The Book of Zechariah – An Overview

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The Book of Zechariah

Zechariah is a postexilic prophetical book whose theme focuses on the kingdom of God.  Presented in that theme is the LORD’s jealousy for Jerusalem’s restoration and the Branch who will come and be the true king over all the earth.  Zechariah uses symbolic language to make his points, casting him as a visionary who is very much like Ezekiel, a prophet to the preexilic and exilic eras (592–568 B.C.).  Both prophets envision Jerusalem’s renewal with a restored temple and priesthood at its center. They both believe the Davidic king is essential in this restoration, and emphasize the LORD’s Spirit in the renewal process, and fill in much detail about the eschatological age that lay ahead.

Outline of Zechariah

  1. Introduction 1:1–6
  2. The Eight Visions and Four Oracles 1:7–6:8
    1. The Vision of a Man Riding Among the Myrtle Trees 1:7–17
      1. The vision 1:7–15
      1. The oracle about God’s jealousy for Israel 1:16–17
    1. The Vision of the Four Horns and Four Craftsmen 1:18–21
    1. The Vision of Measuring Jerusalem 2
      1. The third vision 2:1–5
      1. The oracle about Israel’s blessing and their enemy’s destruction 2:6–13
    1. The Vision of Joshua the High Priest Being Cleansed and Restored
      1. The symbolic action 3:1–5
      1. The promises following the action 3:6–10 
    1. The Vision of the Gold Lampstand and Two Olive Trees 4
      1. The vision 4:1–5
      1. The two oracles about Zerubbabel 4:6–10
      1. The vision is interpreted 4:11–14
    1. The Vision of the Flying Scroll 5:1–4
    1. The Woman in the Ephah 5:5–11
    1. The Four Chariots 6:1–8
  3. Joshua the High Priest Is Symbolically Crowned 6:9–15
  4. Messages Concerning Fasting 7–8
    1. The Town of Bethel’s Question 7:1–3
    1. The LORD’s Rebuke about Fasting 7:4–7
    1. The People’s Flint Heart toward the Proper Fast 7:8–14
    1. The LORD Will Restore Israel 8:1–17
    1. The Fasts Will Be Joyous and Attract Many Nations 8:18–23
  5. Oracles Concerning Israel’s Future and the Coming Messiah 9–14
    1. The Burden of the LORD toward the Nations: The Arrival and Rejection of the Messiah 9–11
      1. The true king is coming 9
      1. Judah will be restored 10
      1. The true king will be rejected 11
    1. The Burden of the LORD toward Israel: The Arrival and Acceptance of the Messiah 12–14
      1. The LORD will protect Jerusalem 12
      1. The LORD will restore Jerusalem 13
      1. The LORD will be king over all 14

Author

Zechariah was an active prophet who also succeeded his father, Berechiah (1:1, 7), as head of his own division of priests during the days of Joiakim, son of Joshua (Nehemiah. 12:12, 16).  He was probably born during the Babylonian Captivity and came to Jerusalem with his grandfather, Iddo, who was one of the priests returning with Zerubbabel and Joshua from captivity (536 B.C.; Nehemiah. 12:1, 4).  

The Old Testament identifies at least 27 different individuals with the name Zechariah. The name “Zechariah” was common among the Israelites and means “Yahweh Remembers.”  His name fits well with the content of his book because he emphasizes God’s jealousy for the people of Israel and repeats God’s promises of blessing for the faithful.  This is an important message which every Old Testament prophet brings up: God does not forget His covenants!

There are several Zechariahs mentioned in the Old Testament who were of the priestly line, such as the Zechariah whom King Joash killed (2 Chronicles 24:20–22) and to whom Jesus spoke of in the New Testament (Luke 11:51); however, these two may be distinguished from this Zechariah who began his career in 520 B.C.  Even though Luke’s passage does not specify which Zechariah Jesus referred to, Matthew’s gospel states that Zechariah is the son of Berechiah (23:35).  If that is the case, then one can assume that this Zechariah died between the temple and the altar, even though the purpose is unknown.  

Date

Zechariah’s ministry lasted for twenty-five months (520–518 B.C.) and began two months after Haggai the prophet began (Haggai 1:1; Zech 1:1).  Both prophets spoke their messages from the LORD to Zerubbabel, the governor over Judah, and Joshua the high priest (Haggai 1:1; 2:2; c.f. Ezra 5:1–2).  Haggai encouraged the rebuilding of the temple; but Zechariah’s message filled them with courage and hope as he reminded them of God’s abundant future blessings. The temple was finally completed about five years after they began ministering (515 B.C.; Ezra 6:14–15).

The dating of Zechariah’s ministry—and that of Haggai’s—is easy to figure out since the text says when each event happened.  These events took place starting in the second year of King Darius of Persia.  For example, Haggai gave his first three messages in the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth and seventh months (Haggai 1:1, 15; 2:1).  Zechariah delivered his first message within a few weeks after Haggai’s, in the eighth month of King Darius’s second year (Zechariah 1:1). Three months later, Zechariah received his eight night visions which demonstrated God’s jealousy for Zion and introduced the Branch who would take away iniquities and rule with the shared offices of king and priest (Zechariah 1:7–6:15).  

A couple years passed and in the fourth year of King Darius, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Zechariah received another word from the LORD and spoke to the delegates from Bethel who were seeking the LORD’s favor (Zechariah 7:1–14).  This is the last date that the word of the LORD was specifically recorded as coming to Zechariah.

Historical Background

The Land

The Babylonians did not change the provincial organization which they inherited by defeating the Assyrians (625 B.C.) and neither did Cyrus, king of Persia, when he conquered Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar’s rule (539 B.C.). Cyrus probably kept the provincial organization because it also served his philosophy toward conquered peoples.  His policy was opposite that of the Assyrian’s and Babylonian’s.  Rather than deporting defeated people from their homelands in order to minimize revolutions; he allowed them to return to their former homes, believing that they would be pleased and discouraged from rebelling.

The Persian empire was divided into satrapies, each governed by a Persian commissioner (Daniel 3:2–3, 27; 6:2–7).  Each satrapy was subdivided into smaller units called “provinces” (e.g. Ezra 6:6).  This is how Judea was parceled, becoming its own province with its own religious and ethnic freedoms.  Each province was supervised by a governor who was usually a descendant of the local nobility.  The first governor was Sheshbazzar who was known as the “Prince of Judah” (Ezra 1:8; 5:14).  He seems to be identified as Jehoiakim’s son, Shenazzar (1 Chronicles 3:16–19), which makes Zerubbabel his nephew, the next Judean governor (Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 12:1; Haggai 1:1).  This period of Old Testament history is once again led by Davidic nobility through Zerubbabel with Levitical support from Joshua, the grandson of the last officiating high priest before the exile (2 Kings 25:18; 1 Chronicles 6:14–15; Zechariah 3:1).  

Cyrus’s Decree

The first wave of the Babylonian exiles returned to the land of Judah and Jerusalem to begin building the LORD’s temple under the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia (538 B.C.; Ezra 1:1).  The decree defined both the political and religious autonomy of Judah and also allowed them to begin building immediately because they were supplied all the materials by Cyrus (Ezra 1:2–4; 6:3–5).

The work began “in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month,” (536 B.C.; Ezra 3:8); however, enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that they were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel and discouraged and frustrated them all the days of Cyrus and even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia (Ezra 4:1–6).  This stopped the construction of God’s house, and the people began building their own homes until the second year of King Darius (520 B.C.; Ezra 4:24; 6:1–12; Haggai 1:1).  King Darius, then, reinstated Cyrus’s decree to build a temple for “the LORD, the God of heaven” (Ezra 1:2; 6:1–12).

The Temple’s Reconstruction

The people of Jerusalem were living in “resigned security;” so, their concern was toward economic matters, which kept them from looking any higher than their own needs. This is the time when Zechariah and Haggai began ministering in order to encourage reconstruction to begin again after its sixteen-year hiatus (c.f. Haggai 1:1–6; Zechariah 4:9). These prophets understood that the temple was the necessary precondition of the LORD’s advent and of his kingdom.

The temple was where the LORD spoke to Israel, where He forgave her sins, and where He dwelled with her.  It is not that God was pleased or impressed with buildings necessarily; but insomuch that the buildings represented the attempt to express praise and worship to Him. Zechariah’s message reminded the people of where their strength and hope came from and that a king would arrive and would finalize the renewal which had begun with the construction of the temple by a faithful remnant.

Prophesy

The book of Zechariah is full of prophesies about the coming Messiah. You can check out those prophesies in detail by going here (“Prophesies in the Book of Zechariah“).

Conclusion

The kingdom of God will come not by might or power, but by God’s Spirit (Zech 4:6).  As a believer in Jesus Christ, it is vital to rely on the ministry of the Holy Spirit for help (Romans 8:26–27), renewal (Romans 12:2; Titus 3:5–6), strength (Ephesians 3:16–19), and right living (Galatians 5:16–24).  Zechariah accurately depicted the shepherd-king, Jesus Christ, who came to earth to bring forgiveness for sins and to establish a future hope for those who believe in His name.  Until Christ returns to establish His millennial kingdom and conquer Satan forever (Revelation 19:11–20:10), Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to assist in fulfilling God’s work in building the kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14; 28:19–20; John 14:16–17).

The importance of Zechariah to the Christian Church today coincides with Haggai’s message to do the work of God.  Zechariah encourages that God is jealous for His people and there will be one who will come and establish a glorious and everlasting kingdom to be a part of.  As believers of this shepherd-king, it is vital to get involved in the work of God and do the work of God. By God’s grace and mercy, He has given salvation for all who will accept it (Ephesians 2:8–9; Act 16:31).  

For those who accept God’s gift and are His children, He has enabled them to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).  The Christian cannot do good works without the shepherd-king and the help of the Holy Spirit (John 15:1–5; 16:5–15).  Thus, Zechariah’s encouraging prophecy should inspire his readers to follow Christ. He was accurately depicted in His coming to earth as the servant; and will be accurately fulfilled in His second advent as king overall.

Bibliography

(This list contains links to Amazon which I receive a small commission if you choose to check out a book.)

Aharoni, Yohanan. The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography. (Buy on Amazon)

Benware, Paul N. Survey of the Old Testament. (Buy on Amazon)

Bullock, C. Hassell. An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. (Buy on Amazon)

Constable, Thomas L. Notes on Ezra. 2019 Edition. https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/ot/ezra/ezra.htm

Constable, Thomas L. Notes on Zechariah. 2019 Edition. https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/ot/zechariah/zechariah.htm#_ftnref19

Gerhard Von Rad. Old Testament Theology, vol. 2. Translated by D.M.G. Stalker.

House, Paul R. Old Testament Theology. (Buy on Amazon)

Kaiser, Jr., Walter C. Quest for Renewal: Personal Revival in the Old Testament. (Buy on Amazon)

Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words. (Buy on Amazon)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, www.Lockman.org