Zechariah 1-6 Night of Visions
Zechariah has a night FULL of visions! God gives Zechariah bits and pieces of what is to come and a couple of instructions.
This is a night that Zechariah will never forget. God takes him from one vision to the next, all night long. When I was reading about these visions, I had to look up if they all happened on the same day. To me, it felt like they did. My assumption was confirmed with my search.
So, here goes! I’m going to try and stick with this one vision, one story format. I may have to break in the middle if it gets to be too long. We will see where the Spirit takes us. For now, let’s rejoin Zechariah as he experiences a night full of visions.
Holy Spirit, lead this journey again today. Show me where to look and what to focus on. And bring to me what I need to apply to my own life today.
♥ ♦ ♥
It is three months after his first vision when the Lord speaks to Zechariah again. It is the 24th day of the eleventh month of the second year of King Darius’ reign.
Instead of waiting for Zechariah in their usual place together, this time, Zechariah is in his bed, having just dozed off. In an instant, he finds himself standing outside in the center of a clearing of a grove of myrtle trees. Also in this glen, he sees a man on horseback. The horse is a beautiful chestnut red and behind him are more chestnuts, the brighter red of sorrel’s and white horses.
“What are these, my lord?” (Zechariah 1:9a), Zechariah asks the man before him.
“I will show you what they are” (Zechariah 1:9b) says the man. He half turns on his horse and holds out an arm behind him. “These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth” (Zechariah 1:10). He turned back to face Zechariah and says; “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest” (Zechariah 1:11).
The man turned his face toward heaven and calls out; “O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?” (Zechariah 1:12).
Zechariah hears a rumble but not audible words. He knows that the Lord is answering the man’s question. After the exchange a smile fills the man’s face. The man looks directly at Zechariah and gives him a mission from the Lord.
“Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1:14-17).
Zechariah’s heart soars at this message and mission. But this vision isn’t over. Zechariah sees movement out of the corner of his eye. He looks toward the movement and sees four horns. Zechariah asks the man whom he has been talking with; “What are these?” (Zechariah 1:19a).
“These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1:19b) he says.
As soon as the man finished speaking, four craftsmen appear in the clearing. Zechariah immediately turns to the man and asks about them as well. “What are these coming to do?” (Zechariah 1:20a).
“These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it” (Zechariah 1:20b).
Zechariah watches as the craftsmen take hold of the horns and wrestle them to the ground. Another movement catches his eye. He turns and sees a man with a measuring line; a cord with marks on it spaced evenly to take measurements.
Zechariah gives him his full attention. Zechariah asks; “Where are you going?” (Zechariah 2:2a).
The man with the measuring line answers; “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length” (Zechariah 2:2b).
The angel on horseback moves closer to Zechariah. Another angel comes forward to meet him. The first one, who has been speaking to Zechariah all night speaks to the other angel directly.
“Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst’” (Zechariah 2:4-5).
The man on horseback, whom Zechariah knows is an angel of God, raises his head and calls out across the land; “Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: ‘Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem’” (Zechariah 2:6-12).
A frown creases the angel’s brow. In a stern voice he calls out; “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling” (Zechariah 2:13).
His look alone is enough to silence any opposition, but his words declare from where the power behind them comes. Zechariah has no doubt that ALL will fall silent before the Lord.
The angel points off to his right and Zechariah’s eyes follow his finger. Zechariah sees Joshua, the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right side. Satan is trying to accuse Joshua; to throw his past in his face. To tear him down before the angel of the Lord.
The angel of the Lord narrows his eyes and calls out to silence Satan. “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” (Zechariah 2:2).
Satan disappears and Joshua is left standing before the angel of the Lord. The robes Joshua is wearing are soiled with sin. Satan was correct in that all men have sinned, but God has chosen Joshua as His own. The angel calls out to other angels standing nearby.
“Remove the filthy garments from him” (Zechariah 2:4a).
The angel then locks eyes with Joshua. With a voice filled with love, he speaks to Joshua. “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments” (Zechariah 2:4b).
Joshua is speechless as the angels remove his soiled robe and place on him one that is as white as snow. Tears stream down his face as he recognizes what this symbolizes. His sins are forgiven!
The angel calls out again to those ministering to Joshua. “Let them put a clean turban on his head” (Zechariah 2:5).
In an instant, the angels place a gleaming white turban on Joshua’s head.
The angel of the Lord addresses Joshua. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree” (Zechariah 2:7-10).
Joshua doesn’t understand the full prophecy being spoken to him, but he does understand the portion about walking in the ways of the Lord and following His statutes. He nods his head in acceptance of this charge. For the rest, he will wait and see what the Lord will do.
Zechariah is mesmerized by the vision of Joshua. Zechariah doesn’t understand the meaning of the words either. As he is wrestling with them, trying to understand, the angel who first spoke with him snaps him out of his thoughts, like one who has just been awakened from sleep.
Zechariah gives him his full attention. The angel smiles down at him for a moment, as if to welcome him back. The angel directs Zechariah’s attention again with a point of his finger. “What do you see?” (Zechariah 4:2a), he asks.
Zechariah looks where the finger is pointing and answers the angel. “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left” (Zechariah 4:2b-3).
As Zechariah looks at the lampstand, a question grows within him. “What are these, my lord?” (Zechariah 4:4).
The angel looks at Zechariah with astonishment. “Do you not know what these are?” (Zechariah 4:5a).
Zechariah shakes his head and innocently says; “No, my lord” (Zechariah 4:5b).
With no recrimination in his voice, the angel answers Zechariah. “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” (Zechariah 4:6-7).
Zechariah has no idea how this answer relates to the vision, but he keeps silent and waits.
The angel speaks again when he sees Zechariah still waiting for the explanation.
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel” (Zechariah 4:9-10a).
Zechariah is still confused. This promise is amazing, but it still doesn’t explain the lampstand. He is almost ready to jump in when the angel speaks again.
“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10b), the angel says.
Zechariah quickly grasps onto this answer, but there is still a question in his mind. He asks it without fear. “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” (Zechariah 4:11).
Silence greets Zechariah’s question. Zechariah examines the two trees closer, and when it is clear that no answer is coming, he asks again, with the detail he has noticed added in. “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” (Zechariah 4:12).
The angel finally answers with a question of his own. “Do you not know what these are?” (Zechariah 4:13a).
With true sincerity, Zechariah answers back; “No, my lord” (Zechariah 4:13b).
As if this makes everything clear, the angel answers; “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:14).
Zechariah doesn’t have time to ponder this answer as the angel directs his attention to another direction. This time, Zechariah sees scroll rolled out and floating or flying on the breeze.
“What do you see?” (Zechariah 5:2a) asks the angel.
After studying the image for a few moments, Zechariah answers. “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits” (Zechariah 5:2b).
The angel nods. “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones” (Zechariah 5:3-4).
Zechariah contemplates this for a few minutes. As he is thinking this over, the angel of the Lord comes closer to him.
“Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out” (Zechariah 5:5).
Zechariah looks up and sees a shape. He is afraid to guess what it is, so he asks instead. “What is it?” (Zechariah 5:6a).
Without recrimination, the angel answers; “This is the basket that is going out.” (Zechariah 5:6b).
After a short pause while Zechariah ponders the answer, the angel speaks again. With sadness in his voice he says; “This is their iniquity in all the land” (Zechariah 5:6c).
The angel climbs down from his horse and walks over and lifts what looks to be a HEAVY lid from the basket. Sitting inside the basket is what looks like a woman. The angel looked it with disgust and says; “This is Wickedness” (Zechariah 5:8).
The woman starts to rise from the basket but the angel pushes her back down and slams the lid onto the basket. He keeps watch on it to ensure that she doesn’t force her way out.
Movement catches Zechariah’s attention and he sees two women approaching from the sky. They have wings like a stork. Them move over to the basket. Each grabs a handle on the side. Between the two of them, they lift the basked from the ground and begin flying away with it into the air.
“Where are they taking the basket?” (Zechariah 5:10) Zechariah asks.
“To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base” (Zechariah 5:11) answers the angel. The two of them watch as the two women and the basket disappear from sight.
Zechariah’s attention is drawn away by another sight. He sees two mountains that appear to be made of bronze. From between those mountains, come four chariots being pulled by strong teams of horses. The first team is red, the second is white, the third black, and the fourth dappled with spots of brown on a coat of white. Recognizing ‘what’ they are, but not their purpose, Zechariah asks the angel about them.
“What are these, my lord?” (Zechariah 6:4).
Recognizing the true question being asked, the angel answers; “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country” (Zechariah 6:5-6).
Zechariah watches the horses. They are pawing at the ground, impatient to be on their way. The angel notices this too and gives them the command they are waiting for.
“Go, patrol the earth” (Zechariah 6:7).
In an instant, they are off on their mission.
With contentment in his voice, the angel beside Zechariah calls out; “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country” (Zechariah 6:8). It is as if the angel can see everything that the horses see.
After a moment, the angel of the Lord turns to face Zechariah and gives him his second charge of the night.
“Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah” (Zechariah 6:10-14).
Zechariah is taking in his assignment when the angel speaks again.
“And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God” (Zechariah 6:15).
“That’s amazing”, Zechariah thinks to himself. As he is contemplating this, the vision melts away and he is, once again, in his bed. With all that he has seen, and needs to contemplate, Zechariah is certain he will get no more sleep tonight. He is afraid that he will forget something if he goes to sleep before writing everything down.
Just as he is getting ready to throw his blanket off, a calm descends on him and he falls into the most restful sleep of his life. He wakes in the morning with perfect recall of every vision he had in the night. He quickly slips to the floor, where he usually meets with the Lord.
“Thank You Lord for the peaceful sleep and perfect recall this morning. Your words are surging through my heart and I can hardly wait to share what You have given me. And that includes the two specific missions You laid out for me last night.”
After a few minutes, Zechariah feels a release in his spirit to rise and begin the day, even though his time with the Lord has been shorter this morning. The first thing he does, after rising from the floor is tend to his body’s morning needs. Once that is taken care of, he quickly dresses, eats, and then sets off to gather writing equipment. He needs several clay tablets to inscribe all that he was shown in the night.
While out on his errand, Zechariah keeps in the back of his mind the two tasks he has to do. He NEEDS to find tome to do these, right away. He trusts that God can keep the memories of the visions alive in his mind, but he wants to write them down before doing anything else. Besides that, the angel of the Lord didn’t give him a specific day to complete his two missions. The final one has to all be completed in a single day though. He needs time to get it all set up.
Zechariah spends the next two days carefully inscribing on the clay tablets, every detail of the visions and every word of the prophecies and directives given. When he finishes, instead of bringing them straight to the oven to be baked, he sets them out to dry in the sun. He wants to move on to the tasks given him now. He will take the tablets to the oven after he has seen to his missions.
Zechariah goes to the site of the old Temple, where construction is still going on. This is the place where he will proclaim the words the Lord gave him for the people. As the people are gathering for the first shift, Zechariah lifts up his voice.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”
Zechariah looks around for a moment before continuing. The people are all watching and listening. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1:14-17).
A shout of praise goes up at the final words. The people will carry this message with them into their work, their homes, and to their neighbors. Zechariah smiles and returns to his home. He has a few hours, so he takes the tablets that are already mostly dry to the oven. He leaves them with the master craftsman there.
“I have a few more to bring you, but they are not quite ready for the oven. I will collect these when I bring the others.”
Now he needs to prepare for his second mission. After dropping off his tablets, Zechariah seeks out the three men he was told to speak to.
Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah are all working near one another. Zechariah goes to each of them. “Meet me at the altar tomorrow, before the morning sacrifice is offered. There is a task that the Lord has called on us to do.”
All three agree to do as requested. Zechariah is ready for the morning. And the next task of the Lord.
When evening comes Zechariah shares this same message. He wants to be certain that both the first and second shift workers hear the words of the Lord.
Zechariah is up extra early today so that he can be ready when the three men arrive at the altar. As he approaches the appointed spot, he sees all of them already waiting for him. He smiles as he approaches them.
“I planned on being here before you, but I see you had other plans.”
The men laugh amongst themselves good naturedly. “What is this important task the Lord has for us” asks Heldai.
“First, we are to go together to the home of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. I will tell you what ins next when we arrive.”
The men all set off together and soon arrive at the home of Josiah. Josiah answers on the first knock and welcomes them inside. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company today, brothers.”
The three men turn to Zechariah and wait for him to speak. “I am on a mission from the Lord and it involves the four of you.” Zechariah has never asked for money from anyone before in his life, and he isn’t certain how to phrase it without offending them.
Tobijah breaks the spell as he says to Zechariah; “Out with it, son. What is this mission?”
Zechariah nods. “The Lord has told me to ask for silver and gold from each of you that a crown might be made, this very day, to set upon the head of Joshua, the high priest. Afterwards, I am to prophesy the words of the Lord over him.”
The three men who accompanied Zechariah all let out a hearty laugh. At the confused look of Zechariah, they explain.
“While we were waiting for you this morning, each of us commented to the other that we had, for some unknown reason, felt compelled to bring our silver and gold with us. This is not something any of us would normally do. But today, it seemed right.”
Zechariah smiles. Josiah quickly exits the room then hurries back in. He is carrying a bag containing his silver and gold.
“For some reason, I felt compelled to gather my silver and gold as well” he says with a sheepish smile.
All five men burst out laughing.
“I suppose that God was getting everything in order before I even arrived. Which is even more amazing when you realize that He gave me this command several days ago” Zachariah says.
“Several days ago! Why didn’t you come to us earlier” asks Jedidiah.
“It’s a LONG story” Zechariah says. “Suffice it to say, this was my first opportunity to carry out His work.”
Everyone seems satisfied with the answer, but Josiah adds; “You will have to tell us this story, at your earliest opportunity.”
“I will surely do that, brothers.”
With that, they all set off to the home of the goldsmith. The morning sacrifice is barely completed by the time they arrive, but the goldsmith opens his door before they even lay their hand to it to rap on it.
“Shalom, brothers” greets the goldsmith.
“Shalom to you also” replies Zechariah.
“I take it you have a project for me to make.”
“How did you…” Zechariah stops before finishing his sentence. “Let me guess. You somehow knew that we would be coming by this morning.”
With a toothy smile, the goldsmith nods. “Now step inside and tell me what I will be making for you.”
Josiah whispers to Jedediah; “You mean you don’t already know?”
Jedediah gives him a grin but shushes him as well.
Once inside, the men all lay their silver and gold on the table for the smith. It is a sizable amount when combined.
“You are to make a crown to place on the head of Joshua, the high priest. It must be completed today, so that I may speak the words of the Lord over him this very day.”
The smith nods several times while surveying the table. Within moments, a vision of how the crown should be fashioned appears in his mind. It is a simple but elegant design. Not the crown of a king, but one of authority nonetheless.
“I can have it for you by evening.”
The men thank the goldsmith, then leave him to his work. As they make their way down the street, Zechariah poses a question for them.
“If you have time, would you like to hear the ‘long story’ now?”
All eyes light up and quickly agree. “Let’s go back to my house and I will prepare a meal for us” offers Josiah.
Once everyone is settled around the table, Zechariah begins to share his visions from several nights ago. The men listen with rapt attention, their mouths hanging open in places. Questions buzz through their minds, but no one interrupted Zechariah’s story.
Once he is finished telling them of every vision, he folds his hands in his lap and waits. He is certain there will be questions. He doesn’t want to rush these men. He can wait.
Heads shake around the table in wonder. “That is an amazing night! Did you receive ALL of these visions in one night?”
Zechariah nods his head.
“And you were able to keep them all straight?”
“I was worried about that myself, but the Lord gave me the most restful night’s sleep afterwards, and perfect recall in the morning. I spent the next two days recording every detail of the visions, so I wouldn’t forget anything over time.”
“I would love to read them, someday” replies Josiah.
“I will be taking the last of the tablets to the oven tomorrow. I already dropped several off yesterday. I want to reserve this day for this single task that the Lord has given us.”
“Speaking of that task” Jedediah offers, “It shouldn’t be much longer before the crown is ready. Does anyone want to go and check on the progress?”
Everyone can tell from the look in his eyes that HE wants to go check. They all laugh and decide to do exactly that. Zechariah’s ‘long story’ certainly helped the time pass!
As the five men approach the goldsmith’s home, he calls out to them. “Come on in. It’s almost ready.”
Helem and Tobijah look at one another in surprise. “How did he know we were here, and WHO we are too” asks Tobijah.
“I don’t have a clue, brother” Helem says.
They all walk into the workshop where the goldsmith is polishing on the crown to remove any sharp edges. It is a simple shape but the men cannot look away from it. The form itself is of pure gold, but it has raised carvings of silver all around it. Each peak has the likeness of the cherubim that once adorned the Temple of Solomon. It also has palm leaves branching out from below each peak and fanning into the space between them from each side. The leaves are distinct as they weave together from the two directions along each span of the band between the peaks. At the very edge of the bottom is what looks like a branch. It goes all the way around the crown in one continuous flowing piece. There is no end or beginning to it. There are buds ready to burst forth spaced along it randomly. Each palm leaves appear to emanate from the center of the branch.
The polishing cloth stills and the goldsmith turns the crown around carefully, looking for any imperfections that might need addressed. He doesn’t find any. Satisfied with his work, he turns to the five men and holds the crown out before him. “What do you think? Is it sufficient?”
“It’s PERFECT” breathes Zechariah. He reaches out and takes the crown. He turns it slowly in his hands. The word ‘Branch’ springs to Zechariah’s mind as he looks at the crown. “It truly is perfect” he says in a reverent voice. Zechariah carefully wraps the crown in a clean linen cloth and stows it in a bag he brought.
The others all agree with Zechariah. Finally, Zechariah looks up at the goldsmith. “How much do I owe you for your service.”
The man raises his hands in a refusing gesture. “I will accept no payment. The Lord has paid me in full already for my service with the blessings He has bestowed on my family.” He smiles his toothy smile and shares a secret with the men. “Just this afternoon, my wife, who has been barren, came to me and told me that she is with child!”
“The Lord has indeed blessed you brother! May this be a son to carry on your name” says Zechariah.
The others agree. Soon the group is on their way to the site of the Tabernacle. It is almost time for the evening sacrifice. “If we hurry, we can make it before the sacrifice starts. I would like to place this on Joshua’s head in time for the sacrifice.”
They all quicken their pace and arrive 15 minutes before the appointed hour. Joshua is surveying the work that was accomplished that day.
Zechariah approaches Joshua. “My lord, I have a word from the Lord for you and also a gift that He commanded me to bring.”
Joshua gives Zechariah his full attention. His eyes are eager to receive whatever the Lord has for him.
“Let’s go and stand beside the altar. I believe that is where the Lord would have me present His words and gift.”
The group goes to stand beside the altar. It is still a few minutes before the evening sacrifice is to be brought. The lamb can be heard in the background bleating as Zechariah begins to speak.
Zechariah reaches into his bag and pulls from it the bundle holding the crown. He carefully unwraps it. He hands the cloth to Jedediah and takes the crown in two hands. He moves slowly and places the crown on Joshua’s head as he speaks the words of the Lord.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.’”
Tears are streaming down Joshua’s face by the time Zechariah finishes. As Zechariah lowers his hands to his sides, the signal for the evening sacrifice sounds. All the men turn and watch as the lamb is slaughtered. They step back, making room, as the lamb is brought to the altar. Once the fire begins to consume the flesh, they turn to face one another.
“I want to thank you for this honor. I honestly don’t know what to say.”
“It is an honor from the Lord.” Zechariah hesitated for a minute. Then he spoke the words to Joshua, the high priest, that the angel of the Lord had spoken to him in his vision. “I believe that you have heard these words already, but I am going to confirm them.” Zechariah locks eyes with Joshua and says; “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”
Joshua falls to his knees. He had a vision just last night in which the angel of the Lord spoke these very words to him. They were spoken after Satan was banished as his accuser and the Lord called him “a brand plucked from the fire.”
“Praise be to the Lord God almighty who has forgiven my sins and given me a place before Him! I am unworthy Lord, but I will follow You with all my heart. And I will shepherd Your people, to the best of my abilities, as YOU give me the strength and wisdom to do so.”
After Joshua rose from his knees, Zechariah steps over to him again. “The crown is to be stored in the Temple as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. They were used by the Lord to provide the gold and silver for its construction. And they gave out of the abundance of their hearts to God’s purpose.”
“I will ensure that it is done exactly as the Lord commands.”
With this promise, the five men turn and exit the temple area. They bid one another good night and return to their homes. This is a day that they will NEVER forget. And, when time permits, they each make their way to Zechariah’s home to read the tablets containing the visions given to him by the Lord.
(to be continued)
I apologize for this being so long, but I couldn’t find a stopping place except the end. There is so much in Zechariah’s visions that are still to come. My favorite portion is where Satan is told to leave Joshua alone. God didn’t stop doing this for those who love Him. He STILL does it today for EVERY person who surrenders their life to Him. He holds out a clean robe and turban for each of us. And it is only through the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice that He can do this. Forgiveness is bought by blood. And, complete forgiveness is ONLY through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Thank You Father for making a way for me to be reconciled to You. It is NOTHING that I did on my own to earn it, either before or after, but through Your precious gift. Forgive me Lord Jesus for every time I take that gift for granted.
Holy Spirit, thank You for the vision of the crown. I have no idea what it really looked like, but this is what You brought to my mind. I wonder how close my vision is to the real thing. Maybe I will see it in Heaven someday.
