Turn to Zechariah, the prophet Zechariah, chapter 1. Let us read the first six verses: Zechariah 1:1-6.
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying,
The Lord was sore displeased with your fathers.
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Return unto Me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.
Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto Me, saith the Lord.
Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live for ever?
But My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us.
Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, as we continue in Thy presence, we ask Thee that Thou wilt bless Thy Word. May Thy Holy Spirit make Thy Word living and operative in each of our lives. We do submit ourselves to Thee and allow Thy Word to come into our hearts and transform us, that we may be pleasing to Thee. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
We mentioned last time that there are three prophets who prophesied during the post-exilic period—that is, after the children of Israel came back from Babylonian captivity. These three prophets are also called the prophets of restoration.
We already mentioned Haggai, how God raised up Haggai, an old man, to stir up the hearts of the returned remnant to begin rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. This morning we would like to share together concerning the second prophet, Zechariah. He was a young man, and God raised up that young man to reinforce the prophecy that Haggai prophesied.
It is very interesting to know that Haggai, being an old man, had seen the temple built by Solomon before. In other words, he knew the glory of the temple. No wonder his heart was for its rebuilding.
But Zechariah was a young man. Actually, he was born in Babylon, and we will see that he was brought back to Jerusalem when he was an infant. He had never seen the old temple, and yet the Spirit of God gave him such a burden for the temple that he was used of God to prophesy and to help toward the building of the temple.
So, brothers and sisters, God can use old men, and God can use young men. God can put His burden upon those who have seen something that God had done before, and God can put His burden upon those who have never seen anything that God has done before, but who see what God is going to do. With the same vision, they together bear testimony to the people of God.
May the Lord raise up for Himself young men and old men having the same burden, having the same vision that God has given, that the house of God might be built.
Zechariah means, “the Lord remembers.” Oh, how the Lord remembers. We are told that he was the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo.
If you read Ezra and Nehemiah, these two books give the history of recovery. You will find that Zechariah is called the son of Iddo in both books. But here, Zechariah is called the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. Why is it so?
We know that Iddo was one of the priests who returned from Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel and Joshua. He was also a chief priest, a chief father among the family.
Evidently, Berechiah returned with his father, together with an infant grandson. Most likely Berechiah died young. Because of this, according to Jewish custom, it is not unusual for a grandson to be called after his grandfather. That is why, in Zechariah, he is the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo; but in Ezra and Nehemiah, he is called the son of Iddo.
Zechariah began to prophesy two months after Haggai began prophesying. Haggai prophesied only for a very short period—altogether, only four months. But Zechariah continued to prophesy.
If you read Nehemiah 12, you will find that even during the high priesthood of Joiakim, the successor of Joshua the high priest, there was a priest called Zechariah. If this is the Zechariah we have here, then Zechariah actually prophesied for a long period.
Another interesting thing to note is that Haggai, being an old man, spoke few words, but they were powerful. He was a cautious man, but there was depth in him.
Zechariah, being a young man, was full of vitality and imagination, and his words were many. Now, brothers and sisters, whether you are cautious or vigorous, God can use you if all is surrendered to Him and dealt with by Him through the cross.
God can use a young man, God can use an old man, and God can use the gifts or even the talents that God has given to each one, so long as there is a surrendered life and there is a dealing of the cross.
Some Jewish tradition says Zechariah was one of the members of the Great Synagogue who prepared for the liturgical service of the second temple. There are even traditions in the Septuagint—the Book of the Seventy—which ascribe Psalm 137 and Psalm 138 to Zechariah.
Some of us are familiar with Psalm 137:
By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst thereof
We hanged up our harps.
For there they that led us captive asked of us songs,
And they that wasted us asked of us mirth, saying,
Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
Then, in Psalm 138, you find praise and worship in the temple of God. That is probably why these two psalms are ascribed to Zechariah. Some also think that certain hallelujah psalms were written by Zechariah and Haggai. We do not know for sure.
But you find that this young man, even though he was born in Babylon and was brought back to Jerusalem by his father, caught such a vision of the glorious house of God and His majestic plan that he could be used of God at that moment.
As a matter of fact, it was the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah that made possible the rebuilding of the temple.
As you look at the book of Zechariah, you will find that the first six verses serve as a synopsis of the whole book. Put another way, the theme or key to the whole book is found in these six verses.
If you want to condense them into one word, the word is return.
In the book of Haggai, we find the word consider. God called His people to consider their past actions, consider their present condition, and consider what was going to happen. But in this book of Zechariah, the key word is return.
The Lord said, “If you return to Me, I will return to you.” The Lord said He was very angry with their fathers. Why? Because they did not listen to the prophets, who called them to turn away from their evil ways and evil doings and turn back to God.
Because of this, God was angry with them, and God allowed them to be taken into Babylonian captivity. Where were their fathers? Where were even the prophets who prophesied at that time? They were all gone, but the Word of God proved true.
God used this to encourage the remnant in Jerusalem. They had just begun to rebuild the house of God. You remember that they came back from Babylon, first erected the altar, and then laid the foundation. They were trying to build the house of God.
But because of the persecution and pressure around them, the work ceased for about fifteen or sixteen years. During those years, instead of building the house of God, each one was building his own house. They spent such energy, money, and time upon their own houses that they built paneled, beautiful, elegant houses, while the house of God lay waste.
Then, in the second year of Darius—eighteen years after their return—God raised up Haggai in the sixth month to stir the hearts of the remnant, that they might begin to put their hands to the building of the house of God.
These people had not only returned from Babylon; they had already resumed the building of the house of God. Yet the Word of God to these people was, “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you.”
We might think that this word was unnecessary. If it had been spoken to the Jewish people who remained in Babylonian captivity, it would have been suitable. If it had been spoken to the remnant who were building their own houses and had left the house of God unbuilt, it would have been appropriate.
But the word was directed to the returned remnant who had resumed building the house of God. Do you think that word was unnecessary?
This word was brought to them in the eighth month of the second year of King Darius. Haggai had prophesied in the sixth month, and in the seventh month they had already been building for a month. Now, in the eighth month, this word came to the remnant. Do you think it was unnecessary? Do you think it was strange that God should say such things to these people who were already building the house of God?
Not so, because God knew the hearts of men. Even though they had resumed the building of the house of God, already in the seventh month there were doubts and thoughts of giving up.
As they looked at the work of their hands, they thought it was so insignificant. Even if they could finish it, it could never compare with the glorious temple built by Solomon. So why bother? There was already such negative thinking among them.
Haggai was used of the Lord to encourage them and say, “The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid. Continue to work.” Even though it might not look big, it was part of the grand plan of God.
But in the eighth month, while they were still building, their hearts were weak. There must have been doubt in their hearts. Their hearts were divided.
If you read Haggai in the ninth month, you know what happened. They had put their hands to building the house of God, and as they built, they expected that the heavens would be opened, rain would fall, and crops would be abundant. They expected blessing. “Now we do God’s will, so God will bless us.”
But the blessing did not come. Therefore, in the eighth month, these people, though they were building the house of God, must have been wondering in their hearts, “Where are the blessings?”
Are they interested in the building of God’s house, or are they interested in blessing? What if you build the house of God and are not blessed? Will you do it? Where is your heart: the house of God, or the blessing of God?
No wonder God, who knows our hearts, sent Zechariah, the young man, to challenge the people: “Examine your hearts. Return unto Me.”
How goodly you are doing the work, but your heart is not right. Your heart is not pure. You are not occupied with the Father’s business. You are still interested in God’s blessing, not in God Himself. If you return unto Me, then I will return unto you.
That was the message given to the remnant at that moment. We will leave the application until the end. Let us look into this book of Zechariah.
Zechariah is sometimes called the apocalypse of the Old Testament. Revelation is the apocalypse of the New Testament, and Zechariah is called the apocalypse of the Old Testament. He is a prophet of hope.
This book contains fourteen chapters. They are divided into two divisions. The first division is from Zechariah 1:7 through the end of chapter 8. The second division is from chapter 9 through chapter 14.
You can see these divisions very easily. In the first division, all the prophecies are dated. But in the second division, there is no date attached to them.
In the first division, the name of the prophet is mentioned. In the second division, his name is not mentioned. In the first division, the prophecies retain their local and current background—the returned remnant and the rebuilding of the house—even though they go beyond that setting.
But in the second division, it seems to be lifted out of the local environment and to enter into the future, giving us a panoramic view of the history of the kingdom of God in contrast to the kingdom of the world.
Even though there are two divisions, they are very closely related. They are related not only in the subject matter of the prophecies, but especially because they are joined together by prophecy concerning one Man, one Person: the Messiah.
Whether in the first division or the second division, the person of the Messiah is always there.
What is history? History is His story. It is the story of the Messiah, the story of the Christ. That is history. You cannot deal with history and try to neglect the One about whom history is written.
What is prophecy? The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Even though prophecy foretells many things and many events, and covers a wide realm, the spirit of prophecy is only one: it is the testimony of Jesus.
Zechariah prophesied a great deal. His prophecy is much richer, broader, and more enlarged than the prophecy of Haggai. Yet the center of his prophecy—that which connects all the prophecies together—is the history of one Person: the Messiah, Christ our Lord.
There are many references to the Messiah in the book of Zechariah. In Zechariah 3:8, we find the Branch—the Branch—and the stone with seven eyes. The Branch points to the Messiah, the Christ.
In Zechariah 6, again we find the Branch. The Branch is the King and the Priest who sits upon the throne—the King-Priest, the Priest-King, who sits upon the throne.
In Zechariah 9, we find the One who came in humility, riding upon the colt of an ass. He will bring peace into the world.
In Zechariah 11:11-12, we find that He is the good Shepherd who was rejected and was given wages of thirty pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave. We know how this was literally fulfilled in the life of our Lord Jesus, because Judas sold our Lord for thirty pieces of silver, as a slave.
In Zechariah 12, we find the One whom they pierced, yet He brought salvation to His people. In Zechariah 13:7, the sword is awakened against His fellow. In other words, God crushed Him on the cross.
In Zechariah 14:4, we find how He will come back, and His feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives, and the mountain will be divided in two. So, brothers and sisters, this whole book of Zechariah shows us the coming of the Messiah, and He is the hope of the world.
In the first division of Zechariah, again you find two sections. The first section is from Zechariah 1:7 through chapter 6. These are prophecies given on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, in the second year of Darius.
The prophet Zechariah had a very busy night. On that night he was given a series of visions. The Word of God came to him in visions. Altogether, some say seven and others say eight. I wonder how much sleep he got.
The Lord gave him a whole series of visions. The first vision was a man riding a red horse among the myrtle trees in the low valley.
We cannot go into all the details, because every vision could probably occupy a whole session. So I will just give you a general idea of what they are.
The man on the red horse is none other than Christ, the second Person in the Godhead, the Angel of the Lord as we find Him in the Old Testament. Here we find that our Lord was there among the myrtle trees in the low valley.
Myrtle trees grow in low places, so they represent the low condition of God’s people. Instead of the cedars in Lebanon, they had become myrtle trees in the low valley. Though they were in a very low condition, whether physically or spiritually, yet the Lord was there. He was there.
This vision shows that God is in control of world situations. God knows what is going on, and He is going to do something that will serve His own purpose.
There were three other horsemen who went through the whole earth to know what was going on in this world. Brothers and sisters, do not think that God does not know what is going on in this world. He knows what is going on. He is concerned.
When God’s people were in trouble and the whole world was at rest, the Angel of the Lord cried unto the Lord. He was jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion—for His people—and the Lord was going to do something about it.
This vision lays the foundation for the visions that follow: God is in control. When He says, “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you,” God has already returned unto His people.
If God had not returned to His people, how could His people have returned from Babylonian captivity? It was God who stirred the heart of King Cyrus. It was not because the people in captivity had turned back to God. No, it was because God loved His people and was faithful to His covenant.
Therefore, He stirred the heart of King Cyrus to allow His people to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the house of God. God said, “I will return. I will return to Zion. I will return to Jerusalem.”
This vision is followed by the vision of four horns. In Scripture, horns represent power. These four horns represent the world powers, the four world empires, like the image Nebuchadnezzar saw. The world empire is in enmity with the kingdom of God.
Yet God raised up four craftsmen. These four craftsmen were to break the four horns. In other words, God has His provision to break the kingdoms of this world, that the kingdom of God may be established upon this earth.
The third vision is a man with a measuring rod, measuring Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be a city without walls. When you have walls, in one sense you have limitation; but when there is no wall, there is no limitation.
God said, “I will be the wall around them, and I will be the glory in their midst.” God promised that He would restore Jerusalem to glory. He would return to His people.
Following that, in Zechariah 3, we find the recovery of the priesthood. Not only must the house of God be recovered, but the priesthood must also be recovered.
In Zechariah 4, we find the recovery of kingship. In the recovery of kingship, the testimony of God is recovered, as typified by the golden lampstand.
Following this is the vision of the flying scroll: the curse, or judgment. God is righteous; therefore judgment must come. It first comes to the house of God and then to the whole world.
Then there is another vision of an ephah. An ephah is a measure. A woman is sitting in the ephah, and she is called wickedness. A lead cover is placed over it, and it is brought to Shinar, which is Babylon. Wickedness will be on this earth, but God puts restraint over it.
Lastly, there is the vision of four chariots coming out from between two mountains of brass. Brass in Scripture always speaks of judgment. These four chariots were sent out to judge the world. Judgment is coming upon this world, and the kingdom of God is going to be established upon this earth.
This is the first part of the first division: the visions. Then we find the second part of the first division, chapters 7 and 8.
This comes in the fourth year of King Darius. Some of the remnant lived in and around Jerusalem in different villages. People from other villages, such as Bethel, came and asked a question.
They asked the priests, “Should we continue to fast in the fifth month of each year?” Zechariah was a priest; he was not only a prophet, but also a priest, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
During the time of captivity, the people had the habit of fasting in four different months of the year. They fasted in the fourth month because that was the month in which the city of Jerusalem was broken into.
They fasted in the fifth month because that was when the temple was burned. They fasted in the seventh month because it was then that Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Babylon, was murdered, and the people fled into Egypt.
They also fasted in the tenth month, the month in which Jerusalem was besieged. Thus, in these four months, they kept the habit of fasting.
After they returned, they asked, “Should we continue with the fasting?” The Word of the Lord to them was, “When you fast, do you really fast unto Me? When you eat, do you eat for Me? Or is it not all for yourselves?”
God said that if they did not do righteousness and did not deal kindly with their neighbors, what was the use of fasting? God was not interested in outward things. He was interested in the inward condition. He was interested in their real moral condition instead of these outward formalities.
God said, “All these years you have been fasting, it has been for yourselves, not for Me. But now, since I have brought you back, these times should be times of feasting. They should be times of rejoicing—rejoicing in what the Lord has done for you.”
Brothers and sisters, let us always remember that God is not interested in outward appearances. He is interested in inward reality.
The second division is undated. We wonder whether these prophecies were given to Zechariah during his later years. When you read the book of Daniel, the greatest prophecies Daniel gave were given in his later years.
His knowledge of God and his life with God were so deep that God was able to give him a greater view of God’s plan. Perhaps the same thing happened to Zechariah. The first division may have been given in his early days of prophesying, but the second division is undated and was probably prophesied during his later years.
Here his horizon was greatly broadened. God gave the prophet a panoramic view of the history of the children of Israel outwardly, in relation to the kingdom of this world. But inwardly, it is the history of the kingdom of God coming upon this world.
The second part is called “the burden of the Word of the Lord.” The first division is the Word; the second division is the burden of the Word.
The burden is divided into two parts. Zechariah 9–11 is the burden concerning Hadrach and Damascus and so forth. Hadrach is a place near Damascus. In other words, it is prophecy concerning the Gentile world in relation to God’s people.
The second part is prophecy concerning Israel in relation to the kingdom of God. To understand especially the first part of the second division, you need to know a little world history.
In Zechariah 9, the destruction of places such as Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, and others is described, while Jerusalem is spared. This prophecy concerns Alexander the Great. When he swept over that land, he destroyed Tyre and Sidon, and history records that this happened just as described. Jerusalem was spared.
It is an interesting story. The high priest and the people of Jerusalem marched out in white to meet Alexander, and Alexander was so impressed that he did not destroy Jerusalem; he bypassed it. You can find this history in history books, especially in Josephus, the Jewish historian, who gave a detailed account.
Then you find the history of the Maccabees during the Greek Empire. It is interesting, but I cannot go into detail. Throughout these prophecies, you find the Messiah: how He would come as a gentle King, yet be rejected by His own people.
These matters are intertwined. Then you find the Romans and the Roman kingdom, and how the Romans were destroyed. All these are in the first part of the second division. You have to read them and study history to understand them.
The most wonderful part is the second part of the second division. Here you find it centered upon that day. A day is coming. What is that day? That day is the coming of the Messiah.
The Messiah came two thousand years ago, but the chosen people of God did not recognize Him. They rejected Him, and because of this they were scattered throughout the whole world.
But the Messiah is coming back again. When He comes back, they will see the One whom they have pierced. They will repent. The whole house of Israel will repent.
All the nations of the world will be gathered in that area for the last battle, the battle of Armageddon. Christ shall come back. His feet shall touch the Mount of Olives, and the Mount of Olives will be divided in two.
Scientists have told us there is a line there, an old crevice. The Mount of Olives can be broken in two. Christ will come, and this will be the last battle. Satan will be bound and put into the bottomless pit.
God will judge His people, God will judge the nations, and He will establish His kingdom upon this earth. The prophecy is that there will be only one Lord, one God.
Brothers and sisters, this is the book of Zechariah.
Finally, what is the message to us today? Israel is the earthly people whom God chose. Israel is a type of us, the church of God, as the heavenly people of God. Whatever happened to the children of Israel is something for us to learn.
What is the lesson that God wants to speak to us through Zechariah? Again, let us emphasize that the message in Zechariah is not directed to God’s people who remain in Babylon. Hopefully, they may overhear it, but it is not directed to them.
As we look at the church today, we realize that, even to this hour, spiritually speaking, the church as a whole is still in Babylonian captivity. It is held captive to a religious system. It is not free. It is in confusion, because Babylon is confusion.
The house of God is not built; it is destroyed. The testimony of God is not there. During the captivity period, God is no longer addressed as the God of heaven and earth, because there is no testimony on earth at that time.
Brothers and sisters, spiritually speaking, sadly speaking, we find that the church in general is still in ruin. It is still in confusion. It is still in captivity. There is no house. God’s people are like wandering Jews—no home.
As I travel, I hear many cries from believers: “We are homeless. Where is our home? We have no spiritual home.” Brothers and sisters, there is no testimony. Oh, Jesus!
But thank God, throughout the centuries, God has been calling His people out of Babylon: “Come out. Return to Jerusalem. Return to singleness, to simplicity, to sincerity, to purity. Return.”
Return there to live and to build the testimony of Jesus. Brothers and sisters, many today are still living for their own benefit, for their own interests. But who will live for the interests of God? Many are occupied with their own businesses, but who will be occupied with God’s business?
Thank God for a remnant—a remnant, only a few in comparison—stirred up by the Spirit of God. They return. In church history, the very same thing has happened. In every age, every century, every generation, there are a few who return to the simplicity of Christ and try to stand for the testimony of Jesus and build the house of God.
They are always a despised people, but thank God there are such people.
But, dear brothers and sisters, look at the condition of the returned remnant. They had returned, but their condition was pitiful. Not only was the city in ruin, but they were oppressed by their enemies. There was weakness even in their hearts.
The work ceased for a number of years, and again they reverted to their old way of life, building their own houses—not in Babylon, but in Jerusalem. Are we doing the same?
Have we been called out of Babylon to return to Jerusalem? Are we a people in Jerusalem? Are we a people standing in the simplicity and sincerity of Christ? Are we a people supposed to come back to live for God, to live for His testimony, and to build the house of God? Brothers and sisters, what are we doing today?
Are we like that remnant who returned but built their own houses in that land, while the house of God lay waste? Is there not a message for us?
Brothers and sisters, have we forgotten why we returned? Have we forgotten what we are here for? What is our occupation? Are we here to build the house of God, or are we here to build our own houses?
Even though by the grace of God we may begin to put our hands, as it were, to building the house of God, there may still be much doubt, much fear, and much trembling in our hearts. Our hearts may still be divided.
We may be wondering why the blessing of God does not come. “If we are for Him, why is He not for us? Why is the blessing still withheld? Is it worthwhile to continue on? What if there is no blessing? Is it a waste?”
Brothers and sisters, are we considering all these thoughts? God knows our hearts. We do not know our hearts. Our heart is deceitful above all things; who knows it? Nobody knows. We ourselves do not know, but God knows.
For this reason, there is a word for us today: Return. Return unto Me, saith the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, we need to return. Probably we have left our first love. When we came back, we had a first love. Now our hands are still moving, but where is our heart?
The Word of God says:
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,
And repent, and do the first works.
Brothers and sisters, probably we have fallen from simplicity. We have become more complex. We begin to look at our surroundings. We begin to look at our brothers and sisters. We begin to complain about this and complain about that, instead of setting our eyes upon the Lord and simply being built together.
Where are we? We really need to return—return to the Lord with our whole heart. If we return, He will return to us.
As a matter of fact, where we are is because He has returned to us in His mercy. But ought we not to return to Him with a whole heart? Let us see no one but Jesus only. Let us see the Lord Jesus in our brothers and sisters.
Let our hearts be occupied with Him alone. Let us love Him with a pure heart, with no ulterior motive. We love Him not because of His blessing; we love Him because of who He is.
If we return to Him, He will return to us. He will return with abundant blessings, and all these blessings will contribute to the bringing in of the kingdom of God upon this earth.
What is the greatest blessing? The greatest blessing is that we have seen Him face to face and been known by Him.
So, brothers and sisters, there is a message for us today. The word is return. Shall we pray?
Thou who searchest the hearts of men, search us. Speak to each one of us. There is a departure.
Lord, turn us, that we may return to Thee, that Thou mayest return to us in a fuller way, so that all Thy glorious plan for Thy Son might be fulfilled. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus, our King. Amen.