after His Temple would be built in obedience to Him. Since the earth was presently at rest, it was an opportune time for the people of Jerusalem to finish building the Temple, and Zechariah's message from the Lord would certainly have encouraged them. His message, however (in chapter 2), goes beyond the immediate future promises of God to foretell of the future blessings for all the faithful people of God — a message which brings encouragement to believers even today.
The measuring of the city of Jerusalem was to show Zechariah that the Lord was already preparing for the New Jerusalem. The angel enthusiastically describes to him this new city as being very large, prosperous, and without material walls, for the Lord Himself would be the wall of protection around His people, and He would also dwell in their midst (2:4-5). In light of the glories that the Lord has planned for His people, He urgently summons them, so that they might be removed from the wicked nations (represented by Babylon) when He brings judgment upon them for their persecution of His people. The Lord lovingly describes His people as "the apple of His eye" (2:8) — an expression indicating that they are precious and carefully protected. The Lord's vindication of His people will be an example of His faithfulness to the promise He had made to Abraham: "I will curse him who curses you" (Gen. 12:3). The One who is to execute this divine judgment is the Messiah (Jesus), who exhorts the faithful remnant to rejoice, for He is coming to dwell in their midst. Many Gentiles will also dwell in the Holy Land with them, for they too will be His people. Just as the Lord had chosen Jerusalem in the days of King David, so too He will again choose Jerusalem (the New and sanctified Jerusalem) to be the seat of power from where He will rule His world-wide, glorious Millennial Kingdom. When these things happen, they will remember the prophecies in the Holy Scripture and understand their fulfillment, and then they will know beyond any doubt that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah (2:10-12).
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