The year was approximately 520 B.C., and because the people of Israel had forsaken Jehovah God, worshiped other gods rather than obeying the LORD and chose their own way, they were taken away from their homeland and held captive in Babylon for seventy years. They returned to their homeland under King Darius of Persia with Zerubbabel as their political leader and Joshua as their spiritual overseer. There was a contingent of 42000 people who returned to Jerusalem with them, and while they initially began to work on rebuilding their temple in Jerusalem, after some opposition from within and intimidation by their enemies, they left off building the temple and built their own homes instead.
The prophets Haggai and Zechariah were sent to the people of Israel to inspire them to work on the temple and to prioritize spiritual matters over earthly affairs. Haggai was contemporary with Zechariah, and although they both prophesied in different styles concerning the people of Israel's abandonment of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, they were both commissioned to motivate them. Haggai wrote thirty-eight verses and was firm and direct with his instruction for the people of Israel to return to rebuilding the temple, and Zechariah wrote prolifically and was more encouraging, mystical and poetic in his approach with them. God used both of these men as prophets to reinspire the rebuilding of the temple even as He uses different personalities to accomplish His purposes today.
The book is divided into three distinct sections as follows: First, Zechariah sees a vision. (Chapters 1-6) The vision has eight segments and aspects to it, and each of them deal with the near and far approach of prophetic language. Second, the people ask a question Chapters 7-8) to which Zechariah provides answers, and third, the Prince comes with salvation. (Chapters 9-14) The names Zechariah, Berechiah and Iddo become a wonderful progression of the activities for the book of Zechariah as Zechariah means “God sees”; Berechiah who was Zechariah's father whose name means “God blesses” and “Iddo who was Zechariah's grandfather whose name means His timely witness. So, God sees, God blesses and God witnesses in timely fashion or at the appointed time.
The words of Zechariah are important for us to study because they reveal how Jehovah God desired to have a personal relationship with His people Israel. The same is true for us. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and cause us to hear His invitation to receive His Son Jesus and to fulfill His purposes within the world. In other words, God sees us, God blesses us and in His timely way He provided His witness for us to believe in Jesus to receive eternal life with Him.
Next time we begin a verse by verse study through the book of Zechariah, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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