Zechariah was a priest and a prophet. He prophesied to the people of Judah after they returned from 70 years on exile in Babylon. He pictures Christ in both His 1st coming and His 2nd coming. According to Zechariah, Jesus will come as Savior, Judge, and ultimately as King ruling His people from Jerusalem. He provided specific prophecy about the exiles future. They would be cleansed and restored; God would rebuild His people. He ends the book by looking into the distant future, the rejection of the Messiah and then His eventual reign.
Call to Repentance – Zechariah 1:1-6
The Word of the Lord spoke to Haggai in the 2nd year and 6th month of King Darius’s reign and then to Zechariah 2 months later. The returning exiles were not all dedicated to serving God. Haggai and Zechariah were prophets who counseled them to repent.
The people had started rebuilding the temple, but there were people that opposed them so they stopped rebuilding. They had decided to build houses for themselves and a wall for protection instead. Zechariah told them to build the temple first and God would protect them.
In Zechariah 1:2 Zechariah told the people that God had been very angry with their forefathers and that they should not be like their ancestor who had rebelled.
God’s anger is different from human anger, because He is righteous and driven by His holiness and love. He is slow to anger (Psalm 103:7). Human anger is filled bitterness and often selfishness and revenge. It can be petty and lead to destructive actions. This bitterness is very evident in today’s society with mobs of protesters and rebellion of hate for those of opposite beliefs.
Sinful people can escape God’s wrath by repenting of sins and then accepting and following Jesus. Jesus came into the world to save all sinners. (John 3:36; Romans 5:10; 1 Timothy 1:15).
In Zechariah 1:3 God instructed Zechariah to tell the people to return to Him and He would return to them. “Return to me…and I will return to you” - Zechariah 1:3. Repentance is not a one-sided action, but a turning point where God shows mercy and restores the lost sinner. All a sinner has to do is return to Him and He forgives and restores.
James 4:7-10 tells us to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you……”. These verses encourage believers to submit to God’s authority, to resist temptations, draw near to God through prayer and fellowship, and be humble before God.
Zechariah called for the people to learn from the sins of their forefathers. They should not be like their forefathers. The prophets warned them that God would punish them if they didn’t obey. The people didn’t obey so God sent them into exile in Babylon. He reminded them that life is temporary and they are a part of a larger story. By remembering their history and the struggles of their ancestors, they should gain wisdom in their lives.
We need to reflect on history because we learn from mistakes. It teaches us what to do and not do. It helps us understand and learn about ourselves. It empowers us to make conscious choices about how we want to live our life. It can boost our confidence and motivation. It can change our opinions and viewpoints.
Their ancestors probably repented while in exile when they realized God meant what He said. They began to remember His words. They knew they could not run away from God.
To repent means to be sorry for wrong things you have done and promise to try not to do them in the future. It means changing your behavior and turning away from sin. It’s humbly denying yourself and involves a change of heart as well as actions.
Psalm 32:1-5 tell us there is agony in unconfessed sin, but a blessing to those who confess. Acknowledge your sin and God will forgive you. 1 John 1:8-9 tell us if we think we are without sin we deceive ourselves, but if we confess He will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Principle: God has wrath against unrepentant sinners, but is full of love and mercy to those who repent.
Next week we will continue our study in Zechariah. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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