Lesson 6 — Brett Cushing

1. Introduction: God’s Guarantees Amid Guilt
   1. Contrast with human guarantees
      1. Worldly guarantees are conditional and contractual.
      2. God’s guarantees meet guilty people with mercy and help, not indifference or vengeance.
   2. Big idea of Zechariah 1–3
      1. In captivity and guilt, God guarantees His guy, His grit, His guard, His gift, and His grace.
      2. These guarantees move the story from despair to hope in God’s presence and plan.
2. Setting and Messenger
   1. Historical context
      1. Judah in exile and return era; about 70 years of captivity fulfilled.
      2. People fear God has forgotten them, yet God speaks again.
   2. Zechariah’s identity and names
      1. Zechariah born in Babylon, functions as priest and prophet.
      2. Names preach hope:
         1. Zechariah means the Lord remembers.
         2. Berechiah means the Lord blesses.
         3. Iddo means at the appointed time.
      3. Message summary: the Lord remembers and blesses at His appointed time.
   3. Canonical significance
      1. Heavily quoted in the New Testament and rich in first and second coming prophecy.
      2. Zechariah’s martyrdom noted in Matthew 23:35.
3. God’s Guy
   1. Immediate agent and ultimate fulfillment
      1. God raises Zechariah as His spokesman to a discouraged remnant.
      2. Zechariah foreshadows God’s ultimate Guy, Jesus the Messiah.
   2. Purpose of the messenger
      1. Announce that God has not forgotten His people.
      2. Call them to hear, hope, and return.
4. God’s Grit
   1. Divine initiative in chapter 1
      1. God comes to Zechariah, calls His people, and commands the hosts of heaven.
      2. Hope rests in God’s action for the helpless.
   2. Invitation and enablement
      1. Call to return to Me and repent from evil ways.
      2. Lessons from the fathers whose disobedience brought covenant curses.
      3. God enables the return they cannot effect by themselves.
         1. Shepherd imagery illustrates God doing the restoring work.
         2. Parallel language in Jeremiah 50:19 and Lamentations 5:21.
5. God’s Guard
   1. The heavenly army at work
      1. The Angel of the Lord appears as commander and Word of the Lord.
      2. Patrol report shows the earth at a coerced rest, not true shalom.
   2. Christ’s intercession and the Father’s response
      1. The Angel of the Lord pleads how long for mercy on Jerusalem.
      2. God’s jealous compassion is stirred and cruel nations are rebuked.
      3. God promises to return and for His house to be rebuilt.
6. God’s Gift
   1. Plan, presence, and protection in chapter 2
      1. Measuring line signals ownership and intentional rebuilding.
      2. God Himself a wall of fire around and the glory within.
      3. Promise to come and live among His people.
   2. Joyful summons
      1. Shout and be glad, for I am coming.
      2. Presence is the gift God gives to the guilty who return.
7. God’s Grace
   1. Courtroom scene in chapter 3
      1. Joshua the high priest stands in filthy garments representing the people’s guilt.
      2. Satan accuses; the Lord rebukes the accuser.
      3. God removes filth, clothes Joshua in clean garments, and restores his service.
   2. Promise of the Branch and the Stone
      1. My Servant, the Branch, foretells the Messiah.
      2. Stone with seven eyes and engraved inscription signifies God’s omniscience and the wounded cornerstone.
         1. God removes the land’s iniquity in a single day.
         2. Exchange motif points to Christ giving His righteousness for our guilt.
   3. Recommissioning
      1. Joshua charged to walk in God’s ways and keep His charge.
      2. Grace restores purpose after guilt is removed.
8. Reflection and Response
   1. Worship and trust
      1. What keeps you from worshiping this God who guarantees mercy in guilt.
      2. Believe Christ intercedes, guards, and gifts His presence to you.
   2. Ministry overflow
      1. Freely give to the guilty what you have freely received in Christ.
      2. Rely on God’s grit, not your own, as you serve others.