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Sunday Sermon Outline
STUDIES IN ZECHARIAH, PART 2
The book opens identifying
Chap.1,
verse 1-“eighth month of the second year of Darius”-this is only 6 months after Haggai
began his ministery (1:1) in 520 BC. Zechariah is identified with Berechiah
and Iddo, but in
Neh.12:4, 16, Zechariah follows Iddo—the explanation
is that Berechiah was his father, Iddo his grandfather, but his father died before serving as
a priest, so he is listed under his grandfather. Zechariah and his grandfather,
Iddo, are both priests and
prophets. Chap.
1, verse 2-3 “The LORD has been very angry with your
fathers.” The KJV reading is “sore
displeased”—it is the use of the Hebrew word, qatsaph as both at
the beginning of the verse and as a cognate accusative renders it - “Angry with
anger is the Lord with your fathers.”
Such divine displeasure is indicative of God’s holy response to
See II Kings
“thus saith the LORD of hosts”
(3 times in vs.3)– this is the
prophetic preface to indicate a divinely revealed message and occurs 53 times
(Haggai 14 and Malachi 24 times).
W.H.Wilkerson
says: “Perhaps the ordinary
conception of the meaning of this divine title is, that
it represents God
as ordering in His providence, or, as in the case of
special
direction, the operations of armies and the events of
war….” Certainly, the term “LORD of hosts”
indicates God’s attention to the place of
“return to me and I will return to you”- M.F.Unger suggests the Hebrew carries the subordinate idea
of purpose “return to me in order
that I may return to
you”. He goes on to say:
“God’s love for
This pressing call for repentance is a
pre-requisite for divine blessing under the OT economy (Deut.
28). Chap.1,
vs.4-6—the prophet returns to earlier generations to use them as
a example of how God’s word may be refused. “former prophets” would encompass God’s spokesmen
from Elijah through the pre-exile prophets. Three questions are proposed in vs.5-6
meant to warn Zechariah’s generation of the urgency of their present
opportunity. Their fathers and even
the prophets are gone, but God’s word (in contrast) was fulfilled. “overtake” points us to the direction of the
fulfillment---here, in judgment upon the previously disobedient
generation- Deut.28:15. Page 2 “so they returned and said:”- this is the admission of the
reality of God’s word being fulfilled by the generation that experienced God’s
judgment. “just as the LORD of hosts determined to do to
us…” here, we have an
admission of guilt in the sense of ‘we got what we deserved’
– compare Ezra
9:13. “according to our ways….our deeds, so He has dealt with
us”- This confession admits the
appropriate nature of what they have experienced in chastisement as God has
dealt with the nation. Their sin of
violated His perfect Person brought divine displeasure and punishment as they
resisted God’s laws. This preface of the book sets the tone
for the visions and prophecies that will follow: repentance,
rather than rejection of God’s word.
Divisions of Zechariah:
Introduction 1:1-6 8 visions- 1:7- 4
explanatory messages Ch.7-8 Revelations
of the King- Ch.9-14 The extensive references to Messiah in
the latter part of Zechariah are to cultivate and expand the optimism that
God’s design for and bright as they encounter their
promised King (Davidic covenant).
The prophet’s name “Zechariah” means ‘the LORD remembers’ (anthropopathism)---this emphasizes
Divine fidelity to the 4 unconditional covenants which God
made and which God will persevere in
seeing fulfilled in His own time. Note Psalms 105:5-11,
42-45 |