On that day

 Gosh, we've almost run out of May and I'm only just coming to grips with Zechariah!

Many commentators believe that these later chapters (9-14) were written at a much later date by a different author. There is certainly a change of tone, and the material is no longer about rebuilding. 

Here are some passages I found of interest as these people learn once more (following their long exile) how to live together as people of the one God.

1. Zech 9: 9-10 prophesies a new king who brings peace for this war-ridden part of the world: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey... he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the end of the earth." (NRSV). It also anticipates the events described in Mark 11:1-11 where Jesus rides a colt (KJV has ass) as he enters Jerusalem. 

2. Zech 9:12 "...I will restore to you double." This reminds me of Bible stories where what was apparently lost was restored, e.g. Job, Ruth, and the man with the withered hand which was "restored whole, like as the other" (Matt 12: 13).  

3. Zech 9: 16 "...the Lord their God will save them for they are the flock of his people; for like jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land..." The references to sheep and shepherds would have resonated with these people. The "shining" image reminds me of Matt 5: 16 where Jesus instructs his listeners to let their light "so shine before men, that they may see [their] good works, and glorify [their] Father which is in heaven".  

4. Zech 10: 10 "I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria; I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon... This reminds me of Jesus' parable of the prodigal son's coming home. It also echoes other prophetic voices, like Isa. 43: 6. 

Chapter 11 condemns the "worthless shepherd who deserts the flock" (v. 17 NRSVUE), the shepherd "who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed, or nourish the healthy..." (v. 16 ibid).

Chapter 12 uses imagery (horses again) to describe turmoil in Jerusalem. The repeated phrase "on that day" or "the day of the Lord", says the SBL Study Bible, "does not refer to end-time events...[but] ... draws upon a rich tapestry of images to describe divine justice" (p. 1310). We are reminded here that unlike pagan peoples who would perhaps blame their gods for their difficulties, these people had learned that the one God was their refuge; they had but to remember Him in their troubles. Verse 8 assures the people that "the Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem".

Chapter 13 introduces the idea of cleansing from idolatry, sin and impurity. Verse 1 reads: "On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (NRSVUE). 

Chapter 14 seems to prophesy overturning. The phrase "on that day" predominates the text. Some of the events include: "continuous day...not day and not night" (v. 7); "the Lord will be one and his name one" (v. 9); and "Jerusalem shall abide in security" (v. 11).

As I've been reviewing these chapters, I've been thinking I should look up the Glossary definitions of Jerusalem and Day in Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Preceding these and other definitions Eddy writes: "In Christian Science we learn that the substitution of the spiritual for the material definition of a Scriptural word often elucidates the meaning of the inspired writer. On this account this chapter is added. It contains the metaphysical interpretation of Bible terms, giving their spiritual sense, which is also their original meaning" (p. 579).

p. 584 Day. The irradiance of Life; light, the spiritual idea of Truth and Love.

"And the evening and the morning were the first day." (Genesis i. 5.) The objects of time and sense disappear in the illumination of spiritual understanding, and Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded. This unfolding is God's day, and "there shall be no night there."

p. 589 Jerusalem. Mortal belief and knowledge obtained from the five corporeal senses; the pride of power and the power of pride; sensuality; envy; oppression; tyranny. Home, heaven.

A nice place to conclude our study.

Julie Swannell

A perfect fit

Well.  Not an easy assignment this.

I’m going to repeat what the Harper Collins Study Bible has, under the heading Date, Authorship, and Context:

   The book of Zechariah is generally agreed to have been written by more than one hand.  The eight visions and prophetic oracles that make up chs. 1-8 begin with the date October/November 520 B.C.E.  There seems no reason to question this chronological framework, nor for that matter the attribution of the first part of the book to one “Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo.”  According to Zech 7.1, his work continued until 518 B.C.E., which means that he functioned significantly longer than the five months during the year 520 in which Haggai worked.  The two prophets shared the same mission, namely, to advocate the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. 

   The Judean exiles had returned from their Babylonian captivity after 539 B.C.E, armed with the so-called edict of Cyrus (Ezra 6.3-5), which permitted them to rebuild the holy sanctuary in Jerusalem.  Perhaps they were guided as well by the visionary plan of restoration put forth in Ezek. 40-48, certainly they were animated by the stunning promises of the great prophet of the exile, the author of Isa 40-55 (Second Isaiah).  Reconstruction work began rather quickly under Sheshbazzar, the governor of Judah appointed by the Persians; but then for unknown reasons it stopped (see Ezra 5.13-10).  More than a decade later, during the tension stirred up throughout the Persian Empire by the accession of Darius I in 522 B.C.E., first Haggai, then Zechariah sprang into prophetic action.  They stressed the importance of rebuilding the temple so that the elect and restored community of Judah could enjoy the God-given provisions for right relationship and right worship that were to be centred there.  Apparently, their words were heeded, for the temple was completed and rededicated just a few years after the end of their ministries, in 516/5 B.C.E. (see Ezra 6.15). 

I have been interested in the building of the temple and thought about the corner stone, the chief corner stone, and the keystone. 

I found under JSH-Online an article, The Temple by E.A.E. in the July 1904 Christian Science Journal. 

It was amazing, in that the pieces of marble were shaped where they were mined, and, when added to the wall, fitted exactly.  However, there was one piece which just didn’t seem to fit anywhere.  This was The Stone That the Builders Rejected*.  It was rejected right up to the last stone. The keystone at the head of the arch, was needed, and the rejected stone just fitted the bill! 

Thomas Leishman finished his October 1970 Christian Science Journal article (one of a series) on Haggai and Zechariah with this: 

   It is Zechariah who stresses the hopes of his people concerning the coming of the Messiah—termed the "BRANCH" (Zech. 3:8; 6:12) here as in other Biblical passages (Isa. 4:2; 11:1: Jer. 23:5; 33:15). John, in Revelation, apparently attributed great significance to the visions in Zechariah, especially the candlestick and the two olive trees (compare Zech. 4:11-14 and Rev. 11:3, 4).

   Moreover, Zechariah joyously affirmed the coming of the Messianic age, in which promise of prosperity, safety, and the restoration of true religion would be fulfilled: "Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth ; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain" (Zech. 8:3).

Joyce Voysey

Ed. For those who may not yet have a subscription to JSH-online, any Christian Science Reading Room will help you with a copy of the articles mentioned. It's well worth it: they give excellent context to our subject. Thank you to Joyce for her very helpful research. 

* See Matt. 21: 42, Mark 12: 10 and Luke 20:17. Also Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 139: 22.

Nation-building or any reconstruction project.

 There are 14 chapters in Zechariah. One would think it would be easy to read them through in the space of a month, but I still have not done it! What is the problem?

I have no excuse except that I got stuck with the text's apparent density and my dim ability to comprehend its relevance.

So - last night I grabbed one of my study Bibles, The New Oxford Annotated Bible, New Revised Standard Version (5th edition) and took it to bed with me along with a little pencil to mark helpful passages in the commentary at the foot of each page. Oh, what a revelation! (I wonder why it has taken me so long to think about doing this study with this tool.) I quickly reached chapter 10 before falling into a sound sleep. ☺

I'm not sure where to begin now. There is much to share. 

We'll start with the context of this book: the temple of King Solomon (completed in 957BCE) was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586BCE - see II Kings 25:8-21.

Nearly 70 years later, "Zechariah was active in ... 520BCE and 518BCE... early in the reign of the Persian emperor Darius (522-486BCE) and before the rededication of the Temple [new] in 515."

For context, I note that the great Greek philosopher Socrates lived about a century later (c. 470-399BCC), and subsequently Alexander the Great conquered the land of Israel (333/331BCE).

Zechariah's story begins just prior to the laying of the new (second) Temple's foundation stone. Zech. 8: 9 says "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strong--you that have recently been hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets who were present when the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of hosts" (NRSV).

It continues with a re-assuring promise: "For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. ...and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong" (ibid vv.12, 13). 

But let's now backtrack to what the NRSV calls the book's "oracles", or authoritative messages. These were sometimes obscure or ambiguous. Zechariah gives us 8 "truly distinctive" visions or oracles, which "move beyond ordinary reality" and which are intended to "explain the ways in which God is working ... on behalf of the newly restored community (NRSV commentary, p. 1357). 

Zech 1: 8-17, first oracle: divine horsemen patrol the earth (multicoloured horses grazing among the myrtle trees) - perhaps signifying "peace over all the earth" (NRSV commentary). Verse 8 asks: "how long"? The NRSV commentary suggest that this may refer to "an unfortunate period of time". Have I ever asked "How long, God?"

Zech 1: 18-21, second oracle: four horns and four smiths - perhaps "the totality of nations that destroyed Israel" (ibid), therefore signifying the enemy. 

Zech. 2: 1-13, third oracle: a surveyor measures Jerusalem - the rebuilding of the nation proceeds, and God is a "wall of fire all around it ... and the glory within it".

Zech 3: 1-10, fourth oracle: Joshua and Satan - Satan is the accuser but God rebukes his suggestions. I love how God says to Joshua, who is the high priest: "See I have taken your guilt away" (3:4). The accuser is cast down! And not only is his filthy garment removed, he is now re-clothed in innocence! Complete purification.

Zech 4: 1-14, fifth oracle: a lampstand and two olive trees. I love the image of the two olive trees (vv. 11-14), representing "the two anointed ones". Two witnesses. Two who give us the good oil, the truth, possibly Joshua and Zerubbabel, but readers may think of two books which stand firm in fuelling God's promises.

In this vision, the angel message explains what's really happening during the building process: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel [the governor]: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts" (4:6). 

By the way, in v. 7, it is Zerubbabel who shall "bring out the top stone". Later he also lays the foundation (v. 9). Now, I always thought the foundation stone was at ground level, but the NRSV seems to indicate that in this case it is the top stone of the Temple, and that this stone would have come from the previous temple. Is the text indicating two different stones perhaps?

Zech 5: 1-4, sixth oracle: a  flying scroll - "represents God's covenant-based justice" (NRSV p. 1361) in the face of "the curse" (v. 3). The scroll is approx. 30' long (9m) and 15' wide! NRSV commentary notes that this scroll may have looked like a flying carpet! Spirit's message is unmistakable. 

Zech 5: 5-11, seventh oracle: a woman in a basket - representing wickedness + two women with wings. These are "not cherubim, which were male" (NRSV commentary). Wickedness = Babylon. By the way, the KJV uses the word ephah (an ancient Hebrew dry measure of about 40 litres) indicating an ephah-sized vessel filled with sin. KJV then speaks about a talent of lead.  This refers to the basket's lead cover, which, when removed, revealed the two women with wings. Gosh!

Zech 6:1-8, eighth oracle: four chariots - multicoloured horses again but this time with chariots going out in four directions, which "represent military might and dominion...with the winds as the deity's agents" (ibid). 

An interesting observation is that the Hebrew verb for "go out", sometimes translated "come out" or "go forth" or "went forth" appears multiple times, depending on the translation in these verses. You might see how many you can find and ponder the meaning. Perhaps this indicates movement, action.

Maybe I will stop here. That's a lot to absorb. But there's a lot more that I find I love in Zechariah, and which I didn't know was right here.

Julie Swannell

 

What am I prioritising?

I was interested in Zechariah 1:1 and 7 where Zechariah gives us the exact year of events as occurring during "the second year of Darius". 

Who was Darius? When did he reign? What nation did he govern?

As we research this month's book, it's become obvious that Haggai and Zechariah go together and so the following answers to our questions make sense.

One commentator offers this: "In the second year of King Darius of Persia (520BC), God used a man named Haggai to urge the people to prioritize rebuilding the temple as a symbol of the immediate presence of the Lord among them. The people obeyed the prophetic message and resumed work on the building project" (https://thebiblesays.com/en/commentary/zec+1:1). (Other sources suggest that 520BC may not be quite right, but I think we are in the vicinity.) 

By the way, I'm not quite sure yet how the two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, go together - that will require more study! 

In the meantime, this prompts some questions: 

1. Have I ever had an urgent message to take action of some sort? Have I heeded it or have I procrastinated, allowing other concerns to take precedence? (I am reminded of the Scripture: "...be instant in season, out of season..." (II Tim. 4:2))
   
2. In 2025, what am I prioritizing? How is that working out? (Hmm. Now I'm thinking about the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus instructed us to: "...seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33))
   
   
3. Do we need a symbol of the immediate presence of God? (symbol: a thing that represents or stands for something else; a token; a shape or sign)

Julie Swannell

King Uzziah

Isaiah chapter 6 appears in this week's Christian Science Bible Lesson. the chapter begins by telling us that the prophet Isaiah began his work in the year that King Uzziah of Judah died. That year was 739BC.

Who was Uzziah and was he connected to the prophet Zechariah who we are learning about this month?

Second Chronicles 26 informs us that Uzziah became king at the age of 16 and subsequently successfully reigned in Jerusalem for 52 years! 

His mother's name was Jekoliah (v. 3) and "he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" (v. 4). Moreover "He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God"(v. 5 NIV).

How interesting to make these connections!

Further along in this chapter is one of my most favourite Bible verses:

v. 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!" (Isa. 6: 8).

Julie Swannell

 

Discouraged? "The Lord will give thee peace."

A quick review of articles mentioning the word “discouragement” in recent editions of The Christian Science Monitor include stories on church, politics, sport, and home. Murr Brewster’s hilarious April 16, 2025 story about hiding behind her undiscouraged hedge, includes this graphic paragraph:

The big side yard was bordered on two sides by a sprawling laurel hedge with Godzilla’s own ambition. It didn’t grow so much as it reared up. I caught one neighbor pouring used motor oil underneath the hedge, but that did nothing to discourage the thing. Within a year it was a threat to migrating geese.

But, discouragement is not usually funny. It can become entrenched, and it can show up at inconvenient times. It may need some wrestling to be replaced by hope and encouragement.

The prophet Zechariah had the tough job of encouraging a discouraged nation. How did he do it? My KJV study Bible’s book of Zechariah opens with this telling paragraph

               Zechariah prophesied to a group of discouraged Israelites, announcing that it was a new day for God’s chosen people. He sought to inspire those who had returned from captivity to rebuild the temple and rededicate their lives to the Lord. The message of encouragement involved surrealistic visions and vivid poetic images, focused on a reversal of God’s judgment, and called for a reversal of the people’s behavior.

Zechariah knew the way forward wasn’t going to be easy. It would require work, diligent work involving a reassessment of how people conducted their everyday lives.

Chapter One sets the pace:

v. 3 “… ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’…”

v. 8 “In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders on red, brown, and white horses.

v. 9     I asked the angel who was talking with me “My lord, what do these horses mean?”

v. 10    The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.”

v. 11     Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.”

v. 16    …“My Temple will be rebuilt…”

v. 18    Then I looked up and saw four animal horns.

v. 19    What are these? I asked the angel who was talking with me. He replied, “These horns represent the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Those words are quite encouraging. Angel messages always are.

One writer has shared the following:

Discouragement should never be admitted into consciousness on any pretext. It is never a part of good and can never be made to serve any legitimate end. It is always a harbinger of evil and never a messenger of good, and for that reason it should not be listened to or believed in by anyone who places his trust in the triumph of good. James Noble Hatch, The Christian Science Journal March 1918 “Overcoming Discouragement”

James Montgomery’s words from hymns 77, 78 touch the heart of the matter:

Place on the Lord reliance; / My heart, with courage wait; / His truth be thine affiance, / When faint and desolate: / His might thy heart shall strengthen, / His love thy joy increase; / Thy day shall mercy lengthen: / The Lord will give thee peace.
(Christian Science Hymnal 77:2)

Julie Swannell

The volume turned up

Take yourself to 500 years before Christ Jesus' sojourn on earth.

King Cyrus of Persia has granted the captive Israelites permission to return to Judah (538BC). 

A commentator writes: "The chosen people had just come through one of the worst experiences possible in the ancient world. Their homeland was devastated by invading armies, their capital city and temple were plundered and flattened, many of their people and leaders were killed, and most of the rest were carried off into pagan lands. The returnees who made the long trek back to Judah were faced with the challenge of re-establishing Jerusalem and the temple." (The book of Ezra gives some background.)

The commentator continues: "The remnant that came out of the captivity was the only hope for the future of Israel. Based on the track record of previous generations, strong language would be necessary to penetrate the stubborn shoulders, closed ears, and rock-hard hearts of God's people... Poetry served this purpose well because it allowed for language with the volume turned up."

"Zechariah used a mix of genres. His sermons, poetry, and oracles of judgment and salvation were typical of the prophetic genre. But his visions had similarities with apocalyptic literature, like Daniel."  Holman KJV Study Bible

I'm looking forward to finding out more about this prophet, his message, and his method of communication.

Julie Swannell