Reflections
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 50
M a l a c h i
An understanding of the timing of a particular prophecy allows one to discern a reason why God considered that message important and necessary. It might also give some pointers regarding the relevance of that prophetic message to our present generation, if similar social, religious and relational conditions can be identified. History records that this prophecy of Malachi would be God’s last prophetic word to them for about 400 years until He would speak again through His servant John the Baptizer. (Compare Yeshua’s parable of the absentee landlord in Matthew 21) There has been similar silence, other than that already given, as we discover, in the study of these ancient prophets, during the time since Yeshua left this earth. And that is why our discernment of a possible word for today is so important.
Malachi, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied during the days of Nehemiah. He had returned from Babylon to Judah, with about 50,000 others, in order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore the temple. About 50 years had passed since Zerubbabel and Ezra had arrived to commence that work. So the temple was functioning. The sacrificial system was operating. But there was such corruption and slackness, clearly evident to the people who took that as an example, in the priesthood. This was having a disastrous effect in their community. Specifically, Torah observance (or lack of it), was again a major issue for which they had already been exiled from the land 100 years earlier.
Malachi was shown a long series of rhetorical questions with which to challenge the people. God Himself providing both question and answer. The very love of God for His people is brought into focus, by comparing the families of Jacob (themselves) with Esua (their traditional enemy). Jacob was exiled for disobedience. Esau (Edom) seemingly untouched by God. What is not stated of course is that God has not, even today, finished with Edom, which is one of two places destined to become perpetually desolate and uninhabitable (Babylon is the other). Further, that God does not have a covenant with Esua such as He has with Jacob.
Another question to the priests who ‘despise’ My name. “A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honour? And if I am the Master, where is My reverence? The indignant rhetorical response from the priests. “In what way have we despised Your name?” I comment in paraphrase of the words which follow. It had, seemingly, become their abhorrent practise of treating sacrifices to God as inconsequential. Torah required that sacrifices to God would only be taken from unblemished animals. Perfect to the human eye. The very best that was available. It was one of the conditions which God had made in order that they would receive His ongoing bountiful provision of ‘blessing’. It was a command of Torah. Evidently they had been presenting lame and blind animals, even ones which they had stolen from someone else, to the priests for sacrifice … and the priests themselves turned the ‘proverbial’ blind eye. Totally unacceptable. That is treating God with utter contempt. It is like stealing money from others to put in the offering plate at your church !! The way in which this might be brought into focus is the suggestion that they offer to their governor such imperfect and inadequate payment for their obligatory taxes or dues. Then see what he makes of it.
But the real issue was with the priests. The leaders of that community. Those who are required, or expected, in any society, to have exemplary behaviour. Now doesn’t that ring a loud BELL today. God caused Malachi to remind the people of the covenant He had made with the house of Levi. It was a covenant of ‘life and peace’. A covenant which in former times was honoured and respected. “The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, and turned many away from iniquity”. What a wonderful testimony of honour and uprightness in a leader of the people. “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the Torah from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts”. Is there a lesson for today in this passage of Scripture? Is God pleased with what He sees in our communities of believers today? This is what He said about the community in Malachi’s day. “But you have departed from the way; you have caused many to stumble at the Torah …. Therefore I have also made you contemptible and base before all the people, because you have not kept My ways but have shown partiality in the Torah”. Can we see respect, honour, and wisdom seeking from the community in our ‘spiritual’ leaders today? Or are they treated with contempt. So is this word of God from Malachi relevant to our society as it was for Judah in his day?
I commend to you a careful reading of this whole prophetic message. The Scriptures warn of a great ‘falling away’ before that ‘great and terrible day of the LORD”. Malachi gets to that in our reading next week! But many of the teachers, especially those who inhabit our TV screens, preach great revival! With the accompanying appeal for funds to facilitate it! What Malachi taught and was quickened by God to prophesy, was the need for repentant hearts and minds. A return to God’s ways of obedience to His commandments. A people who would know their obligations to the God with whom they had made covenant. That is the kind of people God was seeking, and He sent many faithful prophets, like Malachi, to proclaim it.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 49
Z e c h a r I a h
“In that day” our reading this week begins. Which day? The day in which “I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zech 12:9). In that same day, as we read last week, there will be much grief, mourning, and ‘soul searching’ by the inhabitants of that city. So, “a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness”. That represents a kind of communal ‘mikvah’, a bath or body of water connected to ‘running’ water, well understood in Jewish society, often in homes, as the means of becoming ‘ritually clean’. (The christian equivalent is water baptism). We commented last week that this ‘day’ is also the day mentioned by Paul in Romans 11 as the day when “all Israel shall be saved”. IF that is the case, then possibly, it may also be the day, spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah, when the LORD will make His new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
To add some credence to that possibility, we note that immediately following this mass ‘cleansing’ of the whole population (the house of David), and still ‘in that day’, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no more be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land”. There are two ways this proclamation may be interpreted. Many commentators consider this to refer to ‘false prophets’. And certainly there will be no place in a ‘new covenant’ community for false prophets. But neither will there be any need for the kind of prophets which are the subject of this series of ‘reflections’ either. The role of such prophets has been to provide warning and counsel regarding the manner in which people had forsaken the ‘Mosaic’ covenant they had willingly made with God. A careful reading of the conditions of the coming “new” covenant, reveal that “the Torah will be written on the heart and put in the mind of everyone”. It will be unteachable, because everyone with know it, and be observant, “from the greatest to the least”. That being the case, ‘prophecy’ (speaking words given by God) will no longer be part of God’s way of communication. Therefore anyone who engages in such will, by definition, be ‘a false prophet’.
The prophecy “that in all the land … two thirds of it shall be cut off and die, but one third shall be left in it: I will bring the one third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say ‘This is My people’; and each one will say ‘the LORD is my God’” has caused great controversy in the community of believers, even today. (By way of illustration, the late, and gifted, bible teacher David Pawson had been a regular speaker at the I.C.E.J. Feast of Tabernacles annual gathering since its inception in 1980. About six years ago I was present when he spoke on this subject. It was his LAST invitation to speak at that gathering!) What we, as individuals believe, bears no influence on the outcomes God has determined. I refer you to the wisdom of Solomon. Proverbs 17:14 “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts”. But we must not be delinquent in our responsibility to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). And doing that, I perceive that this testing by fire comes immediately before the “day of the LORD” arrives, when He “will go forth and fight against those nations (who have come to do battle against Jerusalem).
To conclude this ‘reflection’ on the prophecy of Zechariah, we look to the time immediately following that great battle. On one of my early visits to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, I recall looking from my hotel directly across the Kiddron Valley towards the Mount of Olives and trying to imagine the scene which Zechariah now describes.
The map (1985) here shows that there is an earthquake fault line which passes between the temple mount area and the Himmon Valley to the south of the City of David, very close to the Gihon Spring. Zechariah tells us that when the feet of Messiah Yeshua stand on the Mount of Olives, it will split into two from east to west (exactly as the fault line indicates). The mountain itself will move, half northward and half southward. “And in that day it shall be that living water shall flow from Jerusalem (compare Ezekiel 47 about fish in the Dead Sea and water flowing from the temple yet to be built), half of them toward the eastern (Dead) sea and half of them toward the western (Mediterranean) sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur”.
“In that day it shall be - “The LORD is one, and His name is one” (Deut 6:4). And that my dear friends will be the colloquial ‘game, set, and match’!! The whole purpose of God, in His dealings with His ancient people, and those of us who have willing joined them in faith, worshipping God in that special place which he chose at the time of King David to be the place of His dwelling on earth. It is a Kingdom set to reign for 1,000 years with Yeshua as King. But there are still some things left for Zechariah to tell us.
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, one them there will be no rain”. Please take time to read the whole chapter. You may be surprised to discover that part of the worship of the LORD involves presenting sacrifices to Him! At least, that’s what Zechariah says.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
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REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 48
Z e c h a r I a h
The language of the prophet is colourful and poetic. Taken in isolation, the reading this week is challenging to understand. However, in the context of the entire prophetic message of Zechariah, it fits into a period of the future of Israel (but in the past for our generation today). The promised Messiah and King, which we triumphantly ‘reflected’ upon last week, is subsequently rejected by the generation to whom He came. Isaiah used the words “despised and rejected” (Isaiah 53:3). The Apostle John used the words “He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Zechariah describes the aftermath of that rejection and its effect on the whole nation from top (Lebanon), through its centre (Bashan), to its southern regions (Jordan). It is a devastatingly bleak word of prophecy, indicating the frustration of God with His chosen people, with whom He has made a uniquely unconditional covenant of love and commitment (The Abrahamic Covenant). But, we should also carefully note that God made a specific conditional covenant (The Mosaic Covenant), with the same people. It was this Mosaic Covenant (which does not provide license to abandon all lifestyle responsibilities which are an integral part of that covenant), which caused God to act in the corrective action of dispelling (albeit temporarily) the people from the land. And it is the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant which causes Him, in love and commitment, and in His perfect timing, to restore them to the land.
The picture of the two staffs is a likely reference to the practise of shepherds who normally carried such. A ‘rod’ which was used as a weapon with which to ward off predators of the flock, and a ‘staff’’ which was used as a means of rest for himself, and guidance to the flock. Breaking those ‘staffs’ implied that the flock would be abandoned (by the shepherd) to care for itself. It would be at peril by losing the protection of the shepherd. God uses the words “that I might break the covenant which I made with all the peoples”. Sounds ominous. But I believe that to be consistent with the proclamations of God in Deuteronomy 28/29 (the blessings and the curses chapters), see specifically Deuteronomy 28:13 “And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them”. So my understanding is that God considered that to be a ‘covenant with all the peoples’ that they would always be the ‘tail’. Clearly, the Israelites had not kept and observed the commandments of the LORD, so they would no longer ‘always be the head’. We do not require great insight to see that this situation prevails up to the present day. However, the LORD is gathering His people back into the land in our generation, and that is a sign (to me at least) that we are moving forward to the next phase of God’s plan for Israel, which is where the prophecy of Zechariah takes us next.
The introduction to this chapter of prophecy is interesting. “Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him”. It is that spirit which facilitates communication with God, and allows the exercise of free choice regarding our relationship with God. It is abundantly evident in our reading this week that our choices determine God’s responses to us in that relationship. However, as we have commented earlier, God is also bound in covenant with Israel, and that determines His ultimate action in relationship to them. So it is that Zechariah gives us a glimpse into the future which God has planned for Israel. “Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all the nations of the earth are gathered against it”. An unimaginable result of a battle, so one-sided in concept, so unequal a contest. Big World v Little Israel. Except that that is a misunderstanding of the contestants. It should be written “The World v The God of Israel”. Also a one-sided and unequal contest! And we today, have a choice to make. Which side do I decide to be on?
That is not the end however. In other Scriptures there are accounts of the fierceness of the battle and the carnage which will take place. But Zechariah here gives us a picture of the distress, YES, the distress of those who are the victors in this battle. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem”. Now I need to be careful in my ‘reflection’ on this outpouring of grief. This great battle is associated with the end of this age and the promised return of Yeshua to rule and reign in Jerusalem. For that reason, commentators have associated the grief of “the house of David” with their recognition of their Messiah, who was thoroughly rejected by them when He first came to them. It is the time which Paul alludes to in Romans 11 when “all Israel will be saved”. But the literal reading of the Hebrew text is less explicit in its identity of Messiah. It more points to the fact that so many people, avowed enemies of Israel, have been slaughtered in battle, that the “house of David” is consumed by compassionate grief on behalf of those who so needlessly lost their lives in that battle.
Whatever the situation will be at that time, it certainly will be a time when the might of God is visible to all.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 47
Z e c h a r I a h
We closed our ‘reflection’ last week on a high note of encouragement for the Israelites as Zechariah spoke prophetic words about the end of this age and the coming salvation of the Jews. Reminding ourselves that the Scriptures did not originally have chapters and verses, the switch to a burdensome oracle about nations and people groups close to Israel is a bit of a surprise. But there is a ‘sting in the tail’ . This prophecy is really about God’s judgement of those nations and people groups. We do not know the location of Hadrach, except that it was in Assyria, ancient enemies of Israel. Damascus and Hamath also in Assyria were conquered by Alexander the Great. This justifies the descriptor that “The eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel are on the LORD” as they witnessed the judgment of the LORD on those people. Tyre (at that time a small island about 1/2 mile off shore) and Sidon (in today’s Lebanon) are described as “very wise” because they built watch towers and fortifications against attack. Ezekiel mentions this wisdom (Ezekiel 28:12), but also talks of the satanic influences which caused them to falter (Ezekiel 28: 18,19). These cities were situated in land allotted to Asher when the Israelites occupied the land, but the Asherites found the resistance too great and gave up on attempts to occupy them (Joshua 19:24).
The oracle continued with the mention of cities in the south of the land. Gaza, (well known today as home to over 2 million muslims), Ashkelon (just north of Gaza) and Ashdod* “a mixed race shall settle in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines …. But he who remains , even he shall be for our God, and shall be like a leader in Judah” *(a modern port city today with a large Moroccan Jewish population) and Ekron (a Philistine stronghold in those days), all came under the scrutiny of the LORD because of their opposition to Israel. And then comes the “sting in the tail”. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is coming to you: He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, a foal of a donkey” (See Matthew 21:2) .This prophecy in Zechariah, which speaks of a day over 500 years later, was given to the people who had just returned to the land after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. They had been expelled from the land of Israel for disobedience and idolatry. Is it possible to imagine a more encouraging word for them? Down for the count … and now raised from the proverbial ‘canvas’ to be victors. We have the advantage, which they did not, of knowing that prophecy was fulfilled in Yeshua when He came to this earth 2,000 years ago. To them however, it was expectantly very close. No human timeframe accompanied that prophetic word. An herein is another important lesson. Each generation after receiving that prophecy had that to look forward to. Their promised King was coming. And again, because we have the advantage of hindsight, we know that the intervening period was not easy. They were overcome, successively, by Greek and Roman conquerors. We might say they were justified in growing weary of ever seeing their King taking His place and ruling over them. And when He did come to them, He did not fulfil their expectations. They expected a battle hardened warrior, maybe riding on a red horse, who would rid them of their conquerors, the Romans at that time. They got a baby boy, born in Bethlehem. A short time later, taken by His parents to Egypt to avoid being killed by Herod. They did not connect Him with the words given, by the LORD, to Zerubbabel. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit”. And had they forgotten that their King would come “lowly, and riding on a donkey”? So the lesson? God’s timing is His alone. What He expects of us is what He expected of them, trust in Him. For that lack of trust, we know they were once more, but this time for the last time, expelled from the land. But now they are returning in droves. We cannot leave this without remembering the prophetic words STILL to be fulfilled. Let us not repeat the mistake of those Jewish people of 2,000 years ago. God said it and it WILL happen. Our Messiah IS coming back to Jerusalem to reign and rule with a rod of iron.
Now notice the repetition of these promises as we continue in our ‘reflection’. In God’s word, repetition means emphasis. “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them, they shall be as though I had not cast them aside; for I am the LORD their God, and I will hear them”. It is true that God did bring them back from Babylon. It had already begun. That in itself is a fulfillment of prophecy which was observed by the people of that day. But there are some words a little later in our text which speak of a future time. I believe that time to be with us now. “I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them; and they shall increase as they once increased (Genesis 15:5) I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries; they shall live, together with their children, and they shall return”. There is no suggestion that such a situation prevailed when they came back from Babylon was there? We are seeing that great surge of immigration to the land in our generation.
Zechariah’s prophetic words changed from being an encourager, urging the people to continue the building of the walls of Jerusalem and the temple courts. He now is given a much greater vision and message about the drawing to a close of the days of this age and preparation for the age to come. In our world of today, we are beset by systemic anti semitism. God’s people throughout the ages have paid a heavy price for their faithful adherence to Torah observance, the most obvious outward sign of their allegiance. Do you think God expects believers to offer them support?
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 46
Z e c h a r i a h
Just two years after Zechariah first heard the LORD’s prophetic message, He spoke to Zechariah again. The restoration of the temple was well advanced, but the reconstruction of the walls was still only making slow progress. It seems that since the fall of Judea, 70 years earlier, national remembrances of mourning and fasting had been instituted in the fifth and the seventh month of the calendar. Now that the work was proceeding, a delegation from Bethel came to Jerusalem to enquire of the priests and prophets whether or not those fasts should continue. Thus Zechariah heard from the LORD. And His message was unflattering! I am reminded, as I write, of the response the LORD gave to Samuel (1 Sam 16:7) in relation to the choice of David as king. “For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart”. In similar manner the LORD questioned the motivation of the people in that act of national mourning. In paraphrase “Are you sure you did that for ME? When you eat and drink do you not do that for yourselves? I would have been more impressed if you had taken heed to the words of the many prophets I sent to counsel you to change your lifestyle in conformity to the covenant you made with Me”.
Then He gave Zechariah some specific, and very direct, words to convey to the delegation from Bethel. “Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow and the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother”. I am sure that if we stopped to think carefully about those words (which are all words directly quoted from the Torah of God), we would readily find parallels which apply just as much today as they did in the circumstances of the people in Zechariah’s day. Then comes the shock. For many today, regardless of the circumstance, the reaction of the people is identical. “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law (Torah) and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts”. Now my dear friends, we need to ask ourselves an important question. How relevant to us are the prophetic words of God conveyed through His esteemed prophets? And IF they are not for us, why are they so prominently recorded in the Scriptures? Remember yet again, these are words from our Creator, who said of Himself “I am the LORD, I do not change (Malachi 3:6). Any who conclude that these words are not for today (and there are many believers in that category), according to this word from Zechariah, it will bring “great wrath from the LORD of hosts”.
As chapter 7 closes, Zechariah moves from a word for the generation of his day to a prophetic word for generations which are both past for us, and still future for us. The scattering of the people among the nations, and the great desolation of the land, which took place during the years of terrible drought in the land, from about 137 CE up until the very late 1,800’s, is prophesied. But then we have a resounding word of immense encouragement. “I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervour I am zealous for her”. Take a moment to let that sink in. The word ‘zealous’ is an adjective describing a person’s attitude. It means to be “ardently active in support of”. And “Zion” is broadly a descriptor of Israel, but specifically the place where the temple stood in Jerusalem. So as we read the words which follow that statement of ‘zeal’, we may be sure that they are sincere and heartfelt words of the LORD. “I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain”. I note that the temple which was in the process of restoration did not have “the Ark of the Covenant” in the Most Holy place. Or at least it is not mentioned. And the prophet Jeremiah, writing about 100 years earlier told us that “It will come to pass … that they will say no more ‘the ark of the covenant of the LORD’ it shall not come to mind nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made ever more” (Jeremiah 3:16). My conclusion is that this promise of God to return to Zion refers to the time when He, in the person of Messiah Yeshua, will reign from Jerusalem.
Adding to this amazing prophetic word, Zechariah is told “Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east (which is where Babylon was situated) and from the land of the west (just look at any map of the world); I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, they shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness”. It is worthy of our careful consideration that the population growth of the land of Israel in the last 70 years, from about 800,000 in 1948 to 9,500,000 today (2022), leads to a conclusion that only now, in our generation, are we seeing clear evidence of the fulfilment of this prophetic word of Zechariah. ALL believers should view this situation with excitement and zeal. The truth is different. But there is still more to come according to this prophetic word. There is a day coming when “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’. I make NO claims of prophetic insight such as God gave to Zechariah, but I do not think we have to wait for that day. God speaks to us now, through this prophecy of Zechariah. We are free to join with His beloved people now, sharing the blessings of truth which God so zealously seeks people who are His to embrace.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 45
Z e c h a r I a h
The sixth vision given to Zechariah is that of a flying scroll. He was even able to quote the exact dimension of that scroll. Surprise surprise! It just happens to be the same size as the Holy Place in the Tabernacle of God. Because we are told it represents curses applicable to “thieves and perjurers” we conclude that it is representative of a “Godly standard”. Bringing judgment on those guilty of violation of that standard. It represents the divine standard by which men are measured. Now it would be comforting if this applied only to the ones to whom Zechariah was sent. But it goes further. “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth … it shall enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it, with its timber and stones”. No-one is exempt from this judgement, not then, not now. This IS the word of the LORD. “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
Then a seventh vision. A woman sitting in a basket. Zechariah was told that the woman represented “wickedness”. This is seen as a sign that some of the darker elements of the life the people had lived while in exile in Babylon had been brought back to the land with them on their return. Evidently that wickedness needed to be dealt with decisively. So in the vision two more women, likened to having wings like a stork, an unclean bird (Deut 14:18), so representing an evil force, carry the basket away. And where do they take it? Back to Babylon, (the ‘Babel’ of Genesis 10:10) in the land of Shinar. Why? “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar, when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base”. And if only Zechariah had been privy to the Revelation of Yeshua given to John, (Rev 18) he would have known that there will be great rejoicing in heaven (Rev 19) when Babylon is finally dealt with.
Finally an eighth vision about chariots and horses coming from between two mountains. We are not told where or what these mountains represent. Some commentators have speculated that they could possibly be Mt Zion and the Mount of Olives, because that is where Yeshua is destined to return to rule and reign for 1,000 years. Babylon would have been been defeated, and the battle for Jerusalem won. Beyond speculation is that these chariots represent “Four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth”. It is presumed that this charge will be given to angelic bodies to accomplish. It will be their responsibility to execute judgement on behalf of the King. Two of the chariots will head towards the north and two towards the south. We may be certain that no place will be hidden from them. It will be the time of separation for the “sheep nations and the goat nations’ (Matt 25). There are a number of places in the Scriptures which allude to and describe the severity of God’s judgement. But ‘severity’ does not imply unfairness. And here is a timely lesson for us today. God sent prophets to utter warnings and to counsel change in people’s relationship to Himself. This whole series of ‘reflections’ has dealt with them. Later He sent His Son Yeshua, and followed that up with Apostles and teachers. He has given many signs of the end of days, some of which we see happening in our lifetime. And this is a lesson from Zechariah. There will be a day of reckoning. God’s judgment will be fair … but exactly as He has said.
As we come to the end of our ‘reflection’ on this passage of Scripture, we come to a prophecy which goes well into the future, some of which we have seen, but those in Zechariah’s day did not! “Behold, the Man whose name is the Branch! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the LORD”. The Hebrew word (‘tsemach’) translated ‘branch’ here, is literally and figuratively “a sprout”, something which starts small and grows. It is mostly associated with Messiah Yeshua, as in this translation. That is amplified by reference to the temple and the description of priestly activity which follows. But it also has the meaning of a growing relationship. It is a relationship which began when Yeshua first came to this earth and called people to Himself in worship. Moving from what had become a strict religious code, identified by Yeshua as the ‘traditions of men’ in Pharasaic Judaism. In contrast, the focus on true Torah observance and worship, centred on the teaching of Yeshua in Matthew 5 to 7, known as ‘the sermon on the mount’. It is the way of discipleship which is sometimes referred to as Messianic Judaism. And the final words of our passage today seem to encapsulate a test of how we might know exactly where we stand on this matter.
“Now the elaborate crown (which was placed on the head of Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah’s day, but will one day in the future be placed on the head of King and High Priest Yeshua) shall be for a memorial in the temple of the LORD (which they were restoring at that time ,but which was subsequently burned down again in 70 CE) … Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the LORD. Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God”. It is a sad fact that many believers today do not consider that there will even be another temple built. The prophecy of Zechariah challenges us in a personal way. We need to consider who are “those from afar”, who are prophesied to ‘come and build that temple’? Or do we reject the prophecy out of hand?
I am always challenged by the way in which God speaks through His anointed prophets. And seemingly to every generation!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 44
Z e c h a r I a h
Zechariah is given vision of a dispute in heaven. It is like a courtroom scene in which opposing parties argue a legal case before a judge. Joshua, the High Priest who accompanied Zerubbabel on his return from Babylon, is on trial. He is clothed in “filthy garments”. His advocate,“the Angel of the LORD”. The prosecutor, and accuser, Satan (formerly also an angel with ambition above his station!). The Judge, the LORD God Almighty. The charge, against Joshua seems to be that his accuser thought him unworthy of the office of High Priest, representative of the ‘people of God’. Why? Along with the people of Judea, Joshua had already been condemned, by God, and exiled to Babylon for his part in the failure of the people to keep their covenant and practise idolatry. The evidence, for all to see, being his “filthy garments”. Satan was delighted at God’s judgment of Judea in exiling them to Babylon. God’s chosen thrown out of the Land. God’s plan for His people at an end. Game, set, and match, to Satan.
Now there is an important lesson for believers today in what follows. Jude in his short letter (Jude 1:9) has a report of another heavenly dispute. The subject is different, but the advocates and the Judge are the same. And this is the lesson. In both cases it is the LORD who rebukes Satan. Even the ‘chief of Angels’ does not confront Satan directly. If Michael the archangel, does not rebuke Satan directly, it seems unwise for me, a mere mortal to do so. And yet I have many times heard enthusiastic believers throw themselves into such a conflict with a loud “I rebuke you Satan”. Learn from Michael! I do not glorify Satan by reminding myself that he is a powerful enemy. Not to be tangled with, but dealt with by Almighty God (Revelation 20: 2 and 10).
And so it was that Satan was given the message. “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who chose Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not a brand plucked from the fire?” What Satan considered to be ‘game. set, and match’ was just a corrective measure by the LORD to bring His people back to Himself. “The brand plucked from the fire”. To make the point more graphically, the LORD continued “Take away the filthy garments from him”. Then addressing Joshua “See I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes”. And herein lies another lesson. Only the LORD our God has power to accomplish that. By the breath of His mouth He can make the vilest person clean. He did, and He does. But there is much more to be learned here. Immediately following this transformation, ‘the Angel of the LORD’ spoke again in admonishment of Joshua. It is a conditional message. “If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts”. It is very comforting to accept the blessing of God. Less comforting to even acknowledge that there might be some admonishing conditions attached to such blessing, let alone accept them. Friends, there are plenty of “IF’s” in the Scriptures. Too many of us have acquired the skill of myopically removing them from the text!!
Then, in a most enlightening way, for us living today, Zechariah joins Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, and the Psalmist (118) in being shown the advent of the Messiah of God. It is referred to as “a wondrous sign”, and so it is. “My servant, the BRANCH, the Stone”. All descriptors of Messiah Yeshua. We are blessed to be able to see that in history. Zechariah’s audience had faith alone as their assurance of God’s wondrous sign. And yet still future for us to receive by faith alone “And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day says the LORD of hosts, everyone will invite his neighbour under his vine and under his fig tree”. Our God is a trustworthy, covenant keeping, God. And there is more. Zechariah is shown a golden seven branched lamp stand and two olive trees constantly feeding the lamps. That speaks of the temple which at that time had not been repaired. God had called both Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to get on with the task of mending of the walls and restoring the temple. They were quite discouraged and severely hampered in that work. How could they possibly get that done with such obstacles in their way? So the word the LORD gave Zechariah for Zerubbabel, the man chosen to lead the Judeans back to the land from Babylon. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts”. It sounds rather too easy doesn’t it? But it was not. The obstacles and the challenges remained. But the will and determination of the people doing the work was uplifted by the knowledge that they were about the LORD’s business. How do we know that? Because the word of the LORD to Zechariah said so, and he passed that word faithfully to the people. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of the temple, his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you”.
Then Zecharaiah wondered about the two mysterious olive trees which continuously fed the lamps of the golden lamp stand. The LORD told him they represented the two “anointed ones, who stand beside the LORD of the whole earth”. Well, the two most prominent people there at the time were Zerubbabel, who led the people back from Babylon, and Joshua, the High Priest who stood in the court with this ‘filthy garments’ at the beginning of our text. Commentators point out that Zerubbabel was a direct descendant of David, and Joshua, the High Priest, was a direct descendant of Eleazar, who succeeded his father Aaron as High Priest when he died.
Now isn’t that an interesting point at which to end our ‘reflection’ this week?
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 43
Z E C H A R I A H
Just two months after the LORD spoke to Haggai, He spoke to Zechariah on the very same matter. It must have been very important to the LORD. The simplistic thrust of the message given to Haggai to proclaim was “get on with the task the LORD has given you to do”. Zechariah, a name which means ‘YHWH remembers’, had a very similar, but more extensive, insight into the prophetic future of the Israelites. So it was that Zechariah was first told “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers”. God remembered the covenant they had made, and broken. The word continued “Return to Me, and I will return to you …. Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds”. Did it ever occur to you that God sees the breaking of the covenant as “evil”? Evil is a very strong word isn’t it? The Hebrew word also could be translated “calamitous”!
Three months later, Zechariah, a priest (Nehemiah 12:16), son of the prophet Iddo, ‘saw by night’, presumably in a dream. a man (identified as the “Angel of the LORD”) riding a red horse, standing in the myrtle trees. Behind him were others riding red, speckled, and white horses. They were “ones sent by God”, commissioned to “walk to and fro throughout the earth”. They reported that “the earth was resting quietly”. This would contrast sharply with the plight of the returned exiles, harassed and disrupted every day. They had been given the task of re-building the walls, but had made slow progress because of that disruption. We saw in our ‘reflection’ in Haggai that they were dispirited and had lost motivation to continue. It was the role of Zechariah to encourage the people in that task by reminding them of the importance of rebuilding the temple, which had been destroyed by fire at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar some 70 years earlier. The temple was the centre of worship and sacrifice for the people. It represented the very presence of God in their midst. It was the place where, by their presentation of sacrifices, they could “draw near” to God in worship of Him. A holy place.
So the angel who spoke to Zechariah in that vision (or dream) told him. To proclaim the word of the LORD thus :- “I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am very angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped - but with evil intent”. There are a number of lessons for us today in that statement of the LORD. We have ‘reflected’ many times on the fact that “the LORD does not change” (Malachi 3:6). He was zealous for Jerusalem then, and He is still zealous for Jerusalem now. Appreciating that is crucial to a believers’ understanding of the Scriptures. He was ‘very angry with nations at ease’ then, and He is very angry with those nations now. In those days, He had used the nations to bring judgment on His people because of idolatry and their neglect of Torah. Even though He was at that time “a little angry” with those nations. That “little anger” turned to “exceeding anger” when those nations exceeded, and even revelled, in their role as God’s agents of judgment. God will always honour His covenant with His people. He did then, by restoring them to their land. And He is now, by restoring them in huge numbers to their land today. I invite you to consider the actions of the United Nations towards Israel today. It is that which causes me to conclude, in ‘reflection’, what God thinks of nations (at ease) today. I believe He is “exceedingly angry”, just as He was in the days of Zechariah. He says “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it … My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem”. It was God’s message to nations then, and it’s God’s message to nations (and especially to believers in those nations) today.
It does not take long for Zechariah to be shown a much longer view of God’s prophetic message to the people. The man with a measuring line in his hand. The population of Jerusalem in Zechariah’s day is variously estimated (by archaeologists) at between 8,000 and 20,000. In 1948 it was about 160,000. Today it is about 940,000. That fulfils the prophecy about “the multitude of men and livestock in it” (Zech 2:4). Clearly, the days of the LORD being “a wall of fire all around her (Jerusalem) and I will be the glory in her midst”, are days still future to us today. And if anyone has doubt about the LORD’s love of His people, Israel, just look at chapter 2, verse 8, of our text. “He who touches you touches the apple of His (God’s) eye”. In paraphrase we might say that treating Israel with contempt or worse, is like ‘poking God in the eye’. Sadly, to our great shame, that is exactly how Israel has been dealt with by the christian church over past centuries, and continues today in many believers.
But there is also a great message of hope in this prophecy. Speaking of a day still future, the LORD continues. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst … many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation”. I respectfully suggest that those words of the LORD, given to Zechariah for the people of his day, were also given for the day in which we are now living. Who is the “ME” who is to be sent? “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). If that were the end it would be very sad. But there is a day coming when “HE will take possession of Judah as His inheritance”. Glorious days ahead.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 42
H A G G A I
We do not know much about Haggai, who wrote this prophetic message. Only Obadiah wrote a shorter one! But that does not diminish its importance. It contains a timely call for action, with a valuable lesson for all of us to learn. In short, “do not neglect the work God has called you to do”. So, a brief recall of history to set the scene. Around 538 BCE Zerubbabel and Ezra, together with up to 50,000 others were permitted by king Cyrus of Persia to return to Israel to re-build the walls of Jerusalem. The work commenced 2 years later. As a result of harassment, opposition from neighbours, and indifference by the Jews, that work remained incomplete. About 16 years later, the LORD stirred up both Haggai and Zechariah for two principal reasons. First to encourage the people to finish the work of building the temple. Second to re-order their spiritual priorities (see Ezra 5 and 6). In the event, the work of construction was completed about 4 years later, in 516 BCE (Ezra 6:15). So let us now ‘reflect’ on the message.
The LORD spoke to Haggai in reference to that unfinished work. “Is it time for you yourselves to live in panelled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” And followed that up with the challenging words “Consider your ways”. And herein lies the first lesson for any who seek to learn. God knows the heart and actions of each one of us. He charged these people with earning wages and putting what they earned into a ‘bag with holes’. At the very least that is wasteful, and at its worst it speaks of self indulgence. The contrast is made between the “panelled house” and the “ruined temple”. Quite a graphic depiction of priorities. So the LORD requires us to “Consider your ways”. For those Jews at that time, He provided instructions. “Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I might take pleasure in it and be glorified'. We should perhaps be asking the LORD what He requires of us.
Haggai reminded them of the prospect of debilitating drought and failure of crops. How did he know? Well of course, God told him. BUT, that was clearly spelled out in the Torah account in the “blessings and curses” chapters of Deuteronomy 28,29. That was well known to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and Joshua, the son of the high priest. And they “obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the LORD”. And here lies a second lesson. I do not ever recall any teaching, or experience, of “people fearing the presence of the LORD”. Certainly there is respect and worship of God in many places. But all too often, there is a familiarity with God which diminishes the recognition and appreciation of His awesome might and power. The same power which Paul refers to as “the exceeding greatness of His power … which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places”. (Ephesians 1:19,20) That is the power over life and death. Selah!
Haggai spoke again, as directed by the LORD, to Zerubbabel and Joshua. “Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?” I can only imagine the shame which those men might have felt to be so addressed by the prophet. And had it been left at that, quite devastating. But there was more. The LORD said “Be strong, all you people of the land, and work; for I am with you … the silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, … The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, … and in this place I will give peace”. And as we mentioned at the beginning of this ‘reflection’, we know that the work was completed four years later, to the glory of God. However, the reference to the ‘peace’ which is to come is actually yet another indicator of a still future period, which was dealt with in our recent ‘reflections’ in Ezekiel’s prophecy. It will come after ‘the war to end all wars’ when the temple, yet to be built, will function under the reign, in the land, of our Messiah, King Yeshua. But, in Haggai’s time, there still remained one more task to be completed.
When the people returned to the land from Babylon, there was, at best, a quite dysfunctional priesthood. So Haggai questioned them about the Torah duties and operations of the priesthood. They responded correctly. They knew the theory, but were short on the practical. Then Haggai was able to compare that to the people, who evidently had not been taught correct practice by the priests. They were therefore ritually ‘unclean’, so not able to worship in the newly re-constructed temple. That was a practical issue for the people of that day, and Zerubbabel was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that things would change. He did.
And then the prophetic discourse changed to embrace a much further view of the future. The LORD said “I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother”. That is another picture of the ‘war to end all wars’. But the final prophecy, in great compliment to Zerubbabel, God said “and I will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you”. A ‘signet ring’ is a lasting object of memorial significance. The disobedience of the people in not carrying out their allotted tasks had caused God to withhold blessing. Their turn around, to be obedient to His command causes a release of God’s abundant blessing. And that is the final lesson to be learned from this ‘reflection’.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON THE WRITING PROPHETS
‘Reflections’ on the Writing Prophets 42
O B A D I A H
We do not have much detail about Obadiah the man, or the actual date of this prophecy. It is thought to have been written about the time of the fall of Jerusalem under the siege of Nebuchadnezzar around 586 BCE, but it could have been much earlier, during the reign of king Jehoram (852 - 841 BCE). It does not alter the substance of the prophetic vision God gave to him. Nor the message which this prophecy has for us today.
This is a relatively brief prophecy, (one chapter in our Bible) concerned largely with just one nation, Edom. That is the one nation most singled out in the Scriptures to receive the full force of the wrath of God. Psalmists 83 and 137, Isaiah 11, 34, and 63, Jeremiah 49, Lamentations 4, Ezekiel 25 and 35, Joel 3, Amos 1 and 9, and Malachi 1, all make mention of the judgment of God on Edom. And it all goes back to the time when Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, and the bitter hatred which flowed from that incident. Edom is where Esau settled. Centuries later, his descendants refused to let the sons of Jacob pass through their territory as they journeyed to the land of God’s promise. God was displeased too when these same Edomites rejoiced over the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Edom is situated just south of the dead sea in today’s Jordan, and includes the famous tourist area of Petra (constructed by the Nabateans). It is one of two places which, after the war to end all wars, will be totally desolate. (Babylon is the other).
The description of the Edomites living in elevated caves in rocky country can be readily identified with the area where Petra is today. At least the geography fits. Proud, not least because of their elevated position, the Edomites seemed to consider themselves impregnable. Safe from all attack. It was one source of their great pride. Earlier, Solomon had written “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”. (Proverbs 16:18) Obadiah said “The pride of your heart has deceived you well”. We have mentioned a number of times that what God says, God will do. And the prophet was sent with a simple enough message from God. Your end has been determined by your present. A good enough lesson for everyone to learn. It is not what you say. Words are cheap. It is what you are, what you do, on which God makes judgement (Revelation 20:12). But in His love and mercy, His judgement is not without warning. “For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever”. For the Edomites of course the deed had already been committed. But for anyone who is able to see a lesson here, God has referred these people, Israelites, known globally today as “Jews”, as His ‘special treasure’, and ‘the apple of My eye’. He told Abraham that He would bless those who blessed him (and his descendants), but He would ‘bitterly curse’ those who treated them ‘with contempt’.
Obadiah had the task of letting the Edomites know what was ahead of them, and why. He could not have known that his message was timeless. It is the wonder of the Scriptures that God is able to convey, through His dealings with His own people, and by extension through the actions of those they came into contact with, how He exercises judgement. The ‘christian church’ has a record of appalling behaviour towards the Jews down through the ages. We should pray that God would enlighten us, in this generation, to avoid the mistakes of those who preceded us. It is evident from our text that the Edomites had metaphorically ‘danced on the grave’ of the Israelites in their days of distress. “You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity. Indeed you should not have gazed on their affliction … nor laid hands on their substance (looting). Nor should you have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped; nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained”. There was no more to be said to Edom.
But there was a word of warning left for the other nations too. As I write these words, a vivid, horrible, picture comes to my mind. Millions of Jews, men, women, children, old, young, middle aged, no discrimination, who were murdered in the holocaust of the early 1940’s. And the countless millions who died during the period we know as “the inquisition”. Pogroms of Britain in 1290, (they did not officially return until 1655) Spain in 1492. Of Russia, of Algeria. It is endless. Hatred of those who are “called by My name” says the LORD.
In his vision, God told Obadiah to continue “For the day of the LORD upon all nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; …. And they shall be as though they had never been.” No-one cares think that God’s judgment might be turned on them. But God is just. He deals with everyone with equanimity. No special deals. But now Obadiah sees some light at the end of the tunnel. “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions”. There was a day ahead when Israel would once again take their rightful place, as God intended, in their own land. That has already happened, temporarily, since the return from Babylonian exile. In our generation, we are witnessing a return from “all the nations to which they were scattered”. But even this is not the end. But it is “the beginning of the end.” Look forward to the day when Messiah Yeshua returns to reign on His throne. Wouldn’t Obadiah be pleased?
Shabbat Shalom
RS