When Pastor Ben and I sat down to plan and organise the preaching schedule for 2014 we made an error in copying. Having inserted our ministry trainee, Mario, into the preaching roster we forgot to shift the schedule down one slot and left off Zechariah from ‘The Twelve’ sermon series. We’ll probably preach from the book in 2015.

But briefly, the book of Zechariah is probably what we think of when we hear the word ‘prophets’. The book contains lots of visions and oracles and strange imagery—but for those among us who sat through the Revelation sermon series last year, much of the imagery will sound familiar. Zechariah can be divided into two halves. The first half, chapters 1-6, (containing much of the strange imagery) focuses on God’s return to rebuild his temple and appoint and equip chosen leaders for the task. In doing so God cleans out the old and brings in the new. The second half, chapters 7-14, contain two oracles. In the first oracle (chpts 9-11) God brings judgement upon the faithless shepherds of God’s people and promises to send his King to them (9:9). The second oracle (chpts 12-14) continues some of the strange imagery and focuses on war and worship: God judging Jerusalem for her sins and culminating in a final battle (chpt 14) in which God stamps his supremacy on the nations.

Through the whole book God is establishing his kingdom—one that rules over the whole earth. God will return to Jerusalem with mercy and there his house (the Temple, a symbol of his rule) will be rebuilt. God’s rule will be extended beyond Jerusalem and its surrounds so that he becomes the one ruler of the whole earth. This rule will be established through two figures who are really one: the Branch and Zion’s King.

That Branch and King is Jesus.

Given that Jesus is the King of the whole earth, it is ultimately foolishness not to bow the knee to God’s rule. Zechariah makes this clear: those who do not bow the knee will come under God’s judgement, but those who do submit will prosper into eternity.

So as God’s people we are to persevere as faithful kingdom builders (cf 4:10) and not be discouraged by some forms of ministry which can be small, slow and difficult. The people of Zechariah’s day were discouraged as they sought to rebuild the temple, the symbol of God’s rule. They were tempted to give up, but God promised Zerubbabel would finish what he began, aided by the Spirit of God (cf 4:6-9). Through this temple would not be as magnificent as the first one, it would be the place where Zion’s long awaited king would come, inhabited by God himself (1:16, 9:9, cf Matthew 21:1ff). In the meantime God’s people needed to patiently continue their work bit by bit—as do we.

What Zechariah makes clear is that it’s impossible for God’s people to set their own worldly priorities rather than God’s priorities. The sin of God’s people in Zechariah was to ignore the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple. Following our own priorities is a sin if it means we are not doing what God asks of us.

Those are some brief applications from Zechariah. As you read through the book and see how it points forward to the coming of Jesus, what other applications can you think of?