Zechariah Chapters 5-8
Chapter 5 The first five visions were designed to bring comfort to God’s people. The last three visions constitute a stern warning that the Holy One of Israel cannot tolerate evil in any form. These visions will be followed by a symbolic crowning of Joshua the high priest. Vision Six: The Flying Scroll
5:1-2 Zechariah was amazed (“behold”), to see a scroll flying like a banner for all to read. “The use of the participle in the Hebrew indicates continuous action. The scroll was hovering in mid-air” (Smith p. 548). The dimensions of the scroll were 30 by 15 feet. That was as large as the holy place in the tabernacle (Exodus 26:15-25). The material from which the scroll was made, whether papyrus, leather, or something else, is not indicated.
5:3 “This is the curse”: The scroll symbolized the curse of God against all sinners in Israel. The scroll was written on both sides and one side appeared to deal with sins against one’s fellow man “everyone who steals” and the other side, sins directly against God, “everyone who swears”, i.e., swearing frivously in God’s name (Deut. 6:13; Lev. 19:12). This scroll is not sealed, but open, which suggests that everyone could understand God’s law, and God is interested in everyone repenting for everyone is given the same clear warning. “Will be purged away”: That is, removed or swept away. While various unrepentant sinners were executed in the Old Testament, this statement probably includes God’s providentially purging the unfaithful and counting them no longer as His people.
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5:4 “God’s curse is not a mere threat, a passing outburst of passion soon forgotten. The curse shall enter the house of the wicked, impenitent sinner and remain there, so that all he thinks, or speaks, or does, is accursed (Deut. 28:1620)” (Laetsch p. 432). Here we see God’s ability to know everything, even the things in our private lives. His law applies to every aspect of our lives and the rebellious person is under a curse (Romans 2:1-5). In the end, the sinner will not prosper (Psalm 73). If we are holding on to some sin, we are only bringing destruction upon our families and ourselves.
Vision Seven: The Woman in a Basket: 5:5-11
5:5-7 The object that was going forth is described as an “ephah”. The ephah was the largest of the dry measures used in commerce by the Israelites. It was about the size of a bushel. Here, the term ephah applies to the basket or container, which would hold such a measure. 5:6 “This is their appearance in all the land”: That is, the appearance of many among God’s people through the land of Israel. The ephah was a measure used in commercial business. In the law, God demanded honest business dealings (Lev. 19:35; Deut. 25:14; Ezekiel 45:9; Micah 6:10-15). Apparently, such honesty had disappeared in their commercial dealings. In the book of Hosea, God calls His people “Canaanites”, that is merchants intent only on gain and personal profit (Hosea 12:8; Zeph. 1:11; Amos 8:4). “He sees throughout the land everincreasing proofs of this mercenary spirit, of selfish, hard-hearted, grasping greed” (Laetsch p. 433). 5:8 As the ephah comes closer, the prophet sees a “lead cover” or “talent of lead”, i.e., a round leaden lid on the ephah. Inside the ephah is a woman that God calls “wickedness”, i.e., godlessness, rebellion against God and His law. “A woman is chosen as the symbol of wickedness because of the alluring, captivating, deceptive, power of sin. Wickedness by its very nature is not willing to be caged, or confined to narrow limits. It longs for liberty to roam about at will” (Laetsch p. 434). “And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah”: “Like the basket itself, the woman in it represents the sin of the people in Palestine, whose measure or cup of evil was full. The whole evil system was to be destroyed” (Gaebelein p. 634). The verbs in the verse indicate that the woman was trying to get out, but was restrained by the angel. God takes very seriously the power of evil. 2
5:9-11 The prophet sees two more women appearing, having huge wings like the wings of a stork. Who are these two women? Some think they are angelic agents of God, but others feel that they are agents of evil who are trying to rescue the first woman from divine judgment. The prophet is told that these two women are en route to the land of Shinar. There they would build for the first woman a house, perhaps a temple. The land of Shinar was the land founded by Nimrod (Genesis 10:10-11), the first world empire or kingdom. Shinar appears to symbolize those heathen nations or the “world” which has always been in rebellion to God. Evil won’t be removed until the final judgment, but it doesn’t have to exist among God’s people. In the New Testament, the church wasn’t to tolerate rebellion among its members either (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5; 2 Thess. 3). Evil will be worshipped in the world and we can’t stop that. The world will always idolize material possessions; the end justifies the means, compromise, immorality, and so on. In the land of Shinar, this woman would be made to rest upon her own base, to be adored, worshiped, and served with an eagerness and devotion that often puts to shame many a one claiming membership in God’s kingdom. And wickedness will always attempt to regain possession among God’s people; therefore we need to be on our guard (Hebrews 12:15).
Chapter 6 Vision Eight: The Chariots of Wrath 6:1-8
6:1 “The mountains were bronze mountains”: This informs us that these mountains are not to be interpreted geographically. It appears that these chariots are coming from the heavenly Jerusalem. These mountains may guard the approaches to God’s heavenly presence. Brass or bronze denotes the enduring nature of these mountains. This view seems to be confirmed from verse 5, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord”. “Thus the point is that no hostile power would be able to overwhelm the throne room of heaven” (Smith p. 555).
6:2-3 The term “dappled” means, “gray, spotted, speckled, or variegated colors. These horses were strong and powerful, fully capable to carrying out God’s orders.
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In the book of Revelation (6:3-4), the red horse indicates persecution and bloodshed. The black horse is thought to symbolize grief and famine (Revelation 6:5-6). The white horse, victory (6:1,6), and the pale horse of Revelation 6:8 represented death and hell, having power to kill with sword, hunger, and death. “As pale denotes the yellowish green, ashy pale color of sickness and death, so the speckles or spots here may denote the blotchy skin accompanying undernourishment and starvation resulting from the worried fear and anxious forebodings of what the next day or hour may bring” (Laetsch pp. 436-437). From verse 8 is appears that these heavenly chariots are God’s judgments against heathen nations. 6:4-5 “These are the four spirits of heaven”: The Hebrew term for spirit denotes spirit or winds. These are God’s messengers, who are willing to carry out His commands speedily, and to anywhere on the face of the earth. The entire earth is accountable to the God of the Bible. 6:6 The north country was the area of the Assyrian-Babylonian Empires, which by this time were no more, but whose former territory was under Persian control. In the first vision (chapter 1) it was reported by the horsemen, ‘all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest’. Yet that is going to change. God was displeased with the heathen nations (1:15), and now God’s people are told that judgment is going forth. The black horse is followed by the white horse, telling us that victory is certain. “The whole spirit of heathen cruelty that had characterized Assyria and Babylon and which now lived in the Persian empire had not yet been sufficiently dealt with” (Hailey p. 349). From the very fact that we have similar language in the book of Revelation proves that God still judges nations in like manner. To this day, these messengers still patrol the earth. How have we been living? 6:6 The spotted horses headed to the south country. This would include the nations of Egypt, Edom and Ethiopia. The north and south indicate the whole of the heathen powers. “From the viewpoint of people living in Palestine, a worldwide judgment would of necessity have to depart north and south” (Smith p. 556). 6:7 These heavenly messengers are eager to carry out God’s work, (they sought to go, that is, pawed the ground) even when such work involves wrath and judgment. Are we eager to carry out God’s will, even when it involves disciplinary measures such as church discipline (Matthew 18:15) or a needed rebuke?
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6:8 All of this appeased God’s wrath, by allotting to His enemies the full measure of their well-deserved punishment.
The Crowing of Joshua 6:9-15
6:9-10 A delegation of Jews had arrived from Babylon bringing with them gifts for the temple. Apparently those who remained in the lands of captivity sent offerings regularly to Jerusalem. The names of the leaders of this delegation were Heldai (HEL digh); Tobijah (toe BIGH juh); and Jedaiah (juh DAY uh). This meeting took place at the home of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. 6:11 Apparently, the gifts taken from these men were an offering of silver and gold, with this material, Zechariah was to make a crown and set it on the head of Joshua the high priest. Under the law, the high priest did not wear a crown, but a turban (3:5). 6:12 The man whose name is “Branch” had been introduced earlier (3:8), and is a reference to Jesus (Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 33:15). In crowning the high priest, we have a prophetic reference to the time when Jesus would come and be both King and High Priest over the people of God, that is, a king after the order of Melchezidek (Hebrews 7). Concerning Jesus, the text says, “For He will branch out from where He is”: Isaiah said, “as a root out of dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus would grow up in the midst of a corrupt age, and out of the lineage of David which had fallen on hard times (Amos 9:11). He would grow up from among His own people in His own land and from a lowly origin. That is, the Messiah would not instantly appear! Secondly, Jesus would build the temple of the Lord, that is the church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Timothy 3:15).
6:13 “He who will bear the honor”: “He will be laden with honor, majesty, and power” (Hailey p. 353). He will bear the honor because He is God (John 1:1). “Sit and rule on His throne”: That is, the throne of David (2 Samuel 7:11-14; Isaiah 9:6-7), which was God’s throne (Psalm 2:6-7; 110:1). This happened when Jesus was raised from the dead (Acts 2:29-31; Ephesians 1:20-23). “He will be a priest on His throne”: In Jesus, both kingly and priestly offices over God’s people will be perfectly combined (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:9; 7:1-3). Since Jesus is our high priest at this very moment (Hebrews 7:25), He must be reigning and ruling as our King as well (Revelation 3:21). The idea that Jesus won’t reign until 5
some supposed millennium, is false. He has been a Priest and King since His resurrection and ascension into heaven. He is reigning until all His enemies are put under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). 6:13 “and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices”: That is, Jesus will provide peace in exercising both offices of King and Priest. In demanding man’s obedience and offering the forgiveness of sins to those who humble themselves and place themselves under God’s will, He provides peace. 6:14-15 Joshua would not wear this crown; rather it would remain in the temple and stand, as evidence of what God would do in the future. It also served as a memorial to the dedication and generosity of the men who had come from Babylon. God appreciates those who sacrifice and support His cause and such people are not forgotten. 6:15 “And those who are far off will come and build the temple”: Jews from exile had come to build the temple in Jerusalem, but this verse might be talking about Jews and Gentiles who would come and help build up the church, and in order to participate in the blessings of those distant days the community must continue to be obedient. God’s purpose will happen, we are the ones who have the choice if we are going to participate and reap the benefits. There will be obedient people, and we have the choice as to whether we will be part of the faithful. Chapter 7
7:1 This would have been December 7th, 518 B.C. At this time a delegation arrived from the city of Bethel, some 12 miles N of Jerusalem, to pose a religious question. 7:2 This delegation was headed by two men, Sharezer (shuh REE zur) and Regemmelech (ree guhm MEE lek). 7:3 They approached the priests who were the teachers among God’s people (Lev. 11:9-11) and the prophets. A fast had arisen since Babylonian captivity, which was in the fifth month and had commemorated the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple (2 Kings 25:8ff; Jeremiah 52:12). Since the restoration of the Temple was rapidly approaching its completion, the question naturally arose whether these fasts (7:5) were still to be observed. 6
7:4-5 A similar fast had arisen in the seventh month, which memorialized the assassination of Gedaliah, the last governor of Judah (Jeremiah 41:1ff). First of all, God asks a very serious question, “When you fasted…was it actually for Me that you fasted?” God had authorized only one fast in the Old Testament, that on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27), but that fast is not the one now being kept. First of all, there is the accusation that such fasts were the invention of men rather than having any connection with God. And as such, they were not being observed to please the Lord. All unauthorized worship by its very nature is man-centered. 7:6 The motivation behind all that they were doing was “self”. They had mourned chiefly for their own personal distress, rather than for God’s honor. “They were concerned only with satisfying their craving for food and drink with little or no thought of the Giver of all good gifts or the least consideration for their needy neighbors” (Laestch p. 443). 7:7 “Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets”: That is prophets who lived prior to the exile, men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, etc. Without obedience and application, religious observance is meaningless. Like many religious people today, they wanted to do everything, but what God commanded. Their faith wasn’t meaningful by simply obeying the word of God, rather they had to invent something else. These Jews were doing exactly what their fathers had done, that is, failing to obey the word of God. The implied warning here is that failure to listen to the current prophets would likewise lead to disaster. 7:8-10 In summarizing the message of the former prophets two positive and two negative commands are given. God demands “true justice”, that is justice and judging without bias or partiality, judgment rooted in true, righteous judgment (John 7:24), and kindness and compassion that are practiced. On the negative, no one should take advantage of society’s most helpless ones. God also required that their hearts be pure (Philippians 4:8). Justice and mercy are not contradictory, rather, they co-exist in God’s will. Some people will receive mercy, i.e., people who desire to repent, others will receive justice. Instead of going through some humanly devised system of fasting, these people needed to repent! Neither God nor His expectations had changed. 7:11-12 Their forefathers had rejected God’s demands. Notice the freewill in these verses. They “refused to pay attention”, “turned a stubborn shoulder”, and “stopped their ears”. “They made their hearts like flint”. This verse is greatly 7
needed today, for in our society the assumption is that most people are honest, and that the reason that most people reject the truth is simply because they see things differently. Here God gives conscious and deliberate rebellion as to the reason people did not obey His will. 7:12 “They made their hearts like flint”: They weren’t born with a hard heart, rather, they chose a hard heart. The term “flint”, is from a Greek root which means “to be untamed, unconquerable, and denotes impenetrable hardness”. Such a stone is one that will receive no cutting or engraving. People can make the choice to refuse to hear the truth, and they can become so self-centered that they can convince themselves that plain passages mean something other than what they are saying. This verse should tell us why people can be so dogmatic about false concepts or doctrines, and why people reject passages that are so clear. 7:13 Such self-chosen stubbornness does have a consequence. If you decide to stop listening to God, then God will stop listening to you. What God had warned would happen if His people defied Him, did happen. God always makes good on His promises and threats. “The responsibility for what happened to the land lay squarely on the shoulders of the previous generation. They were responsible for making the land of Canaan a desolation” (Smith p. 567).
Chapter 8
8:1-2 Here is God’s attitude toward Jerusalem. He had been so zealous for the purity of this city, that He had destroyed it and purged it of all evildoers. In like manner the same zeal would now rebuild it. 8:3 He will once more establish His dwelling place, His Temple, in their midst (Exodus 25:8). Jerusalem, which had been the unfaithful city (Isaiah 1:21), shall be a city in which God’s truth is magnified and respected. A city where people are honest and deal truthfully with each other. 8:4-5 No longer shall death, in form of war and pestilence, slay the old and young, who are usually the first to fall victims to the ravages of war. The city will be open, park-like, and peaceful. The old will be able to walk in peace and safety, while the city would resound with the joyous laughter of young boys and girls playing their happy games. “However, it must ever be borne in mind that 8
the fulfilling of such glorious promises as this was conditioned on the people’s faithfulness (Jeremiah 18:7-10)” (Hailey p. 360). 8:6 For many of the people living then in Jerusalem such a promise seemed too good to be true. If the promise seems impossible, the people need to remember who gave this promise. Is there anything beyond His power to accomplish? “Unbelief on the part of their fathers had caused the city to be destroyed and the people to go into captivity. Will unbelief again thwart the purpose of God, make it impossible for Him to do for His people what He desires to do?” (Hailey p. 361). 8:7-8 It appears that the Jerusalem just described looks beyond the physical city to the new Jerusalem, the church. The ultimate realization would be in the spiritual Jerusalem under the Messiah (Hebrews 12:22; Galatians 4:26). Here God has gathered all believers, both Jewish and Gentile. The church is the faithful remnant (Romans 11:1-6), the true Israel (Galatians 6:16). 8:9-13 The exhortation here is to listen to the words of the present prophets (men like Haggai and Zechariah). It has now been 18 years since the foundation of the temple was laid by Zerubbabel, and two years since the building had resumed under the leadership of Haggai and Zechariah. The people are reminded that prior to the work on the temple two years ago there had been no hire for man or beast. Added to this, these had been days of insecurity and anxiety. Want and adversity had been their constant companions. Compare this will Ezra 4:4. Things were about to change in Judea. Abundant harvests, good wages, and peace were in the near future. Attitudes towards Judea would also change in the surrounding nations. Those Jews who had been viewed as “accursed” (i.e., “May your fate be that of the Jews”), would be viewed as a blessed people. 8:14-17 The recent captivity had been no accident. The disaster that had come upon Israel was directly related to her sins. God did not relent, rather, He carried out the threat that He had so often issued through the prophets. With the rebellious punished, God now purposed good towards Israel. This change of divine attitude was due to the fact that the people had turned to the Lord (Jeremiah 18:1ff). God’s promises in this chapter are conditional. God sets forth five expectations for His people. Don’t let anyone tell you that God continues to view as a friend the person who ignores His will or is rebellious (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
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8:18-23 The four fasts the Jews had been keeping in memory of Nebuchadnezzar’s coming against Jerusalem (the tenth month), of the breach made in the wall (fourth mouth), of the burning of the temple (fifth month), and the murder of Gedaliah (seventh month), were to cease. God would shower blessings upon them so that His people would forget these past miseries, and instead of fasting, they would be enjoying the fruits of their labors. 8:19 “So love truth and peace”: For it is on this basis that God will turn their sadness to joy and their fasts to feasts. 8:20-22 By living godly lives, God would bless the nation, and the nation once again would become a light to the Gentiles. Jerusalem would attract people from various nations who were hungry for the truth (Acts 8:26). There are people in the world who tire of sin and who see the emptiness in the world’s lifestyle. This is why it is so important for Christians to lead a godly lifestyle, to be honest, noble, content, and godly in their marriages, homes and in how they treat other people. 8:23 “Ten men” indicates a full or complete number, or a large number. Jews, who once had been a curse, would now be sought after as a means of reaching God (Acts 10). “More and more pagans came to recognize the emptiness of their idolatry and turn to Jehovah; Cornelius and his household are excellent examples (Acts 10-11). Paul found subjects for the gospel among men of ‘understanding’ (Acts 13:7), and ‘devout Greeks’ and ‘chief women’ who attended the synagogue (Acts 17:4)” (Hailey p. 365).
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