Contemporaries with the prophet Haggai, Zechariah was written to encourage the captives who have returned to continue the work of rebuilding the temple (Ezra 5:1).

Though the people have physically returned to Jerusalem, persecution and unfaithfulness have caused their hearts to not fully return to God. Rather than build the house of God, they chose to focus on their own pursuits (Hag 1:2-9).

Introduction (1:1-6) - Return To Me, And I Will Return To You

Before going into the eight visions, the book of Zechariah opens up with a call to repent and return to God, a theme that we have already seen quite a few times in the earlier prophetic books.

The Lord reminds His people how He was angry with their fathers, who did not hear nor heed the former prophets (which God equates to not hearing or heeding His voice) (Zech 1:1-4).

Nevertheless, as time passes, we mortal men must one day die. Be it the stubborn people of God, or even the prophets of God, no one lives forever (Zech 1:5).

Yet, the words and commands of God, spoken through the prophets, endure beyond the people of those ancient generations. In fact, the word of God endures forever (Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:17)!

What does this mean for us?

On one hand, this means that God's righteous standard, written in His word, is timeless and we are still measured against it.

On the other hand, it means that the promises of God, written down in the Bible thousands of years ago, are still just as true and real for us today!

More than 2000 years ago, God promised His people, "Return to Me, and I will return to you" (Zech 1:3).

This call to repentance is not unique to the time of Zechariah, but has been made time and time again (e.g., Deuteronomy 30:1-6, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14).

And this call to return and repent still echoes to us today.

How do we respond? How should we respond?

Let us examine ourselves and recognise where we have fallen short. Let us humbly repent before God and return to living a life pleasing in His sight.

In the first two visions, we see that God's promise holds true: When we return to God, God will indeed return to us (Zech 1:3)!

First Vision (1:7-17) - The Heart of God For His People

The first part of the vision from Zechariah 1:7-11 involves a few characters.

There is 1) the man riding on a red horse standing among the myrtle trees (later referred to as the Angel of the Lord), 2) the other horses behind him, and also 3) the angel that talked to Zechariah.

In the darkness of the night (Zech 1:8), the horses behind the angel of the Lord were sent out to walk to and fro throughout the earth. They then returned and reported that all the earth was still and at rest (Zech 1:11).

This signifies that the time has come for God to arise and take action (Haggai 2:20, Zeph 1:7, Zech 2:13).

Zechariah 1:12-17 records the dialog between the Angel of the Lord (from Zech 1:8) and the Lord of hosts. The Angel of the Lord asks, how long will the Lord not have mercy, after being angry for 70 years while the chosen people were in exile (Zech 1:12).

The Lord then answered with good and comforting words to the angel who talked to Zechariah (Zech 1:13) , who then speaks to the prophet.

Twice, the prophet is told to proclaim (Zech 1:14, 17). What is the prophet supposed to proclaim?

God is zealous for Jerusalem, and will return to Jerusalem with mercy (Zech 1:14-16). Truly, as we read earlier in Zech 1:3, God promises to return if His people were to return.

And when God returns, His house shall be built in Jerusalem (Zech 1:16), assuring His people that the temple rebuilding project, the one that they put on hold, will definitely come to completion.

Though Jerusalem seemed far from prosperous or glorious (c.f. Nehemiah 1:3; 2:3), God promises that His cities be prosperous (Zech 1:17), and a surveyor's line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem (Zech 1:16).

This is related to the third vision, in particular, Zechariah 2:1-5, describing how vast and immeasurable Jerusalem will be.

From the first vision, we can see the heart of God towards His people.

God is determined to do whatever good He can to help us, with all His heart and His soul (Zech 8:15, Jer 32:41). His heart burns for us with such great zeal (Zech 1:14; 8:2).

Though we (individually or as a church) seem to be going through testing times in the dark of night (Zech 1:8), let us have faith that in God's time, God will act and finish His rebuilding work. He comforts us, promising to prosper us if we truly return to Him (Zech 1:13, 17).

Second Vision (1:18-21) - Controlling History For His People

The second vision is from Zechariah 1:18-21, where we see the absolute sovereignty and power of God as He works and takes action for His chosen people.

Although He raised four horns to punish and scatter His people, He also raises four craftsman to terrify and cast out the horns.

We see the Lord taking vengeance for His people, controlling the course of history, all for the sake of His chosen people (Prov 21:1).

If even the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires are all in His hands, what more do we need to fear today?

God is almighty and is in full control of history. He is in control of all things going on in the world (a chaotic as things may seem to be). He meticulously plans and shapes every geopolitical event, all for our sake.

And He is in full control, even more so in His church.

For example, the True Jesus Church came to be in an era where many Bible translations are already readily available. We were established in an era where technology was about to boom, with advances in aviation allowing our workers to more easily travel the world and preach the gospel.

Another example: The emergence of a pandemic so severe such as COVID-19 only took place in a time where video conferencing and streaming technology is available, allowing us to continue worshipping Him.

(Obviously, we can never fully understand God's timing, but it is still edifying to reflect on how great the wisdom and power of God is.)

Hence, no matter what we see today, let us take heart. Let us not fret or worry but continue faithfully serving Him.

Reflection

Today, we may feel discouraged seeing the current state of the church. We may see many things in church that we do not understand.

But from the two visions, let us remember two things: Our merciful God is zealous for His people, and our almighty God is in full control of everything.

On our part, let us hence not be like the Israelites, who focused on their own ambitions and worldly pursuits rather than building up the house of God.

Let us always strive to reciprocate the zeal that God has towards us, and share the same zeal towards Him and His church.

Let us cling to His promise, "Return to Me, and I will return to you".