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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Zech. 1-2
One of the encouraging declarations God made to the returned exiles through Zechariah was that a measuring line would be stretched out over Jerusalem (from Zech. 1:16). In thinking about what that meant, I see it as God’s promise to reestablish the city. For those exiles, the near term implication of this was the assurance that their efforts would be successful. God also provided further credence to that assurance by promising justice on the nations that opposed Judah.
From our position on life’s timeline, however, we can also see the greater implications of God’s declaration to reestablish Jerusalem. We get a glimpse of it in Zechariah 2:11. “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day and become my people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Armies has sent me to you.” God’s promise to reestablish Jerusalem was not just about the physical city. It was a promise to establish His holy Kingdom, which He did when He came to dwell among us in human form.
Zech. 3-4
Oh, wow – things are getting deep and interesting here! The two primary characters in the restoration of God’s temple were Joshua, the high priest and Zerubbabel, the governor and a direct descendant of King David. God specifically addressed these two men in His visions to Zechariah. The visions are obviously Messianic prophecies, but more than that, they depict God’s redeeming work for us. There is so much packed into all of this and I know I am only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The part I am focusing on this morning, though, are the names of these two men.
“Joshua”, is another form of the name, “Jesus”. It means, “God saves”. “Zerubbabel”, means “seed of Babylon”. Because Babylon is a representation of humanity, I see Zerubbabel’s name as a form of the title, “Son of Man”. Put the two men’s names together and we see that Zechariah’s visions depict God’s plan. As high priest, Joshua represents the part Jesus’ divine nature plays in that plan. Zerubbabel’s positions as Governor and descendant of David make him a representation of the part Jesus’ human nature plays. Jesus is the God who saves, who came to us as the human descendant of King David to govern us and impart His righteousness on us through His death and resurrection so that we stand as clean before the accuser. He is the cornerstone on which God builds His new temple in His new kingdom, which is the body of Christ; the Church.
Zech. 5-6
God gives Zechariah three more visions and instructions to make a crown for Joshua. The depth of meaning in these is lost on me. I do, however, see a surface message. I see these visions as God’s promise to deal fully with the problem of sin. And in joining the priesthood with royalty by crowning Joshua, I see Jesus, who is both priest and king, as that ultimate solution.