Journey Through Zechariah

The Minor Prophets, for the most part, are fairly brief. That is why they are referred to as Minor Prophets. And yet, the prophet we come to today is the longest of the Minor Prophets. His name is Zechariah. His name actually means the one Jehovah remembers. Aren’t you glad God has promised never to forget you? He remembers you today.

I hope you will remember him. Let us journey through Zechariah and learn what God has for us in this book.

Listen: Journeying through Zechariah

Overview of Zechariah

The Bible says in Zechariah 1:1 that Zechariah was “…the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo…” It is interesting, but if you look at the meaning of each of those three names, Zechariah means the one Jehovah remembers, Berechiah means Jehovah blesses, and Iddo means appointed time. If you put the names together, it means Jehovah remembers to bless in his appointed time. And indeed He does.

Zechariah talks about such a season. He was a prophet and a priest who started his ministry as a very young man. He is a contemporary of Haggai, and both of these men concentrated on the Lord’s blessing on the new temple.

Chapters one through eight of this book were written during the work on the temple, and then chapters nine through fourteen were written after its completion. And so, he brings us through this rebuilding process, this restoration that is going on as the people come back and the temple is rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity.

As a contemporary of Haggai, though, he is slightly younger. He focuses on the same goal, but they are different. You might say it this way:

• Haggai was the realist. Zechariah was the visionary.
• Haggai focused primarily on the material aspects of building the house. Zechariah focused more on the spiritual emphasis.
• Haggai’s message was be strong. Zechariah’s message was here is how to be strong.

Key Verse of Zechariah

The key verse of this book is an amazing verse. It is frequently quoted, yet very few people know exactly where it is found in the Bible, or the context. In Zechariah 4:6, the Bible says: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Can you think of a verse that we need any more than that verse today in the work of God? The thing that you are dealing with today, it is not by your might, it is not by your power, it is by the spirit of the living God. You need more than your own resources. You need what God alone can do.

Zechariah gives eight visions in the opening chapters of this book. Then he gives four sermons, and then he closes with two burdens. But if you take all of that and boil it down to one message, the one great message of this book is we need the empowering of the Holy Spirit of God. Of all the things we could study from Zechariah, if you boil it all down to one thing, the greatest need we all have is that we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. Without the empowering of the Christ who lives inside of us, all is in vain. And so, I want to ask you, would you pray today, “God, fill me with the Holy Spirit?” Pray today, “Lord, I am trusting not my mind, not my power, but the might and power of your Holy Spirit.” He is the all-powerful God living inside of you.

Key Word of Zechariah

Now the key word of the book is the word jealous, and our God is a jealous God. And there is a verse that I want to draw your attention to.

In Zechariah 8:3, the Bible says: “Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.”  Notice verse two, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.” 

Three times he uses the word jealous. Notice in verse three He says He has returned. Isn’t it wonderful when God comes in, when the Lord’s presence is there? Our God is jealous. The Holy Spirit that lives inside of you, He is a jealous God. He does not want you to give your love and affectionate attention to anyone but Him. He deserves it; He demands it; He desires it.

The Holy Spirit Wants All of You

The Bible says in the New Testament that, “The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy” (James 4:5). It is the same idea as the Holy Spirit in Zechariah being a jealous God. What does it mean? It means today the Holy Spirit wants all of you, not part of you. He doesn’t want some cursory glance, some peripheral prayer; He wants to be your everything: your all-in-all — the center and the circumference of your life. He wants to guide your every step, to order your every thought, to control every word. The only way that can happen is by yielding to the control of the Holy Spirit of God inside us.

The temple is just all formality. It is an empty religious ritual apart from the Holy Spirit. So many of us have become temples where Christ dwells, and yet very little power is seen. Why is that? Because we are pretty good at going through the motions, but we are leaning on our own effort and energy instead of the control and power of the Holy Spirit of God. Get acquainted with the God who lives inside of you. Get acquainted with the Holy Spirit of God Himself.

Prophecies of Christ in Zechariah

Did you know that Zechariah gives more prophecies of Christ than any other prophetic book except for Isaiah? Isaiah is much bigger, much longer than Zechariah, but Zechariah is second only to Isaiah. (To read 55 prophecies that Jesus Christ fulfilled, click HERE) As a matter of fact, when you read through the book, you will see the following prophecies and references to Christ.

• Christ is referred to as the branch (Zechariah 3:8, Zechariah 6:12)
• He is the priest and the king (Zechariah 6:13)
• He is the just and the lowly one, who is coming riding on a colt (Zechariah 9:9)
• He is the cornerstone (Zechariah 10:4)
• He is the nail (Zechariah 10:4)
• He is the bow of promise (Zechariah 10:4)
• He is the Spirit of grace (Zechariah 12:10)
• He is the pierced one (Zechariah 12:10). This verse is referenced in the New Testament “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” (John 19:37)
• He is the fountain (Zechariah 13:1)
• He is the shepherd (Zechariah 13:7)
• He is the king of all the earth (Zechariah 14:9)
• He is the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 14:16-17)

We even read of the hands of Jesus in Zechariah 13:6. Read the book of Zechariah for yourself, and you keep seeing Jesus Christ over and over and over again.

The Spirit-Filled Life

Do you know why there is so much Christ in the book of Zechariah? Because Zechariah was filled and led by the Holy Spirit.

Remember that Jesus said, when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, Christ will be lifted up. The Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself (John 16:13). He speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the great marks and characteristics of a Spirit-filled life is that you will make much of Jesus, you will think much of Jesus, and you will speak much of Jesus. And I am convinced if we — all of us — were more filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ would be more known in our world. Christ would be spoken of more frequently. He would be loved, and He would be adored. (Listen to the message “When Joshua met Jesus” from Zechariah 3:1-10 by clicking HERE)

What we need is an army of people like Zechariah. We need an army of people in our generation who want to do more than go through the motions of religious ritual, who want to do more than just have a temple, have a building. Those who truly desire to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, and to lift up Jesus Christ and advance His work so that everyone can come to know the true and living God.

Would you take Zechariah and make this your prayer today? “Lord, not by my might, not by my power, but by your spirit.”

Oh Lord, fill us today with the Holy Spirit of God.

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About Scott Pauley

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Jesus Taught On the Holy Spirit