Ring Around The Myrtle Bush Series

Zechariah 1: 1 – 20

Ring around the Myrtle Bush

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2 “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.”’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the LORD. 5 “ Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 Yet surely My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? “So they returned and said: ‘ Just as the LORD of hosts determined to do to us, according to our ways and according to our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’” 7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: 8 I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. 9 Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.” 10 And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” 11 So they answered the Angel of the LORD, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” 12 Then the Angel of the LORD answered and said, “O LORD of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?” 13 And the LORD answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words. 14 So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “ I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. 15 I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, and they helped—but with evil intent.” 16 ‘Therefore thus says the LORD: “ I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the LORD of hosts, “ And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’ 17 “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “ My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem.” 18 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. 19 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” So he answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” So he said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

Welcome. Today we begin our study of the prophet Zechariah. He is referred to as a minor prophet. This is not because he didn’t have important things to say, but somebody listed the prophets as minor and major because of the length of their writings. There are 4 Major Prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They are responsible for 5 books. Now which one wrote two? Yes – Jeremiah – he also wrote the book of Lamentations. It is interesting that Zechariah is considered the principal book of the 12 listed minor prophets. How about that for information.

The book of Zechariah has been called by some as the ‘Little Revelation’ or ‘The book of Revelation of the Old Testament’ because of its references to so many factors in the New Testament book of Revelation.

His name means ‘The Lord Yahweh Remembers’ We read in verse 1, “1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet.” Out of the two additional names mentioned “Iddo’ stands out. He was one of the leaders of the priests that returned from Babylon to Judah. We find this information out from the book of Ezra chapter 5, 1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.