Zechariah 1

Message: Zechariah is sent to encourage the people to rebuild God's temple and gives them a vision of things to come.

Time: Zechariah 1-8 - Written during the building of the Temple (520-518BC); Zechariah 9-14 - Written after the temple was completed (480-470BC); Zechariah 1 - 2nd yr of King Darius's reign (Darius reigned 34 years)

What the Lord is Saying:

God speaks through Zechariah (and Haggai) to stir up the hearts of the people and renew their labor in building the temple. Haggai focused on the religious life of the people; Zechariah focuses more on the national and political. His ministry extended over 2 years. 

The rebuilding of the temple is significant because as long as the temple is left unfinished, the people were being disobedient to the Lord's commands regarding old covenant worship. And so the real problem may look like an unfinished temple, but in reality it is a problem of the heart of the people. Their sin reigns in them. They care not of the Lord's commands. 

Zechariah 1 - the message is to return to the Lord. Previous leaders have called Israel/Judah to return to the Lord or turn from your evil ways. Evil acts yield not a prosperous life.

Zechariah will see 8 visions (not dreams). Here we have the 1st one.

• An angel was talking to Zechariah, explaining the vision
• Man sitting on a red horse, standing among myrtle trees in a small valley
• Behind him were riders on red, brown and white horse. 
• The man sitting (rider) on the red horse explained
• These are the ones (riders) sent to patrol the earth
• Riders Report -- We have been patrolling and the whole earth is at peace
• Angel's Response is a Prayer
• O Lord of Heaven's Armies, you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah for 70 years. When will you show mercy? 
• The Lord spoke kind/comforting words to the angel
• The Angel to Zechariah
• The Lord says, "My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong."
• The Lord says, "My anger is for those other nations enjoying peace and security. I was angry with my people, but the other nations inflicted a greater pain on my people than I intended."
• So, "The Lord is returning to show mercy on Jerusalem. My temple will be rebuilt. Jerusalem will be reconstructed. The towns of Judah will overflow with prosperity. The Lord will comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own."
• Four animal horns
• These are the nations that scattered Judah/Israel/Jerusalem
• Four blacksmiths
• Coming to terrify those nations, throw them down and destroy them

Promise: The message to rebuild the temple is really a message to the people to confront their sin and remember the Lord's commands. The Lord does this through Zechariah by calling them to recognize their evil, their sin and then to turn from their evil ways -- to repent. The immediate response is the simple recognition that evil acts disobey God and we must ask forgiveness. God wants a heart yielded to Him and then our deeds show our love to the Father and those deeds result in a prosperous life. But, the deeds aren't there to yield God's acceptance.