04/03/2021 – Day 321 – Zechariah – 1 – 7// Pray, read and go deeper, and you will be amazed!
Indeed , all of scripture is “God breathed” but I believe of all the books, this book written by the minor prophet Zechariah is perhaps, the most overlooked in all of the Bible. (just saying, for one cannot single out like that) Just for myself, how could I have read this book through so many times in my life, yet not until now am I awakening up to its sublime mysteries of God’s majesty and holiness. I just can’t get my arms around all this.
I will be back but for now, I am going to use the footnotes of my bible, Matthew Henry’s commentary , as well as John Gill’s commentary to shed light on His Truth packed into just seven pages of scripture. And we will be back next week to complete the 2nd half of the book, as it brings in more messianic and end times (“Day of the Lord”) prophecy. It gets into apocalyptic themes , recognizing the solid hope that God points to in the future that we can of course be assured of. We too I believe will see even moreso going forward that we are walking in their shoes and sharing their experiences. Will we stand fast or will we buckle?
The first half of this book is written around 520 – 518 b.c. in the reign of Darius, you suceeded the reign of Cyrus. By God’s design , the Persians are very accomodating to the exiled vassal people of Israel, as we learned from Cyrus’ decree to the people to return to their native land and rebuild the temple.
Let’s jump in!:
1:3: My footnote: “The title ‘Lord of Hosts’ (used 46 times in this books) means that all created agencies and forces are under the leadership or dominion of God, who no only made them, but maintains them (Genesis 2:1, Isaiah 45:12) Notice that God tells sinners that if they will forsake their ways and deeds and turn to him, He will turn to them. This was the case of the Prodigal son. After leaving the pigsty, he found that his father was waiting for him to return. (see Luke 15:20)
2:3: Matthew Henry re: Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls: “It shall be safe, for God himself will be a wall of fire around it. Jerusalam had not walls about it at this time, but now God will be unto her a wall of fire…. God himself will be the glory in the midst of it. Now all this was fulfilled in part in Jerusalem, which in process of time became a very flourishing city, beyond what could have been expected, considering how low it was brought and how long it was ere it recovered itself. (Jimmy note: 1967 war where unexplicably the nation of Israel, surrounded and outnumbered defeated an Arab army from all sides , and recaptured Jerusalem for the first time in roughly two thousand years, including the Temple Mount, under which, are the ruins of Solomon’s temple.)
Bible footnote 3:1 “The Bible tells us that the enemy with which we wrestle is not flesh and blood, but is demonic. It is easy to be fooled into believing that much of what happens to us is natural in origin. Study your enemy (see Ephesians 6: 12-20) to learn his strengths and weaknesses. Sin gives him territory while righteousness disarms him, so clothe yourself in the righteousness of Christ. When we give ourselves to any sin, we give ourselves to the enemy. Beware of the subtle hidden sins of the heart, such as conceit, jealousy, bitterness, and envy. Guard your heart with all diligence. (Jimmy note – Do not be afraid of the Devil and his minions, for the Holy Spirit is within us! )
Bible footnote 3:2: “Every Christian is a “brand plucked from the fire.” We have been saved from the fire that shall never be quenched, and our commission is to pull sinners “out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 23)
Bible footnote 4:1 “Sleeping giant. The church in America is like a sleeping giant that needs to be awakened. Studies show that only two percent of evangelicals share their faith. The problem is the millions of spurious converts who sit within the Church – tares among the wheat, foolish virgins among the wise, goats among the sheep, etc. These people are in the midst of the American church, but they are not a part of the true church, if they were awakened to their true state, instead of a mere 2 percent we would see 100 percent sharing their faith, for they would have a passion to do the will of God.”
Bible footnote 4:6 “We tend , in our carnality, to lean toward might and power, but God does all things by His Spirit. He convicts us by His Spirit; we are born of His Spirit; we are baptized with His Spirit, and He guides us by the Spirit. (See John 16:8; 3: 7,8; 1 Corinthians 12:13; John 16:13)
Don’t miss John Gill’s commentary on 4:12 and 4:14. Reread the section 4:11 through 4:14, wrapped around 4:12: “And I , furthur answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/zechariah-4-12.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/zechariah-4-14.html
And now, 6:12-13: “Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus say the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And he shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord, He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”
Let me back up to the section : The Command to Crown Joshua 6:9 – 6:15, the end of the chapter and our reading for today:
Matthew Henry’s commentary to help answer his key question at the beginning:
“II. What is the meaning of Joshua’s being crowned thus?” The prophet is read to tell them.
- God will, in the fulness of time, raise up a great high priest, like Joshua. Joshua is but the figure of one that is to come, a faint shadow of him (v. 12): Speak unto him in the name of the Lord of hosts, that the man whose name is THE BRANCH shall grow up out of this place, out of the city of David. Though the family be a root in a dry ground, yet this branch will spring out of it, as when the sun returns, the flowers spring out of the roots, in which they lay buried out of sight and out of mind.
- Joshua ws active in building the temple, so the man, the branch, shall be the sole builder of the spiritual temple, the gospel-church. He shall build the temple of the Lord.
- Christ shall bear the glory. Glory is a burden, but not too heavy for him to bear who upholds all things. The cross was his glory, and he bore that; so was the crown an exceeding weight of glory, and he bears that. That which he shall undertake, shall be indeed the glory of Israel. He shall lift up the glory (so it may be read); he shall raise it out of the dust.
- He shall have a throne, and be both a priest and a king upon his throne. A throne denotes both dominion and dignity, an exalted honour with an extensive power. Christ, as a priest, ever lives to make intercession for us; but he dies it sitting at his Father’s right hand, as one having authority, Hebrews 8:1. Christ, who is ordained to offer sacrifices for us, is authorized to give law to us. He will not save us unless we be willing that he should govern us. God has prepared him a throne in the heavens; and if , we have any benefit by that, we must prepare him a throne in our hearts. (Jimmy note – and nothing else can sit on that throne, for that would be idolatry, God forbid! ) This king shall be a priest upon his throne. With the majesty and power of a king, he shall have the tenderness and simplicity of a priest.
- The counsel of peace shall be between them both. That is between Jehovah and the man the branch, between the Father and the Son; concerning the peace to be made between God and man, by the mediation of Christ. …
- There shall be a happy coalition between Jews and Gentiles in the gospel-church, and they shall both meet in Christ, the priest upon his throne, as the centre of their unity (v. 15): Those that are far off shall come and build the temple of the Lord.
- This will be the confirmation of the truth of God’s word: You shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you. That promise, that those that were afar off should assist them in building the temple of the Lord, was a sign. This should be fulfilled now very speedily; see Ezra 6: 13,14: “For this shall come to pass if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord you God. You shall have the help of foreignors in building the temple, if you will set about it in good earnest yourselves.”
Always connected by His grace and through prayer..
Soli Deo Gloria!