Zechariah was a priest (Nehemiah12:12-16), like Jeremiah & Ezekiel. According to tradition, he was a member of the Great Synagogue, which was a council of 120 godly men. This council was started by Nehemiah and was supervised by Ezra. This council was the beginnings of the ruling elders called the Sanhedrin. Zechariah was born in Babylon during Israel’s exile and along with his grandfather was one of the first to return to Jerusalem under Persian King Cyrus. Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai & began prophesying 2 months after him. Although the length of his ministry is uncertain, his final dated prophecy came roughly 2 years after the first. This would make them identical in time with Haggai’s prophecy (520-518 BC). According to Matthew 23:35, Zechariah was murdered between the Temple & the altar.
The purpose of the Prophet Zechariah’s message was to encourage the people of Judah as they completed the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and give them hope by revealing God’s future plans regarding the coming of their Messiah. The prophet encouraged them to put away all sinfulness and remain pure until their Messiah comes. They were cautioned to avoid hypocrisy, shallowness and sin in general.
Zechariah made sure the people understood that the Messiah was not coming upon the completion of the Temple. As it turned out Messiah wouldn’t come for another 520 years. This is exactly why followers of Christ must have patience. God’s timetable often does not line up with ours, yet he is never late. Knowing the beginning from the end and everything in between is the reason why. While it can be difficult for man to accept that the Lord knows what is best for them at all times, it is a learned trait that must be cultivated. It’s simple really…God knows and we do not.
God was not at all pleased when his people ignored his prophets. Disobedience has always been the Jewish peoples problem back then. It was the root cause of all their misery thru the years. In spite of that, God was merciful and forgave when forgiveness was sought. Just as Jesus told his disciples to forgive others 7 x 70 times (which was symbolic for always forgiving others), God will forgive us an infinite amount of times as long as our heart is sorrowful and we have every intention of turning from our bad behavior. This was encouraging news for those inhabitants of Judah then and it should be encouraging news for us now. Imitate Christ and be free from sin. Recognize your place in his world and follow the Lord daily with a servant’s heart.
Our 12th & final minor prophet is Malachi, whom we shall look at next. That will complete our study of the 12 Minor Prophets of the OT. Until then, walk with the king and be a blessing!
In His Name & for His Glory,
RL Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible; The MacArthur Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2005; p.1049.
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