The Twenty-Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month - Zechariah 1:7

In the book of Zechariah, Zechariah shared how Jehovah God said to the people of Israel, “but my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so has he dealt with us”, and in chapter one and verse seven of Zechariah, Zechariah shared about, “the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month” where we read,

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, ...

The verse reads, “Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, ...” Zechariah began with the words, “upon the four and twentieth day” or “on the twenty-fourth sunrise to sunset” “of the eleventh month” which means “belonging to the eleventh month of the year”, “which is the month Sebat”or “that exists as the month called Sebat which means a rod and corresponds to January or February”, “in the second year of Darius” which means “within the second annual division of time belonging to Darius whose name means lord and was the son of Hystaspes, the founder of the Perso-Arian dynasty (521 BC)”. Zechariah referred to the twenty-fourth sunrise to sunset within the eleventh month of the year which was known as “Sebat” or “Shebat” during the second year that “Darius” ruled in Persia. 

The verse continues, “... came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, ...”. Zechariah added the words, “came the word” or “arose and appeared the speech, utterance and declaration” “of the LORD” which means “belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “unto Zechariah” or “to Zechariah whose name means Jehovah remembers and was the eleventh in order of the minor prophets; a priest, son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo, who, along with Haggai, directed the rebuilding of the temple in the days of Zerubbabel”, “the son of Berechiah” which means “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Berechiah whose name means Jehovah blesses”, “the son of Iddo the prophet” or “who was the male offspring and progeny of Iddo whose name means His witness and was the grandfather of Zechariah who was an inspired man who spoke prophesy”, “saying” which means “uttering, declaring and proclaiming” the words in the following verse. Zechariah shared how Jehovah God's “word” came to him proclaiming the words in the following verse.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Zechariah how some time has elapsed since he received a word from Jehovah God. Now in the month of “Sebat” during the second year of “Darius'” reign in Persia, God spoke again. Zechariah felt it important to repeat his prophetic heritage as he mentioned his father, “Berechiah”, and his grandfather “Iddo” again. God used Zechariah in a mighty way to share His truth with the people of Israel. They had forsaken the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and they left behind the importance of their relationship with God. God's message will be seen through a vision given to Zechariah in our next few verses, but for now let us consider that God continues to speak through His word, the Bible. His message is simple: people have sin in their lives which separates them from a personal relationship with Him. Those sins lead to death, physical and eternal death, which will keep people separated from God forever. God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the price of death for every person, and three days later was raised from the dead. Our two problems are solved, sin and death, when we put our faith and trust in Him because He will forgive our sins and grant us everlasting life with Him. Let all who read these words hear the heart of Jehovah God who wants no one to “perish” but to have everlasting life with Him. (See John 3:16)

Next time Zechariah said, “I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse”, 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".