Commentary on Zechariah

In 586 B.C, the Babylonian forces of Nebuchadnezzar overtook Jerusalem, and shortly afterward the temple which formed the centerpiece of Jewish life was destroyed. The Jews spent the following 70 years in Babylonian captivity. Cyrus, king of Persia, overtook Babylon in 539 B.C, and, in accord with his policy that captive people ought to return to their homelands, he issued a decree in 538 B.C allowing the Jews to do so. Now free to return to their homeland, the Jewish people set about to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed. A foundation was laid in 536 B.C, but opposition from the descendants of intermarriages between the Israelites and foreigners delayed the rebuilding for 15 years. This opposition came in the form of counselors who persuaded Artaxerxes, the successor to Cyrus, that a newly strengthened Israel would not pay taxes. After work on the temple ceased, Zechariah encouraged the Jews to continue building. Zechariah, known as one of the "restoration" prophets, exhorted the Jews to finish building the temple. The successor to Artaxerxes, Darius, decreed that the Jews should be left to continue to build their temple unharmed, and the temple was completed in 516 B.C.

Zechariah's concern was with the repentance of the Jewish people and the future of Jerusalem. The book of Zechariah records numerous visions regarding these issues, and in F.B. Meyer's exegesis of the book, The Prophet of Hope,

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g news of peace, the rider becomes intercessor for those who had been brought back out of captivity. Meyer draws his analysis to a close by asking the reader a question: "Are you desolate through the pressure of long continued sorrow? . . . What was once a busy scene of active service is a waste; your home is desolate, your heart sad? Be of good cheer! There is One that ever liveth to intercede" (Meyer 23). The second vision is of four horns, which for Meyer represents the "pride and power of the ravager and oppressor of the flock." These horns represent the powers that work against God's plans. Meyer compares the horns to problems the Christian church faces today: "If we were asked to name the four horns that ravage the church today, we . . . say that they are priestcraft, worldliness, Christian Science and Spiritualism" (Meyer 26). Zechariah also sees four carpenters, who are to vanquish God's enemies. Meyer concludes his discussion of this vision with an appeal to believers to trust that God will show them "great mercies" and "everlasting kindness" (Meyer 30). The third vision depicts a man with a measuring line who is taking the dimensions of Jerusalem. Meyer interprets this as a man who "defines limits" of spirit
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Approximate Word count = 1489
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)