Zechariah

Then God reminded them of His demand for justice and mercy and that the exile had resulted from Israel's failure to heed His demands. The implication is that such could happen again (which it did in a.d.. 70). But the Lord had blessings planned for Israel, a fact that should should motivate them not to be fearful or discouraged but to finish the temple. He had already returned to them (v. 3 should be translated "I have returned") and promised to dwell with them and gather many more from all over the world. This prospect might seem difficult ("marvelous") to them, but not to "the Lord Almighty." Besides completing the temple, the primary response the Lord sought to His gracious acts and promises was not ritual but righteousness, loving one's neighbor as oneself.

The leaders from Bethel had perhaps mainly wanted to call attention to their own "piety." They are informed in 8:18-23 that God was going to do something so wonderful that fasting would be turned to feasting and that their puny worship would be eclipsed by "many peoples and powerful nations" coming to "entreat" and "seek" the Lord (see discussion of Mic. 4-5; also see Mal. 1:11-14).

The remainder of the book, probably written after the temple was completed, contains two divine oracles or messages (chaps. 9-11 and 12-14). Both messages deal with God's establishing His kingdom on the earth. Both describe future events, some of which were fulfilled before Jesus' incarnation, some during Jesus earthly ministry, and some when He returns. Each oracle contains three main sections, but the first oracle concludes with a fourth section that acts as a hinge between the two oracles. It is the third of the commissioning ceremonies in Zechariah (see 3:1-10; 6:9-15).

The first and third sections of the first oracle are warrior hymns connected to God's deliverance of Israel from exile. Between them is a denunciation of false shepherds. The first section describes the future victory of God's people through a coming ruler. Judgment of hostile nations is the theme of 9:1-8, a passage that may in part relate to Alexander's conquests in Palestine in the fourth century b.c.

According to 9:9-10, "one of the most Messianically significant passages of all the Bible" (Merrill), God's kingdom will be established through a human ruler (see also Isa. 9:6-7; Pss. 2; 45; 72, especially v. 8 quoted at the end of Zech. 9:10). Although kings sometimes rode donkeys (see 1 Kgs. 1:33), the contrast with the use of a warhorse (see Rev. 19:11-16) seems to suggest humility and peace (the word translated "gentle" is better rendered "humble"). Jesus' fulfillment of verse 9 in His "triumphal entry" in Jerusalem is made clear in Matthew 21 and John 12. In light of Jesus' crucifixion a few days later, the resultant lasting peace and universal divine dominion described in verse 10 suggests either an undisclosed gap between the two verses or that Jesus' fulfillment then amounted to a "historical prototype" of another event yet to come.

Few prophetic passages (see Zech. 13:7-9) that describe messianic glory explain that it would be preceded by suffering and humiliation (Isa. 52:13-53:12 being the most significant exception). In 9:11-17 the Lord promises to return all His people to His land of blessing and to lead them (or rather use them as a weapon) in victory over their enemies. After a denunciation of Judah's leaders as false shepherds, Zechariah 10:6-11:3 promises that the Lord, their Good Shepherd, will deliver His flock from exile.

The last commissioning ceremony in 11:4-17 contrasts with the previous ones in that Zechariah is not just an observer but plays the part of the messianic priest-king. Apparently He is commissioned as the good shepherd (9:16; 10:3) in a vision. He is given two staffs and is sent on a mission to "pasture the flock" (v. 4; see 9:9), which other shepherds are selling for slaughter (v. 5; see 10:1-3). But the Lord announces that He will deliver the flock to foreign oppressors (v. 6) because of the way they treat Him (vv. 7-14). Though He had removed their false shepherds (v. 8) and established peace with the nations and the reunion of Northern and Southern Kingdoms (symbolized by the two staffs), the flock "detested" Him. So He resigned His commission as their shepherd, breaking His staffs. For His services He was paid the insulting price of thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, which Zechariah is instructed to throw to the potter in the Lord's house.

The significance of this scenario only becomes apparent as we watch its fulfillment in the Gospels (see Matt. 26:15; 27:3-10). Then at the vision's conclusion Zechariah must play the part of the false shepherd whom the Lord sent to punish the flock for a time before his own judgment. The message is that Israel's deliverance and glory would be preceded by their oppression and suffering, not only by foreigners but their own Jewish leaders, because they would reject the Lord as their Good Shepherd (see 13:7-8).

The second oracle focuses on God's deliverance of Jerusalem from her enemies, especially in the first and last sections. Although God will deliver His people over to their enemies for punishment, He will not abandon them (see Jer. 30:11). The first section describes "all the nations of the earth" surrounding Judah and Jerusalem. But they will destroy themselves as they attack Jerusalem, the "immovable rock" (see Isa. 29; Jer. 25; Ezek. 38-39; Joel 3; Obad. 16).

The second section promises a coming national repentance produced by God's Spirit (see Ezek. 36:24-32; Joel 2:28-32). Israel will experience severe and sincere grief over the way they have treated the Lord, that is, His Messiah (see 11:8; 13:7-8; Isa. 53:1-9; John 19:37). The character of the Messiah as both God and man is suggested by referring to Him in verse 10 as both "me" (that is, God) and "him" (see Isa. 9:6-7; a similar phenomenon occurs in passages where the angel of the Lord is referred to both as the Lord and as someone distinct from the Lord; see Gen. 16:7-13; Exod. 3:2-4; Judg. 6:11-27; Zech. 3:1-6). The Lord also promises to cleanse and purify Israel, especially of idolatry and false prophecy, and to preserve and restore the remnant. The "fountain" (or "spring") suggests continual cleansing for those who had "pierced" the Messiah.

The Lord's command in 13:7 that the sword should "strike" (meaning to "kill") His shepherd is shocking. After all, "the man who is close to me" (i.e., God's "neighbor," "associate," or "friend"), is an apparent reference to the Messiah (see Isa. 53:4). The purpose of the Lord's command is, first, that His flock might be scattered and chastised, and, second, that many should perish (see Matt. 26:31). Then after His people are purged and refined they will be revitalized as the Lord's covenant people, cleansed by the blood of the one they had slain. Thus would the Lord fulfill the gospel He proclaimed in Genesis 3:15.

The final section, which elaborates on the first, describes God's deliverance of Jerusalem in the last days and His coronation as King of all the earth. Jerusalem's initial defeat will be turned to victory when the Lord appears (on the splitting of the Mount of Olives, see 6:1). The site of the Lord's deepest agony will witness His greatest glory (see Matt. 26:30-45). The accompanying darkness echoes such passages as Isa. 13:10; 60:19-20; Ezek. 32:7-8; Joel 2:31 (see also Matt. 24:29; Rev. 21:23-24; 22:5). Then the restoration of Jerusalem is described (vv. 8-11) as the destruction of all the Lord's enemies (vv. 12-15). But a remnant of the nations will worship the Lord (vv. 16-19). The culmination of God's work will be the perfect holiness of His people among whom He will dwell, which is expressed figuratively as extending even to the most common items in God's land (vv. 20-21; see Exod. 19:6; Jer. 2:3).

Theological and Ethical Significance. The people of Judah were discouraged because they could not see God at work. They lacked a sense of gratitude for what God had done and the enthusiasm to persevere faithfully in serving Him. Zechariah's message was that although Judah's immediate future was in their hands, God would see that eventually the small beginning they were witnessing would result in God's worldwide rule from His dwelling in Jerusalem. All His promises concerning Israel and the nations of the world would be fulfilled. Rather than lamenting what we see in the present, God's people should focus on what God has done in the past, what He has promised to do in the future, and what He has instructed us to do in the present. Nothing we do is "small" if it is done in faith and obedience.

Zechariah has been called "the most Messianic, the most truly apocalyptic and eschatological, of all the writings of the OT." Messianic prophecies and detailed descriptions of the dawning of the messianic kingdom give the book an exciting quality. Zerubbabel and Joshua represent the Messiah in His royal and priestly roles. Reflecting on how God's sovereign program of redemption unfolded in the life and ministry of Jesus should lead to eager anticipation of the completion of His plan, expressed in celebratory worship and zealous obedience.

Baldwin, J. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1972.

Baron, D. The Visions and Prophecies of Zechariah. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1972.

Barker, K. L. "Zechariah." Expositor's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985.

Feinberg, C. L. God Remembers. Portland: Multnomah, 1965.

Merrill, E. H. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Exegetical Commentary. Chicago: Moody, 1994.

Unger, M. F. Zechariah: Prophet of Messiah's Glory. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1963.