Zechariah reminds us that a prophet does
not always speak of future events. A prophet can also boldly speak
God’s word in the form of reminders, or warnings, or judgments.
This book contains commentary on the past, the present and the
distant future. Chapter 1 reminds me of conversations with my
grandmother. She was born in 1886. In her lifetime she saw the
invention of cars, electric lights and flying machines. You can
imagine her amazement watching men walk on the moon, while
remembering her own dad shoeing horses. Though he was a young man,
Zechariah had God’s perspective on time. The chapter begins with
the exact date “In the eight
month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the
prophet Zechariah“. That is
late fall, 520 BC, seventeen years after the Persians defeated the
Babylonians, and the order was given to rebuild the Temple in
Jerusalem. He begins, “The
Lord was very angry with your ancestors“,
but he adds, “Return to Me…
and I will return to you… Do not be like your ancestors“.
To some of us, that has a specific meaning, but others have no idea
about their roots. God clarifies, “they
would not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the Lord“.
He gave them a question to ponder, “Where
are your ancestors now?“
Next he describes a vision from God.
“There before me was a man
mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a
ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.”
He asks God, “What are these?”
“They are the ones the Lord
has sent to go throughout the earth… they reported to the Angel of
the Lord
who was standing among the myrtle trees“.
Many people picture an angry God looking for people doing wrong, but
the opposite is true. 2 Chronicle 16:9 explains, “For
the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those
whose hearts are fully committed to Him“.
Friend, is it time for something new?
These searchers report back, “We
have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and
in peace“. I believe they are
talking about a time yet to come. It is important to remember that
God lives outside of time. He sees the end from the beginning and
sometimes, He gives us peeks into the age to come. The Angel of the
Lord asks, “Lord
Almighty, how
long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem?”
God answers, “I am very
jealous for Jerusalem and Zion“.
We think of Jealousy as a negative emotion, but God desires
exclusivity. We actually cause God sorrow when you put other
priorities before Him. He continues, “The
Lord spoke kind and comforting words“.
Did you know God desires to give you comfort right where you are
now? His words speak to our personal fears. For these people He
said, “‘I will return to
Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt“.
Is your mind stuck in the horse manure of your past? Nothing you
have done, or said is beyond God’s ability to forgive. Friend, it
is time to embrace a new life. “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: The old has
gone, the new is here!” (2
Corinthians 5:17). Here is the key to finding rest and peace; God’s
mercy is greater than our foolishness!