Hello My Friend,
The Book of Zechariah is the thirty-eighth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains fourteen chapters. The author of the book is Zechariah and it was written to the new generation of Jews who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. The timeline for these events took place around 520BC. The purpose of the book was to renew a spiritual commitment with God, and to warn them of the coming second judgment when Christ returns. What we are to learn from the book is that God is in control of the affairs of all, His infinite love and care are in all who receive Christ, known as the BRANCH. “And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.” – Zechariah 2:11.
Zechariah was a prophet of the remnant of Jerusalem whom had been released from captivity to Babylon seventy years after the judgement of Jerusalem had taken place and are now in the midst of rebuilding the Temple. Through Zechariah God addresses the new generation of Jews who are just coming to know who God really is. “The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. 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.” – Zechariah 1:2-4,6.
The Lord of hosts means that God is mighty in power and in control of everything. God is telling them not to follow in their fathers footsteps, whom have ignored His Word and commands. He encourages them to turn to Him and He will turn to them, and continues to say that judgment is coming regardless of whether or not they repent. We are all going to face Christ one day, regardless of whether or not we received Him as our Savior, and He is going to deal with us accordingly. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” – Revelation 22:11,12.
Often we come to the end of our resources and lose confidence in our own abilities before we learn to trust God. However, no matter how impossible things look, God is always there, He will take care of His people, we just have to endure some pain and suffering at times in the midst of them. God assures the Jews that He will be with them and they will be blessed by committing themselves to Him. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” – Zechariah 2:10-12.
God gives this assurance to all who seek Him, until we humble ourselves before God He cannot or will not interfere with our lives. People do not realize that if they want to see the power of God on their lives they need to ask Him for it. God will not force Himself upon anyone, but willingly helps all who are willing to let Him help them. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” – Matthew 21:21,22.
Through Zechariah, God also foretells the second coming of Christ, “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.” – Zechariah 6:12,13,15.
Jesus is the BRANCH, He is also the vine that branches off of God. The only way that we are going to be fruitful and flourish like a healthy fig tree is to abide in Christ. Renew your spirit, commit to Jesus, and when we do all the blessings just keep pouring in. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” – John 15: 4-7.
At the heart of every faithful Christian is not the religion they choose, it is the Word of God. They are not merely hearers of the Word, they are doers of the Word. Without God’s Word we would be no different than the rest of the world. It is God’s Word that instructs us, corrects us, and gives us the peace, hope, and assurance that we need to keep serving God faithfully as we await the blessed promise of the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” – 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for making me a part of Your family, not by works or even obedience to Your commands am I saved from judgment, but solely by my faith and trust in the finished work that Christ did am I saved. Lord, You know the intentions of out hearts, as You allow circumstances and affliction to examine our hearts, lead us and guide us and keep us in Your Word so we can not be only hears of Your Word, but doers also. Remind us that we are not doing this for our salvation, but simply to honor You and thank You for all that You have done for us because we first turned to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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