Category: Shadows (Page 25 of 25)

The prophet Zechariah is just one of over thirty men named “Zechariah” in the Old Testament. His name means “Yahweh has remembered.” The exiles had returned from Babylon and set about the task of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, around 520 to 470 BC. In Zechariah 1:1, he introduces himself as the son of Berekiah and the grandson of Iddo. Zechariah’s grandfather Iddo returned with Zerubbabel from exile in Babylon (Nehemiah 12:4). His ministry was part of those who returned from exile with their families. Zechariah lived during the time of Judah’s restoration. Zechariah was a Levite priest born in Babylon according to Nehemiah 12. He had the rare distinction of being both a priest and a prophet of God.

As his family resettled in Judah, Zechariah calls to his people to repentance and spiritual renewal. It was a difficult time for them. The people were discouraged, spiritually apathetic, and tempted to go back to many of the sinful ways of their forefathers. The prophecies in the book of Zechariah cover about two years. However, Zechariah continued to have a ministry among the people until the temple was rebuilt (Ezra 5:1–2). Zechariah’s mode of operation was to encourage and motivate the people by revealing to them God’s plans for the future of Jerusalem, Israel, the Messiah, and the Temple.

Zechariah had a straightforward message. After God’s judgment, after God’s punishment through exile, it was time for repentance. Without repentance, there would be no reconciliation with God. Repentance is a change of direction, back to honoring God’s Truth. The second section of Zechariah’s book includes not only prophesy’s the coming of the Messiah, but prophecies about the end times as well. This accounts for why Zechariah is so often quoted in the New Testament. Like his contemporary, Haggai, Zechariah’s ministry was to encourage the returning exiles to Jerusalem to finish building the Second Temple (about 520 BC). God raised up Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to get busy and get it built. The Temple was finally completed in 515 BC through their prodding and inspiration.

Zechariah would receive eight visions, which an angel interpreted for him. Each vision had a similar message. Even though Judah had been through a very difficult time and knew no peace, God would have compassion for Judah in the future.

(Zechariah 1:7-17)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. During the night I had a vision, and 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. I asked, “What are these, my lord?” The angel who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.” Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth.” And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.” Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.’ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the Lord Almighty. “Proclaim further: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.’”

If we interpret this first vision in Zechariah 1:7-17, we can understand all of his visions. Zechariah saw a man riding a red horse standing in the myrtle trees with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him. They look like a troop of heavenly cavalry. The angel told Zechariah that God is righteously angry at the evil nations that currently feel secure while Jerusalem was in ruins. God would show mercy to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple and the city of Jerusalem itself. In the future, there would be peace and prosperity. God had not forgotten about Jerusalem. God had the city in His plans.

This was exactly what the returning exiles needed to hear after everything they had been through. The second vision was four horns and four craftsmen who were symbols of leaders that God would raise up to overthrow Israel’s enemies. Then Zechariah saw a vision of a man with a measuring line to measure Jerusalem, meaning that the city would be rebuilt and expanded. The next five visions in Zechariah 3-6 delivered the message that God had forgiven the people of Israel. Now it was time for God to judge and punish the surrounding nations that had been the source of Israel’s pain and destruction.

The Old Testament does not tell us how Zechariah died. Jesus mentions Zechariah in His condemnation of the first-century Jewish leaders. Zechariah supported their task of rebuilding the temple and challenging their spiritual condition until the temple was completed. At some time after Zerubbabel’s Temple was finished, it seems that Zechariah continued to be disruptive to those who preferred the sinful ways of the past. It is thought that some of his enemies could take it no longer and killed him in the very Temple that he had urged the people to complete.

(Matthew 23:34–36) – “Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.”

Zechariah 9-10 is about judgments through which Gentile world power held over Israel would be destroyed. Zechariah 9:1-8 appears to foretell the conquest of the Mediterranean coast by Alexander the Great’s Greek armies between 336-333 BC. Alexander crossed into what is now Turkey and defeated Persian armies, then took Damascus, Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia just as Zechariah 9 predicted. In Zechariah 9:9-10, there is a clear prediction of events in Jesus’ first advent that were quoted by the New Testament authors concerning Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, “Rejoice greatly…Zion! Shout in triumph…Jerusalem! Behold your king is coming to you…Humble and mounted on a donkey”. Palm Sunday, confirmed in all four Gospels, is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah. Zechariah would predict that the Messiah would be righteous, He would provide salvation, be gentle and humble, and be a peacemaker.

Imagine approximately 50,000 Jews returning to Jerusalem in about 536 BC. The city lay in ruins and rubble. Judah was destroyed along with their Temple.  The people living there now objected to their presence. They did everything they could to prevent the rebuilding of the city. It was the age of discouragement. However, the people would receive the Word of God through the prophet Zechariah.

Zechariah 11 is a prediction of a future after the rejection of Jesus. In Zechariah 11:4-14, He is told to shepherd the flock, to assume the role of a good shepherd pasturing a flock of sheep. He is to do this because the present shepherds (leaders) have doomed the sheep to the slaughter. Zechariah is prophesying the shepherd’s role as the Messiah and the sheep as the people who had rejected Jesus. Some false shepherds represent the leaders who rejected Jesus. We even see a prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-13 of 30 pieces of silver that are thrown to the potter in the Temple. A potter’s field, a paupers’ grave, or a common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed, or indigent people. This prophecy was fulfilled by Judas who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces (Matthew.27:1-7). The high priests used Judas Iscariot’s payment to purchase his grave after his suicide. Zechariah even covers the end times, those so appropriately described in Revelations. His prophecies are many:

• The Jews will look on Him whom they pierced (Christ), and mourn Zechariah 12:10
• The land will be cleansed from sin, and the people are forgiven, Zechariah13:1-3
• They will be God’s people again, Zechariah13:9
• The Lord (Jesus) will descend on the Mount of Olives, Zechariah 14:4
• All the nations will gather against Jerusalem, but Jesus will return with the heavenly host to destroy the Gentile armies (Armageddon), Zechariah14:1-7
• The surviving remnant will become holy, Zechariah14:20-21
• Then the Lord will be the only King and He will rule the earth, Zechariah 14:9
• After the Lord’s return, all the surviving Gentiles will go to Jerusalem to worship Him, Zechariah 14:16-17

 Contemplations

• Zechariah motivated people by focusing on where God was going to take them. Why do futuristic goals work as motivation?
  • Ideas to Explore: When you have been down, thinking about better times, lifts the spirit. God was also going to get even for them with their enemies.
• Zechariah had prophecies that went way into the future. Some have yet to happen. Why should we believe them?
  • Ideas to Explore: So many of his prophecies have been correct, right on the money. His track record is too good to ignore. We need the same motivation as the returning exiles to work hard for God.
• What benefits do you see to prophecies?
  • Ideas to Explore: Many have come true, thus validating the authors. Therefore, we should also believe those that have not come to pass yet. It is also reasonable to believe that if God can create a universe, create the human race, incarnate as a human, and perform miracles in our presence, He can inspire prophets to guide us.
• Zechariah’s father, Berekiah, managed to raise a Godly son while in exile. How do you think he accomplished this?
  • Ideas to Explore: The writing tells us that the family unit was strong. Not only was his father involved in sustaining their faith, but his grandfather was also.
• Zechariah had the experiences of both an exile and a returning Jew. How do you think this prepared him to help his people?
  • Ideas to Explore: Nothing is more important than sharing personal experiences when sharing faith. He also had God providing him with instructions.

• 1
  NIV New International Version Translations

Malachi is the last book in the Christian Old Testament. He is considered the last of the prophets who wrote down his prophetic call. Malachi’s name means “my messenger,” an appropriate title for a prophet. Malachi was writing to the remnant of Israelites who had returned after 70 years in Babylonian captivity. His ministry existed at the same time as Nehemiah but after the time of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. To set the stage for Malachi, the temple had been rebuilt, and the people of Israel were once again in the Promised Land. However, old sinful habits were creeping into their society again. All we know about Malachi is inferred from his public messages, recorded in his book.

Malachi lived during a time of great injustice, corruption, and poverty in Jerusalem. Jesus was not due on the scene for several hundred years. Every day, as people witnessed the society around them, they were reminded of the promises God had spoken through Haggai and Zechariah. These prophets had encouraged them to rebuild the temple with the hope that God would bring prosperity and peace. It now was almost fifty years since they had returned, the temple rebuilt. Yet, Israel was still overcome by injustice and corruption, while they witnessed the nations around them all prospering.

The people were questioning the promises and if God still loved them. Through the prophet Malachi, God responds to the concerns of His people. When God tells Israel, “I have loved you,” the people respond, “how have you loved us?” God responds by reminding them that they were chosen, and His love is not dependent upon anything that they can do.

(Malachi 3:6-7)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty….”

The book that Malachi wrote is distinguished as being the only prophetic book that ends not in deliverance but judgment. It ends with a curse.

(Malachi 4:1-5) – “’ Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with destruction.’”

Judgment would historically come in the form of the Roman general Pompey who captured Jerusalem in 63 BC. Caesar Augustus (63 BC – 14 AD) would be the first Roman emperor and one of the most successful. He would reign for 45 years ruling at the time of Jesus’ birth. Today we are faced with uncertain but not unprecedented times. God’s people have been here before. Malachi, therefore, is a great place to review. Not only does Malachi teach us of the unchanging character of our God, but it also leaves us with hope. The book of Malachi ends with God promising His people, “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays….” (Malachi 4:2).

Not only was this promise fulfilled in the first coming of Christ, but this promise will be completed in the great Day of the Lord as He returns to bring final justice and peace to our world. The words in the brief four chapters of Malachi are the concluding message from our God to his people before almost 400 years of silence. These words bore the weight of the New Christian Church and became the cornerstone of hope for the people of God. Malachi is a beautiful picture of a conversation between God and His people, as they seek Him and question His promises.

A summary of the book of Malachi covers these areas:

• Malachi rebuked the sins of the priests – Priests were the political leaders of the times. They mocked God by using God to enrich themselves at the expense of the people. The leaders were also derelict in their official duties which were to guide the moral values of the nation.
• Malachi rebuked the sins of the people – The people had divorced their rightful wives; they had married foreign wives; they doubted God’s justice; and they were neglecting to pay first fruits, their tithes to God, giving God their leftovers.
• The people did nothing about the poverty that existed in their nation.
• Malachi admonished the people because they had not learned from the consequences of their past sins.
• Despite Israel’s doubts, to the contrary, Malachi assured them that the Lord God still loved them (Malachi 1:2–5).
• Part of Malachi’s ministry was to prepare the hearts of God’s people and the way for John the Baptist, who would then prepare the way for the Messiah, Jesus.

(Malachi 3:1) – “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.”

In the Old Testament, the message of the prophets, repentance is a recurring theme. Repentance was demonstrated through rituals such as fasting, wearing sackcloth, sitting in ashes, wailing, and liturgical laments that expressed strong sorrow for sin. These rituals were supposed to be accompanied by authentic repentance, which involved a commitment to a renewed relationship with God, a walk of obedience to His Word, and living right. Too often, however, these rituals merely represented remorse and a desire to escape the consequences of sin.

The word repentance means “the act of changing one’s mind.” True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. It even involves more than turning away from sin. It is a dedication to redirect oneself to a future life with God based on His Truth (His rules). Our nation, any nation cannot continue to ignore its Creator, living as if God doesn’t matter. He does!

Contemplations

• Why are good people quiet about sin when they see it?
  • Ideas to Explore: Fear? Don’t see it as a problem? Does the media endorse it? Leadership is all doing it?
• Do you think God cares about corruption in society?
  • Ideas to Explore: Why do our leaders and courts permit it? Do the wealthy or popular get a free pass?
• Use your favorite issue with society today – Now, ask does God care and what is His Truth about that issue? 
  • Ideas to Explore: We all seem to have pet peeves.  Why are there so few activists for God’s Truth?
• How do you help society see that God wants repentance?
  • Ideas to Explore: God has stated in our Bible that repentance is a prerequisite to His blessing for a nation. How are you helping?
• There is a war against our children – Where and when do you see it ending?
  • Ideas to Explore: Drugs, education, destruction of the family, crime, all hurt the youth of our country. How would you fix it?

• 1
  NIV New International Version Translations

Skyrocketing inflation, political division, social unrest, and a relentless effort to wipe away the fundamental principles of our nation should have us concerned. The nation we knew just 40 years ago is gone. Debt, and unprecedented social and cultural change, are redefining our civilization as evil and oppressive. If one listens to the media, it is hard to find any redeeming national characteristics. Among the devastating changes, are the growing and unbearable living costs, and an anti-American “woke” sentimentality infiltrating our nation’s public schools and universities. We find ourselves divided with one group tolerating riots in the streets of major U.S. cities, and the emboldening of the nation’s greatest adversaries. We find the other group silent, seemingly accepting of the demise of our constitutional republic and Constitution. And through all of this, our youth are being placed upon the sacrificial alters of drugs and sexual immorality.

It is reasonable, then, to ask whether the world has been here before and what can be done to change this destructive trend. The answers to this question can only be found in our world’s history.

• God is based on real history – The Bible, God’s Word, is based on real events. God is Real.
• Faith in a Creator hangs on history – Our vision back in time is 20-20. As humans, we are blind to the future. It is the learnings of the past that faithfully points us forward.
• Others have been here before us – Those, successful or not, have clawed their way through this cosmic world and left many footprints. Only fools ignore them.
• Perfection eludes humanity – Past failures serve as a light forward. Those who ignore history are destined to repeat all of humanity’s failures. Considering our crazy world, many people must ignore history!
• We can see God in history – His face is visible in the providence of His blessings upon a nation. Yet, such wisdom rarely lasts beyond a single generation. Frightening, isn’t it?
• Common paths uphold our diversity – Divisiveness is evil at its best. Celebrating the convergence of diversity should lead us to life, liberty, and happiness. Anything that divides a nation, and pits one side against another, is destructive and to no good end. The goal is not to conquer or seek control, or even consensus. Our goal must be to seek God!

(Psalm 110:6)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.”

For over 400 years, God’s prophets tried and tried to warn the people to repent of their idolatry and immorality. The Prophet Jeremiah, for example, repeatedly urged the people of his day to repent and the people repeatedly rejected his message. Jeremiah’s words of warning can be directed at our nation: “Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:12). Eventually that nation fell to an outside invader.

How then do we change direction and seek our God again as a society?

(1 Chronicles 22:19) – “Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

The first step is to seek God again. Seek means to “attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something). “  Seek is a verb, and in this context, it must be continual. The restorative nature of seeking God only comes when it is a conscious choice. It is direct, from the heart, and directed to God. The Apostle Paul states it well. “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). This is truly a gift from God. It is history that tells of the glory of God. It is through the history of God’s Word that we can find Him.

The next step is to leap over the greatest obstacle to seeking the Lord and that would be pride. “In his pride, the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” (Psalm 10:4). Therefore, humility is essential to seeking the Lord. The good news is that God promises those who seek Him will find Him. “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9). “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”  (Hebrews 11:6).

Think of pride as an invisible barrier separating you from God. It can blind the heart. That is a frightening thing since God, the very Creator of our universe, is the greatest reward a human can gain. Remember, a relationship with God is personal, it is restorative and regenerative, and with God, we have EVERYTHING! “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” (Psalm 105:4). When a nation loses its mental and emotional effort to seek God, God is not lost, the people are lost! The heavens, our history, are shouting out the story of the Glory of God. God shows us His grace, free and undeserving grace, to us every day. To save a nation, any nation is to change its trajectory to one that will hit the bullseye. The people must SEEK GOD again.

Finally, seeking God is seeking Jesus Christ! When Israel’s prophets walked the earth, the nations all struggled to see God directly. All the nations had was God’s history. Today, we have more than the prophets could offer the people. Today we have a Savior, the Incarnate God, the Son, we have Jesus Christ. Our living Savior needs to be put back again into our families, our schools, our government, our society, and our nation. The best news of all is that Jesus’s work on the Cross erased our past sins of history. His hand, God’s hand is outstretched to us. Will we save our nation and reach for His hand?

Contemplations

• Are you content with our nation?
  • Ideas to Explore: History tells us we are in for a disappointment. Do we believe it? Why is the status quo such comfortable for half of our nation? Is the idea first to admit there is a problem?
• Lostpine has just finished 18 weeks, presenting each of God’s prophets in the order of their advice to the nation of Israel. If you read some of them, what did you conclude?
  • Ideas to Explore: God is patient, God has limits, sins of a nation will be punished, but God always leaves us with hope.
• What should our nation do?
  • Ideas to Explore: Admit there is a problem (this is the first step in any recovery program). Do not blame someone else. Repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Do you have a better plan?
• Can our children survive in our nation without God?
  • Ideas to Explore: Satan is after our youth. Destroy the faith of the next generation and you stop faith in God. Survival rests on our shoulders to save our youth.

• 1
  NIV New International Version Translations