Have you read Zechariah?

Zechariah was an Old Testament prophet who lived about five centuries before Jesus Christ was born. His short prophetic book addresses the challenges with the people of Israel who returned to Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon. After decades in exile, the people returned to their homeland and began to rebuild the Temple, but failed to finish the work.

The people of God were discouraged by their situation after the exile and were not intent on rebuilding the Temple that the Babylonians had destroyed decades earlier. They were frustrated by their life circumstances and had given up on the work God called them to in Jerusalem.

The first six chapters of the book of Zechariah contain seven night visions that God revealed to his prophet. These visions are intended to encourage God's people to continue to rebuild the Temple. Moreover, the visions also reveal that God is still in control and that he has a plan for his people.

More specifically, that redemptive plan of God involves the Triune God sending someone to his people who will be the final prophet, the final priest, and the final King from the line of David. The visions and writings of Zechariah point to the coming of Jesus Christ to his people as the final prophet, priest, and King.

It may help if you see the structure of Zechariah's seven night visions:  

    Vision 1: the activity in the vision occurs on a global scale.

            Vision 2: the activity in the vision occurs in Israel.

                    Vision 3: the activity in the vision occurs in Jerusalem.

                            Vision 4: the activity in the vision occurs in the presence of God in his divine courtroom.

                    Vision 5: the activity in the vision occurs in Jerusalem.

            Vision 6: the activity in the vision occurs in Israel.

    Vision 7: the activity in the vision occurs on a global scale.

As the structure above shows, the central vision (vision #4) is a vision that addresses the problem of how a sinner can stand in the presence of a holy God and be declared just. The central vision reveals that God graciously removes our sin and accepts us a righteous based on his work, not our works. Vision 4 foreshadows the coming of Jesus Christ and his redemptive work on the cross at Calvary.

Join us each Sunday this summer at 10:30 at the historic Darby Building at 320 Pitt St in Mt Pleasant as we study the night visions and writings of the prophet Zechariah.

You can also listen to our sermons on our Shem Creek Presbyterian Church YouTube page or on our website.