Category: Zechariah

Today you should read: Zechariah 4

Not by might or strength…

Ok, if this stuff isn’t hard for you to understand…you’re probably lying.  Repent.
All jokes aside, this stuff can seem like another language sometimes.  It’s really hard to see these chapters individually, without seeing the whole picture of the book, so I recommend really tracking with this book and staying consistent as we go through it.

What’s Going On? Long story short…Judah is back.  It’s not fully restored, but it’s back from the exile of God’s discipline.  There will still be hard times ahead as Israel is rebuilding.  Ultimately, Israel will not be fully restored until God restores His relationship with them through Jesus Christ.

What’s with the vision? This vision of the lamp stands looks ahead and represents God watching over His people and fulfilling His promise to restore His people once and for all.

What’s the main point?  Zerubbabel and Joshua were entrusted to rebuild the temple in Ezra 5:2, and now the angel of the Lord is reminding Zerubbabel that it will not be done by his own might or strength . . . it will be done by the Lord.  This is found in verses 6 and 7:

“Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!”

Today’s “Walk-a-Way”

I think we can learn a simple but significant truth here.  Zerubbabel is called to do the Lord’s work.  He is called to do a good thing.  But even in this good thing, God reminds him that it would be the Lord doing it.  It would be Zerubbabel who was doing the work, but the Lord who was allowing the growth.  This reminds me of   1 Corinthians 3:7:

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

Sometimes this seems discouraging.  We think we want to be the ones who cause the growth…but the issue is when the difficulties come, we learn quickly that we don’t have the strength.  But when we will humble ourselves and look to the Lord to cause the growth, we will see the results that are found in verse 7:

“Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! “

Posted by: Sam Cirrincione

Today you should read: Zechariah 3

What an awesome picture of forgiveness this chapter is!
One of my favorite books of the Bible is Hebrews. In Hebrews 7:25 we are told that Jesus always intercedes for us. In the first 2 verses of Zechariah 3 we see a wonderful picture of that.

Satan, “The Accuser” is doing just that, he is accusing of sin. He does that to us as well. Have you ever felt his accusations against you? It is that deep guilt that tells you God could never love or accept you because of all you have done. Verse 2 is such a beautiful reminder and encouragement to us of what Jesus says to those accusations. Take a moment and read verse 2 slowly and let that truth sink in. For all of us that know Jesus as Savior and Lord, we were the burning stick snatched from the fire. Jesus has saved us from the fire.

But not only that, He has also given us new clothes, His righteousness. In verses 3 through 5 the man receives clean, “fine” clothes. Jesus has traded our sinful, filthy clothes and replaced it with His clean, pure righteousness. In verse 9 we see an amazing, prophetic promise of Calvary.  Go back and read that verse, focus in on the last sentence. “I will remove the sins of this land in a single day”. He has done that hasn’t He?

So what can we take from this reading today?

1. Jesus is our high priest in heaven. He is always stating our case against Satan’s accusations. So know that when the guilt comes, your defender is pretty good.

2. Thank Jesus today for all He has done for us. He has:
– Snatched us from the fire
– Given us new, “fine” clothes
– Taken away the sins of the land

Posted by: Robbie Byrd

Today you should read: Zechariah 2

Horsemen? Horns and craftsmen? Measuring lines? Judgment, vindication, redemption? Overflowing cities surrounded by walls of fire? What kind of wild reading is this?

The Bible.

Anyone that thinks the Bible is boring has clearly not read it and seen the amazing allegories and illustrations, dreams and visions, historical narrative, and apocalyptic literature. It’s easy to see where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein’s inspirations came from in their fantastical writings like The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Hobbit.

In today’s reading we see that Zechariah’s visions are getting more and more specific. The first vision we encountered yesterday (chapter 1) had a wide scope: the earth. The horsemen report that “all is at rest” and yet God’s people are not at rest. The next vision we came upon was a little more focused as its scope was the nations. The four craftsmen will vindicate Judah and all nations that hindered/scattered Judah will endure severe punishment.

Today, the vision is now zoomed in to Jerusalem. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful prophecies in all of scripture. Why? Because Jerusalem is so full of people — Jews & Gentiles — and God is her protection:

“…and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” Zechariah 2:4-5

Verse 11 is a fantastic parallel to Revelation 7 and the picture of the ethnic diversity of heaven:

And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. Zechariah 2:11

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

I don’t know what you may glean from reading today’s passage, but I am left with an overwhelming gratitude simply because God included us in His plan. He had His chosen people; He could have just redeemed Israel, and yet we — the Gentiles — were on His heart as well.

Thank the Lord today for including you in His glorious plan of redemption!