Day 355

Zechariah 1:1-21; Revelation 12:1-17; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 30:17

WE BEGAN THE eleventh of the twelve Minor Prophets today. But surprise! We didn’t finish it. In fact, Zechariah will take us right up to our last two days together this year.

Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries (though Zechariah continued his ministry long after Haggai), and they were prophesying at the same place and time for the same reason: the rebuilding of the Temple.

Zechariah’s grandfather Iddo was named among the first leaders of the priestly families to return from exile with Zerubbabel. This tells us that Zechariah was probably a priest —or at least of a priestly family. His name means “God remembers,”* and this covenantal remembering and the resulting restoration is a central theme of his book.

Zechariah is much longer than Haggai and is broader in scope and style. For example, Zechariah tells of eight night visions that he experienced that are apocalyptic in nature and highly symbolic —much like what we are reading in Revelation. In light of the rebuilding of the Temple, God was initiating a much broader plan of sweeping restoration, but the people would have to respond:

“Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.” Where are your ancestors now?

Zechariah also foretold of a coming Messiah, with verses that are instantly recognizable: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey —riding on a donkey’s colt” (Zechariah 9:9). Because of this and other prophecies, Zechariah is quoted in Matthew, Mark, John, and Revelation, in reference to Jesus.

Ultimately, Zechariah is meant to be received as prophetic encouragement and to serve as a clear reminder of God’s absolute sovereignty in all things, at all times, and in all places. Let’s take the encouragement and lean in to God’s sovereignty as we learn to endure. We can see in Zechariah that this is all headed somewhere good —if we will return to God.

MEDITATION:

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me?