Chariots and a coronation (Zechariah chapter 6)

 OUT OF THE CHAOS: A study in the book of Zechariah

To watch this on YouTube, click 

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Shalom and welcome to our class today. We are continuing in this prophetic book written by a young Jewish man living in Jerusalem about 500 BCE as he writes to his people, those living there in Judah and also to those living in Babylon. To each of those groups, he has some clear words and I trust that those words he spoke 2500 years ago will speak to you and to me as we will consider what God meant as he used that young man. And we will try to learn what God has to say to us as 21^st Century people. 

Our theme in this book is “out of the chaos” and there was plenty of chaos around young Zechariah in those days, and dare I say, around us in our days as well. How we find its opposite, whether you title it control or comfort or pleasure or ease… that’s the goal of my studies in this book with you.

20 days ago, Prince Charles of England became King Charles III and wore the proper clothing and donned the crown, as the 40^th monarch since the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Great pomp and circumstance, ballrooms and balls, horse-drawn carriages, photography enough for generations and media coverage that still has not ended. In today’s reading from Zechariah, we will see another coronation at the end of the final night vision, the 8th of 8, and wonder who is wearing the crown, and what its role is in the life of the Jewish people around 500 BCE or so.

Let’s jump right in. 

1.     Chariots (.1-8) 

Verse one: The 8^th vision has a weird cast of characters and settings. Four chariots are seen coming from between two mountains. The mountains are made of bronze. They are driven by four different colours of horses. And then in the interpretation the angel tells Zechariah that they are four spirits or four winds. Are you confused yet? Just wait. While in chapter 1 we looked at horses and their riders, here in chapter 6 we only see the horses and chariots. No riders. Earlier the purpose was reporting on global events and conditions; here we have to ask what the purpose is?

As I give this talk today, we in Sydney are celebrating two things. One is Shavuot, that is, the Jewish holiday of Pentecost, the anniversary of a harvest festival and the giving of Torah 3,500 years ago. That two-day holiday began at sundown last night. The other celebration is the opening of Vivid, the annual reminder here that any building can become a canvas of light and art. In the midst of these two annual moments, we are studying chapter 6 of Zechariah with his commensurate weird imagery and night visions. OK, given our calendar, this chapter makes sense. 

Jewish commentator Ibn Ezra (XII, Spain) said the symbolism is straightforward. The chariots are there to carry the decrees of heaven to the four corners of the earth. Remember, Zechariah has labelled God the Lord of all the earth, so Ibn Ezra may be onto something. The Targum indicates that the four chariots represent the four kingdoms which ruled what we call Israel after the destruction of Solomon’s temple. Those four were Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. Of course, that makes sense in light of the timing of the writings. “There is clear evidence that Aramaic translations of at least parts of the Bible were known in the days of the Second Temple: the Qumran caves have yielded small fragments of an Aramaic translation of Leviticus, and more substantial portions of an Aramaic version of Job.” (The Cambridge history of the Bible. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/new-cambridge-history-of-the-bible/aramaic-targums/66005BF403AA0C9DDCA300E81EFA83D3)

I should tell you that the word Targum simply means ‘translation’ and was the Aramaic translation by rabbis from the time of the Maccabees and even Yeshua. So, it’s no surprise that no further kingdoms beyond Rome are listed here. But we have had 2,000 more years of Jewish history and there would have been further ruling kingdoms, but the Targums don’t address those. 

But some of you will be fixated on the four chariots or winds or horses, and you might lose the bigger picture. Even as Daniel chapter 7 showcases similar four kingdoms (if you accept the Targum), the writing of these images is to help us have faith and comfort, not chaos. The number ‘four’ in the record of Scripture is not required to be a precise number but rather is a representation of ‘the lot’ or ‘the whole kit and kaboodle.’ In other words, ‘four winds’ means all the winds. Four chariots coming for judgment means all the dominant royalty that is ever going to assault the people. Four shouts universal representation. We saw that in chapter two with the craftsmen and the horns. (Chapter 1 in some versions)

I mention this with regularity because in the last 2,500 years more kingdoms have arisen and hoped to judge and ruin the Jewish people. It’s still happening to this day and will continue until Messiah returns. So don’t get caught up in what horn or what wind or which chariot is Nazi Germany or 15^th century Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella. Your spiritual gymnastics will not work and don’t need to work in that way. Four chariots. Simply that means all the kingdoms which will ever be used by the Lord to save the Jewish people and to overthrow our enemies. The enemies of the day. And they come between two bronze mountains. There are no mountains made of bronze anywhere on the planet. Most Christian commentators mention bronze as a symbol of judgment and that makes sense in the setting. Babylon is going down and we will see that in a moment. Ralph Smith says the two represent the dwelling place of God. Certainly, that would include his judgment seat. The rabbis indicate this is Mt Zion, and of course, the Temple in its being rebuilt, is ever in view.

For more information about chariots, see The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, one of my favourite reference books, published by InterVarsity Press in 1998 out of the US. Page 138-139 unpacks all the references including Ezekiel and Jehu’s furious ride, even Elijah’s flight to heaven (2 King 2.11-12) and the three uses of chariots in the NT. (Acts 8.28-38, Rev. 9.9, 18.13) The summary is that chariots are used in three categories: as royal vehicles, as battle vehicles and the Grand One as the Divine Chariot, which sounds to me like a combination of the first two uses. (Divine: Psalm 104.3, Ezekiel 1.5-15)

Back to our text. The four horses are colourful. Black, red, white and dappled. By the way, dappled is not a colour. Some versions use ‘strong’ and others ‘grey.’

Dappled simply means the horse is predisposed to a certain kind of marking, which can come and go based on nutrition, coat care, the seasons, if you clip them, etc. They're rounded spots of a lighter colour than the rest of the coat. Usually, they're a sign your horse is in great health.

We who have the NT have an advantage for the colour index: red stands for war, black for famine and white for death. (See Revelation 6.1-8) Dappled would then stand for plagues. Looking at judgments over time, like in Jeremiah’s days, there were four penalties: wars (which led to captivity), famine, plagues and death. (e.g., Jeremiah 18.21, 21.7, 24.10, 27.13)

But whatever each of these horse/ winds represent, it’s bad news for the recipients and, by extension, good news for the beneficiaries. Who would those be? Let’s see. 

Verse 5, the winds are headed north and south. North is Babylon; South is Egypt. Both are enemies of the Jewish people, and both have mistreated the Jews. The winds are the judgments against the enemies of the Jews. Babylon will go down in defeat as will Egypt.

Verse 7, out go the surveillance teams of horses and chariots, and obviously God’s army of angelic hosts. They went to patrol and in verse 8 reported back that the victory was complete, the Babylonians were defeated, and God’s wrath was appeased. The Hebrew is from Nuach, meaning ‘settle down on’ or ‘satisfy.’ Most understand that this is both the judgment on the Babylonians and the resultant news about the rebuilding of the Temple.

Ibn Ezra said that all the Jews in the North were then safe.

2. Coronation (.9-15)

After the first part of our study today, about Chariots, we now turn to a Coronation. It includes a confrontation, then the coronation and finally a commemoration. First the confrontation. 

Three visitors from Babylon rock up to Jerusalem. They were to stay at the home of Josiah, whose nickname was Chen (meaning ‘grace.’) and they were bearing financial aid from the Jews of the North to support the rebuild of the Temple. Only Verse 10 says that Zechariah is responsible to take the goods and to fashion a crown or two. That’s a dilemma, isn’t it? Can designated funds be reassigned by someone else? And Verse 11 says that the crown is to sit on the top of a priest, the high priest, Joshua. But nowhere in the Torah are we told about such action. Nowhere else in Jewish history had this been done. The three in the delegation probably wondered what the end game was for Zechariah in redeploying the financial package. How dare he! What’s he trying to do?

Radak said he wanted to make two crowns, not one. Others comment that this one crown was so glorious it appeared with diadems and could have appeared as two. I like that there is confusion. You see, the Hebrew word in verse 11 for crown is plural! עֲטָר֑וֹת     

But the verb is singular. Hold on, I’ll explain why I like this. Verse 11, says ‘set it (singular) on the head of Joshua.’ Some of you will remember a term, a phrase we have used in Jewish prophecy specifically, and Christopher Wright has employed it over and over again in his studies of the Tanach. It’s about horizons.  I’ll include the article from 2019 about this, that really helped me package it, but basically, it’s Horizon 1: The OT era, Horizon 2: The fulfillment in the person of Yeshua and Horizon 3: the eschaton, the way distant future. (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/march-web-only/three-horizons-of-old-testament-prophecy-christopher-wright.html)

So, when I read about the two crowns and one head, I know there is anticipation of another to wear the crown and it’s not Charles III. Who is it?

Look at verse 12. The coronation is happening and it’s on the Branch, for he will branch out. Many Jewish versions leave it “Flourish” for he will flourish. But the word Tsemach (see Zechariah 3.8) is a person. And a to-be-crowned person for sure. No wonder the Targum says this tsemach is Messiah and he will complete the rebuilding of the Temple. 

You see, the rabbis get so close on this one. They say there are two crowns. One for Zerubbabel and one for Joshua. So close. I get how they get it. We’ve seen them in Zechariah previously as representatives of government and religion working together. In verse 13 here we see peace ‘between the two offices’ or literally between the two of them. And maybe they are right in the first horizon. But I’m looking beyond horizon 1 and the immediate fulfillment. I’m seeing horizon 2 and someone who is named Branch (Jeremiah 23.1-5) who be “Jehovah our Righteousness.” He will be the replacement for the wicked shepherds, and he will guide, even save the Jewish people. It’s not two crowns for two people; but it’s a royal diadem, a glorious crown of majesty, atop the head of the KING and PRIEST, Yeshua. He who fulfills two offices. The king who judges and the priest who intercedes. 

And he will rebuild the Temple. John says, “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” (John 2.19-20)

Jesus would rebuild the godly line, the godly life, his relationship with us, on the 3^rd day, when he rose from the dead. Everything would be satisfied in Horizon 2 when Yeshua rose from the dead. And in the Revelation, we see Horizon 3, when they crown him with many crowns and we are gathered to him, once and forever, and the New Jerusalem comes down to be established on earth and we rule with him in purity and godliness. 

Remember I said there was a confrontation, a coronation and a commemoration? The third is in verses 14-15. Weirsbe says, “Zechariah took the crown off Joshua’s head and gave him his priestly mitre (3.5) Why? Because the symbolic act was over, and the crown did not belong to Joshua. It belonged to the coming Messiah. Zechariah placed the crown somewhere in the Temple as a memorial (verse 14) (Zikaron) of the Lord’s promise of a KING-PRIEST who would bring peace and holiness to his people.” (Page 135)

Verse 15, friends, we will know the Lord and know that Zechariah is the voice of God, when we completely obey or listen to the voice of the Lord. That’s the key. If you don’t yet believe in Yeshua, the King-Priest who was to come, the Branch, the Messiah, then hear his voice calling to you, and say ‘yes’ and be born again. If you are already his, already a follower of Yeshua, please keep listening to him, do as he bid, and crown him with many crowns, even today, amen?

Chaos is subjugated. Life is available.

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Remember, you who are watching today, if you are not yet a follower of Yeshua, and see his love for you, his kindness extended, his offer of forgiveness available, right where you are, submit to him, to his lordship, to his care, and your life will take on new meaning, new substance, and you will have mates on this call, and in your neighbourhood and wherever you travel… the Kingdom is advancing under the King. Chaos is subjugated, life is available.

Would you like that? Pray with me just now. (Prayer Sample)

Shabbat shalom!

 

Resource on video

To see a fun video overview of the book of Zechariah see this from Bible Project:

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/zechariah/

 

Bibliography:

Ryken, Leland (and others), Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1998.

Smith, Ralph, Micah to Malachi: Word Biblical Commentary (Volume 32), Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1984.

Stead, Michael, Zechariah: The Lord Returns, Aquila Press, Sydney, 2015.

Webb, Barry, The Message of Zechariah: Your Kingdom Come, Intervarsity Press, Nottingham, 2003.

Wiersbe, Warren, Be Heroic: Demonstrating Bravery by your Walk, David C. Cook Press, Colorado Springs, 1997.

 

ACTUAL TEXT

 

Zech. 6:1   Now I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming forth from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains. ² With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, ³ with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong dappled horses. ⁴ Then I spoke and said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵ The angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth, ⁶ with one of which the black horses are going forth to the north country; and the white ones go forth after them, while the dappled ones go forth to the south country. ⁷ “When the strong ones went out, they were eager to go to patrol the earth.” And He said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So, they patrolled the earth. ⁸ Then He cried out to me and spoke to me saying, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north.”

 

Zech. 6:9   The word of the LORD also came to me, saying, ¹⁰ “Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah; and you go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have arrived from Babylon. ¹¹ “Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² “Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. ¹³ “Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honour and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’ ¹⁴ “Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the LORD to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵ “Those who are far off will come and build the temple of the LORD.” Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the LORD your God.

 

Also, today’s other text:

Rev. 6:1   Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” ² I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 3   When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” ⁴ And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. 5   When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard something like a voice in the centre of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”7   When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” ⁸ I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Who is Zerubbabel? Lampstands and Olive trees. (Zechariah 4)

 OUT OF THE CHAOS: A study in the book of Zechariah

Chapter 4: Lampstands and Olive trees. Who is Zerubbabel?

The video of this talk is on YouTube here:

https://youtu.be/-HBMVBo7qlo

Shalom and welcome to our class today. We are continuing in this prophetic book written by a young Jewish man living in Jerusalem about 500 BCE as he writes to his people, those living there in Judah and also to those living in Babylon. To each of those groups, he has some clear words and I trust that those words he spoke 2500 years ago will speak to you and to me as we will consider what God meant as he used that young man. And we will try to learn what God has to say to us as 21st Century people. 

As per usual, my method will take us through a chapter each Friday morning, and then we will have plenty of time for discussion and questions in the final half-hour. If you are watching this teaching on YouTube after our class, please feel free to write me (bob@jewsforjesus.org.au) and I will try to answer queries if I’m able. 

If you don’t already receive the email invitations to join this class live, please enter your email address just now, type it into the chat box or write our office (admin@jewsforjesus.org.au) and ask to be invited. Thanks. 

Also if you don’t mind, please read the chapter before you come to the class live, and if you are watching YouTube, pause your playback, read chapter 4 and then rejoin us. Thanks. Welcome back.

Let’s jump in. 

Again the new chapter has an unusual vision, Vision #5 in this series of 8 visions, all at the beginning of the prophecy of Zechariah. Last week we turned from the work of the rebuild of the Temple to a person and to sin and cleansing. Today we return to the theme of the Temple, but have two unusual changes to the setting. The vision may happen at night, but an angel actually awakens Zechariah as if from a deep sleep and secondly, again we zoom in on a person, the governor Zerubbabel. We learn about his person from 1 Chronicles and the book of Haggai. He was the grandson of king Jehoiachin, and son of Pedaiah; and for a while, the leader of the first returning exiles. So, along with the task of Temple reconstruction, we note the ministry and the character of Governor Zerubbabel. 

Since Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin of Judah (1 Chronicles 3:17) he was in the line of King David. That will be significant later as we consider messianic hope. Zerubbabel was born in Babylon during the exile (between 587 and 539 BC), and made his way over to Judah after King Cyrus II allowed the Judean captives to return to their homeland to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1–4; 6:3–5, 8–10). The prophet Haggai identifies Zerubbabel as the governor of Judah after the exile (Haggai 1:1; 2:2, 21). 

A little more about this man, a reflection of the times, and history of the building. His name, Zerubbabel is a Babylonian name meaning “offspring of Babylon.” That helps me remember the prophecy of Jeremiah who encouraged Judeans to make a new life in Babylon and thus Pedaiah (or Shealtiel, whichever was his biological father) gave him a Babylonian name. Think about the changes in Jewish culture from Eastern European shtetl life for hundreds of years with men’s names being Menachem or Irving, Louie or Harold to the 20th century when men were given names like Robert, William or Charles. Trying to fit in, to acculturate, and to be less noticeable. And in the world of Babylon in those days, it was a way of being ‘normal’ as well. 

Then after Zerubbabel and the other exiles left Babylon, about a year later, they got settled, and those Jewish people began to rebuild, but it wasn’t long before opposition arose from local adversaries, and you have to wonder why the Judeans chose to build alone, and the work was brought to a standstill by order of King Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:1–24). Only the foundation of the temple had been finished. The locals had sent that letter of defamation and Artaxerxes believed that the Jews would not pay taxes to the king and would stay apart from the locals.

The foundation was lesser, that is, it showed that this new temple was going to be much smaller than the First Temple built by Solomon.  This brought significant disappointment to some of the older people who remembered the former temple: “Many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid” (Ezra 3:12).  Rashi said “although the foundation was a disappointing experience for those who remembered the magnificence of the First Temple, eventually the building would be 7 times more imposing that it is now”

The prophet Haggai addressed their disappointment: “‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. . . . ‘Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord of Hosts” (Haggai 2:3–4). Zechariah, too in today’s passage, told the people not to despise “the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10), because God had great plans for this new temple.

Finally after a seventeen-year work stoppage, under the next king of Persia, Darius, the Jewish people were granted permission to get back to rebuilding. Within three and a half years after the second effort began, the 2nd Temple was completed in 516 BCE.

In this vision today, Zechariah receives words that should have encouraged Zerubbabel: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts. What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘Grace! Grace!’ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you’” (Zechariah 4:6–9).

As a descendant of King David, Zerubbabel was identified with the coming Messiah by his contemporary prophets, Haggai and Zechariah. The Jewish people began to see Zerubbabel as their great hope for reviving the Davidic kingship and for liberation from the Persians. Rashi said God had chosen Zerubbabel from all people of the world as the one fit to execute this task. 

The prophet Haggai declared that God would use Zerubbabel to overthrow and destroy kingdoms: “The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: ‘Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.’ . . . ‘On that day,’ declares the LORD of Hosts, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD of Hosts” (Haggai 2:20–23).

With that as background and a shadow of foreground, let’s unpack the few verses that are chapter four of Zechariah. 

Verse one. The angel almost shakes Zechariah, which makes sense in light of Haggai chapter 2 and the shaking that God intended through him. 

Verse two. The angel asks “What do you see?” And Zechariah mentions the menorah, but it has 7 feeder tubes into each of the 7 branches. That’s 49 tubes altogether. And a bowl atop. That’s not how the original was built (Read Exodus 25)

Then verse 3, we read of two olive trees, one on either side. OK< that’s not too far fetched. You need the olive trees to produce the olives that are then squeezed and create the oil that lights the menorah. 

Verse 4, a simple question. “What are these?” And you would expect the angel to explain. But he doesn’t. 

Verse 5. Don’t you know? It’s a mocking question. Obviously Zechariah didn’t know, or why would he have asked. I’m so glad God doesn’t treat us in this way. When we lack wisdom, James says, we should ask of God who gives to all men liberally, without upbraiding us!

Verse 6. The first explanation in this chapter. This is God’s word to Zerubbabel. Your work will not be by human strength or enterprise. It’s God’s work and he will ensure it’s done in his power. That’s comforting. 

Look tonight we have a soft launch and tomorrow evening the actual Opening Night for our Art Exhibition in Taylor Square. It has been a huge undertaking, costing us 10s of thousands of dollars and we have high hopes for it. I’ll tell you more in the question time. But for my staff on this call today and for you who are listening and watching, know this, we are not doing this in our own human cleverness or wisdom. Not by human might or power, but by God’s Spirit. That’s how Zerubbabel was to build the Temple. Not trusting in his own capacity or the military might of the Jewish people, but trusting the Lord to make things happen in his timing and in his strength. 

Verse 7: What can withstand us? A mountain gadol?    הַֽר־הַגָּד֛וֹל   Ha…that’s nothing. Sounds like Yeshua talking about a grain of mustard seed faith. You can move mountains of troubles, even of leftover fallen ruins of the first Temple.  All that leftover stuff will be like a plain.  And God will make the capstone, the keystone, the top stone

אֶת־הָאֶ֣בֶן הָרֹאשָׁ֔ה

To come out, and to fulfil its mission. A capstone is the final stone of a building project. Think of the keystone in a bridge. You build from one side and the other, both at the same time. Then the final piece, the top stone, is the culmination of all that hard work. God says he will bring it out and there will be shouts of CHEN, grace, grace. Double grace. All the grace a man needs. All the grace a people need. All the grace you will ever need is found in doing what God says and he will bring the supply.

Verse 8. More interpretation follows. The angel says further words. 

Verse 9. Zerubbabel started this; he will be the one to finish it. It’s not a relay race with baton to baton to baton. It will happen in a season, not over many lifetimes. 

Verse 10. Don’t knock the beginnings. Small things are not to be despised. We have to start somewhere. You will get it done.  These 7. Must be the facets or eyes of chapter 3. They will be glad when they see the ‘plumb line.’ But the Hebrew is not plumb. Rather Bedil

 אֶת־הָאֶ֧בֶן הַבְּדִ֛יל

Like hamavdil or even Havdalah. That’s the dividing line. The line that separates. God wants his people to have his Temple to honour him. 

The eyes range to and fro? That sounds like “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those bwhose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” (2 Chronicles 16.9) And in the Proverbs we read, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” (15.3)

God’s eyes are on duty all the day long. All the month. All your lifetime. 

Verses 11-14. Two olive trees. What are they? It’s not a what; it’s a who. They are the two anointed ones (not Meshach, rather tsahar) standing and awaiting words to fulfil. They are loyal attendants ready to serve. They are Joshua and Zerubbabel.  (Revelation 11.3) Don’t expect two particular folks, in fact, it’s not even the real number at the last, but rather a symbol of the same history. And it’s a call to you and to me to stand at the ready to serve our great God. 

And to be called “Lord of all the earth.” 

עַל־אֲד֥וֹן כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

We will see that going forward in this book even next week, but get that in your head and in your heart. He will be using two witnesses to bring his love and grace to the whole earth. (Isa. 54.5) 

Remember the quote from Haggai said something about the signet ring? (2.20-23)

As a seal of royal authority, the “signet ring” is a messianic metaphor. In Jeremiah 22:24–25, God said if Jehoiachin (Zerubbabel’s grandfather) were his signet ring, God would cast him off. Thus, Haggai was saying that through Zerubbabel God would reverse the curse He had personally pronounced on Jehoiachin. God would place the wicked king’s grandson like a signet ring on his own finger. Likewise, the words “on that day” point to a future messianic fulfillment of Haggai’s message.

Although Zerubbabel’s temple was smaller than the one Solomon built, God promised a greater glory: “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,” said the Lord (Haggai 2:9). The glory bestowed on Zerubbabel’s temple came centuries later when Yeshua, our Messiah, came into the temple courts. The Messiah never visited Solomon’s temple, but Zerubbabel’s Temple did.

I find it strange then, that before the 2nd temple was completed and dedicated, Zerubbabel’s name disappears from the biblical record. It’s possible that Zerubbabel may have returned to Babylon soon after finishing his work on the temple, or it could be that the Persians feared a Jewish uprising and had Zerubbabel removed or executed. Regardless, Zerubbabel is revered as one of the Bible’s great heroes, working to reconstruct the Lord’s house of worship and he is even listed in the genealogy of Yeshua.

“After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of 1Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim,” (Matt. 1.12-13)

While the temple Zerubbabel helped rebuild was nothing compared to the size and grandeur of Solomon’s, it far outlasted it. In fact, Zerubbabel’s temple was still standing 500 years later when the promised Messiah filled it full.

            And now we live in an age when Messiah, the despised and rejected one, is trying to be known in the whole earth yet again. Our role as believers is to carry that message and lift him up so that all people will be drawn to himself.  Amen?

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Remember, you who are watching today, if you are not yet a follower of Yeshua, and see his love for you, his kindness extended, his offer of forgiveness available, right where you are, submit to him, to his lordship, to his care, and your life will take on new meaning, new substance, and you will have mates on this call, and in your neighbourhood and wherever you travel… the Kingdom is advancing under the King. Chaos is subjugated, life is available.

Would you like that? Pray with me just now. (prayer)

Shabbat shalom!

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Resource on video

To see a fun video overview of the book of Zechariah see this from Bible Project:

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/zechariah/

 

Bibliography:

Smith, Ralph, Micah to Malachi: Word Biblical Commentary (Volume 32), Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1984.

Stead, Michael, Zechariah: The Lord Returns, Aquila Press, Sydney, 2015.

Webb, Barry, The Message of Zechariah: Your Kingdom Come, Intervarsity Press, Nottingham, 2003.

Wiersbe, Warren, Be Heroic: Demonstrating Bravery by your Walk, David C. Cook Press, Colorado Springs, 1997.

This website was especially significant today and I quote from it and edit its words, but the essence is there. https://www.gotquestions.org/Zerubbabel-in-the-Bible.html

 

ACTUAL TEXT



 

Zech. 4:1   Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and roused me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. 2 He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; 3 also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.” 4 Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts. 7 ‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”

 

Zech. 4:8   Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 10 “For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel — these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth.”

 

Zech. 4:11   Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 12 And I answered the second time and said to him, “What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?” 13 So he answered me, saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”