Zechariah 1-6

1. Because of His jealousy the LORD would shatter peace on the earth (1.7-17). In Zechariah’s first prophetic vision, he spoke with an Angel of the LORD concerning the ‘peaceful’ situation among the nations (v. 11). This troubled the Angel, who asked: “How long, LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that You have been angry with these 70 years?” (v. 12). The LORD’s compassion, and wrath, had grown mighty as the nations stood aloof over His people; He said: “I am extremely jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease, for I was a little angry, but they made it worse…I have graciously returned to Jerusalem; My house will be rebuilt within it” (vv. 14b-15, 16)
2. The LORD would render justice against those who had chastised His people (1.18-21). The craftsmen were sent to work the LORD’s vengeance upon the horns that had harmed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem
3. The LORD was coming to dwell among His people—so vast that no city could contain them (2.1-13). Zechariah was intrigued when the surveyor went to measure the dimensions of the city, and overwhelmed with the answer: “Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it” (v. 4)! The LORD would be the wall of protection for those, even from other nations, who joined themselves to Him; so great would be His care for them that Zechariah said: “anyone who touches you touches the pupil of His eye” (v. 8)
4. The LORD would cleanse His servants and bring about a new community when His Servant, the Branch, arrived (3.1-10). Joshua son of Johozadak was the high priest of the returned exiles (cf. Hag 1.1), but in Zechariah’s vision even he needed cleansing and defense from the LORD. This set the stage for the announcement that the LORD would send His Servant, the Branch, and “take away the guilt of this land in a single day” (v. 9). Then a true peace would come upon the land, and neighbors would sit down together in harmony (v. 10)
5. The LORD would see to it that the temple was completed (4.1-14). The gold lamp stand may accord with the “seven eyes of the LORD” (v. 10), which would look with joy when the work of Governor Zerubbabel was finished—work that was “Not by strength or by might,” (v. 6), but by the Spirit of the LORD. 
6. The LORD would force thieves and liars to endure the destructive force of their actions (5.1-4). The large scroll of the vision was a record of immoral, divisive choices—those that would have devastating repercussions on the homes of liars and thieves
7. The LORD would remove the evil of His people in the land (5.5-11). Zechariah saw a woman, representing sin, in a measuring basket. The fact that an iron cover was placed over the basket, and that basket was carried away by God’s messengers, shows the surety of forgiveness
8. The LORD would govern the nations and protect His people (6.1-8). Just as the first vision declared God’s jealousy and power, so too the four horses in this vision symbolized the LORD’s might and strength over the nations, especially those in the north—often the direction from which many antagonized Israel (cf. Is 14.31; 41.25)

1. Zechariah prophesied of a new Exile, fulfilled finally in Jesus Christ. In Zech 3.8 the prophet foretold the gathering of the exiled people of God, saying: “‘Get up! Leave the land of the north’—the LORD’s declaration—‘for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven’—the LORD’s declaration. ‘Go, Zion! Escape, you who are living with Daughter Babylon.’” Jesus picked up the prophet’s theme, applying it to the day of the return of the Son of Man in power and glory, when “He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky” (Mk 13.27). The prophet was concerned for the gathering of Israel from exile in Babylon, and their return to the land of promise and the second temple; Jesus was concerned for the gathering of the faithful of all nations to celebrate His rule
2. Zechariah foretold the coming of the Branch of the LORD, and His dwelling among His people. In Zech 3.8 the prophet spoke to Joshua the high priest concerning the LORD’s servant, His Branch. The prophet took up the same theme in 6.12-13, where the LORD command him to coronate Joshua the high priest with a golden crown—which would serve as a memorial to the building of the temple, and point forward to the day of the Branch, the One who would “branch out from this place and build the LORD’s temple” (6.12). Zechariah said: “He will branch out from His place and build the LORD’s temple. Yes, He will build the LORD’s temple; He will be clothed in splendor and will sit on His throne and rule” (6.13). The prophet’s metaphor pointed forward to Jesus Christ, who would fulfill both the priestly and kingly roles of Zechariah’s promise; He was unique in that He offered forgiveness through His own blood: “He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right had of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1.3; cf. Rev 5.6). The Branch, Zechariah prophesied, would represent the presence of God among men (cf. Lk 1.78; Heb 1.5; Rev 5.5)—not only of Israel, but all nations joined to the LORD (2.10-13). Perhaps the apostle James had this in mind when he spoke at the Jerusalem council that the Gentiles would see the Lord through a rebuilt Israel (Acts 15.16-18)
3. The prophet announced the forgiveness the LORD would grant His people, and that Satan would be powerless to accuse—themes which point forward to the forgiveness offered uniquely in Christ. In Zech 3.1-5 the prophet detailed his vision of Satan’s attempt to accuse Joshua the high priest. The Angel of the LORD intervened though, telling those before Him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” (3.4).  The Angel then said to Joshua: “See, I have removed your guilt from you, and I will clothe you with splendid robes” (3.5). The apostle John recorded a similar scene in his vision, and noted that when he saw Satan thrown from heaven a loud voice in heaven said: “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night” (Rev 12.10). The apostle Paul likewise wrote of the vindication of God’s people through the blood of Christ, saying to the Romans, “Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us” (Rom 8.33-34)
4. Zechariah prophesied of the judgment that would come upon the wicked. In Zech 5.7 the prophet recorded his vision of a measuring basket, covered with a lid made of lead, containing the iniquity of the land; inside the basket was a woman called, “Wickedness.” In Rev 17.1 the apostle John described Babylon/Rome as a wicked harlot who deceived that nation. In his vision in 6.1-8, Zechariah saw sets of horses pulling four chariots sent out to patrol the earth, administering the LORD’s vengeance upon the enemies of His people. This motif that may be in the background of the John’s vision in Rev 6, where the seals of the scroll of judgment are broken and horses are employed metaphorically to describe the final judgment that will come upon the earth

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