Zechariah

Date Written: Chapters 1-8 were written about 520-518 B.C. Chapters 9-14 were written around 480 B.C.

Author: Zechariah

Setting: The exiles had returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple, but the work had stopped. Haggai & Zechariah confronted the people with their task & encouraged them to complete it. Zechariah & Haggai overlapped by one month with Zechariah beginning exactly where Haggai left off. Zechariah looked into the far distant future, while Haggai dealt with the present & its immediate problems.

Key People: Zerubbabel, Joshua

Purpose: To give hope to God’s people by revealing God’s future deliverance through the Messiah

Key Verses: Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous & having salvation, gentle & riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey…He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea & from the River to the ends of the earth. 9:9-10

Chapter Outline:

1-8 Messages While Rebuilding the Temple

9-14 Messages After Completing the Temple

Importance of reading Zechariah:

What we read: God was angry at His people for ignoring His prophets through the years. Disobedience was the root of their problems & the cause of their misery. God was jealous for their devotion to Him. What we can learn: God is jealous for our devotion too. Don’t reject God or follow false teachers. Turn to God & faithfully obey Him.

What we read: Zechariah was calling the Jews to repent & return to God & reminded them of God’s future promises of blessings. When enemies of the Jewish people heard that they had returned to their land & had begun to rebuild the temple, they started causing trouble. They scared God’s people & they stopped rebuilding the temple. About 15-16 years had passed & the Jewish people hadn’t done any work on it. They had forgotten God’s promises to them & instead of trusting Him to fight their enemies & give them the strength to rebuild the temple, they just quit.  What we can learn: When we remember that God always keeps His promises, we can find encouragement in difficult situations. Take your eyes off of the situation & put them on the promises of God.   

What we read: Zechariah had 8 visions from God. The visions reminded God’s people that He was in control & He would keep His promise to send the Messiah. Many of the visions were about their future. They could have hope because God promised a future glory for His people & for the land of Jerusalem. He told of the Messiah, the One whom God would send to rescue His people & to reign over all the earth. What we can learn: As you read this book, you will see details of Jesus’ life that were written 500 years before their fulfillment. But there is also a future message that hasn’t been fulfilled yet – the return of Christ at the end of time. Your King is coming & He will feign forever & ever!

What we read: Zechariah’s message of God’s future promises to His people encouraged them to get back to work & rebuild the temple. It was finally completed 4 years later. What we can learn: We can be just like the Jewish people living in Zechariah’s day. Our circumstances can be very hard & we stop trusting God to help us. When we do that, we become very discouraged. Then the discouragement causes us to stop following & trusting God the way we should. Let God’s promise of Jesus’ future return give us hope to press on through difficult circumstances.

Things to think about as you read Zechariah:

• Think about what it means to you personally to realize that God reigns supreme over the nations. That He has declared things before they have come to pass & that as He has purposed, so it shall be. If He can handle nations, can He handle your life?
• Do you take time to listen-really listen-to what God says in His Word? If you haven’t listened, God’s invitation to return to Him is still for you today.
• God said, “The Lord is coming; He will dwell in our midst.” Are you prepared? If not, what do you need to do in order to be ready?

Malachi

Date Written: About 430 B.C.

Author: Malachi

Setting: Malachi confronted the people with their neglect of the temple & their false & profane worship.

Key People: Malachi, the priests

Purpose: To confront the people with their sins & to restore their relationship with God

Key Verses: Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace….But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out & leap like calves released from the stall. 4:1-2

Chapter Outline:

1-2:9 The Sinful Priests

2:10-3:15 The Sinful People

3:16-4:6 The Faithful Few

Importance of reading Malachi:

What we read: Malachi starts his message by reminding the people that God loves them. What we can learn: God never stops loving His people. However, He still has to judge sin because He is holy. His love is found in Him sending His son to die on the cross for forgiveness of our sin. His love is found in His grace & mercy.

What we read: God called them to a sincere worship of Him & Him alone. He never excused their idolatry & sin. What we can learn: God expects the same from us. Anything that our heart holds in greater affection than Christ is an idol. Keep God in His rightful place. Worship Him alone.

What we read: The priest knew what God required, yet their sacrifices were unworthy & their service was insincere. They had a casual attitude toward the worship of God. They should have been leading the people to do what is right & teaching them truth from God’s Word. What we can learn: It matters who you follow. Make sure their teaching lines up with the word of God.

What we read: Malachi shocked the people by telling them that when God came to punish bad people, He would start in His temple. They were crying out to God to deal with bad people, but when He came it would be them that He would deal with. What we can learn: We have to be concerned with our own relationship with God. Don’t be deceived in thinking you are without sin. Ask God to search your heart & to point out anything that isn’t pleasing to Him.

Things to think about as you read Malachi:

• What do you learn from God’s Word to the priests that you can apply to your own life? If you belong to Jesus, you are part of a kingdom of priests unto God. What kind of a priest are you? Do you lead others according to the Word of the Lord or has some of the world’s philosophy crept in?

Video Link: https://youtu.be/N9Z6_bi3G6Q?si=fv-2bon8kH718hlP

Blessings,

Nichole Henson

Fullness of Joy Ministry