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
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