Zechariah was an Old Testament prophet who lived and prophesied during the time when the Jewish people had returned from exile in Babylon to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Zechariah’s ministry took place from approximately 520-518 B.C., making him a contemporary of the prophet Haggai.
Zechariah’s name means “Yahweh remembers” or “Yahweh has remembered.” This refers to God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to His people Israel. The book of Zechariah contains extensive messianic prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, which contributes to Zechariah’s importance as a prophet.
Zechariah’s Background
The Bible provides some biographical background on Zechariah. He was the son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo (Zechariah 1:1). This means he came from a priestly family, as Iddo was appointed head of a priestly family when Joiakim was high priest (Nehemiah 12:4, 16). Zechariah’s grandfather Iddo had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon with Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, in 538 B.C. (Nehemiah 12:4).
Zechariah was likely born in Babylon during the exile. He would have returned to Judah with his grandfather Iddo as a young man. This means Zechariah spent his formative years in exile, giving him firsthand experience of living under God’s judgment for Judah’s sin and idolatry. However, he witnessed God’s faithfulness in allowing His people to return and rebuild.
Zechariah was called by God to be a prophet, along with the prophet Haggai, shortly after the Jewish people had returned from Babylon around 520 B.C. (Ezra 5:1). Zechariah and Haggai both delivered prophecies to encourage the rebuilding of the temple, which had stalled due to opposition.
Historical Context
To understand Zechariah’s prophecies, it is important to consider the historical context in which he ministered.
In 586 B.C., the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Judah, destroying Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple. They took most of the population into exile in Babylon for 70 years as judgment for Judah’s idolatry (2 Kings 25:1-21). However, God had promised through the prophet Jeremiah that after 70 years He would restore His people to their land (Jeremiah 25:11-12).
In 539 B.C., the Persians under Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon. The next year Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4). About 50,000 Jewish people returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest (Ezra 2:64-65).
By 520 B.C., the returnees had rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation for the new temple. However, due to opposition from neighbors, along with hardship and discouragement, the people had neglected building the temple. Instead, they focused on building their own houses (Ezra 3:1-13, 4:4-5, 24; Haggai 1:2-11).
It was in this context that Zechariah along with Haggai were called by God to prophesy to the people and leaders, urging them to resume building the temple. Zerubbabel led the work, supported by the prophets (Ezra 5:1-2; Zechariah 4:6-10). The temple was finally completed in 516 B.C.
Outline of Zechariah’s Prophecies
The book of Zechariah contains a series of visions and prophecies that can be divided into two major sections:
- Chapters 1-8: Prophecies relating to the completion of the second temple.
- Chapters 9-14: Prophecies about God’s future restoration of Israel and the coming of the Messiah.
Here is an outline of the major content in the book of Zechariah:
Chapters 1-6
This section contains a series of eight night visions that Zechariah saw, along with some accompanying prophecies:
- Vision of the horsemen (1:7-17): God will restore Jerusalem.
- Vision of the four horns and craftsmen (1:18-21): God will judge the nations who scattered Judah.
- Vision of the man with a measuring line (2:1-13): Jerusalem will be restored.
- Vision of Joshua the high priest (3:1-10): The coming of the Branch, a Messianic prophecy.
- Vision of the gold lampstand and olive trees (4:1-14): Zerubbabel will finish rebuilding the temple by God’s Spirit.
- Vision of the flying scroll (5:1-4): God’s judgment on sinners.
- Vision of the woman in a basket (5:5-11): Wickedness will be removed from the land back to Babylon.
- Vision of the four chariots (6:1-8): God’s spirit will bring judgment on the nations but rest for Israel.
interspersed with these visions are prophecies about keeping God’s commandments (1:2-6), restoring Jerusalem (2:10-13), crowning Joshua the high priest (6:9-15), and honoring the fast days related to the destruction of Jerusalem (7:1-8:23).
Chapters 7-8
This section contains a prophecy responding to a question about whether they should continue observing fasts for the destruction of Jerusalem (7:1-3). God calls them to live righteously instead (7:4-14). He promises to restore the land and people, fulfilling their fasts with joy (8:1-23).
Chapters 9-14
The final section contains two “burdens” or “oracles,” each introduced with the phrase “a declaration of the word of the LORD.”
Burden #1 (chapters 9-11) contains judgments on Israel’s enemies (9:1-8) and a prophecy about Zion’s coming king (9:9-10). It warns of God’s judgment on unfaithful shepherds (leaders) but promises a faithful shepherd God will raise up (10:1-11:17).
Burden #2 (chapters 12-14) foretells Israel’s repentance and refinement through suffering (12:1-13:9). It prophecies about idolatry being removed (13:1-6) and two-thirds being struck down, with one-third remaining and being refined (13:7-9). Finally, it promises the LORD will return to the Mount of Olives (14:1-21) to rescue His people and establish His kingdom on earth.
Key Themes
Some of the major themes that emerge in the book of Zechariah are:
- Judgment and restoration: God’s people had experienced His judgment through exile in Babylon for their sin. Now He promises to restore them to the land if they repent and obey.
- Rebuilding the temple: A key focus is encouragement to rebuild the temple, which had stalled. The visions and prophecies urge Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people to complete the task.
- Messianic prophecies: Zechariah contains extensive prophecies about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, portrayed as the Branch and a Shepherd King who will reign in Jerusalem.
- Rejecting unfaithful shepherds: Warnings against following unfaithful leaders and prophets who lead the people astray.
- Judgment on Israel’s enemies: God will judge and destroy the nations who mistreated His people.
- Israel’s repentance: Israel is called to sincerely repent and follow the LORD rather than clinging to empty ritual observances.
- Holiness: The people are to be holy as God is holy, eliminating idolatry and sin (12:1-13:9).
- The LORD’s return: The book culminates with prophecies of the Lord coming to rescue His people and establish His kingdom on earth (14:1-21).
Historical Fulfillment
Many of Zechariah’s prophecies had both an immediate, partial fulfillment along with an ongoing or future fulfillment. Here are some of the historical fulfillments that can be seen:
- The temple was completed – Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the returnees from exile completed the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, as Zechariah had prophesied (Ezra 5-6).
- Enemies were judged – Nations like Babylon declined while Persia rose to power and funded the rebuilding of the temple, fulfilling prophecies of judgment on Israel’s enemies.
- More exiles returned – After the temple was rebuilt, more Jewish exiles returned to the land under Ezra’s leadership around 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:1-10) and then Nehemiah’s leadership around 445 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-10).
However, some prophecies only saw partial or symbolic fulfillment:
- Israel was not fully restored or made completely holy yet.
- The Messiah did not come to rule on David’s throne.
- The LORD did not return to dwell on earth yet.
These prophecies point forward to greater future fulfillment.
Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
Many of Zechariah’s messianic prophecies find fulfillment in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are some examples:
- “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) – Fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11).
- “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” (Zechariah 13:7) – Fulfilled when Jesus was struck down at His crucifixion and His disciples scattered (Matthew 26:31).
- “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10) – Fulfilled by Jesus’ crucifixion and the mourning at His death (John 19:34-37).
- The Branch – “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.” (Zechariah 6:12) – Jesus is the Branch who builds God’s temple, the church (Matthew 16:18).
Zechariah also prophesied about the LORD returning and living in Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:3). While this has not happened yet literally, Jesus talked about God’s kingdom being near (Matthew 4:17) and dwelling spiritually in those who believe in Him (John 14:23).
Prophetic Significance
In addition to foretelling Christ’s first coming, Zechariah contains prophecies that are still to be fulfilled in relation to His second coming. These include:
- Israel repenting and accepting Christ (Zechariah 12:10).
- Idolatry and false prophets removed from the land (Zechariah 13:1-6).
- The scattering of the sheep when the Shepherd (Christ) was struck (Zechariah 13:7).
- The LORD returning to the Mount of Olives to fight for His people (Zechariah 14:1-4).
- Living waters flowing out from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8).
- The LORD reigning as king over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9).
- All the nations will worship the LORD in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:16).
These prophecies depict events surrounding Jesus Christ’s second coming in power and glory to rescue Israel, destroy His enemies, redeem all who believe in Him, and establish His kingdom on earth. The book of Revelation expands on these prophecies about the consummation of God’s plans.
Lessons from Zechariah
Some key lessons that can be learned from the prophet Zechariah include:
- God keeps His promises – After disciplining His people, God restored them as He had promised.
- God wants heartfelt repentance – Going through religious motions is not enough. God wants sincere seeking of Him (Zechariah 7:8-10).
- Jesus is the Messiah – Zechariah gives one of the most extensive Messianic prophecies about Christ’s first and second comings.
- Finish God’s work – The prophecies encouraged the people to persevere and complete rebuilding the temple despite opposition.
- Trust God’s power – By His Spirit, God empowered His servants like Zerubbabel to accomplish His purposes (Zechariah 4:6-9).
- God cares for His people – The Messiah would come as a gentle shepherd-king who cares for His flock.
- Reject false shepherds – The people were warned against following unfaithful leaders and listening to false prophets.
- Wait on God’s timing – Some prophecies are only fulfilled progressively over time, awaiting God’s perfect timing.
Zechariah reminds believers today to trust in God’s faithfulness and wait patiently for Him to fulfill His promises in His perfect timing.
Summary of Zechariah’s Importance
Zechariah was a significant prophet for the following reasons:
- He prophesied during an important time when the exiles were returning from Babylon to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
- His prophecies motivated the leaders and people to complete rebuilding the temple.
- He contributed vital messianic prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
- His visions and prophecies offered hope of future restoration, return, and holiness.
- He called the people to sincere repentance and righteous living.
- His Messianic prophecies helped identify Jesus as the promised Messiah through their fulfillment.
- His end-times prophecies offer a glimpse into future prophetic events surrounding Christ’s second coming.
- The themes of his prophecies – restoration, repentance, rebuilding, and Messianic hope – remain relevant for believers today.
For these reasons, Zechariah stands out as an important prophet who faithfully delivered God’s message at a pivotal time in Israel’s history. The book bearing his name makes a significant contribution to both Old Testament prophecy and revealing God’s unfolding plan of redemption through the Messiah.