Scripture

The people of one city will say to the people of another, “Come with me to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heavens Armies. I am determined to go.”

Observation

Gods love for Jerusalem is passionate. He will live in Zion. Jerusalem will bustle with people of all ages. The Lord will bring his people back from all over the world.

The Lord is planting seeds of peace and prosperity. Grape vines will be heavy with fruit, and there will be abundant crops.

Traditional fasts and times of mourning are to become festivals of joy and celebration.

People from all over the world will plan to come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s blessing.

Application

The Lord’s plan for Israel and for Jerusalem, in particular, are that they become places that showcase the blessings of the Lord. The Lord is determined to dwell among His people. The result is that people from all over the world would make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s blessing, regardless of their religion.

We are seeing this coming true in our own time. The Lord has blessed the nation of Israel abundantly to make it one of the most prosperous and innovative nations in the world. Jerusalem is a beacon for many people in the world – Christians, Jews and Muslims.

All of these promises apply to the church also. We are the Jerusalem that was prophesied about.

God blesses His people as they walk in faithful obedience. People with no knowledge about the Lord will look to Christians for advice or to the church to receive some blessing from the Lord.

Prayer

Thank you, Father, for the way you lavish blessing after blessing on your people, including me. Please help me to point others towards the love of Jesus. Amen

Scripture

“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Observation

The people of Bethel seek the Lord’s favour. They ask the prophets, “Should we continue to mourn the destruction of the temple each year?”

The Lord responds by asking them were really mourning for the sake of the Lord or for their own pleasure. When they have their festivals, they eat and drink for themselves, and not out of worship for the Lord.

The Lord gives a simple, direct message to Zechariah: judge fairly, show mercy and kindness to one another, not oppressing the poor among them.

This was the message the ancestors received from the prophets, but they ignored it over and over. Eventually, the Lord decided to refuse to listen to them because they had refused to listen to Him.

Application

The Lord constantly calls to us, seeking for us to walk in fellowship with Him. He seeks real friendship, not the mockery of heartless religion.

He calls over and over. When we stick our fingers in our spiritual ears to avoid hearing Him, then our ability to respond to Him declines. The Lord may send big events into our lives to get our attention, but we can still refuse to listen.

Eventually we may get to the point where He is not calling to us, and not even listening when we call to Him.

What a tragic state of affairs this is, when God has effectively given up on us.

This is not the end of the story, of course. The Lord is always ready to accept us when we repent from the heart.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for your desire to be my friend. Please help me to push all other things aside, just to be with you. Amen

Scripture

“Yes, he will build the Temple of the Lord. He will receive royal honour and will rule as a king from his throne. He will also serve as a priest from his throne, and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.”

Observation

Zechariah sees four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. These four chariots are send out to the four corners of the Earth.

The Lord tells Zechariah that he is to meet some people returning from Babylon with silver and gold. He is to take these gifts and have a crown made for Jeshua. Jeshua is the Branch who will branch out from where he is, and he will rebuild the temple. He will be both priest and king, and he will hold these roles in perfect harmony.

Application

The high priest Jeshua is a symbol of the Messiah, called the Branch. He will be recognised as both priest and King over Israel.

It is interesting that the name Joshua (in Hebrew, Yeshua) is the same name that we call Jesus.

Jesus is the true Messiah of which this man Jeshua was a representative.

In Jesus the roles of high priest and King are combined forever. Jesus is an intermediary between sinful people and God the Father. The blood of Christ, rather than the blood of animals, brings forgiveness and reconciliation.

Jesus is also the King above all Kings. He sits on the throne of heaven, and all people and all nations are under his reign – whether they realise it or not.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for saving me. You are my King and my High Priest. Amen

Scripture

He replied,” It is a basket for measuring grain, and it is filled with the sins of everyone throughout the land.”

Observation

Zechariah sees a flying scroll which contains a curse that goes out over every part of the land. One side of the scroll says that everyone who steals will be banished from the land, while the other side says that everyone who swears falsely will be banished from the land. The house of every thief and every liar will be cursed by the Lord.

Next, Zechariah sees a basket that is used to measure grain, but it is filled with the sins of everyone in the land. The lid of the basket is removed to reveal a woman who is named Wickedness. Two women then fly towards the basket and take it to Babylon. There, a temple will be built for the basket, where it will be placed on a pedestal, presumably to be worshipped.

Application

Our nation is filled with every kind of evil – pornography, greed, theft, lies, violence, murder, and every kind of sexual immorality. The sins are in a measuring basket, which means that God can see them, weigh them, and judge them

In Zechariah’s vision, the basket of sins is sent to Babylon, where a temple is built to worship it. We are living in Babylon, where what God declares good is trashed but, every sin is elevated and worshipped .

The solution is not merely to condemn the sins of the world. Nor is it to hide in our holy huddle, isolated from the world and waiting for Jesus to take us home .

The solution is for the church to preach the gospel widely and fearlessly. As people turn away from their sin, its ability to captivate the nation is reduced.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I pray for my friends who do not know you. Bring them to the place of repentance and salvation. Amen

Scripture

“It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit”, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Observation

The Lord brings another vision to Zechariah. He sees a lamp-stand with seven lamps, each with seven wicks. Olive trees stand on either side of the lamp.

The Lord says to Zechariah it is not might nor power but the Spirit of the Lord that will remove the mountain.

Just as Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the temple, he will be the one to complete it. They must not despise the small beginnings because the Lord rejoices in what he is doing.

Application

The way forward in our life is not by human strength nor by wisdom, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God will remove the greatest mountain, if only we will submit ourselves to Him.

The problem is that often we see a problem and we think we have to fix it. We assume that whatever is in our way, we can overcome it by our own efforts.

Nearly every problem in life has a spiritual root– whether it is outright demonic attacks or generational curses we have done nothing to deserve.

We need the Holy Spirit in order to flourish in life and in our walk with the Lord.

If we can gain the victory in the spirit realm, we will find every battle becomes easier to win.

God has given us every good weapon for the warfare, but it is up to us to use them, depending on Him and His strength.

Prayer

It is not by might nor strength but by your Spirit alone that my mountains are removed. Help me, Lord, to remember this in the midst of the battle. Amen

Scripture

And the Lord said to satan, ” I, the Lord, reject your accusation, satan.”

Observation

Zechariah has a vision of Jeshua the high priest. Satan, the accuser, makes accusations against Jeshua, but the Lord reject them.

Jeshua’s clothing is filthy, but the angels take these clothes off him, and give him clean clothes. The angel says,” I have taken away your sins.”

The angel of the Lord tells Jeshua that if he stays faithful to the Lord, he will have great authority in the temple. Jeshua is a symbol of the coming Messiah.

Application

This is a lovely picture of the ways of the Lord in bringing us to salvation.

The devil is constantly making accusations against us. The Lord is constantly rejecting those accusations.

When we come to Christ, He takes away our filthy clothes, which represent our sinful nature. Instead He clothes us in the righteousness of Christ. Now, no accusation that is made against us can stand.

Now that satan is unable to bring accusations against us to the Lord, he brings accusations to us. He whispers lies that say we are not good enough, that we won’t be forgiven this time, or that we have committed the unforgivable sin.

We must reject these accusations and declare that in Christ we are clothed with righteousness. When it comes to accusation, we need to listen to the Lord’s judgement, not the claims of satan.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the assurance of forgiveness. I am clothed in Christ, and satan’s accusations are false. Amen

Scripture

“Then I myself will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem,” says the Lord. “And I will be the glory inside the city.”

Observation

Zechariah sees a man who is measuring Jerusalem. He goes to meet another angel who declares that Jerusalem is going to be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be enough room for everyone. Many will llive outside the city walls. The Lord will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem and He will be the glory inside the city.

The Lord calls His people to return home. He says,” Rejoice, Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you.”Many nations will join themselves to the Lord, and they will be the Lord’s people.

Application

The Lord is promising prosperity to Jerusalem, which will have so many people that they will not fit inside the city walls.

This chapter is looking forward, beyond the rebuilding of Jerusalem,to the church age, when many people from all nations join themselves to the Lord.

The Lord is our protective wall of fire. tTrough two millennia of persecution and many challenges, the church continues to grow and prosper. The devil has not been able to destroy it. In terms of the prophecy, there are so many christians that they do not all fit inside the walls of the established institutions. It truly is a huge crowd that nobody can number.

God is our protective wall. He is also the glory inside the city. Lives are being transformed by Christ, the gospel is being preached, whole nations are changed. We see miracles, answered prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit.

God is at work all around the world. Praise the name of Jesus!

Prayer

Thank you, Holy Spirit for what you are doing in your church. From the local gathering to the international church, you are our glory. Amen