God Gives the Gift of Hope

God Gives the Gift of Hope

The Book of Zechariah (chapters 1-6)

 

 

Zechariah was one of Gods’ prophets to the Jewish people and his ministry began in 520 B.C.   A prophet did not deliver his own message, but he was faithful to give only the message that God gave him. God used Zechariah and other prophets to bring hope to Israel - hope for their future.

 

 But these promises of hope in the future are for us too. Many of God’s promises that were given to Israel by the prophets will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again at the end of the age. These prophecies of warnings and hope and promises are all there in our Bibles.     

 

Today we will go over a few of God’s promises, given through Zechariah to God’s people long ago. The Jewish people had come back to their homeland after spending seventy years in Babylonian captivity.  Their city, Jerusalem, had been destroyed by the Babylonians along with the temple of the Lord. But now they had returned to their homeland ready to rebuild.

 

But it didn’t take long for problems to arise and discouragement to set in.  The people soon realized that the new temple they were building would never compare with the old one that had been destroyed.  God had blessed their forefathers with gold and riches so that they could build a grand temple.  But these returning Jewish exiles were poor and struggling.  Why wasn’t God there with more provisions for them to build?

 

 Have we ever been discouraged when others don’t give us the respect that we deserve?  Or when we don’t have the money to buy what we think we should have or the health to go where we want? Why isn’t God giving us more when others seem to have it all?

 

Another problem the Jewish people had in 520 B.C. was with the cruel and powerful Persian king who forbid them to rebuild God’s temple. (Ezra 4:5) The Israelites were afraid of this powerful nation and became depressed and quit building.  It was hard to keep the faith and build God’s temple when so many forces were against them.  

 

The Israelites quit building because they believed that if God had been with them everything would have gone smoothly!  Do we ever stop doing God’s work because we are persecuted, or things don’t go smoothly?  

 

It was into this mix that God gave a word of hope to His people through Zechariah. God comes to Zechariah by night and gives him eight visions!  These visions from God (Zechariah 1:8-6:7) brought hope for the discouraged Israelites, and they also bring hope for us!  Most of us want hope to show up right now.  We aren’t used to waiting.  But some of God’s hope and some of His promises will be completely fulfilled for us after we die and see Jesus.  Not now.

 

 These prophecies speak of the Hope (Jesus) at the end of the age.  Bible scholars believe that some of these prophecies have a double fulfillment.  Zechariahs’ prophecies were fulfilled back then for the Jewish people in 520 B.C.  They did rebuild their temple and God prospered them.  But Zechariahs’ prophecies also give us hope for a time when wickedness is removed and Christ, the Messiah will come again, and a new glorious temple will be built.        

 

Basically, the meaning in Zechariah’s eight visions from God is that God will save His people and bring judgment on the nations who are trying to harm them.  God promises His people that He will bless their rebuilding.  God will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem.  God will judge their enemies and send “The Servant, the Branch, to save”- Jesus Christ. (Zechariah 3:8:9)  

 

 

In Zechariah’s fifth vision - of the golden lamp stand and the olive tree, - the Lord promises that He will empower His people and give them His Holy Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6) (He also promises to give the Holy Spirit to each believer in Christ today)

 

Four of the eight visions foretell that in the end of the age God will remove sin from His followers and from the whole earth. The fourth vision shows Joshua, the high priest, standing before God in filthy garments.  His sin is removed from him and he is given clean rich robes to wear.

 

 The sixth vision shows that dishonesty will be cursed, the seventh that wickedness will be removed from the earth and the last vision tells that the spirits of heaven will execute judgment on the whole Earth because of sin.  (Zechariah 6:5,7)

 

 Sin will be taken away from the earth before God brings in His new day of victory and blessing!  This truth is an important part of Zechariahs’ visions. God’s people in 520 B.C. who were given this promise are in their graves and will receive these blessings at the same time that God’s people today will receive them.  – when Christ returns at the end of the age.  

 

The sixth vision of the flying scroll is particularly graphic!  It is a vivid picture showing how dishonesty is cursed by God.  “I see a flying scroll.  Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits,” says Zechariah. Then God interpreted, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘I will send out the curse,’ says the Lord of hosts: ‘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.’” Zechariah 5:2b, 3a, 4) According to Biblical scholars, a roll or scroll is employed in Scripture for a pronouncement of judgment.

 

After Zechariahs’ visions, God shows him that Joshua is being crowned, but then the language changes and the one being crowned is the Lord, and He is building the temple. Here is that double meaning again. – a promise for the present – for the Jews in 520 B.C., and a fuller promise for the end of the age.  

 

These Israelites from long ago were given hope by Zechariah’s visions. and they started building God’s temple again.  Now they knew that God was with them, even when their problems seemed so big. Do we sometimes make the same mistake they did?  Do we wonder where God is when our problems overwhelm us?  These Israelites questioned whether their efforts in building Gods’ new temple would ever be worth anything.  They compared their temple to the grand temple of their forefathers, and it didn’t measure up.

 

  Do we have those same problems?  Do we sometimes wonder if our lives really matter?  Do we fear that our efforts don’t compare with someone else’s?  When we have prayers that don’t seem to be answered in our time frame, do we think that God won’t answer them in His time frame? The comforting words that God gave His people through Zechariah long ago are for His people today also.

 

 God tells us not to be discouraged if our work seems small (or unimportant). (Zechariah 4:7-10) “For who has despised the day of small things?” (Verse 10) We give importance to the size of things, but God doesn’t see things that way. His ways are not our ways.

 

 Zechariahs’ prophecy also reminds us that what God has begun in us He will complete. And our prayers will be answered even if it isn’t in our time frame.  We are to depend on the Holy Spirit to accomplish the things that God has called us to do.  And we are called upon to remember that our work is important in building God’s Church.

 

 Gods’ message to Zephaniah is a double message.  The promises of victory are for Christians as we live our lives today. But these promises will be completely fulfilled for us at a later time also.  Only at the end of time when Jesus has come again and all sin is completely removed, will we have the total victory through Christ.  Let’s believe God’s Word and take these gifts of hope and blessing from God into our hearts, and take joy and encouragement from them always.    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

  

 

 

 

       

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