Zechariah 1
Today’s Passage: Zechariah 1
The book of Zechariah was written by Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo
who was probably his grandfather (1:1 and Ezra 5:1 and 6:14) Zechariah was a prophet in
Judah and he lived and prophesied about 520 B.C. during the reign of Darius king of
Persia. He was a contemporary of Haggai (Ezra 5:1). He was martyred - Jesus told us
that Zechariah was killed between the altar and the temple (Luke 11:51).
It is a cool time for us to study Zechariah because we walked through Ezra 1-6 recently
at Center Point on Sunday mornings. In the book of Ezra the people are sent back
from Exile but only around 50,000 return. They start to rebuild the temple but then
everything is halted under opposition & accusation. That is where Zechariah comes in.
Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews
who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over
them. / Ezra 5:1
Haggai and Zechariah were challenging them to keep going, to remember God, and
to trust Him and His plan.
In Zechariah 1, the book starts out like much of the other minor prophets - with a call
to repent and turn back to God. He urges them to not be like their forefathers who
did not turn back to God but to, in faith, truly repent and see God for who He is and
what He is worth.
In verse 7 of Zechariah launches into visions that he has had from God. These
continue through chapter 6. There are 8 visions. Today, in chapter one, we have the
first two.
VISION ONE - THE HORSEMAN.
There is a lot going on in this but the meaning is revealed. God’s anger is set against the nations and He is going to restore Israel.
VISION TWO - THE HORNS & CRAFTSMEN.
What is being revealed is that God’s judgement is coming to those who oppressed Judah.
Here is what is ENCOURAGING to me - God said He was going to do all of this before
they repent. God is good to us. He keeps His covenants and His promises. This should
be motivation to repent and follow God in all things. God is not only deserving, but
this is how we have been designed to live by God.
THINGS GO BETTER WHEN WE DO THEM GOD’S WAY.
Is there any area of your life where you need to turn back to God in view of His
faithfulness & His promises? What would it look like for you to repent in those areas?
Zechariah is going to be a great book to study. Take just a couple minutes and watch
this video from the Bible Project. It will lay out Zechariah for you and help the book to
make sense allowing you to have profitable reading and meaningful time with God -
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/zechariah/
Written By: Nick Parsons
The book of Zechariah was written by Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo
who was probably his grandfather (1:1 and Ezra 5:1 and 6:14) Zechariah was a prophet in
Judah and he lived and prophesied about 520 B.C. during the reign of Darius king of
Persia. He was a contemporary of Haggai (Ezra 5:1). He was martyred - Jesus told us
that Zechariah was killed between the altar and the temple (Luke 11:51).
It is a cool time for us to study Zechariah because we walked through Ezra 1-6 recently
at Center Point on Sunday mornings. In the book of Ezra the people are sent back
from Exile but only around 50,000 return. They start to rebuild the temple but then
everything is halted under opposition & accusation. That is where Zechariah comes in.
Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews
who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over
them. / Ezra 5:1
Haggai and Zechariah were challenging them to keep going, to remember God, and
to trust Him and His plan.
In Zechariah 1, the book starts out like much of the other minor prophets - with a call
to repent and turn back to God. He urges them to not be like their forefathers who
did not turn back to God but to, in faith, truly repent and see God for who He is and
what He is worth.
In verse 7 of Zechariah launches into visions that he has had from God. These
continue through chapter 6. There are 8 visions. Today, in chapter one, we have the
first two.
VISION ONE - THE HORSEMAN.
There is a lot going on in this but the meaning is revealed. God’s anger is set against the nations and He is going to restore Israel.
VISION TWO - THE HORNS & CRAFTSMEN.
What is being revealed is that God’s judgement is coming to those who oppressed Judah.
Here is what is ENCOURAGING to me - God said He was going to do all of this before
they repent. God is good to us. He keeps His covenants and His promises. This should
be motivation to repent and follow God in all things. God is not only deserving, but
this is how we have been designed to live by God.
THINGS GO BETTER WHEN WE DO THEM GOD’S WAY.
Is there any area of your life where you need to turn back to God in view of His
faithfulness & His promises? What would it look like for you to repent in those areas?
Zechariah is going to be a great book to study. Take just a couple minutes and watch
this video from the Bible Project. It will lay out Zechariah for you and help the book to
make sense allowing you to have profitable reading and meaningful time with God -
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/zechariah/
Written By: Nick Parsons
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