Category: Zechariah

Timing, Turmoil, Trust.

~ Steve Vandop ~ 1 Comment

Just before deadline - time, stress or rush concept.

Timing is everything. We are repeatedly reminded through scripture that God has a plan and we are to put our faith and trust in Him. Habakkuk was getting tired of waiting, “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not save”. “Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?” The culture surrounding the time of Habakkuk was in a deep dark place far from God, they had once again forgotten who He was. From Habakkuk’s perspective things couldn’t get any worse and yet it did, God was going to use an unbelieving nation to destroy the people who turned away from God. In his prayer in chapter 3 Habakkuk calls on God to remember mercy in His wrath as He dealt with the people, Habakkuk was remembering the people who continued to follow God. Throughout this time in a culture of wickedness and unfaithfulness there were still those who stayed true to serving the Lord.

We read a similar message in the book of Zephaniah not just for a nation but also for judgment on the whole earth, “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord… When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth”. Each time I read through these books I begin to understand a little bit more of the burden that this message would have had on the prophets. Yes, these were men of God, faithful and true to His word but they were still men, they had all the same pressures of the culture and society around them. Zephaniah writes in chapter two a big part of “making it through” was their hope and faith in God, it was an attitude of humility before Him that would see them saved from the day of the Lord’s anger.

The message we read through the last pages of the Minor Prophets is one of hope and continued restoration of the relationship of God and His people. We begin to see the process of rebuilding faith in loving and forgiving God. Zechariah chapter 8 outlines the Lords promises to bless Jerusalem, verses four and five picture two generations of believers that hold the key to a change in the culture. The picture is of the (old) faithful remnant watching as the next generation of boys and girls move forward in carrying on what they have brought so far. This is a picture of hope that we must be striving towards today as we pass on our faith to the generations behind us.

Continued Encouragment and Instruction.

~ Steve Vandop ~ 1 Comment

zechariah

Zechariah’s task, his calling was to continue building on the message Haggai had started, giving direction to the continued building of the temple and instruction of obedience in following God. God used Zechariah to provide the people with a better understanding of how they were to respond to His faithfulness in bringing them to this place. Zechariah had the privilege of sharing with them the things that God had planned for them; the judgment on their enemies, the promise of blessing on Jerusalem and the hope of the coming Messiah.

Reading the first six chapters of Zechariah has given me a glimpse into the faith and trust that Zechariah had that the Lord would continue to provide. I appreciate the fact that through the 8 different visions that Zechariah experienced he had to depend on and ask an angel to interpret them. We have it written for us in scripture, this for me is a reminder that we have the responsibility to bring everything before God for understanding. God used the visions and the angel to help Zechariah to understand and deliver these messages to the people. Today we have the word of God that helps us communicate the good news with others.

We continue to wait on the second coming of Christ, we long for the day when He comes to take us home. Is this the same longing the people of Zechariah’s time had for the first coming? We like them continue to have the same struggles around sin and disobedience, God still cries out for us to have repentant hearts turning to Him. Zechariah begins with a call to repentance and finished with a word of hope that one day we (the faithful) will sit and eat together with our Heavenly Father. Our message is the same today, it is my job to communicate that same call to repentance, to give that same picture of hope for something better.

Father I pray that as I grow you give me the strength and courage to boldly proclaim your message of hope and love to a city of lost and lonely people.