Observations from Zechariah

I finished reading the Bible again yesterday. That day is always a ‘landmark’

worth noting in my notebook. And I hated to be done! The minor prophets are so

interesting! But they go fast because they are so short. And I am loving what I

read in the minor prophets so much, that I went back to Zechariah, and made

these notes:

These notes are just the thoughts that popped into my mind as I read. These days,

I am looking for clues about the character of God. What is He really like? What

moves Him toward compassion? What does He love, what does He hate? The

more I read, the more I get to know Him. And this is why we should get to know

Him: ‘A declaration of the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the

foundations of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.’ (Zechariah

12:1b). He created everything, including us, and therefore, He deserves all of our

attention! And I noticed this:

1. He is a God who relents and restores. Zechariah 1:3 says: ‘Return to me-

this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies-and I will return to you says the

Lord of Armies.’ That is the very first thing He said the to the prophet

Zechariah! Before He points out their sin, He reminds them that no matter

what they have done, a relationship with Him is still possible. He says the

same thing in Malachi, Jeremiah, Revelation, and other places. He longs to

forgive those who are willing to be brutally honest about their sin and to

repent and turn from it.

2. He is gracious to the undeserving. Zechariah 3 shows us a glimpse into a

scene in heaven. Joshua, the high priest, is standing before the Lord in filthy

clothes, with Satan standing at God’s right side to accuse him. Satan is right:

Joshua is indeed a sinner, but God has chosen to rescue him. ‘isn’t this man

a burning stick snatched from the fire?’ God intends to put the fire out, but

Satan wants the fire to destroy him. So, God takes off his filthy clothes (his

sin) and puts clean clothes on him. But not only clean clothes, He puts

festive robes on him! He dresses him in the best clothes. (Jesus’

righteousness). And then I remembered the prodigal son. He did the same

thing for him! He ignored the son’s words of repentance because he saw

the actions of repentance and said to his servants: ‘Quick! Bring out the

best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a

feast, because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and

is found. So, they began to celebrate.’ (Luke 15:22-24). And I noticed this:

God is the same in both stories: He honors those who come to Him in

humility! He doesn’t just give them a seat at the table, he puts them in a

place of honor! That shows the heart of God toward us! Our sins are

thrown out and we are dressed in His righteousness alone!

3. His graciousness toward us should change us! Back to Zechariah. Now Joshua

is standing before the Lord in a clean turban and festive robes. God has

already honored him when He gives him this message: ‘Then the angel of

the Lord charged Joshua: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: If you walk

in my ways and keep my mandates, you will both rule my house and take

care of my courts; I will also grant you access among those who are

standing here.’ (Zechariah 3:6:7). I know it’s hard for us to imagine the glory

of the vision that Zechariah had, but I bet Joshua wanted nothing more

than to walk in His ways! To be in His presence forever? And not only that,

but in a place of honor? What a gift. And the more I read my Bible, the

more I believe that His ways are best! Not only are they good, but they are

also best! What He is asking of us is not too much. This is what Jesus tells us

in Matthew 11:28: ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am

lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke

is easy and my burden is light.’ What does that mean? Well, this much I

know: the ways of the world don’t satisfy. I tried that once, and it was

miserable. But then, on the day God Himself came and whispered to me:

‘get to know Me…’: my life began to change! If Jesus tells us to learn from

Him, then we need to get to know Him! He will show you what needs to

change in your life to experience Him. And that will only happen when you

open your Bible.

4. He tells us what is good. Maybe you are saying: ‘what are His ways’? In

Zechariah 7, He tells us this message: ‘Make fair decisions. Show faithful

love and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the

fatherless, the resident alien or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts

against one another.’ Well, if I am on the receiving end, I appreciate all

those things! But these people refused to pay attention, they turned a

stubborn shoulder, closed their ears so they could not hear, and made their

hearts like a rock. And why? Because they wanted to do what they wanted

to do! They didn’t want to be kind or compassionate or care about the poor

or be fair to each other! Every man for himself. Which is a very stressful

way to live: we cannot trust each other because no one can be trusted! Do

you see that the life God has for us is so much better? So, if you are feeling

the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit, don’t ignore it! On the other side of

repentance from sin is peace and life.

‘Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what the Lord

requires of you; to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly

with your God.’

(Micah 6:8). And that’s the only way to enjoy this life.