THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH
Lesson 3: Chapters 6-8
Part I Completed: The Eighth Vision of the Chariots
and the Fourth and Fifth Oracles Concerning the Votive Crown, Zion's
Restoration, Fasting, and Universal Salvation
Lord God,
When we offer You our good works, they are meaningless if
generated by mindless repetition or selfish intentions. We cannot merely go
through the motions of worship and praise because we know that such actions are
lifeless like a body without a soul and not worthy of a righteous and loving
Divine Father. When we recite the mysteries of the Rosary, stir our spirits to
be fully engaged in reliving the events in the lives of Mary and her Son. When
offering You worship and praise in the liturgy of the Mass, call our souls up
into the heavenly Sanctuary to spiritually join ourselves to the worship of
saints and angels. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
+ + +
After all, if
the loving Lord said to the hardhearted Jews through the prophet, "Behold those
seventy years: surely it was not for me that you kept that fast? And if you
eat and drink, is it not for yourselves that you eat and drink? This is what
the Lord, mighty ruler, says: Deliver just judgments, show mercy and pity each
of you to your neighbor, do not oppress widow or orphan, sojourner or poor
person, and let none of you plot evil against your brother in your heart.'" In
other words, if those people sitting in darkness and caught up in the shadow of
error gained no benefit merely from fasting without performing those other good
works or expelling from their heart evil intended against their neighbor, what
sort of an excuse can we offer of whom more is required?
St. John
Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis, 4.17 (quoting from Zechariah 7:4-10)
In last week's lesson, Zechariah continued to have his night visions and oracles on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of 520 BC (Zec 1:7). He was understandably growing tired, and the Angel of the Lord had to awaken him to view the fifth vision of the lampstand and olive trees. In this lesson, we will complete Zechariah's eight visions during one night in mid-February 520 BC
Some commentaries count Zechariah's visionary experiences during the February night in 520 BC as seven instead of eight, inexplicably leaving out the vision Yahweh showed him of the cleansing of Joshua, the High Priest, and his ordination to the reinstated priesthood of the covenant people (3:1-10). Perhaps they want seven visions because it is one of the so-called "perfect numbers" in Scripture, symbolizing the perfection of fulfillment and completion. But eight is the number of rebirth and restoration, and it is the number of the New Covenant of the Davidic Messiah (see the documents "The Significance of Numbers in Scripture," and "Yahweh's Eight Covenants."
Zechariah's visions and oracles point to the rebirth and regeneration of the covenant people. Failing to include Joshua's cleansing and ordination and the prophecies associated with the future coming of "the Branch" with the vision count misses identifying a significant point in the narrative. Counting it as the fourth vision places the ordination of Joshua as the High Priest of the restored covenant people and "the Branch" at the center of the series of Zechariah's eight visionary experiences. It is fitting that this vision should be the mid-point in Zechariah's divine revelations. Joshua's role in the restoration of the covenant people and the rebuilding of the Temple are at the center of the people's relationship with God, and as Yahweh tells Zechariah, an omen of things to come when He shall remove the country's guilt in a single day (3:8-9). It is a prophecy God will fulfill on the day the descendant of Zerubbabel, the promised "Branch" and Davidic heir, Jesus of Nazareth, gives up His life on the altar of the Cross 550 years in the future to become King of kings and Lord of lords.
Zechariah's visions and oracles in this lesson:
The Eighth Vision (6:1-8)
Oracles:
Zechariah 6:1-8 ~ The Eighth Vision: The Four Chariots
1 Again I
raised my eyes, and this is what I saw: four chariots coming out between two
mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the
second chariot had black horses, 3 the
third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot had vigorous, piebald
horses. 4 I asked
the angel who was talking to me, "What are these, my lord?" 5 The angel replied, "They are the four
winds of heaven now leaving, after attending the Lord of the whole world. 6 The black horses are leaving for the
land of the north; the white are following them, and the piebald are leaving
for the land of the south." 7 They
came out vigorously, eager to patrol the world. He said to them, "Go and
patrol the world." And they patrolled the world. 8 He called to me and said, "Look, the
ones going to the land of the north brought my spirit to rest on the land of the
north.
In Zechariah's eighth vision on a night in mid-February, 520 BC, he looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains described as looking as though they were made of bronze, suggesting their permanence or indestructibility. He sees the chariots setting out from divine headquarters (Heaven) drawn by teams of horses of various colors. Their mission is to protect God's people, even those living in foreign lands, confirming God's promise of divine protection. Zechariah's eighth vision returns to the subject of the first vision that concerned four angels mounted on different colored horses who patrolled the world as His agents. Perhaps God sends forth different teams of four angels on missions across the face of the earth.
Question: How is this vision similar to the first
vision, and how is it different?
Answer: The number four is present in both visions,
representing the earth. In the first vision, Zechariah saw four angel-horsemen
with different colored horses standing among myrtle trees who patrolled the
earth and reported that it was at peace (Zec 1:7-11). In the second vision, he
also sees four angel agents who patrol the world with different colored horses,
but these horses are pulling four chariots (Zec 6:1-8).
It is not the first time such vehicles are associated with a divine vision in Scripture:
The first vision associates the angel horsemen with God's omniscience in His divine presence in the world and His knowledge of all that transpires on the one hand and His control over everything that happens on the other.
In the human sphere, chariots are associated with power and also with war. In Haggai's final oracle, he equates the destruction of foreign powers with the overturning of their horses and chariots (Hag 2:22). In Zechariah's time, chariots represented the ultimate or absolute sovereignty of a political entity that can forcibly carry out its policies and exercise dominion. In the eighth vision, chariots are a metaphor for Yahweh's supreme might and divine power exerted to effect His will and ultimate sovereignty. Thus, the four chariots add the concept of divine omnipotence (unlimited power) to the idea of divine omniscience (knowledge of everything) established in the first vision.
The two mountains in Zechariah's vision are probably
Mount Moriah on the east side of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives to the east
of Mount Moriah across the Kidron Valley.
Question: Old Testament Scripture mentions Mount
Moriah several times. What do these passages reveal about Mount Moriah: 1
Chron 21:18; Gen 22:1-2, 11-14; 2 Sam 24:17-25; 1 Chron 21:16-30; 2 Chron 3:1,
and where will the rebuild "Second Temple" stand?
Answer:
The Mount of Olives forms a ridge running north to south for about two miles (three km) just across the Kidron Valley east of Mount Moriah and Jerusalem (2 Sam 15:30; Zec 14:40). It is the site where Zechariah will predict the return of the Messiah at the end of time (Zec 14:4).1
Question: The Mount of Olives figures prominently
in Jesus' ministry. What do these passages reveal about the Mount of Olives:
Mt 21:1-9, 17; 26:6-13, 30, 47-50;
Mk 11:1-11; 14:3-9, 26, 32, 43-45;
Lk 19:28-38; 22:39, 47-54;
Jn 11:1; 12:1-15;
Acts 1:3, 9-12;
Zec 14:4.
Answer:
2 The
first chariot had red horses, the second chariot had black horses, 3 the third chariot had white horses, and
the fourth chariot had vigorous, piebald horses.
Zechariah sees horses pulling four chariots. The first
team had red or chestnut horses, the second had black horses, the third had
white horses, and the fourth probably had bi-colored horses with pigmented
spots on an unpigmented background (i.e., black spots on a white coat).2
4 I asked
the angel who was talking to me, "What are these, my lord?" 5 The angel replied, "They are the four
winds of heaven now leaving, after attending the Lord of the whole world.
As in the mission of the horses and angel-riders in the
first vision (1:7-11), they are God's agents who patrol the earth and report
back on the activities of people and their nations.
6 The
black horses are leaving for the land of the north; the white are following
them, and the piebald are leaving for the land of the south." 7 They came out vigorously, eager to
patrol the world. He said to them, "Go and patrol the world." And they
patrolled the world.
"The land of
the north" is Babylon where many covenant people still lived, and the land of
the south is Egypt, that also had refugees from Judah. The Gentile nations where
the citizens of Judah were still living influence the unfolding events in this
vision. The Jews were forced to leave Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem
in 587 BC with the last deportation to Babylon in 586 BC. The remnant of Jews the
Babylonians left behind to work the land departed for Egypt after Persian
governor Gedaliah's assassination in the same year (2 Kng 25:22-26;
Jer 40:5-41:18;
43:4-7). Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, and Persian King
Darius I conquered Egypt in 525 BC, just five years before the eight visions
and oracles in the Book of Zechariah Part I. In this vision, Yahweh is sending
His angelic forces to protect His covenant people still living in foreign lands.
However, He wants all His scattered children to leave those pagan nations and
return to the Promised Land.
8 He
called to me and said, "Look, the ones going to the land of the north brought
my spirit to rest on the land of the north.
Question: Who called to Zechariah?
Answer: It is Yahweh and not the angel who
answers Zechariah.
The divine patrols subdue violence even in the north that is the land of the covenant people's Persian overlords. In verse 8, God's spirit still watches over the covenant people living in the Persian controlled territory of Babylon. Two more groups will depart from there to return to Judah in 458 and 444 BC.
Zechariah 6:9-15 ~ The Fourth Oracle of the Votive Crown and Second Prophecy of the Branch
9 Then the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, 10 "Collect silver and gold from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, (then you yourself go the same day) go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, who has arrived from Babylon. 11 Then, taking the silver and gold, make a crown* and place it on the head of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak. 12 And say this to him. Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Here is a man whose name is Branch; where he is, there will be a branching out (and he will rebuild Yahweh's sanctuary). 13 Yes, he is the one who will rebuild Yahweh's sanctuary; he will wear the royal insignia and sit on his throne and govern, with a priest on his right [on his throne]. Perfect peace will reign between these two. 14 And the crown will serve Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and the son of Zephaniah as a memorial of favor in Yahweh's sanctuary. 15 And those now far away will come and work on the building of Yahweh's sanctuary.' "Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you. It will happen if you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God." * This word in the IBHE, vol. III, page 2165 reads "crowns" plural but what follows is in the singular as in verse 14, suggesting a single relationship for the two crowns.
In this passage, Zechariah receives a second oracle referring to a person with the title "Branch" (see 3:8-10). God directs His prophet to collect silver and gold from three wealthy members of the Jerusalem community. He is to take the precious metals to a goldsmith named Josiah son of Zephaniah and directs him to make crowns. Josiah may be the great-grandson of the prophet Zephaniah, the ninth of the twelve minor prophets. Most scholars suggest the name Joshua in verse 11 should be Zerubbabel since the oracle is likely referring to Davidic prince Zerubbabel and not to Joshua. His branching out" refers to the continuation of his hereditary line that will end in Jesus of Nazareth (Lk 3:23-27; Mt 1:12-16) and will fulfill the previous prophetic promises of the Davidic heir called the Branch (i.e., Jer 23:5-6) who will bring blessings of salvation and justice.
However, others suggest, including some of the Fathers of the Church, that perhaps the addition to the verse is not Joshua but "son of Jehozadak" and the Joshua refers to the Joshua whose name in Greek is Iesous and Jesus in English. High priests didn't wear crowns or sit on thrones, and the word in Hebrew is not the same as the word for the high priest's miter in Zechariah 3:5. The Hebrew word suggests an ornate crown worn by a king. It is the same word in the Greek translation of this verse as the kingly crown the victorious Christ wears in Revelation 6:2; 14:14; and 19:12. Why would Joshua wear a crown(s), sit on a throne, and have a priest on his right? Zerubbabel does not wear a crown, nor does he sit enthroned in Jerusalem. However, Jesus Christ, the King of kings, will be crowned and enthroned in Heaven. He will have His priestly Vicar, sitting on a chair (cathedra in Latin) and ruling His earthly Kingdom of the Church (St. Peter and his successors, the Fathers/Popes of the Universal Church) and between them, the Christ's "perfect peace" will reign.
Zerubbabel is a Davidic prince and the heir to David's throne, but he will never rule as king of Judah even though he represents the office of the civil ruler for the Persians while Joshua the High Priest is the religious authority. The prophecies in Jeremiah (Jer 23:5-6; 33:14-16) identify "the Branch" as a Messianic descendant of King David of the tribe of Judah and the fulfillment of Yahweh's everlasting covenant with David's lineage to establish an eternal kingdom ruled by a king of David's royal line (2 Sam 7:16; 23:5; 2 Chron 13:5; Ps 89:3-4, 28). Therefore, "the Branch" cannot be the High Priest Joshua who is a descendant of Aaron of the tribe of Levi, but it also cannot be Zerubbabel who never ruled as a king but only pointed the way to "the Branch" who is his descendant, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus the Messiah, the promised Davidic Branch, will hold both offices of High Priest and Davidic King after His Accession to the Father's heavenly Kingdom (Heb 4:14; 5:6; 7:17, 24; 8:1-2). Jesus will wear a crown in Heaven, and the Vicar of His earthly kingdom of the Church will also wear a crown-like miter, perhaps this accounts for more than one crown in verse 11.
14 And the crown will serve Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and the son of Zephaniah as a memorial of favor in Yahweh's sanctuary.15 And those now far away will come and work on the building of Yahweh's sanctuary.' "Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you. It will happen if you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God."
Yahweh tells Zechariah that the crown will become a votive (vow) offering donated by the three men who financed it and the man who created it for the newly rebuilt Temple. It is to be a memorial that looks forward in time to when a Davidic king and his priest will appear on the stage of human history. When that happens, 15 And those now far away will come and work on the building of Yahweh's sanctuary. People from other nations will journey from their lands to build up Yahweh's Sanctuary, and when that happens, Yahweh says, "Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you," repeating for the third time the mysterious phrase spoken by Yahweh (also see Zec 2:13 and 15).
Question:When the phrase Then
you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you appears in Zechariah 2:13, 15, and 6:15, what promises does God make that precedes each of the
statements?
Answer:
A warning follows the mysterious statement concerning the coming of Yahweh's envoy: all this will happen "if you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God" (verse 15c). The unveiling of the mystery of the "me" sent by Yahweh will take place in Part II of the Book of Zechariah.
Zechariah 7:1-3 ~ Prelude to the Fifth Oracle: A Question and Answer about Fasting
1 In the
fourth year of King Darius, the word of Yahweh was addressed to Zechariah on
the fourth day of the ninth month of Chislev. 2 Bethel sent Sharezer with a deputation
to entreat Yahweh's favor 3 and to ask the priests in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth and
the prophets, "Ought I to go on mourning and fasting in the fifth month as I
have been doing for so many years past?"
The oracles in 7:1-8:23 were two years later in November of 518 BC. The oracle in 7:1-14 is in three parts with each section beginning with "the word of Yahweh Sabaoth was addressed"
3 and to ask
the priests in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth and the prophets, "Ought I to go on
mourning and fasting in the fifth month as I have been doing for so many years
past?"
Verse 3 suggests the Temple staff is in active service even though the Temple is not
yet fully reconstructed or dedicated (Hag 2:10-19). The names for the months in
the Book of Zechariah are the Babylonian names the Jews used while living in
Babylonian lands.
The city of Bethel sent a delegation led by a man named Sharezer to Jerusalem. Bethel was about fourteen miles north of Jerusalem. The place-name means "place/house of God" and figured prominently in several Old Testament events.
Question: What does Scripture
tell us about the history of Bethel? See
Gen 28:18-22; 35:6-15;
Judg 4:5; 20:26-27;
1 Sam 7:16;
1 Kng 12:28-33; 13:1-10;
2 Kng 23:15;
Hos 4:15; 5:8; 10:5;
Amos 3:14; 4:4; 5:5. It was sometimes called Beth-Aven, "place/house of
nothingness," a reference to the practice of worshipping false gods.
Answer:
The citizens of Bethel who returned from the exile to their ancestral lands are very much aware of the illicit religious practices of their ancestors, and they want to submit themselves to the authority of the priesthood in Jerusalem. Their concern confirms that the spirit of paganism had indeed departed from the land (Zec 5:7-11) because of the people's repentance and their desire to serve Yahweh in faithful obedience. They sent a delegation to ask if they should continue the fast that commemorated the destruction of Solomon's Temple in July of 587 BC. Now that the rebuilding of the Temple was nearing completion, the observance of the fast seemed unnecessary. The delegation will not receive an answer to their question until 8:18-19.
While the Jewish exiles lived in Babylon, they held four annual fasts in memorial of the Southern Kingdom of Judah's national disasters. Only mentioned in the Bible in Zechariah 7:3 and 8:19, the Jews living in exile observed these fasts during the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months in the liturgical year:
The Mishnah: Taarith, iv.6 and St. Jerome's commentary on the Book of Zechariah (Zachariam, viii) offer information on the historical events connected to the fasts mentioned in 7:7 and 8:19. By the time of Jesus' ministry, those feasts were no longer observed; however, they were revived by the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple by the Romans in AD 70.
Zechariah 7:4-14 ~ The Fifth Oracle: An Answer to the
Delegation and a Survey of the Past Seventy Years
4 Then the word of Yahweh Sabaoth was addressed to me as
follows, 5 "Say to all the
people of the country and to the priests of the country [land] and to the
priests, While you have been fasting and mourning in the fifth and seventh
months for the past seventy years, have you really been fasting for my sake? 6 And when you were eating and drinking,
were you not eating and drinking for your own sake? 7 Do you not know the words which Yahweh
proclaimed through the prophets in the past, when Jerusalem was inhabited and
secure, as were her surrounding towns, and when the Negev and the lowlands were
inhabited?' 8 (The word of
Yahweh was addressed to Zechariah as follows, 9 "Yahweh Sabaoth says this). He said, Apply the law
fairly, and show faithful love and compassion towards one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow and the
orphan, the foreigner and the poor, and do not secretly plan evil against one
another.' 11 But
they would not listen; they turned a rebellious shoulder; they stopped their
ears rather than hear; 12 they
made their hearts adamant rather than listen to the teaching and the words that
Yahweh Sabaoth had sent by his spirit through the prophets in the past;
and consequently, the fury of Yahweh Sabaoth overtook them. 13 And so, since when he called, they
would not listen, I would not listen when they called,' says Yahweh Sabaoth, 14 but scattered them among all the
nations unknown to them. Hence, after they had gone, the country [land] was
deserted, and no one came or went. They had turned a land of delights into a
desert.'"
In parts 2 and 3 of the oracle, Yahweh gives a review of the past seventy years as He begins to answer the question of the delegation from Bethel in 7:3. The fasts in verse 5 were in memory the destruction of the Solomon's Temple (2 Kng 25:8-10) and the assassination of Gedaliah, the Jewish appointed Persian governor and friend of Jeremiah (2 Kng 25:22-25; Jer 39:14; 40:5-16; 41:1-18; 43:6).
7 Do you
not know the words which Yahweh proclaimed through the prophets in the past,
when Jerusalem was inhabited and secure, as were her surrounding towns, and
when the Negev and the lowlands were inhabited?
"The prophets" are the pre-exile prophets (Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) who criticized the covenant people's public acts of
piety as hypocritical. Jesus will make a similar denouncement of hypocritical
acts of piety and religious observance in Matthew Chapter 23. The Negev is the
region of southern Judah, sandwiched between the hill country of Judah to the
north and the deserts of Zin, Shur, and Paran to the south.
9 "Yahweh
Sabaoth says this). He said, Apply the law fairly, and show faithful love and
compassion towards one another. 10 Do
not oppress the widow and the orphan, the foreigner and the poor, and do not
secretly plan evil against one another.'"
Yahweh lists five acts of true piety:
Enforcing these acts was the mission of a king and in Zechariah's time, the duty assigned to the Persian governor, Zerubbabel. These righteous acts listed in verses 9-10 recall the prophet Micah's simple formula for correct living in Micah 6:8 and the demands of prophetic ethics in Isaiah 1:16-17; Amos 5:14-15, 21-24; and Malachi's warning of judgment in Malachi 3:5.
11 But
they would not listen; they turned a rebellious shoulder; they stopped their
ears rather than hear; 12 they
made their hearts adamant rather than listen to the teaching and the words that
Yahweh Sabaoth had sent by his spirit through the prophets in the past...
The covenant people's sin was rebellion in their refusal
to accept Yahweh's call to repentance and warnings of divine judgment through
His pre-exile prophets.
and consequently, the fury of Yahweh Sabaoth overtook
them. 13 And so, since when
he called, they would not listen, I would not listen when they called,' says
Yahweh Sabaoth, 14 but
scattered them among all the nations unknown to them. Hence, after they had
gone, the country [land] was deserted, and no one came or went. They had
turned a land of delights into a desert.'"
Yahweh compares the covenant people's failure to respond
to His call to repentance through the mission of His prophets to God's refusal
to hear them when they called for His help (cf., Is 1:15; Jer 7:13-15). Their
refusal to repent and return to the obedience of their covenant with Yahweh
brought the covenant judgments spelled out in the covenant treaty document at
Sinai that promised blessings for obedience but curse-judgments for apostasy
(see Lev 26:31-45; Dt 4:27-31; Dt 28:15-46).
The Oracles of Zechariah in Chapter 8:1-8
Zechariah 8:1-17 contains seven oracles Yahweh addresses
to the covenant people. The five poetic oracles in 8:1-8 and the two prose
oracles in verses 9-17 concern the restoration of Zion (verses numbered
according to the NJB but may be numbered differently in other translations). The
words "Yahweh Sabaoth says this" introduces each oracle (verses 2, 4, 6, 7, 9,
14) except for the second oracle that is introduced by "Yahweh says this"
(verse 3): Oracle #1 = 8:2; #2 = 8:3; #3 = 8:4-5; #4 = 8:6; #5 = 8:7-8; #6 =
8:9-13; #7 = 8:14-17. Oracles 1-5 are a collection of prophecies focused on what
Yahweh describes as an age of peace and happiness because His Divine Presence
is in Zion, dwelling among His faithful covenant people. Oracles 6-7 present a
warning and an exhortation in verses 16-17 concerning pleasing Yahweh by living
in righteousness.
Zechariah 8:1-8 ~ A Hymn of the Restoration and
Salvation of Zion
1 The word
of Yahweh Sabaoth came as follows:
Oracle #1: 2 Yahweh
Sabaoth says this: I have been burning with jealousy for Zion, with furious
jealousy for her sake.
Yahweh's self-description as "jealous" is a theme of the
Book of Deuteronomy (Dt 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; 32:16, 21; etc.). His jealousy is the
extravagance of His love in which He will not share the people set aside as His
chosen with any false god (also see this expression of God's commitment in Ex 20:5; 34:14; Num 25:11; Ez 8:3-5; 39:25; Zec 1:14; 2 Cor 11:2). In this
oracle, Yahweh's jealousy is zeal for achieving justice and peace for His
people.
Oracle #2: 3 Yahweh
says this: I am coming back to Zion and shall live in the heart of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem will be called Faithful City and the mountain of Yahweh Sabaoth, the
Holy Mountain.
Yahweh reaffirms His promise to return to His people (Zec 1:3) in the restored and consecrated Temple on Mount Moriah (also see Is 11:9;
65:25; Jer 31:23). Jerusalem will once again be a "Faithful City" and Mount
Moriah where the restored Temple stands on a "Holy Mountain."
Oracle #3: 4 Yahweh
Sabaoth says this: Aged men and women once again will sit in the squares of
Jerusalem, each with a stick to lean on because of their great age. 5 And the squares of the city will be
full of boys and girls playing there.
Yahweh renews His promises of protection and prosperity
for Jerusalem in Isaiah 11:9; 65:25; and Jeremiah 31:23.
Oracle #4: 6 Yahweh
Sabaoth says this: If this seems a miracle to the remnant of this people (in
those days), will it seem one to me? Declares Yahweh.
After the years in exile, for the covenant people living
in the restored Jerusalem, these events will seem like a miracle, but it is all
part of Yahweh's Divine Plan. The Bible often refers to the restored community
as "the remnant" (c.f., Is 10:22-23; 11:11; 37:31-32)
Oracle #5: 7 Yahweh
Sabaoth says this: Look, I shall rescue my people from the countries of the
east and from the countries of the west. 8
I shall bring them back to love in the heart of Jerusalem, and
they will be my people and I shall be their God, faithful and just.
Yahweh's promise to rescue His scattered people is a
frequent refrain of the prophets in Scripture (Jer 24:7; 31:33; 32:38;
Ez 11:20; 14:11; 37:23, 27). The Sinai Covenant stipulated that the right love
relationship with God would come about when the people were faithful and
obedient. But this time, the rescue is not just from the north in Babylon or
the south in Egypt but from the east and west, representing a gathering of the
scattered covenant people across the earth!
Zechariah 8:9-17 ~ Continuing Oracles for Zechariah's
People in the Present
Oracle #6: 9 Yahweh
Sabaoth says this, "Take heart, you who today hear these promises uttered by
the prophets since the day when the foundations of the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth
were laid, that the sanctuary would indeed be rebuilt. 10 For up to now, men were not paid their
wages, and nothing was paid for the animals either; and it has not been safe
for anyone to come and go, because of the enemy, since I had set each one
against everyone else. 11 But
from now on, I shall not treat the remnant of this people as I have treated
them in time past, declares Yahweh Sabaoth. 12 Now they will sow in peace; the vine will give its
fruit, the soil will give its produce, and heaven will give its dew. I shall
bestow all these on the remnant of this people. 13 Just as once you were a curse among the nations, House
of Judah and House of Israel, so now I shall save you, and you will be a
blessing. Do not be afraid. Take heart!"
The last series of oracles are in prose. The prophets the people "today" are Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the prophets of the return from exile and the last prophets until the mission of St. John the Baptist, the last of the Old Covenant prophets.
Verse 10 refers to the time before the people's positive response to Haggai and Zechariah's call for repentance when the people were struggling to survive (Hag 1:6-11; 2:4-9, 15-19; Zec 1:1-6). God points out in verse 12 that the holy remnant of His people can see He has removed the covenant curses and restored the covenant blessings to His people who are now sowing their crops in peace and reaping the benefits of the harvest (see Lev 26:3-13; Dt 28:1-14).
13 Just as
once you were a curse among the nations, House of Judah and House of Israel, so
now I shall save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid. Take
heart!"
The exiled people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and
the Southern Kingdom of Judah, scattered throughout the lands of Mesopotamia by
the Assyrians and Babylonians, have been an object of ridicule among the
Gentile nations (Jer 25:18; 29:18; Mic 6:16). But now that condition is going
to be reversed in an era of restoration characterized by agricultural
productivity and peace. Finally, He urges them to have courage and not to be
afraid because their God is with them.
Oracle #7: 14 For
Yahweh Sabaoth says this, "Just as I resolved to ill-treat you when your
ancestors provoked me to anger and did not relent, says Yahweh Sabaoth, 15 so now I have changed my mind and
intend to treat Jerusalem and the House of Judah well. Do not be afraid! 16 These things are what you must do.
Speak the truth to one another; at your gates, administer fair judgment conducive
to peace; 17 do not secretly
plot evil against one another; do not love perjury; since I hate all this,
Yahweh declares."
Yahweh continues to focus on covenant traditions,
stressing truth and justice as the basis of a newly restored faith community to
avoid the covenant curse-judgments and to reap the benefits of covenant
blessings (see Zec 7:9-10; Mic 6:12; Eph 4:25). He warns them a second time
(see 8:13) in verse 15 not to be afraid but to trust in their God and Divine
Father so long as they live in righteousness. The city gates in verse 16 were
where the community gathered to hear grievances, where elders made judicial
decisions and pronounced punishments for crimes against individuals and the
community (see Ruth 4:1-2). In 8:17, God warns against sins that could damage
the covenant people's relationship with Him again, listing the same wrongdoings
mentioned in 5:3.
Zechariah 8:18-19 ~ An Oracle Answering the Question
of Fasting
18 The
word of Yahweh Sabaoth was addressed to me as follows: 19 "Yahweh Sabaoth says this, The fast
of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the
fast of the tenth are to become glad, joyful, happy festivals for the House of
Judah. So love truth and peace!"
This passage is the first of three oracles (verses 18-23) promising a joyous future for Judah in her restored relationship with Yahweh. He now answers the question of the Bethel delegation in the prelude to the fifth oracle in 7:1-3. The answer is "no," they do not need to keep the fasts associated with Judah's national disasters and the Babylonian exile. They need to be joyful in their return from exile, their repentance of the sins of their ancestors resulting in Yahweh's forgiveness, and the restoration of their covenant with Yahweh, and the rebuilding of the Temple which is God's dwelling place among His covenant people.
Zechariah 8:20-23 ~ Two Oracles on the Prospect of
Salvation in the Messianic Age
20 Yahweh
Sabaoth says this, "In the future, peoples and citizens of many cities will
come; 21 and citizens of one
city will go to the next and say: We must certainly go to entreat Yahweh's
favor and seek out Yahweh Sabaoth; I am going myself. 22 Yes, many peoples and great nations
will seek out Yahweh Sabaoth in Jerusalem and entreat Yahweh's favor." 23 Yahweh Sabaoth says this, "In those
days, ten men from nations of every language will take a Jew by the sleeve and
say: We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with you."
These oracles point to a future time when worshiping the One, true God will spread beyond Judah/Israel. At that time, many peoples and nations will seek Yahweh and want to hear the testimony of His covenant people as they search for a relationship with God.
23 Yahweh
Sabaoth says this, "In those days, ten men from nations of every language will
take a Jew by the sleeve and say: We want to go with you, since we have learnt
that God is with you."
The "ten men" from the nations represents an ideal number
who responded to God's call to salvation. In the significance of numbers in
Scripture, ten is one of the "perfect numbers" indicating perfection of divine
order (i.e., as in the ten Egyptian plagues, the Ten Commandments, the ten
virgins in Jesus' parable in Mt 25:1-13; etc.; see the document on the
Significance of Numbers in Scripture
The universal harmony with God's covenant people who stand at the center of the oracle recalls Isaiah's prophetic oracles two centuries earlier. Isaiah's oracles include the peaceable kingdom (Is 11:6-9), the beating of swords into plowshares (Is 2:4; Mic 4:3), the love of God for other nations that is mediated through God's faithful prophet and Redeemer-Messiah (Is 19:23-25), and the work of the Servant of the Lord (Is 42:4; 49:1-6).
These are prophecies of the Messianic Age when a faithful remnant of Jews will, at last, fulfill their destiny to bring about a universal covenant family, overturning the rebellion of humanity in Eden and recalling Psalm 72:17, May his name be blessed forever, and endure in the sight of the sun. In him shall be blessed every race in the world, and all nations call him blessed. Jesus Christ is the Messianic hope of Israel (Rom 1:3-7; CCC 440, 453, 547). These final Messianic oracles in Part I are a fitting prelude to the prophecies in Part II of the Book of Zechariah.
Questions for reflection or discussion:
Question: How were the oracles in Zechariah 8:20-23 fulfilled in Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles and disciples who
carried out Jesus' command in Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 15-20; Luke 2:29-32;
24:45-48; Acts 1:6-8?
Question: The oracles in 8:20-23 recalls Isaiah's prophecy of universal salvation in Isaiah 66:18-23 in the conversion the Gentile nations, and when those faithful converts will restore the dispersed Jews to Jerusalem as an offering to God. How was this oracle historically fulfilled after World War II in 1947 by an act of the United Nations for a people who had not existed as a nation called "Israel" since 722 BC?
Endnotes:
1. Zechariah 14:4 mentions a split in the mountain that
will run from east to west when the Messiah returns in the eschatological
future. The Mount of Olives is only explicitly mentioned twice in the Old
Testament in 2 Sam 15:30 (associated with David) and in Zec 14:4 (associated
with the Davidic Messiah). It is a prominent site in the ministry of Jesus. New
Testament references to the Mount of Olives: Mt 21:1; 24:3; 26:30;
Mk 11:1; 13:3; 14:26;
Lk 19:29, 37; 22:39;
Jn 8:1; Acts 1:12.
2. A piebald coated horse has a pattern of pigmented spots on an unpigmented background. The spots are pigments in shades of black on a white body for a piebald. Horses with brown (bay) and white coloration are skewbalds. In North American English, they are either a "pinto" or a "paint."
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Catechism references for this lesson (* indicated Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):