Sermon Tone Analysis

ZECHARIAH

 

*THEME:  *Messiah and Restoration:  A theological basis for rebuilding the Temple \\ (or /Standing on the Promises:  Motivations for Rebuilding the Temple/)

* *

*DATE:  *520-518 (480-70?)

 

Zechariah 1-6 dates to the 2nd year of Darius (520).

Chapters 7-8 date to the 4th year of Darius (518).

Zechariah 9-14 has no clear date.

Some have suggested that these chapters date to a much later period in Zechariah’s ministry, perhaps 480-470.

! HISTORICAL SETTING

* *

Zechariah, grandson of Iddo (Neh.

12:4, 16),[1] was of priestly descent.

A contemporary of Haggai, Zechariah began his ministry in the second year of Darius, king of Persia (520 BC), when the Lord called him (and Haggai) to encourage the post-exilic community to finish rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 5:1-2).

The Temple was finally finished in March of 515 (Ezra 6:15).

! STRUCTURE

 

*I.

**Introduction (1:1-6):  Repentance as a prerequisite to restoration*

* *

*II.

**Eight visions (1:7-6:15):  God’s program of restoration for Judah and Jerusalem*

* *

| !

Vision

| !

Reference

| !

Description

|

| / //Vision 1/ | 1:7-17 | !!!

The Angel of Yahweh with the horsemen among the myrtle trees

|

| / //Vision 2/ | 1:18-21 | Four horns and four carpenters (craftsmen) |

| / //Vision 3/ | 2:1-13 | !!!

The man with the measuring line

|

| / //Vision 4/ | 3:1-10 | Joshua, the high priest, cleansed |

| / //Vision 5/ | 4:1-14 | The golden lampstand fed by the two olive trees |

| / //Vision 6/ | 5:1-4 | The flying scroll |

| / //Vision 7/ | 5:5-11 | The woman in the ephah basket |

| / //Vision 8/ | 6:1-8 | The four chariots of the Lord |

| */Climax to the visions/* |  6:9-15 |  The symbolic crowning of Joshua, the high priest |

/ /

*III.

**Questions about fasting (7:1-8:23):  True spirituality in light of future restoration*

* *

/A.       //The question (7:1-3)/

/B.       //The four answers (7:4-8:23)*[2]*/

/ /

*IV.

**Two prophetic oracles (9:1-14:21):  The two Advents of Messiah and the future restoration*

* *

/A.       //To the first Advent:  The rejection of the Messiah and its consequences (9:1-11:17)/

/B.       //The second Advent and beyond:  The return and reign of the Messiah (12:1-14:21)/

!!!! FOCUS ON ZECHARIAH’S VISIONS

These eight visions picture, in enigmatic language, God’s program of restoration for Jerusalem and for His people.

*Detailed Description                               explanation~/interpretation*

| *VISION 1 (1:7-17)* | !!!

The man on the red horse (vv.

8, 10) is later identified as the Angel of Yahweh (v.

11).

!!!

Other horsemen, mounted on horses of three different colors, are standing behind the Rider on the red horse (v.

8).

!!!

He and the other horsemen are standing under myrtle trees in a valley (v.

8).

!!!

The report of these horsemen is that everything is still quiet (v.

11).

The angel of the Lord calls out to Yahweh to have compassion on Jerusalem (v.

12).

Yahweh responds by proclaiming comfort and prosperity for Jerusalem (vv.

13-17).

|  The rider of the red horse is the Messiah.

These horsemen, agents of divine governance, are making a report to the Angel of Yahweh (v.

10).

Exact symbolism unknown.

The valley is perhaps the deep Kidron valley southeast of Jerusalem.[3]

In other words, God has not yet begun to deal with the nations and avenge His people.

Messianic concern on behalf of troubled Jerusalem and Judah leads to a promise of restoration:  comfort and prosperity for Jerusalem, a rebuilt Temple, and divine anger against the nations that destroyed her.

|

| *VISION 2 (1:18-21)* | Four horns (vv.

18-19) Four carpenters (vv.

20-21)—“craftsmen” who work with wood, stone, or metals.

|  These horns are the nations that “scattered” Jerusalem and Judah (perhaps identical to the four Gentile nations in Daniel 2, 7, & 8).

These craftsmen will “work on” (/destroy!/) the Gentile nations that scattered Judah—bringing to an end “the times of the Gentiles.”

|

| *VISION 3 (2:1-13)* | !!!

A man goes out with a measuring line to measure the width and length of the future Jerusalem (vv.

1-2).

The message given by one of the angels is that the future Jerusalem will be like an unwalled village because of the large population (vv.

3-4).

Instead of walls, Yahweh will be Jerusalem’s protection (v.

5).

This announcement of Jerusalem’s future prosperity leads to a beckons to all former inhabitants to return to the city (vv.

6-7).

The spoiling nations will be spoiled (vv.

8-9).

Zion is called upon to rejoice over its future glory (vv.

10-13).

|      In other words, Jerusalem will be immeasurable.

It will expand beyond walled boundaries.

He will be a “wall of fire” and a “glory in the midst.”

Messiah Himself will be the Avenger of God’s chosen people (see Matt. 25:31-46).

Jerusalem will be Yahweh’s habitation and will be the scene (evidently) for the conversion of many Gentile nations (vv.

11-12).

|

                               *DETAILED DESCRIPTION                               EXPLANATION~/INTERPRETATION*

| *VISION 4 (3:1-10)* | Joshua, the high priest, stands before the Angel of Yahweh (v.

1).Satan, the Adversary, is also present; however, he is rebuked (vv.

1-2).

Joshua’s filthy garments are exchanged for clean ones (vv.

3-5).The Angel of Yahweh exhorts Joshua to keep the ways of the Lord (vv.

6-7).Joshua is a picture of the Messianic /Branch/,[4] by means of whom God will remove the iniquity of the land (vv.

8-10).

| As the high priest, Joshua represents the nation.

Satan is accusing the nation of Israel.

The events in this vision picture the cleansing of the nation of Israel—the removal of its iniquity (see the explanation of the vision in vv.

8-10).

Ultimately, the fulfillment of this cleansing of Israel is the future conversion of Israel (Zech.

12:10-13:6; Romans 11:25-27).

|

| *VISION 5 (4:1-14)* | Zechariah sees a golden lampstand (v.

2).

This lampstand had three unusual features:  (1) a bowl on the top; (2) seven pipes going from the bowl to each of the seven lamps; (3) two olive trees that fed oil into the bowl on the top of the lampstand (vv.

2-3).

The lampstand was a message for Zerubbabel that Israel’s duty to be the “light of the world” would be accomplished through the Spirit of God, not through human effort or power.

The great mountain that had previously hindered the work would be removed (v.

7).Zerubbabel’s and the people’s previous failure to finish the Temple would now be reversed.Some mourned the Temple’s “insignificance”; however, the “seven eyes” of the Lord (v.

10) rejoiced at the sight of Zerubbabel building.

The two olive branches are identified as the “two anointed ones” who stand before the Lord.

|  The lampstand pictures Israel’s duty as the recipient of God’s revelation to be a light to the world.[5]

Unlike the lampstand in the tabernacle, this golden lampstand was not filled with oil by means of the priests; it had an external and perennial source of oil.

Israel was not the source of its sufficiency.

For Zerubbabel and for the people of that day, being the “light of the world” meant, in part, completing the Temple, the dwelling place of God.

This and every other effort to be a /light/ can only happen through the power of the Spirit.

The “great mountain” (v.

7) symbolizes obstacles in general or the pagan government that had formerly opposed the Temple rebuilding project.[6]

The people had failed to finish in 536 BC.

With the help of the Spirit, they would not fail this time.