| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| @December 13, 2023 | ESV (2016) | ESV Prophets Plan 2023 |
Pericopes
- A Call to Return to the Lord
- A Vision of a Horseman
- A Vision of the Horns and Craftsmen
Notes/Application
Zechariah began his prophetic ministry about a month before Haggai received his final vision. Zechariah relays God’s anger with their fathers (ancestors) and implores the people not to repeat their fathers’ disobedience of the former prophets in returning to Him. The people who had gone into exile responded with repentance, acknowledging their deserved judgment. Zechariah then gives the first of eight visions, that of a man riding a red horse with the LORD’s agents who patrol the earth. The patrol reported to God that the nations were at ease while His people were being oppressed. The LORD responds in words comforting to His people that His judgment of the nations was drawing near. God had returned to His people to comfort them because He had chosen them and declares that His house (temple) was to be rebuilt. Zechariah receives his second vision of “four horns”, representing the nations that had scattered the Israelites, and the four craftsmen sent to destroy the four horns. With the horns removed, God’s chosen people could return to the promised land.
Similar to Haggai, the message of Zechariah reflects God’s heart of compassion for His chosen people. The LORD would “comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem” (Zech. 1:17), demonstrating that the result of His choosing them would be their comfort. This directly directly contrasts the “ease” of the nations who were exalting in their own prowess and self-sufficiency. There is no lasting comfort to be found in anything other than God. No worldly achievement, possession, financial or relational stability can compare to the transcendent comfort of our Lord. It is an eternal solace that arises from our being in Christ, chosen before the foundation of the world to be sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Scripture Journal Notes
Commentaries & Resources Used
- ESV Study Bible. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008)
- Faithlife Study Bible (Lexham Press, 2016)
- Believer’s Bible Commentary (Thomas Nelson, 2016)
- CSB Study Bible Notes (Holman Bible Publishers, 2017)
- Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Guardian Press, 1976)
- The Bible: A Reader’s Guide (Sterling Publishing, 2011)
- The Infographic Bible (Zondervan, 2018)
- ESV Digital Scripture Journal (Crossway, 2019)