Zechariah 1
A Call to Return to the Lord (1:1–6)
1–3 Zechariah began his ministry in Jerusalem a month or two after Haggai began his (Haggai 1:1). Speaking the word of the LORD, Zechariah tells the returned Jewish exiles that God had been very angry with their forefathers, whose SINS had resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the sending of the survivors into exile. Now, lest they provoke God’s anger anew, they must return to Him (verse 3)—that is, they must repent of their failure to rebuild God’s temple. If they will return to God, He will return to them and bless them. God says: “Return to me—not just to my LAW or my temple, but to me personally.” God desires to have a personal relationship with each one of His people.
4–6 Zechariah, speaking God’s words, urges the people not to be like their disobedient forefathers who refused to listen to the PROPHETS God sent to them. Their forefathers—and the prophets too—are dead, says Zechariah, but God’s word spoken through those prophets is not dead.
God’s word of JUDGMENT “overtook” that rebellious generation (verses 5–6). The survivors were forced into exile. But as a result, they repented and accepted the punishment that God had determined to give them (see Leviticus 26:31–33). Because of their REPENTANCE, God ended their exile and brought them back to their homeland according to His covenant promise (see Leviticus 26:40–45; Deuteronomy 30:1–3).
Zechariah’s message must have had a great impact on his hearers. They were the very ones whom God had forgiven and restored to their land. Therefore let them continue to serve God in a spirit of repentance and gratitude, lest His words overtake them and they lose the blessings He desired to give them.
The Man Among the Myrtle Trees (1:7–17)
7–11 Here begins the first of the eight night visions that Zechariah received during one night five months after the rebuilding of the temple had begun (see Haggai 1:15). The visions all relate to the future of Judah and Jerusalem and to God’s ultimate purposes for His people.
In the first vision, Zechariah saw a man . . . standing among the myrtle trees; behind him were some horses (verse 8). This “man” was actually the angel of the LORD (verse 11). This ANGEL of the Lord must not be confused with the angel in verse 9 who assisted Zechariah in understanding the vision; Zechariah usually refers to this second angel as the angel who was talking with me. 1
Zechariah asked about these horses that were behind the “man” (verse 9), and the man himself answered that they were angelic messengers which had been sent throughout the earth (verse 10). The horses reported to the man (the angel of the Lord) that they had found the whole world at rest and in peace (verse 11).
The “whole world” means mainly the Persian Empire, which at that time was secure and at peace; however, within the Persian Empire the ISRAELITES in Judah were oppressed; they were not a free and independent people. The Persians and the nations allied with them were at ease, but at the same time they were oppressing God’s people.
12–13 The angel of the LORD (the “man” among the myrtles) then called out to the Lord asking Him how much longer He would withhold mercy from His suffering people (verse 12); He had already been punishing them for seventy years (see Jeremiah 25:11–12). Then the Lord answered with kind and comforting words (verse 13)–namely, the words of verses 14–17.
14–15 The Lord said He was jealous for Jerusalem and ZION (the temple mount); that is, He claimed Jerusalem as the place of His earthly residence and He claimed the Israelites as His treasured possession (Exodus 19:5); thus He had a right to be “jealous” for them (see Exodus 20:5). Therefore, He intended to vindicate His people and defend them against their oppressors.
In verse 15, the Lord says that He is very angry with the nations that feel secure (the Persians and their allies). The Lord had actually used these foreign nations (especially Assyria and Babylon) to punish His disobedient people, but they had gone too far; they had added to the calamity that God had ordained for His people.
16–17 Therefore, the Lord will return to Jerusalem with mercy. There, says the Lord, my house will be rebuilt (see Ezra 6:14–16). And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem marking the extent of the reestablished city.
Thus this first vision is one of mercy and hope: God will restore His people and He will live among them. This vision sets the general theme of the visions to follow.
Four Horns and Four Craftsmen (1:18–21)
18–21 The message of the second vision is this: God Himself will throw down the four nations that scattered His people.
The “four” nations are represented by their horns; the “horn” is a symbol of strength. The number “four” is probably symbolic, representing completeness (east, west, north, south). Four craftsmen (nations) will throw down those nations that lifted their “horns” against God’s people (verses 20–21); the enemies of God’s people will ultimately be destroyed.2
God didn’t tell Zechariah when all this would happen; He only said it was certain to happen, and that was all Zechariah needed to know. It’s the same with us: we need to leave the “when” in God’s hands (see Mark 13:32–33).
