Zechariah ministered with Haggai during the
difficult days when 50,000 Jews had returned to
Palestine to reestablish their city and their Temple
worship. The remnant went back in 536 b.c., and laid
the foundation of the Temple in 535 b.c. We must
remember, however, that opposition arose and work
stopped, In 530 b.c., the Lord raised up Haggai and
Zechariah to stir up the people and the leaders; and in
525 b.c., the work was finished.
Zechariah was both a prophet and a priest (see
Nehemiah 12:4,16) and from Zechariah 2:4 we learn that
he was a young man. His name means “Jehovah remembers”;
his father’s name, Berechiah, means “Jehovah blesses”;
and his grandfather’s name, Iddo, means “His time.”
Putting them together we have “Jehovah remembers to
bless in His time.”
The theme of the Book of Zechariah is, “One
that unveils God’s future plan for the Jews.” This book
actually ranks next to Daniel as an Old Testament
revelation for God’s future plan for the Jews. The city
of Jerusalem is mentioned some 39 times in this book.
The key verses are 14-17 of chapter 1. These verses
tell us that God is jealous for Jerusalem; that He will
punish the heathen for what they did to His city; and
that He will one day restore the city in glory and
peace. The fact that God, in His grace, has chosen
Jerusalem is mentioned often (see 1:17; 2:12; 3:2). He
will have mercy on the city (chapter 1:12), and one day
will dwell in the city (chapter 8:3-8).
In chapter 1 Zechariah warns the people against
the evident rising tendency to return to the ways of
their dishonest fathers who had brought them to their
present pitiful condition. He then encourages them with
visions which God had given him of the future. In
chapters 1–4 we see several visions given by God, and
each have a meaning relative to Jerusalem or the people
of Jerusalem.
As with most Old Testament prophecies, we must
distinguish between the near and the distant meanings
of what Zechariah says. In one verse he will be
describing the fall of Jerusalem under the Romans, and
in the next he will picture the coming of the Messiah
to reign.
Zechariah’s favorite name for God is “Lord of
hosts.” He sees the Lord coming to defeat Israel’s
enemies and establish Jerusalem in peace and glory. To
apply these magnificent prophecies to the Church Age is
to rob this book of its meaning and power. Certainly
there are spiritual applications for all ages, but the
basic interpretation must be for the Jewish nation and
Jerusalem.
In chapters 1–6 the prophet describes eight
visions of encouragement, all of which summarize the
message of Zechariah. The rider (chapter 1:7-17) is
encouragement that God has not forgotten Jerusalem; the
horns and craftsmen (chapter 1:18-21) is a promise that
God will destroy Jerusalem’s enemies; the surveyor
(chapter 2:1-13) is a promise that Jerusalem will be
restored; the cleansing of Joshua the high priest
(chapter 3:1-10) is a picture of the future cleansing
of the nation; the candlesticks and the trees (chapter
4:1-14) is a promise that God’s power will enable
Joshua and Zerubbabel to finish their difficult task;
the flying roll (chapter 5:1-4) promises that sin will
be judged in the land; the ephah (chapter 5:5-11) is a
picture of wickedness carried from the land of Babylon,
which is the source of all idolatry and religious
error. The last vision, the four chariots (chapter 6:1-
8) promises that God controls the nations and Jerusalem
is safe.
We see the crowning of the Priest-King in
chapter 6:9-15. This is the climax of God’s plan for
the restoration of Israel under Messiah King-Priest.