Zechariah 9

Verse of the Day: V16 “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.”

1.  The Pride (V1-8)

V6 “And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.”

The Almighty God through Prophet Zechariah warned the Philistines that He shall destroy their power and pride for all their sins and wickedness, and for invading and destroying His people - the people of Judah. However, God preserved a remnant of the people of Judah, who were faithful to Him, and appointed a governor to rule over them.

V7 “And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.”
     
2.  The Prisoners (V9-11)

V9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

Zechariah prophesied the first coming of the King, who was none other than Jesus Christ, who shall come to this earth, riding upon an ass, and He shall die on the cruel cross, and shed His precious blood for the sins of mankind. The King did come, and died, and today, anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is no longer a prisoner of his sins, but he shall escape the fiery pits of hell, and shall have everlasting life with Jesus Christ in heaven one day.

V11 “As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.”
 
3.  The People (V12-17)

V12 “Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;”

Zechariah prophesied the second coming of the King in the future, during the Millennium, and this time the King, the Lord Jesus Christ, shall come to reign and rule in the holy city of Jerusalem. In that day, the people shall have the glorious hope in Christ, and they shall be His jewels of crown, and the special signs, that shine brightly for His glory and honour.

V16 “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.”

Prayer of the Day:

Dearest God, thank You that You are my God and I am Your people.

Zechariah 8

Verse of the Day:V8 “And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”

1.  The Truth (V1-8)

V3 “Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.”

God spoke to Prophet Zechariah that one day in the future, there will be a period called the Millennium, where Jesus Christ shall establish a city in Jerusalem, called a city of truth where everyone shall speak the truth. Today there are many people who lie and live wickedly, but during the Millennium, all the people will only speak the truth and live in righteousness because they are God’s people who have believed and trusted in Christ.

V8 “And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”
     
2.  The Temple (V9-11)

V9 “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.”

God through Zechariah encouraged the people of Israel, who were in Babylon, and were once in captivity and now were freed, to return to Israel and build the temple of God. Only a remnant returned as most of them had backslidden, and sinned against the Lord.

3.  The Things (V12-23)

V12 “For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.”

In God’s sovereign plan, there is always a remnant of people who will believe the Lord, and the Lord shall richly bless them with many good things. Today God will bless the church, the people of God, who believes and trusts in Him, and in the future, during the Millennium, God shall bless the Jews and also the Gentiles who believe and trust in Him.

V23 “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.”

Prayer of the Day:
 
Dearest God, thank You that I know You, the Truth and Righteousness.

Zechariah 7

Verse of the Day:V9 “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:”

1.  Word (V1-2)

V1 “And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;”

Prophet Zechariah preached and prophesied to the priests, his fellow prophets, and the people of Israel, only when the word of the Lord came to him. At no point in time, did Zechariah use his own words, but every word he preached and prophesied was from God.
   
2.  Weep (V3-10)

V3 “And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?”

Zechariah told the priests, prophets and the people that it was never God’s plan and purpose for them to weep, mourn and fast, because they were defeated by their enemies, the Babylonians, and brought to the land of Babylon to be their slaves and servants. The Lord reminded them that the main reason why they were defeated, and became prisoners of the Babylonians, was because they had disobeyed God and His word, and had sinned against Him. The Lord had time and again shown them mercy and compassions yet the people of Israel had not shown mercy and compassions to others. It is not that we cannot weep, mourn and fast for our sins, but more importantly, we must truly repent of our sins.

V9 “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:”

3.  Wrath (V11-14)

V11 “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.”

Time and again, God sent prophets like Zechariah to preach and prophesy to the people of Israel to repent of their sins, and each time not only they refused to repent of their sins, but they continued to harden their hearts like stones. Subsequently God’s great wrath was upon them, and He punished and scattered them throughout the world. Let us be obedient to God and His Word, so that His richest blessings and not His great wrath be upon us.

V12 “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.”
 
Prayer of the Day:

Dearest God, please help me to obey You and Your Word.

Zechariah 6

Verse of the Day:V12 “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:”

1.  Behold (V1-8)

V1 “And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.”

Prophet Zechariah beheld four chariots of red, black, white, and grisled and bay (pale) horses, which were symbols of wars, famine, false peace, and death respectively during the Tribulation. The Tribulation is the period that begins when all the Christians have been called up to heaven (known as the Rapture), leaving behind the unbelievers of God. Satan will then have full control of the world, and he shall deceive the unbelievers by first granting them false peace, then destroying them through wars, followed by famine, and eventually death. Satan’s strategy is to destroy and condemn all mankind to hell. Satan himself has already been condemned by God to hell because of his pride and deceit.

V2-3 “In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.”

2.  Babylon (V9-11)

V10 “Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;”

Three men, namely, Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah came from Babylon to crown Joshua, the high priest, because Joshua represented the Lord Jesus Christ who is both King and Priest. No high priest except the Lord has ever been crowned in the history of the world.

V11 “Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;”

3.  BRANCH (V12-15)

V12 “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:”

The BRANCH which is insignificant is the humble Jesus who came and died for our sins, and anyone who knows and trusts Him shall one day be with Him in His eternal kingdom.

Prayer of the Day:

Dearest God, thank You that I know and trust the BRANCH, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 5

Verse of the Day:V8 “And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.”

1.  This Is The Curse (V1-4)

V2 “And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.”

The Almighty God showed Prophet Zechariah a large flying roll, which represented God’s holy Word and His curse and judgement upon the sins and wickedness of the people on the face of this earth. Everyone steals, swears and sins against God, and the only way to remove God’s curse upon man’s sins and wickedness is for man to truly repent and confess his sins, so that he can be reconciled with the holy and righteous God.

V3 “Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.”

2.  This Is An Ephah (V5-6)

V5 “Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.”

This time, the angel of God showed Zechariah an ephah or a basket which contained the wickedness of man. It seems that man on his own, can never be holy before the holy God.

V6 “And I said What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.”

3.  This Is Wickedness (V8-11)

V8 “And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.”

God knows the sins and wickedness of man. In God’s sovereign plan, He had prepared His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be made a little lower than the angels, to be a mortal man on this earth, to suffer and die on the cruel cross, and shed His blood for our sins, so that when we believe and trust in Jesus, we shall be reconciled with God through the righteousness of Jesus. Let us see Jesus, and thank Him for tasting death for us, and removing the curse of our sins, so that we may live for His glory, honour and praise.

Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

Prayer of the Day:

Dearest God, please help me to see Jesus, and thank Him for saving my soul.

Zechariah 4

Verse of the Day:V6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”

1.  Spirit (V1-6)

V2 “And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:”

The Lord through an angel showed Prophet Zechariah a vision of a golden candlestick which represented the Spirit of God. God reminded the people of Israel that it would not be their might, or their power, but by His Spirit that enables them to rebuild His house.

V6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”

2.  Small (V7-10)

V9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.”

God encouraged Zechariah not to be discouraged or dismayed by the small group of people who returned to Jerusalem to rebuild His house. God assured Zechariah that it would be His Spirit that would empower and enable the small group to rebuild His house. Let us not be discouraged and dismayed when we are small and weak, because God’s Spirit and power can do wonders and miracles even in the day of small and weak things.

V10 “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”

3.  Stand (V11-14)

V11 “Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?”

The Lord revealed to Zechariah that the two olive trees represented the two anointed ones, namely, Zerubbabel, the head of the tribe of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest, who shall stand by the Lord through His Spirit in rebuilding His house for His glory and honour.

V14 “Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Prayer of the Day:
 
Dearest God, please help me to stand by You through Your Spirit for Your glory.
a

Zechariah 3

Verse of the Day:V8 “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.”

1.  Brand (V1-5)

V1 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.”

Satan accused Joshua of being a brand (burning wood) or unworthy to be God’s high priest. Satan’s most devastating strategy of discouraging people from serving the Lord is to accuse them of their sins, because all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

V2 “And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?”

2.  Branch (V6-8)

V7 “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.”

The Almighty God, the Creator shall always prevail against His fallen creature, Satan. God told Zechariah that He shall send the BRANCH, the Christ, the Son of God, to die and shed His blood for the sins of the whole world, so that those who believe in Christ shall have His righteousness, and Satan shall no longer accuse God’s people of their sins.

V8 “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.”

3.  Behold (V9-10)

V9 “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”

God commanded Zechariah to behold the stone that was laid before Joshua, and revealed to him that the stone was Christ, the BRANCH, and that the 7 eyes were God’s perfect wisdom that one day every man shall acknowledge that the BRANCH is the Son of God.

V10 “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.”

Prayer of the Day:
 
Dearest God, I believe the Branch that He is the Christ, the Son of God.

Zechariah 2

Verse of the Day: V10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.”

1.  Speak (V1-5)

V4 “And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:”

The Lord commanded the angel to run and speak to a young man who was none other than Prophet Zechariah, that one day in the future, there shall be a period called the Millennium in the new city of Jerusalem. The new city shall have no wall, and the Lord Himself shall dwell among His people who believe in Him, and He shall be the glory in the midst of them, and a wall of fire round about them to protect and preserve them.

V5 “For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.”

2.  Sing (V6-10)

V8 “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.”

Those who believe and trust in God are the apple of His eye. (The pupil, which looks like an apple, is the most important part of the eye as it gives us sight to see the wonderful and colourful world.) Though presently we may be going through a rough patch, yet let us sing and rejoice in the Lord knowing that we are the apple of His eye, and He is in the midst of us. God shall protect and preserve us, and no one shall touch, hurt or harm us.

V10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.”

3.  Silent (V11-13)

V11 “And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.”

During the Millennium, people from many nations of the world who believe and trust in the Lord shall enter the new city of Jerusalem. The Lord shall be in the midst of them, and they shall be silent before Him, showing Him respect and reverence. Let us be silent before the Lord, and let our words be few and be a blessing and encouragement to others.

V13 “Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.”

Prayer of the Day:

Dearest God, please help me to sing and rejoice as I am the apple of Your eye.

Zechariah 1

Verse of the Day:V20 “And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.”

1.  Came (V1-11)

V1 “In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,”

Prophet Zechariah mentioned that the word of the Lord came to him before he could prophesy and preach to the people. All true prophets and preachers must have the word of God coming to them before they can prophesy and preach His word. Zechariah told the people that the Lord was very displeased with their ancestors who had disobeyed Him.

V2 “The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.”

2.  Cry (V12-17)

V12 “Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?”

Zechariah asked the Lord why He showed mercy on the people of Jerusalem and Judah when time and again they rebelled against Him, even when they came out of their 70 long years of captivity. The angel of God then commanded Zechariah to cry to the jealous God to begin judging the people so that they would repent of their sins, and turned to the Lord.

V14 “So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.”

3.  Carpenter (V18-21)

V18 “Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.”

The 4 horns represented the 4 successive empires while the 4 carpenters represented the 4 successive empires that God would send to defeat each empire. The first empire was the Babylonians, and they were defeated by the Medes Persians, a greater empire. The Medes Persians became the second empire, and they were defeated by the Greeks. The Greeks became the third empire, and they were defeated by the Romans. The Romans became the fourth empire, and they were defeated, and this time, not by a greater empire, but by the Son of God, Jesus. Jesus left His throne of glory in heaven to become the son of a carpenter on earth, so that He would live, and then died on the cross for the sins of the world. One day Jesus shall come and establish the greatest empire, His kingdom, on earth.

V20 “And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.”

Prayer of the Day:
 
Dearest God, thank You for sending the Carpenter, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins.

Haggai 2

Verse of the Day: V7 “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.”

1.  Glory (V1-7)

V4 “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:”

The Lord through Prophet Haggai encouraged the wearied and tired people of Judah after they had returned from 70 long years of Babylonian captivity, to be strong, and to keep on working and rebuilding God’s ruined house. Haggai assured them that the Lord was with them, and His glory shall once again fill His house and their city, and all nations of the entire world shall know that the God of Judah is the one and only true and living God.

V7 “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.”

2.  Gold (V8-9)

V8 “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Haggai encouraged the people of Judah who just returned from captivity that God could do anything as He owned the silver and the gold and everything in this entire universe. God shall make His rebuilt house greater and with much glory than the original house they had built, and He shall certainly give peace to their city where His house was built.

V9 “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.”

3.  Garment (V10-23)

V12 “If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.”

No one except God can cleanse us from all sins and keep us holy and give us His glory. The unholy bread or pottage (stew) or wine or oil or meat can never be holy just because the holy flesh (meat) carried on a man’s garment accidently touched them. Only the Lord who chooses those who believe and trust in Him can make us holy and give us His glory.

V23 “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Prayer of the Day:
 
Dearest God, please make me holy and give me Your glory.