Tag Archives: Zechariah 4

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2024 Bible Study — God Has Taken Our Sin and Clothed Us in His Righteousness

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Zechariah 1-6.

There is a line early in this passage that I think is worth thinking about.  God says the following, “I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.” The context suggests that God sent nations to punish Israel and Judah. but that those nations went above and beyond in bringing suffering upon those people.  Zechariah’s vision goes on to show him craftsmen coming from God to throw down and terrify the four nations which scattered the people of Israel and Judah.  Which is interesting because I am not sure to what four nations the prophecy is referring.  I would think that two of them would be Assyria and Babylon, perhaps Egypt would be a third, but I have no ideas for a fourth.  I did come across someone who suggested that it was four nations against whom Ezekiel prophesied who were destroyed by the Persians.  Those four would be: Ammon (Ezekiel 25:1-7), Moab (Ezekiel 25:8-11), Edom (Ezekiel 25:12-14), and Philistia (Ezekiel 25:15-17).  I find this suggestion fascinating, but I am not sure about it.

However, I want to combine Zechariah’s visions about the high priest Joshua and the governor Zerubbabel to look at the message I see in them today.  The vision concerning Joshua begins with the Accuser, Satan, accusing him before God, but God rebukes the Accuser.  God takes away Joshua’s sin and dresses him in righteousness.  God does the same for us before all who will accuse us, the most important of those accusers being ourselves.  God rebukes those who accuse us of sin, not because we do not sin, but because He has taken that sin from us.  All He asks of us is that we walk in obedience to Him going forward.  Which brings me to the vision concerning Zerubbabel.  In that vision, God tells Zerubbabel that it is not by might or power that Zerubbabel will do God’s will, but by God’s Spirit.  In the same way, we will not do God’s will by might or power, but by God’s Spirit.  So, God has taken our sins from us and dressed us in His righteousness, let us not start relying on might and power to overcome sin.  Instead, let us rely on God’s Spirit.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2023 Bible Study — Return to God and He Will Return to You

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Zechariah 1-6.

I see a lot I could write about in today’s passage, but there are two quotes which God gave to the prophet I want to focus on.

‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’

and

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

The first of these quotes addresses how we should respond when we feel cut off from God.  The second reminds us of how we carry out the missions God gives us.  For me this means that when I look at society around me and see how far it is from God, I must return to God and pray that He returns to those around me, drawing them unto Him.  I will not transform society around me, or even myself, by my strength, my power, or even my wealth (not even should I miraculously acquire the wealth of Elon Musk).  I will not transform society around me by teaming up with others and pooling our strength, power, and wealth.  Transformation of our society will only happen by the Spirit of God.  Transformation of individuals will only happen by the Spirit of God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2022 Bible Study — Has God Raised Up Nations To Punish His People Who Then Went Too Far?

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Zechariah 1-6.

The first thing I want to comment on is this phrase which Zechariah writes that the Lord said, “I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.”  This suggests to me that when God chooses a nation to punish His people, sometimes that nation goes beyond what God intended.  I want to note that in this context “His people” means the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, but this message may also apply to Christians (I do not know that such is the case, but I believe that many Old Testament prophecies concerning the people of Israel also have application to Christians).  As an example, one my father actually suggested to me many years ago, God may have allowed the Nazis to come to power in Germany in order to punish the Jewish people in Europe, but the Holocaust was them going far beyond the punishment God intended.  The Holocaust was evil which impacted more than the Jewish people, but it did result in the establishment of the modern state of Israel.  Even if God allowed the Nazis to rise to power in order to punish the Jewish people (something I am not convinced is the case), it does not mean that the Jewish people are to blame for the Holocaust.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2021 Bible Study — Cleansed, Not By Might, Nor By Power, But By The Spirit Of The Lord

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Zechariah 1-6.

Zechariah begins by reminding the people of how their ancestors sin had led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people.  He then tells them that restoration took place when those same ancestors repented of their sins and accepted the punishment which God had meted out to them.  God had scattered the people if Israel to all parts of the earth.  Now He was calling them back to gather in Jerusalem once more.  But as part of this, God will be calling people of many nations to become part of His people.

Zechariah proceeds to give a message for both the High Priest and the Governor over the Returned Exiles in Jerusalem, a separate message for each, both of these message have relevance for us today.  Zechariah’s message to Joshua, the High Priest, was that Satan would accuse him before God of sin.  The accusation would have merit, but God would strip him (Joshua) of his sin and dress him in righteousness. It is only after cleansing him of his sin and dressing him in robes of righteousness that God asks Joshua to walk according to His requirements.  Something similar happens to us.  Satan, the adversary, brings us before God and accuses us of the sins which we have committed.  Often times, he is that little voice in our head which tells us that we are no good and worthless.  God neither dismisses our sins as meaningless, nor does He pretend they do not exist.  Instead, He removes them from us and washes away the filth they have placed upon our bodies and souls.  Then He dresses us in the finest clothes of righteous behavior and tells us, “Look, this is what you were made to be.”

Which brings us to Zechariah’s message to Zerubbabel, the governor.  God has given Zerubbabel a difficult task, to rebuild His Temple.  Zechariah tells Zerubbabel that he will not accomplish this task by might, nor by power.  No, he will only accomplish the tasks he has been set by the Spirit of the Living God.  In the same way, we will only live up to the beauty and righteousness of which God has shown us to be capable by His Spirit.  We will not do so by our strength, nor by our will, but only by the Spirit of the Lord.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2020 Bible Study Not By Might, Nor By Power

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6

Zechariah tells us that God is going to come to live among us.  On that day, people of many nations will choose to join themselves to the Lord and God will add them to His people.  Further Zechariah tells us that God’s Kingdom will not be brought about by force, nor by strength.  God’s Kingdom will be brought into existence by God’s Spirit.  We see what God meant by that in Jesus’ birth.  When God came to live among us, He did not arrive as a powerful king, or mighty warrior.  He arrived as a baby, in a manger.  He was here among us, taught us His will, and achieved His great triumph.  But once again, His triumph was not one of a mighty general, a great Emperor, or even a wealthy business magnate.  His triumph came by dying on the cross.  The world is not transformed for the better by “punching a Nazi”.  The world is transformed when we channel God’s Spirit and love a “Nazi”, whatever other name you have for the ultimate evil in mankind.  Put your faith in God and love those whom you believe to be evil, knowing in your heart that God’s Spirit is able to transform them into good.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2019 Bible Study –“Not By Might, Nor By Power, But By My Spirit,” Says The Lord

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6

This passage contains two sections which influenced, and are often connected with, the description of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation.  At one point Zechariah has a vision of a man on a red horse with other riders on horses of various colors behind him.  The number of riders is not mentioned, but one could easily read it to indicate a total of four riders (I think the passage suggests a larger number than that).  Then later Zechariah has a vision of four chariots, each pulled by horses of separate color from the others.  Both the horsemen and the chariot riders were sent out to patrol the earth.

Zechariah puts most of his focus on showing how God has blessed the two men most responsible for rebuilding the Temple after the Exile: Jeshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the governor of Jerusalem.  These two men were blessed because they strove to do God’s will in rebuilding the Temple and to lead others to be faithful to God.  We can learn a lot from what Zechariah says about these two men.  God took away the dirty rags of Jeshua’s sins and dressed him in robes of righteousness.  Jeshua did not make or buy these robes, they were given to him by God.  The same is true for us.  Any righteousness we may have is not our own doing, but a gift from God.  Zerubbabel did not succeed by might or power.  He rebuilt the Temple by the Spirit of God.  We, also, will not accomplish the tasks God has given us by our power, might, or skill.  We will only do so as we allow God’s Spirit to work in us.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2018 Bible Study — Random Thoughts on Zechariah

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6.

    I am not sure what to make of Zechariah’s vision of the horsemen, but I noticed something about it that never occurred to me before. Zechariah tells us that there was a man sitting on a red horse and that behind him were men on red, brown, and white horses (some translations translate the “brown” differently, but I don’t think that matters). Typically, we read that as four horsemen. However, I realized today that the wording does not limit the horsemen behind him to one on each color of horse. There may have been multiple men on red horses, multiple men on brown horses, and multiple men on white horses. At least, according to the way it reads in English. I am sure that our tendency to read this as four horsemen is the fact that in chapter six, Zechariah does refer to four chariots and the Book of Revelation refers to four horsemen.

    However, I want to focus on some of the Messianic prophecies in this passage. Actually, the first thing I want to focus on is not exactly a Messianic prophecy. Zechariah tells the people of Israel that God will send men against the nations who plundered them (the context implies the “men” being referred to are beings of great power and/or armies). Further, he tells them that those who harm the Children of Israel harm God’s most precious possession. Perhaps a more detailed study would prove me wrong, but my knowledge of history suggests that nations which have treated the Jewish people well have risen to great wealth and power, while those which treated them badly have suddenly fallen from positions of dominance. Now, the interesting thing is that this prophecy extends into a Messianic prophecy where Zechariah tells us that the day is coming (and I believe arrived with Jesus) that people from many nations will join themselves to the Lord, and those people will become God’s people just as the Children of Israel already were. While I believe that there is a special place in God’s heart for those who are descended from Jacob, I believe that those who choose to serve Christ are in that same place. God will adopt into His people all who accept the salvation which He offers.

    Then there is the metaphorical vision of God removing the sins from the priest Jeshua (I believe that this is a reference to someone who was a contemporary of Zechariah) and purifying him. Zechariah has a vision in which he sees the filthy and tattered clothes removed from Jeshua and replaced by clean, new garments. Those filthy and tattered clothes represent Jeshua’s sins and the new clothes represent the righteousness which God gives to him. Then Zechariah tells us that what God is doing for Jeshua the priest is a symbol of what He is going to do for everyone. If we allow, God will remove our sins from us and replace them with righteousness. Just remember, that just as our sins were actions we took, so is the righteousness which God has given us. However, those actions represent not our righteousness, but God’s.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2017 Bible Study — Not By Force, Nor By Strength, But By The Spirit Of The Lord

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6.

    Zechariah’s first vision involves four horsemen. These are not the same four horsemen as those mentioned in the Book of Revelation (although I suspect that Zechariah’s description of them influenced John’s description of his four horsemen). These four horsemen appear later in this passage as the drivers of four chariots. It is interesting that of the four horsemen (and later of the four chariots) only three went out on patrol while the fourth waited their report. The message of both of these visions, four horsemen and four chariots, was that God was angry with the other nations of the earth because their actions against Israel exceeded the punishment which He intended. I struggle with reconciling this statement here with my belief that God controls how things turn out. I intended to write a bit about how I understand this, but realized that it is too complicated to explain in this daily post. The best I can do in this forum is to say that it has to do with the difference between how we treat groups and how we treat individuals. The passage also makes it clear that those who overstep God’s intended punishment of the Jewish people will suffer for their actions.

    Zechariah prophesied that the day would come when so many people wished to live in Jerusalem that they would not all fit within the walls. In that day many people would join themselves to the Lord and God would count them as His people, just as He does the descendants of Jacob. If you look at Jerusalem today you will see that it extends well beyond the area which was within the walls of Jerusalem when this was written, and there are not walls around the city. You could argue that the various barriers and checkpoints which the government of Israel have set up are the equivalent of a wall. God tells us that the situation which Zechariah is prophesying will not come about through force or strength. It will happen by the Spirit of God. This is something we need to remember in every endeavor we undertake. If what we are doing is according to God’s will we will not accomplish it by force or by strength, only by the Spirit of God.