Zechariah 1 Commentary
Like Haggai, Zechariah’s work begins with the reign of Darius – generally the post-exile period. The core message of these two prophets is yet another call to repentance. “Return to me and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. Verse 4.
The return of the Jews to Jerusalem and the establishment of leadership under Zerubbabel isn’t exactly what we all hoped for. Therefore, the people still waited for David’s son to bring back the glory days. We can read these lines and know the promises of restoration under Immanuel are still a “work-in-progress” situation.
Punishment was deserved. Verse 6. It is a conclusion that all humanity comes to. For all have sinned. How grateful the saint is to the work of redemption at Calvary!
Yes, the punishment was deserved, hence the exile to Babylon. But Haggai completes it: current disobedience means the people still experience failed crops, holes in their pockets, or dissatisfaction even after a normal meal!
Then Zechariah repeats the promise of restoration as we saw in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the other pre-exile writings. “My towns will again overflow with prosperity, the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem”. It is a pointer to yet another time, definitely not Zerubbabel’s time! And so the promise remained until Immanuel’s time, the Servant, or the Son with the government on His shoulders.
The vision of the 4 horns and the 4 craftsmen is yet another strong statement on what the LORD would do after the scattering to Babylon. The four horns are a collection of oppressive forces against Jerusalem – no question about what the horns did to Jerusalem. But the craftsmen, was their work dependent on Israel’s return to the LORD?
Return to me and I will return to you. We can think about the promises of the LORD with this statement in mind
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