Payton Roth

Dr. Saltz
26 April 2022
REL 3233-1
The book of Zechariah summary

The book of Zechariah is set within a post-exilic time period between 539-515 BC and his

name means “the LORD remembers”. This book opens with a date formula (as Haggai would

often have), in the 2nd year of Darius (1:1) with a charge that the LORD is angry with their

ancestors and they need to return to the LORD. These very words which the prophets spoke

had overtook their ancestors leaving the question being “will it outlive and overtake you too?”.

This introductory section in v.1-6 provides continuity with the other prophets reminding us of

the question posed at the beginning of the book of the 12 in the book of Joel 1:2- “has such a

thing happened in your days or in the days of your fathers?”. The restoration of the temple may

have begun (with the laying of the foundation in Haggai) but there is still a need for them to be

cleansed of these sins and to repent. They in fact do repent in v.6 which plunges the narrative

into a series of night visions in 1:7-6:15 providing promises and hope for blessings in the near

and far future. The first vision in 1:7-17 speaks of a man among the myrtle trees with horses

behind him. These horses have been sent by the LORD to roam the earth have found it peaceful

but not in a good way as one might expect. This observation leads the man identified as the

angel of the LORD to pose the question of Habakkuk- “how long” will you have no mercy on

Jerusalem (1:12)? The LORD assures him though seeing as how the people did indeed repent

that he is “zealous with great jealousy” (Literally) for Jerusalem (v.14) and angry not at his

people (v.2) but the nations (v.15) and there is a predicted future time of restored prosperity to

Jerusalem. This leads into the 2nd night vision in 1:18-21 concerning 4 horns representing 4
oppressive nations (connecting this to the prev. vision) and 4 craftsmen who will defeat them.

And the following vision in 2:1-13 returns to this restoration of Jerusalem. This measuring

begins to take place in 2:2 by an angel but is interrupted by another angel who informs him that

there shall be no wall but rather the Lord would be a wall of fire for them who would protect

them and keep them secure (2:5). Though they would have a physical wall around 445 in the

time of Nehemiah, this interaction suggests that their real protection would come from the

LORD. Not only this but he would also dwell with them again as “glory in her midst” (2:5). This

vision pictures then a returning from the exile of Babylon in which Babylon is judged and will be

plundered by the very people who were serving them (2:9) and the people again dwell in

Jerusalem and even the nations are restored (ironically) to the LORD. This reference to holy

ground in 2:11 reminds of Ex. 2-3 effectively ushering in a new Moses like era of freedom from

exile and a taking of them to be his people began by the one who God has sent (2:8-9). The next

few visions there is a focus that moves in on Joshua and Zerubbabel. So, the 4 th vision here in

3:1-10 pictures a court scene in heaven with Satan acting as the accuser and the LORD as the

defendant and the judge. Joshua, the high priest, has his dirty garments taken from him and is

given clean holy garments symbolizing (as clothes did in the ancient world) a new identity and

he is given a mission that as leader if he will keep the Lord’s ways then he will have authority

over his house and access to him. This would prefigure as a sign (2:8) the coming of his servant

the branch in which time The LORD would remove their iniquity and unite them in this

eschatological age of restoration (2:10). The following vision in 4:1-14 continues the focus on

Joshua and also Zerubbabel who are pictured as 2 olive trees that provide oil for this lamp that

has 7 lamps and seven lips on each lamp, a grand lampstand as it were. God’s spirit would
empower their leaders Joshua and Zerubbabel to conquer even the mountain that might stand

in their way to rebuild the temple. The seven eyes likely represent God’s omniscience and

oversight over his plans and were mentioned in the previous vision in 3:9 (Fuhr and Yates, 280).

The 6th vision is of a massive flying scroll in 5:1-4 that is the same dimension as the portico of

the temple from 1 Kings 6:3 and that as a curse would eat up the people and houses of those

who still continue in breaking God’s law. God’s word then would find out all evildoers. The 7 th

vision in 5:5-11 of a woman in a basket. The woman is closed tightly in by a lead lid and carried

away between earth and heaven by 2 stork women to Shinar, the site of Babel, as if taking away

evil from their midst without letting any out. Though a house would be established for it

suggesting perhaps that some would go and worship there but not among his people. Finally,

the last night vison in 6:1-8 is a picture of 4 chariots connecting back to the 1 st vision of the 4

horses. These chariots seemingly go out to battle and defeat the north country, Babylon,

asserting God’s authority and power over all the earth forming an effective bookend to these

visions. This section with the 8 visons ends with a discussion of the identity of the branch

connecting to the 4th vision in 3:1-10. He as a priest is not given a priestly turban but a royal

crown seemingly merging the priest and king imagery once again prefiguring this branch

character who would be both priest and king who would build his house and rule over his

people. But this is once again met with an obligation in v.15 to obey the LORD. Chapter 7:1-8:23

now go back and forth on a question-and-answer session concerning the feasts. In light of God’s

promises to bless his people and be their wall and be their glory and cleanse them and make

them prosperous once more there are some implications. This now is the 4 th year of King Darius

(7:1) and people come to ask if they should fast which God responds to by asking when you’ve
been fasting was it for me anyways or was it for yourselves (7:4-7)? What about your eating and

your drinking, was it for me or for you? He had spoken to their ancestors too to show

compassion and justice, but they did not listen, and the LORD was angry (1:12) and so he

scattered them. This recalls the introduction by coming back to the present circumstances but

wedged between the hopes for the future but also the failings of the past. Their fathers have

corrupted the land from the time they entered it (recalling Eden). But as God is jealous for his

people, he is transforming people and city alike (8:1-3) and there will be a reversal of these

things. This unfaithful city will be called the faithful city (8:3). And the weakest of society, the

old and the young will be at peace represented in this idyllic picture of the elderly sitting in the

street and the children playing too in the street. God was at Mt. Sinai but now Mt. Zion (8:3)

would be where his presence is at (8:3). The people would still have to work however (8:9) but

in this he would bless them with peace and with the restoration of the promises to Abraham

that they would be a blessing to others (8:13). And in this age, there would not be lying and

falsehood or violence but truth and justice! And then they would no longer uselessly celebrate

their feasts as before but celebrate with rejoicing (v.18-19), true justice now being observed,

and other nations would come too to join in this worship of the LORD. This closes out the

Persian period section of Zechariah (chapters 1-8). And leads into a new distinct part of the

book- the Hellenistic section, chapters 9-14 composed of 2 burdens of the word of the Lord in

9:1 and 12:1. This 2nd part of the book as it is much more difficult will only get more of a

functional overview than a deep discussion. Chapter 9 begins with a destruction of their

enemies in 9:1-8, followed by a coming of God’s king to his city in 9:9-12 and then God’s war

against their enemies in 9:13-15 and finally the peaceful aftermath of God’s people in 9:16-17.
These nations, Syria, Phoenicia, and Philistia shall be destroyed but a remnant free from their

idolatrous practices would be gathered and included as the people of God. (9:7-8). This is

followed by a weird image of a king coming in victory with no army and what this implies is

unclear. Nevertheless, the LORD would save his people. 10:1-11:3 talks about fertility and rain

(10:1-2), shepherds (10:3-6), deliverance for Joseph and the promise to Ephraim (10:7-12) and

the subjection of Assyria and Babylon (11:1-3). In the narrative of this section, he calls them to

pray to him for rain so that he might bless them with rain, but the people are hurt because they

are led astray by false things as sheep without a shepherd. Whatever supposed leaders they do

have are going to be punished (10:3) and God will transform his sheep into mighty warriors

(v.4-5). He will bless them like Joseph and Ephraim in which he would restore the rejected

(10:6) and afterward destroy the enemies, Assyria and Egypt (10:12). This ends in a mourn song

for the once great cedars of Lebanon, which are the wicked shepherds here who are destroyed.

Following this there is a noticeable shift in 11:4 from poetry to prose and positive hope to

negative threat. It is a section of commands and interpretations continuing with the shepherd

imagery and it too is notoriously difficult to interpret. Zechariah is called to be shepherd for a

flock to be slaughtered and for some reason the evil shepherds aren’t initially judged but the

sheep. Then he becomes shepherd of the sheep and destroys ‘the 3 shepherds” (as if we are

supposed to know who these are). It’s unclear in this section if he is selling to sheep traders or

tending the oppressed. So, either he is selling the sheep off for money or receiving money from

the people for an acceptable job now ending. Either way in this section the covenant between

God and Israel is broken as well as the covenant between Israel and Judah symbolized by the

breaking of the staves. Afterward in v.15 he seems to be sent back to work as a shepherd and
God says he is raising up a shepherd that will consume the people (whether this is the same

one is unclear). But this shepherd (the 2nd= one God is raising up) will be put out of commission

and made so can’t do job (because he is wicked perhaps). This moves into the 2 nd part (chapters

12-14) of the 2nd part (chapters 9-14). In chapter 12 he is beginning a recreation of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem will be a cup of judgment against their enemies and a stone that crushes them (v.2-

3), and the Lord will destroy the cavalry and Judah will consume their enemies who have

surrounded them. And then suddenly there is Davidic imagery for whatever reason, perhaps to

illustrate that they will rise to the prominence Judah had in the days of King David as they

repossess and defeat their enemies. But as it is they do not simply need deliverance but

transformation so that they could escape the repeated cycle of sin they had found themselves

in (Fuhr and Yates, 292) hence a national mourning in v.10-14 representing true repentance.

The questions around their piercing of Yahweh with a change in pronouns and mention of

Hadad-Rimmon is difficult to interpret but nevertheless this would be a time of national

repentance over their sins for their piercing of God as if grieving for an only son which would

emphasize its severity. With this would come cleanliness pictured by a fountain in 13:1. He

would remove idolatry (recalling chapter 10) and the false unclean spirits in the prophets to the

point where even their own fathers and mothers (of the false prophets) shall reject them.

These prophets will choose to be slaves because of how bad it will become according to 13:5.

And finally to heighten this judgment yet more God will also strike the shepherd and people

and though this section has some uncertainty it seems that this will ultimately result in

purification and a choosing of his people. 14:1-5 echoes this with a cutting off of ½ (like the 2/3

cut off in 13:8-9) of the people after which God will fight and destroy the nations. And then he
will return to his people, and it will be a time in which there is no cold, a new light that

produces light in the evening. Water will come from the temple (recalling Ezekiel 47) and the

LORD will reign as king over all (10:6-9). Jerusalem shall remain at this point and not be

destroyed again (v.10-11), and plagues will be upon those who fight against them (v.12-15).

And then all nations will come to worship the LORD and celebrate the feast of booths and those

who don’t come will be punished. In this age (with this image of horses with bells) all the

people will be priests to God and (sacrificing in every pot) the city will be the temple.

The book of Zechariah shows us that despite repenting there are successive stages of

repentance that must often be observed. Repentance is not a one and done thing. We must

return time and again to reevaluate where we are and where we are going lest we find that we

have returned to the ways of our culture and society and become caught in a cycle of repeating

the same problems and the same shortcomings, never being transformed by God’s power

because of a refusal to turn to God. Another consideration we must ponder is whether our

religion has not become a thing of ritualism servitude devoid of a concern for God. We are

certainly not immune to this. In evangelical churches in America there is such an emphasis on

doing things your own way and expressing yourself in worship rather than a real devotion to

God. Realize too through that even among those who consider themselves conservative and

perhaps especially so among those people (as seems to be the case here in Zechariah) this often

can happen. We may be afflicting ourselves in various ways to make ourselves out to be more

spiritual, but it is of no use if we are neglecting justice and it is certainly not for God but rather

it is for us (consider Col. 2 in relation to this). Ought we to assume like the people in Zechariah

that simply by afflicting ourselves in our rituals in devotion to LORD while neglecting justice and
compassion to the people of God that we will escape notice from God? This prophet’s message

is “certainly not!”

In chapter 3 of the book of Zechariah when Joshua stands condemned before the

accuser guilty as charged God, instead of punishing, removes his iniquity and uncleanness and

gives him a new identity after which he charges him to keep his commands. With regards to

God, we are found to be without a defense. We can say nothing to clear ourselves of our guilt

and iniquity, but God shows compassion on us. So, we cannot attempt to enter the presence of

God in order to try to justify ourselves before him and yet so often in our service to God do, we

not reinforce the idea that I can be holy to my God simply by doing the right things. it is in fact

after his cleansing that Joshua is fitted for the mission of obedience and revival and that is true

of us today. We must gain and maintain our new identity in Christ as those sanctified by his

blood and from that be empowered to obey him and keep his commandments. Finally, do we

realize that God desires our holiness and to dwell with us? In the 7 th vision there is a figurative

picture of God removing all wickedness from the people and being very careful as to not let it

escape. This should serve as a reminder that God desires and works for us to be holy to him.

That is what he earnestly desires. He does not do things in an effort to make us stumble or to

see if it would be fun to see us sin. Yet it is too easy to attribute such motives to God. Rather we

ourselves separate from the camp and go this place where there has been made a house for

evil and give ourselves to evil things. It is our own doing. We can return to God or go after evil,

but we ought not to presume that God has allowed or caused this or any such thing.