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:
- 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))
- 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))
- 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)
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