Was it Really for Me?

Was it Really for Me?

Zechariah Chapters 7-8

 

Should I Mourn and Fast (7:1-10)

The focus of the post-exilic section of the Old Testament is almost entirely on Jerusalem. But, because they came to Jerusalem, we have here a reminder that repatriation was underway in other areas, as the people newly returned to Bethel sent emissaries to “entreat” or seek the favor of the Lord. Bethel was a town some ten miles north of Jerusalem, and one of the ways that these people would seek the favor of the Lord would be to visit the temple. In addition, they came to Zechariah, known to be a prophet of God, to ask instruction from the Lord.

For the seventy years of their exile, the people had observed four fasts (cf. 8:19) which commemorated four important events in the fall of Jerusalem: the fast of the fourth month marked the breach of the city wall (Jeremiah 39:2); the fast of the fifth month marked the destruction of the temple (2 Kings 25:8-12); the fast of the seventh month marked the assassination of Governor Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 41:1-2); and the fast of the tenth month marked the beginning of the final siege (2 Kings 25:1-2; Jeremiah 39:1).

The question was, in one way, a very practical one: given that the temple had been rebuilt, was it still appropriate to mourn the former one? But the question might also have revealed their uncertainty: is our current situation, with a meager temple for a remnant people, a foundation for hope, or should we continue to mourn the former days?

Though he will later address the fasts specifically, the Lord begins by answering the more general question: what should we do? And the beginning of the answer is a question: are all the things we do in the name of our religion really for our God, or are they for ourselves?

We come to God with many questions that are important to us. It is not that they are unimportant to God, but that nothing can be important if we are not motivated by the righteous love of God (Amos 5:21-24; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

When I Called, They Did not Listen (7:11-14)

This same instruction, to show mercy and compassion, was given to our spiritual forbears in the days before the exile, but they did not listen. The death, suffering, and exile that followed was a result of that stubbornness. We people of the New Testament find this equation unsettling. We may find the “Old Testament God” too harsh, but would we deny our “New Testament God” the ability to intervene in human events?

Our God clearly states that our choices have consequences, and even though we may not understand how these consequences are realized in the world around, us, we must understand that they fundamentally affect our relationship with God (Psalm 81:11-12; Romans 1:28).

And as always, we must remember that our ideas and emotions always fall short of any application to God. If I were to say “They would not listen to me so I would not listen to them,” it would immediately call to your mind the human idea of justice, which is always tempered with spite. But God’s justice is identical with love. So, though we are “given over” to our own desires, God still loves us. When we do not listen, God still calls (Jeremiah 7:23-27). When our relationship is broken, it is we who are not willing (Luke 13:34). The God who says “when they called I would not listen” is the same God who cries “Return to me and I will return to you.” (1:3)

Will It Seem Marvelous to Me? (8:1-15)

It will perhaps be indicative that I am entering a certain age when I tell you that I remember my childhood as a simpler time. The peace that I remember from that time seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. Instead, there are places where men and women are deprived of their ripe old age by the ravages of disease and conflict, and where the playful voices of the little boys and girls are silenced by injury, hardship and fear. But in this and every situation, God promises peace – a peace that will be brought about by the burning jealousy of the Lord!

Again, our human emotions are not those of the Divine: we are made in the image of God and not God in ours. When we “burn” with jealousy”, we develop a cruel hatred for those we once loved. But burning in the heart of God is a desire to do good to us, a desire for us to experience peace beyond our understanding (Joel 2:28-31).

How can the will of God be brought about in our situation? That question was certainly on the minds of the people of Zechariah’s day. Everything they thought they understood about God’s plan had been ruined. And while it may be disheartening to learn that God does not value what we value, it is at the same time comforting to know that God’s values exceed our own (Psalm 118:21-23).

But if the things that are too marvelous for us are not difficult to God, are the things of God too difficult for us (Deuteronomy 30:11-15)?

The Fasts Will Become Festivals (8:16-23)

In returning directly to the question of the fasts, which will be transformed into feasts, God returns to the underlying question: what should we do?

The answer is astonishingly simple. Whatever we may understand about our service to God, we cannot serve God and hate our neighbor (Micah 6:6-8; James 1:27; Luke 6:27-31). This we do not do to benefit ourselves, though it may, nor to benefit our neighbor, though it may, but because it is the will of God (Isaiah 55:6-11).

And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35 GNB)

Not by Might nor by Power

Not by Might nor by Power

Zechariah Chapters 4-6

 

The Lampstand (4:1-6, 10b-14)

An ancient Chinese Taoist named Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, Zhuangzhou, etc.) dreamed he was a butterfly, flitting about. Then he woke from the dream and was once again Zhuangzi, except that he no longer knew if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamed he was a butterfly, or if he was a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuangzi.

Zechariah tells us of an experience where he was “awoken” from his reality into a dream-like reality where time, place, and reason did not have the same currency as in our waking life. The succession of visions in this section can leave us bewildered if we attempt to understand them in detail, rather than intent. The overriding message of these visions is that the Lord is active in this world and among his people.

This first vision is perhaps the most difficult for us to imagine, as it involves an image that is no longer in our semiology. When we think of a lampstand, the idea that comes to our minds is one of a sort of candelabra, and this is incongruous with our all-too-literal idea of a bowl. But in Palestine a lamp was most often a simple pottery dish with a pinched channel in the lip to hold the wick.

The lampstand mentioned here was of this variety, but of a construction and configuration which the prophet could not completely describe. His interpreter was reticent to explain its significance, though Zechariah inquired repeatedly. When the explanation came, it came almost in the middle of an oracle. We shall consider that oracle separately.

What Zechariah can tell us is that the lamp was made entirely of precious metals, and even the olive oil was golden. Moreover, the bowl was fed directly from two olive trees (or two branches) positioned on either side of the bowl. When the angel finally responds, he explains to the prophet that the seven lights are the eyes of the Lord, and the two branches are “the two who are anointed.”

These explanations are in keeping with the theme mentioned above: the Lord is active in this world and through his people. The eye, of course, represents awareness. The Lord is aware of every aspect of our lives (Proverbs 5:21). What the Lord sees, the Lord judges as the Lord alone can judge (Psalm 34:15-16). But the eye does not function apart from the heart, and the knowledge of the Lord and the judgment of the Lord, are never separate from the love of the Lord (Psalm 33:18-22).

The “two who are anointed” are certainly Joshua the priest and Zerubabbel the prince (Exodus 28:41; 1 Samuel 16:11-13). These two branches represent the Lord to the people in the religious and the secular. Through them, the Lord is active in this world. More than that, the prince and the priest represent the people; in our religious lives and in our secular lives, the Lord has anointed us to be active.

By My Spirit

Interjected into the middle of this discussion is a message to Zerubabbel from the Lord (4:7-10a).

For a brief period, the nation of Israel had been great. That time had long past, and at the time of the prophet the people of Jerusalem were a tiny part of the great kingdom of Persia. The original temple had been as wonderful as anything in the known world. The new temple hardly compared to the pagan temples that were common in Egypt and Persia. But who despises small things? Even in these events, God was active.

The promise that “the hands of Zerubabbel” would complete the temple had direct application in his day, but the Word of God always has application in every day. The people of God will accomplish the work of God. No matter how small we may be in comparison to the forces of this world, God will be God, and the work that God has for this world will not be accomplished by the might or the power of this world, but by the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 17:39-47; Luke 4:16-21).

The Scroll, the Basket, the Chariots and the Crown

In the remaining succession of visions we see first a large, flying scroll (5:1-4). The scroll is a curse against the one who steals and the one who bears false witness. We must understand that everything in this vision is symbolic. As the scroll stands for the Word of God, the thief stands for those who misuse their Holy siblings, and the one who swears falsely is those who deny that God is God. The curse that eats away the false security of the thief and the lier is symbolic of the Word of God which both redeems and condemns (Hebrews 4:12).

In addition to the curse, we are shown a personification of evil (5:5-11). When we disregard the Word of God, we not only do real injury to ourselves, but we contribute to the active, malicious presence of evil in our world, an evil which denies causality and fairness to find victims where it can. When we pray in the manner we are taught, ask God to deliver us from evil – from its hold over us and its intent to harm us (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV).

The four chariots come out to the world from the presence of the Lord of the whole world (6:1-8). That presence is always with us though we are not always aware of it (2 Kings 6:15-17). As these four spirits go out among the earth, so we will be gathered in at the appointed time (Mark 13:23-29).

In the final passage, Joshuah the high priest is given a crown and seated on a throne, representing harmony between priest and king, religious and secular (6:9-15). Since this will happen in a day when those from every nation will help build the temple, we begin to understand that we are no longer talking about a physical building, but the Church of God. And when the one who has speaking speaking says this will happen so “you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you” we finally recognize him as Jesus, who is both our priest and our king (Hebrews 4:14-15; Luke 1:30-33).

Snatched from the Fire

Snatched from the Fire

Zechariah Chapters 1-3

 

Zechariah (1:1)

The name “Zechariah” means “the Lord remembers” and it was a popular name in Biblical times. To mention only a few who were given that name, there was a prophet in the time of Joash, king of Judah (2 Chronicles 24:20-22) a King of Israel (2 Kings 14:29) and a priest, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 3:1-3– “Zacharias” is the English form of the Greek form of the same Hebrew name).

Although “Iddo” was also a common name, it seems that Zechariah was probably the grandson of a priest (Nehemiah 12:1-7) and was therefore a priest himself.

Zechariah’s prophetic ministry was roughly contemporary with Haggai (Haggai 1:1; Ezra 6:14) which means that he served in the early post-exilic period as the people were rebuilding the temple and rethinking their standing as the children of god.

Return (1:2-6)

This opening passage is perhaps the most easily understood section in the book. As the meager remnant of the people of the Lord returned to their fallen city, they must have had many questions about their future and their relationship with the Lord. The word of the Lord through Zechariah begins by addressing this issue.

The sin of the people had been great, as had been the judgment they brought upon themselves. The judgment of God will never fail; his word will never pass away (Mark 13:31-33). But as sure as his judgment is his love, and through Zechariah the Lord calls to us in the sweetest of terms: “Return to me, that I may return to you.”

God calls us to repentance (“return” and “repent” are translated from the same Hebrew word) but his redemption does not depend on our repentance. In the midst of our transgressions he has redeemed us (Jeremiah 24:7; Joel 2:12-13; Isaiah 44:22). While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

At Rest and in Peace (1:7-21)

With this passage we enter a section of prophetic visions. These have a very dreamlike quality, in which time and place are not bound by the momentum of the “real” world. It is important in understanding these visions that we pay careful attention to the identity of the speaker. There are three main speakers: the Lord, the angel who serves as Zechariah’s interpreter, and the angel who is is sent forth at the Lord’s command.

The report brought back from the angels is that the world is “at rest and in peace”. On the surface of it, this seems a very positive report. But the word translated “in peace” also means “settled” (compare Genesis 4:16). When the Persian empire was eventually succeeded by the Romans, this type of peace would be called the Pax Romana, a peace that was imposed by force.

That this peace is not the will of the Lord is first evidenced by the reaction of the overseeing angel, who asks the Lord how much longer the people must suffer. By way of comfort, the Lord replies that he is very jealous of Jerusalem and Zion. Our experience with jealousy among humans leaves us uncomfortable with the idea of a jealous God. But we must remember that when we use human characteristics to describe God, they always fall short of their mark. That does not mean that God’s jealousy is simply more than ours, any more than God’s love is simply more than ours; it is much better than ours. When the Lord speaks of jealousy, he speaks of exclusivity. The Lord will allow us to claim no other god, just as he will allow no other god to have claim over us (Deuteronomy 4:23-24).

A City without Walls (2:1-13)

As the words of comfort continue, Zechariah is asked to imagine a new Jerusalem that is a city without walls. The writer of Hebrews speaks of the heavenly Jerusalem, of which the earthly city is only a copy (Hebrews 12:22). Similarly, the Lord speaks of a city that is not defined by geographic boundaries, ethnicity, or any other earthly measure, but whose walls are established and protected by God.

Just as nothing will separate us from each other, in this new city, nothing will separate us from God. The Persians had enforced order and quiet, but God alone can give us peace – the peace we will have in that day when we shall be in the very presence of God (Revelation 21:1-4).

Snatched from the Fire (3:1-10)

The scene as this vision opens is reminiscent of the opening scenes of the book of Job (Job 1:6-11). In the Old Testament, the figure of Satan is not quite the personification of evil that we begin to see in the New Testament, and which has been further developed in centuries of Christian theology. The name means “accuser” and here, as in Job, Satan stands as a type of heavenly prosecutor who argues our guilt.

In this scene, Joshua represents the priests, who in turn represent the people. Though his guilt is manifest in his filthy garments, Satan is silenced before he can even begin to make his case. With Satan removed, the Lord does not accuse us, but has already forgiven our sins and stands ready to clothe us in righteousness (John 8:10-11; Isaiah 61:10).

These associates that are suddenly seated before Joshua may represent us more directly than any previous character. We are a symbol, a sign, a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14). Joshua was snatched from the fire that is reserved for us if we refuse our calling (John 15:5-6).

Haggai: An Introduction

Haggai

An Introduction

 

The People Say (1:1-3)

The name Haggai means festal, or perhaps festive. It may be a shortened for of the name Haggiah (1 Chronicles 6:30) which means “Festival of Yahweh”. The prophet Haggai was a contemporary of Ezra and Zechariah (Ezra 5:1) which places him in the post-exilic period in Israel’s history. Specifically, a time when the people had begun to return to Jerusalem, but before the temple had been rebuilt.

Building of the temple began very early (Ezra 3:10-13) but had been stopped at the direction of Artaxerxes and threat of the local people (Ezra 4:23-24). The completion of the temple was later completed under the authority of the kings of Persia and at the urging of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 6:14).

Idolatry takes many forms, but all of them amount to placing ourselves before our God (Habakkuk 2:18-19). The returning exiles had put their own comfort before the worship of their God; they had invested in this world instead of the next (Matthew 6:19-21).

Give Careful Thought to Your Ways (1:4-15)

But how do we amass for ourselves treasures in heaven? In fact, what is our role in this life, and how can it relate to the kingdom of God?

Through Haggai, the Lord commands the people to take careful note (1:5-11). They had sought their comfort with zealous expectation, to the exclusion of their service to God, but that comfort had eluded them. We might say that this is simply the nature of material gain: enough is never enough. However, the Lord makes clear that this is not a causeless phenomena, but the active work of his hand.

We are familiar with the idea that the anger of the Lord will intervene in human history. The the prophets he has announced his immediate judgment and warned of the judgment that is to come in the future Day of the Lord (Jeremiah 25:8-11; Isaiah 13:9-13). But we are also taught that our God is a sovereign God who will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and who sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Exodus 33:19; Matthew 5:44-45).

With Job, then, we are left to ask: What is man’s lot? If we cannot expect our piety to earn the blessing of God, or their evil to summon his course, what is this life about (Job 31:2-3)?

I Will Bless You (2:1-23)

While we have these questions regarding the rationality and causality of our lives, the Lord reminds us of his promise, which was mot the promise of a transactional theology, where our righteousness is exchanged for his blessing, but the promise of his presence (2:1-5). The promise that we would be his people and he would be our God (Exodus 6:6-7). That promise is always with us, even to the very end of time (Matthew 28:17-20).

In regard to our transactional expectations, the Lord gives us a parable (2:10-14). The parable is very hard for us to understand in detail, as it seems that the consecrated meat would consecrate whatever it touched (Leviticus 6:27; Ezekiel 44:19). But if we pair this question with the question of defilement, and take the parable as a whole, then perhaps we can understand the larger question: What makes something holy? Is it pure mechanics? Certainly not! Our actions only bring defilement.

But there is one who is holy, who sits enthroned in the true temple, and one who intercedes for us in his presence (Hebrews 9:23-24). This is the order of the universe, that he has chosen us to be his people (2:23) and appointed us to obey his commandments.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV)

Zephaniah - An Introduction

Zephaniah

An Introduction

 

Zephaniah (1:1)

The introduction to Zephaniah, brief as it is, gives us a more detailed description than we have for most of the “minor” prophets. The genealogy given for the prophet probably at one time differentiated him from the other, contemporary Zephaniah’s (Zechariah 6:10; Jeremiah 21:1-2). While the context is lost on us today, we should note that the “Hezekiah” it mentions would not appear to be Kin Hezekiah.

That Zephaniah prophesied in the rein of King Josiah is significant. Josiah was an extraordinary king in several respects. He was just eight years old when he became king, but his reign had been prophesied many years before (2 Kings 22:1; 1 Kings 13:1-2). Josiah was a reformer, leading one of the few periods of recovery in Judah’s long decline (2 Kings 22:15-23:3). It would seem that these words of prophecy must have come towards the end of Josiah’s reign, when his positive influence had already begun to wane.

The Great Day of the Lord Is Near (1:2-18)

The word of the Lord through the prophet Zephaniah arrests our attention from the outset with the terrible declaration that he will sweep away everything from the face of the earth (1:2-3). This is not the first occasion when the Lord has declared such intent. We are told that in the days of Noah, the wickedness of man was so great that the Lord grieved of our creation (Genesis 6:5-8). Such calloused regard for mankind is not limited to the Old Testament, as the very author of the New Testament tells us himself that we have a certain purpose – to be the salt of the earth – and our failure is final if we fail to serve (Matthew 5:13). This is neither an idle threat or a far-off reality, but the ax is already laid at the root of the tree (Matthew 3:10).

This destruction will come about on the Day of the Lord, and the Lord dispels any doubt we may have as to how terrible any such day could be by declaring that our silver and gold will be worthless on that day. In other places the Day of the Lord is described as a day of destruction from the Almighty (Isaiah 13:6-10) a day when the slain of the lord will be lying everywhere like refuse on the ground (Jeremiah 25:33) a time of doom (Ezekiel 30:2-3) a great and dreadful day (Joel 2:11) when judgment will no longer be tempered by mercy (Obadiah 1:15). Such is the Day of the Lord.

Before the Appointed Time (2:1-3)

On the Day of the Lord, the Lord will come with fierce judgment. But the judgment of God is never separate from the love of God, and in the middle of Zephaniah’s declaration of coming judgment is an appeal to seek the Lord, seek righteousness, seek humility. In the face of the day so dreadful that none can endure it, we are called to return to the Lord with all our heart (Joel 2:11-13). Though justice is certain, our redemption is already accomplished (Isaiah 44:22). We need only repent, and open the door for the Lord to return to us (Revelation 3:19-20; Zechariah 1:3).

Therefore, Wait for Me (2:4-3:20)

Through Zephaniah comes the call, not to wait for the destruction of our enemies and not for our on judgment, but to wait upon the Lord (3:8-9). How can we trust in the one how declares the destruction of the earth (Psalm 39:5-7)? What does God desire for us, that is greater even than the desires of the greatest man the world will ever know (Mark 14:35-36)? Who is this Sovereign God, who is completely separate from our influence or control (Exodus 33:19)?

God is God. If he were other than he is, he would not be God. If he were other than he is, we would not be who we are (Psalm 100:3). By his very nature he judges us (Romans 3:23) and by his nature he redeems us.

“Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world! I am the only God there is. My promise is true, and it will not be changed. I solemnly promise by all that I am: Everyone will come and kneel before me and vow to be loyal to me. (Isaiah 45:22-23 GNB)