Zechariah 1
COMMENTARY:
: 3 Therefore say you to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts; Turn you to ME, says the LORD of hosts, and I will turn to you, says the LORD of hosts. (7725 “turn” [shuwb] mean return, to turn back, to do again, to cease from, restore, be recovered, or back & forth.)
DEVOTION: Each prophet gives a message to the children of Israel regarding their present relationship to the LORD. Every time it is not good. They were drifting away from the LORD. They were having a time of prosperity they thought that they were the ones who created it. They were wrong.
During good times it seems that they always thought everything was OK between them and the LORD. They didn’t work at their relationship. It just seemed to be good and they were going to think any different about it.
The message was to return. HIS message to us is always to return. If we are in good fellowship we have returned. If our thought is that we didn’t need to worry about our relationship, we were thinking wrong.
What are you doing to improve your relationship to the LORD? HE wants us to be in constant communication with HIM while we are serving HIM through our daily walk with HIM.
CHALLENGE: We have to do our part if God is going to do HIS part. HE wants to hear from us or we will hear from HIM!!
: 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. (5381 “take hold” [nasag] means overtake, cause to reach, to be able to secure, to move oneself, stretch out, or to attend to.)
DEVOTION: The forefathers admitted that they were wrong according to the words and statutes of the LORD. HE had sent HIS prophets to tell them what was going to happen and it did. They knew what was going to happen and they knew they had to change directions.
The problem was that they didn’t change until what the LORD said was going to happen happened. Then they realized the LORD was true to HIS word and wanted to share it with future generations.
We need to learn from the past. We either have to learn from the past that happened in the Old Testament or the past that happened in the New Testament or the past that happened to us individually.
History repeats itself many times in our lives. We have a tendency to commit the same sin over and over again. Israel as a nation had this tendency. Churches have a tendency to commit the same sin if the people don’t want to change.
The LORD warns each generation of what is coming. We are living in the end times according to the Word of God. It has lasted for over two thousand years from the time of the death of Christ. Some think that nothing is going to happen. They are wrong. God never lies. What HE says HE is going to do, HE does. HE was longsuffering with Israel and HE is longsuffering with us.
CHALLENGE: Let the Word of God overtake you to the point that you truly serve HIM with your whole body, soul and spirit.
: 11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sits still, and is at rest. (3427 “sits still” [yashab] means to dwell, to marry, sit down, remains sitting, to be inhabited, continues in a certain state, condition, or activity, or abide.)
DEVOTION: Angels are watching us all the time. They want to understand our salvation. They want to know what the LORD is doing with us. They are not omnipresent. They can only be in one place at one time. They will never become human and we will never become angels. There were two separate creations. The angels were created before us but we will be greater than the angels.
The Angel of the LORD is thought to be Jesus Christ. The other angels are answering to HIM. HE knows what they are doing but still asks them questions. Remember HE is omniscient and they are not.
The angels’ assignment was to walk to and fro throughout the whole earth to report to the LORD what was happening. Do you really think HE didn’t know what was going on? HE did but wanted them to be part of HIS program.
HE wants us to be part of HIS program as well. We are here for a reason. We are here to bring glory to HIM. If any human doesn’t bring glory to the LORD he/she is not HIS servant. If you are not HIS servant, than heaven is not going to be you eternal home.
CHALLENGE: What report was given regarding your service to HIM today?
: 15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. (7600 “ease” [sha’anan] means quiet, secure, careless, wanton, tumult and arrogant.)
DEVOTION: The heathen were at secure in the thought that they were never going to be conquered. They were secure in their abilities to defeat armies. They thought they had to answer to anyone or any god.
The LORD was displeased with HIS people. This displeasure was only going to last for a short time. However, the heathen were thinking that the Israelites were theirs to do with as they please. The LORD had a different idea. HIS displeasure with HIS people was only going to last seventy years.
Zechariah was sent to encourage the people in the fact that the LORD was going to deal with the heathen nations. HE was going defeat the heathen nations and set Israel back up as a nation.
This chapter also informs us that the LORD is watching everything that goes on here on earth. HIS angels are traveling to and fro over all the earth and reporting back to HIM.
The Angel of the LORD speaks to the Father regarding the condition of the earth. HE wants the Father to show mercy to HIS people. The Father answers with good and comfortable words. This Angel of the LORD is thought to be a theophany of Jesus Christ. A theophany is a visible appearing of deity in the Old Testament. Jesus is eternal. HE didn’t come into existence in Bethlehem. HE was in the Garden of Eden. HE was part of the creation of the world with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Godhead has been active and will be active throughout eternity past and future.
The world has a plan to give Christians a hard time for the rest of the existence of the world. The LORD has a different idea. Our suffering or affliction is only for a short time then comes eternity with HIM.
The world’s way of thinking is very different from the way the LORD thinks about HIS people. We need to remember that when we are going through tough circumstances. The LORD is working HIS plan which is going to take place in HIS timing. Praise the LORD!!!
CHALLENGE: Things in our world are getting more interesting every day. Watching the new on television should encourage us that Scripture is being fulfilled as we watch.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
God’s house will be rebuiltverse 16
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORDverses 1, 7
Thus says the LORD of hostsverses 3, 4, 14
Wordsverse 6
Statutesverse 6
Thus says the LORDverse 16
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1-4, 6, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20
Word of the LORDverses 1, 7
LORD sore displeasedverses 2, 15
LORD of hostsverses 3, 4, 6, 12, 14, 16, 17
LORD will turn toward HIS peopleverse 3
Indignation for 70 yearsverse 12
Jealous Godverse 14
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Angel of the LORD = Theophany = Christverses 11-14, 19
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man riding a red horse & stoodverse 8-10
Lordverse 9
Angelverse 9
Angel of the LORDverses 11-14, 19
Walk to and fro on earthverse 11
Questioned LORD of hostsverse 12
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Dariusverses 1, 7
Heathenverse 15
Horns of the Gentilesverse 21
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Evil waysverse 4
Evil doingsverse 4
Not hear the LORDverse 4
Not listenverse 4
Heathenverse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prophetverses 1, 4-7
Turn toward the LORDverses 3, 4
Cry the message of the LORDverses 4, 17
Hearverse 4
Commandsverse 6
Servantsverse 6
Mercyverses 12, 16
Good wordsverse 13
Comfortable wordsverse 13
Comfortverse 17
Chooseverse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zechariah the prophetverses 1, 7
Berechiahverses 1, 7
Iddo the prophetverses 1, 7
Fathersverses 2, 4-6
Former prophetsverse 4
Jerusalemverses 12, 14, 16, 17, 19
Cites of Judahverses 12, 19, 21
Zionverses 14, 17
Israelverse 19
Four carpentersverse 20
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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