If this is your first viewing, please see my Introduction before reading this.
24 June. Zechariah chapters 1-7.
Zechariah is not to be confused with yesterday’s prophet, the similar sounding Zephaniah, although the latter is mentioned in his writings, and they lived at the same time. Whereas Zephaniah’s style of prophecy was like many others in hearing the word of the Lord in both judgement and mercy, Zechariah was a prophet more like Ezekiel, or for that matter John the Divine (author of Revelation) who saw symbolic visions.
Such visionaries are rare, and given an understanding of the spiritual truths “behind the scenes” of human life. So in his visions Zechariah saw angels and spirits of various kinds, represented as people, horses or other animals. Some of these were God’s messengers, sent to “patrol the earth”, and surprisingly they report that the whole world is at peace (1:11) – a rare situation, then as now. It reminds us of Noah’s dove which brought back an olive branch to show that the flood had receded and new life could start. Here it seems that the report of world peace is the sign for God to start a new movement, of the Jews back to their homeland.
Another of the visions reveals Satan to be stood next to Joshua the high priest accusing him, so that he felt dirty before God. That is always the devil’s accusation, to make us feel unworthy of God. So another angel is told to dress him in fine clothes and a clean turban, and he is tasked with rebuilding the temple. Coming out of the vision, Zechariah does something practical and has a crown made for Joshua as a physical symbol for the whole community of the spiritual truth that he had understood.
The lesson from this? That whatever accusations people or spirits may level at us of being unclean and unworthy, in God’s sight, if we trust in him we are quite the opposite – not only clean but honoured, and called to God’s service in whatever way he has chosen.