THE FINAL VISION FOR ZECHARIAH: There will come a time when the Spirit can finally rest.
- Zechariah 6:1-8.
- In v. 8 we find an interesting phrase. I want to start there and then explain how we get there. Earlier in Zechariah prophetic visions we saw the idea of the Spirit restlessly moving to do God’s will. Now, we see an intriguing, promising phrase: the Spirit is at rest. This doesn’t mean that He is asleep or that He is no longer doing anything at all. Rather, it means that the major battle that He was in is completed. This is an amazing, encouraging thing. The battle comes to an end.
- What exactly is this pointing us toward? Let’s unpack what precedes.
- In v. 1 there are four chariots coming from two bronze mountains.
- The chariots speak of war.
- The number four speaks of completeness, in this case that it’s going to encompass the whole world.
- The two mountains speak of Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives. Between the two is the Kidron Valley. This is a Biblically significant place in prophecy. Battles will be fought there.
- Bronze is a symbol of judgment.
- Verses 2-3 have colored horses.
- The colors are interesting and can be tied to Revelation imagery, but we’ve got so much to get through tonight I’m going to pass on that.
- The horses speak of God’s messengers/angels going out to take God’s judgment to the whole world. Verse 7 indicates to us that this was not an easy task.
- They are successful, though. In particular, the land of the north, which indicates Babylon because they invaded Israel from the north is subdued so that the Spirit can have rest there. In other words, the hard work is completed.
- So, in sum, we have a vision of judgment over the whole earth and victory in particular over Babylon.
WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE:
- That would be impressive enough, but the book goes on to give us specific details about what the fulfillment of this looks like. I want to spend the majority of my time this evening here on what Zechariah shares with us about the fulfillment of this vision. There is some great stuff here.
- Verse 9 tells us that God is applying these truths. This is not Zechariah’s interpretation; this is the Word of the Lord.
- Again, as I’ve noted earlier in the series, it’s essential to stop here and remember when this is being written. This is hundreds of years before Christ. Each of the things here, including the ones that sound familiar to us, are being predicted long before Christ was on the earth. That should both blow our mind and give us confidence for the future that we know is in God’s hands.
1. The victory of Christ over prosperous, mighty Babylon proves His power.
- Zechariah 6:10-11, 14.
- This first statement is interesting. There apparently were three Jewish exiles who had just arrived that very day from Babylon back in Jerusalem. They had brought with them silver and gold. Given the context, I presume that this was not their personal treasure, but rather Babylonian treasure they were bringing back. I also presume that they would not receive the request as robbery, but rather that God had made them aware of what He was going to do with the gold and silver.
- In point 2 I’ll get into the crown, but for a moment just note that the spoils are from Babylon. God will defeat the most powerful worldly power.
2. The crown speaks to Christ’s authority to rule.
- Zechariah 6:11.
- They are to take the silver and gold and make a crown. This is important: the crown is coming from the spoils of God’s enemy. So it’s not just any silver and gold – it’s silver and gold that represents God’s victory over His enemies.
- Then they are to take the crown and place it on the head of the high priest Joshua. I’m going to talk more about the high priest angle in point 6, but let me mention here the name Joshua. That name is identical in the Hebrew to another name: Jesus. Both mean “Yahweh saves.”
- So Zechariah is instructed to make a crown from Babylonian treasure and put it on a guy whose name means “Yahweh saves.” How significant is all that?!
- While we’re talking about the crown, let me mention v. 14 in passing. After all these symbolic actions with the crown, they are instructed to put it in the Temple as a memorial. That is, it’s a reminder of what God has said He is going to do.
3. The name “Branch” points to Christ’s humble beginnings.
- Zechariah 6:12.
- Of all the titles that could be mentioned here, it’s interesting that “Branch” is.
- Branch speaks to a couple images. First, it’s a reminder of the throne of David and that Christ is coming from the “tree” of David.
- Second, and I think more importantly here, it’s a picture of humble beginnings. And, of course, we know that Christ will have humble beginnings when it is time for Him to enter this world.
- This would be, under normal circumstances, completely unexpected for such an important ruler. We would expect Him to come from greatness. But God’s plan was a feeding trough in little Bethlehem. Again, who would predict such a thing? Well, the Bible did.
4. Christ will build the Temple.
- Zechariah 6:12b-13a, 15a.
- There are two ways to take the mention in vv. 12-13 of building a Temple.
- One, obviously, is that a physical temple could be built in Jerusalem.
- A second is that a different kind of temple is mind. I think that’s true in light of v. 15. There we are told that “those far away will come and help build the temple of the Lord.” That “far away” imagery is used of Gentiles in the New Testament. I think this is a picture of God building a “temple” with the help of Gentiles. That “temple” is the church.
- This is, again, a stunning prediction. From where we stand, the rise of the Gentile church seems obvious and inevitable. But it was anything but to those living in OT times. It would be like predicting the internet before there was even electricity. And yet here is the clear look in that direction.
5. Christ will be clothed in majestic glory.
- Zechariah 6:13b.
- Here we have a picture of a glorious king. The imagery could be taken just to mean an impressive king but given the reality of what we know actually happens, it’s easy to see the idea here of the Son of God enthroned in heaven as well as on earth.
- This gives us the hope of seeing Christ as the ruling king and not just the suffering servant. The latter as necessary for our salvation, but the former is necessary for the final victory.
6. Christ will be Priest and King in one throne.
- Zechariah 6:13c.
- The end of v. 13 contains some wording that at first is confusing. Once you grasp it, though, the meaning is important.
- In addition to being a king, which has been established with the crown imagery, the text tells us: “And he will be a priest on his throne.” This is unexpected. Today, of course, we are used to the separation of church and state, but even in that day the roles of priest and king were to be held in Israel by two different people.
- Now we are told that there will be a time when the king will also be the priest. As the verse continues, “And there will be harmony between the two.”
- This tells us that this one who is coming is unusual. He will occupy both roles.
OUR PART IN THIS: We need to obey.
- Zechariah 6:15b.
- I think we need to be careful with this final word. It is not saying that God’s grand and ultimate vision is dependent on whether one of us obeys or not. It is an open question what the antecedent of “This will happen” is. Is it the whole thing? Is it the earlier part of v. 15? Is it the last previous statement in v. 15?
- None are clean.
- It could be that he is saying you will get to participate in this if you obey.
- It could be that he is saying you will know this is from God if you obey.
- Let’s just stick with a general truth that we can draw from this: we need to obey Christ if we hope to be part of what God is doing here.
