Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi – Back from Exile
·
We've
seen glimpses of the Messiah in our study so far, but let's remember how
central the promise of the coming Messiah to the OT. From Genesis to Abraham to
David to Isaiah to Zechariah, the promises are there.
·
These
8 visions form a cycle, and the first three were related. They talked about the
end times, of Jerusalem being restored. Now, we move to the high priest and
"king".
·
In
3:1, we see Joshua before the Lord (doing his high priestly duty). Remember
what Jesus' Hebrew name was? What does Christ do for us as sinners?
·
Does
v.2 remind you of Job? A "burning stick snatched" means Joshua is
being preserved
·
Joshua
has "filthy" clothes. (The translators are being kind) What do verses
3 and 4 symbolize? Regarding the turban, see Exodus 28:36-38. One of the
reasons for the Exile was that the priests were wicked too (see Ezekiel 22:26)
·
vs.
6-7 talk about priestly duties. And in vs. 8-10, more promises., to priests now
and to come. God is sending a servant, a Branch. Christ is referred to by these
names elsewhere (Isa. 4:2, 11:1-5, 42:1, 52:13, Jer. 23:5) which refer to humanity and humility of
Christ
·
v.
9 is another name for Christ, a "stone". See I Peter 2:6-8, and
Psalms 118:22. We'll come back to the meaning of the 7 eyes on the stone
·
Sin
will be removed in a single day. What is that referring to?
·
v.
10 refers to prosperity (I Kings 4:25) and inviting neighbor refers to peace
(when?)
· Ch. 3 was meant to encourage Joshua. Ch. 4 is to encourage Zerubbabel. The Jews knew what a lampstand was (see Exodus 25:31-40). Here, the difference is the pipes. What does this represent?
· But what is meant by the oil? v. 6 tells us! Oil represents the Holy Spirit in the Bible!
· vs. 7-9 are encouragement for Zerubbabel. (note both Haggai and Zechariah did so)
· Circles within circles? v. 7 refers to a capstone, who is…!
· "day of small things" we've seen unfavorable comparisons between this temple and first one
· Now, who are the seven eyes? See Rev. 5:6, 1:4, 3:1, 4:5 The lampstand, the seven spirits, are talking about God's witness and presence in the world. In OT, Israel was God's witness, in the NT, it is the Church. How about the end times? Will God maintain a witness? See vs. 12-14. Could be Joshua and Zerubbabel, but see Rev. 11:3-14
· Again, encouragement for Joshua and Zerubbabel as they lead the people back from exile. But also points ahead to Christ. How will Zerubbabel bring forth the capstone. He is the only common ancestor of Christ (besides Abraham and David) in the two lineages
· Priest and king, working together, pointing ahead to the coming of the One True Priest-King
For
next week, read Zechariah 5 & 6
