Today we see another prophesy of the coming Messiah. The Lord has Zechariah make an elaborate crown and place it on the head of Joshua, the high priest, and say, “Behold, the Man whose name is the Branch…He shall build the temple of the Lord…He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” Jesus Christ is this coming branch and through His life and death we can be grafted into the Kingdom of God.
So another attempt is made today to stop the rebuilding of the temple when Tattenai, “the governor of the region beyond the River,” and others ask the Jews, “Who commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?” “But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they would not make them cease till a report could go to Darius.”
King Darius responds to Tattenai by saying, “Keep yourselves far from there. Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.” King Darius also tells Tattenai to pay the cost of rebuilding the temple from taxes on the region beyond the River and to give the Jews anything else that they need day by day without fail.
We end the reading with the people asking if they should still fast now that the exile is over and the temple is almost complete. The Lord tells the people that fasting for show or self-pity accomplishes nothing. The purpose of fasting is to bring humility and repentance which leads to righteousness. God promises to restore His people and to turn their fast into “joy and gladness and cheerful feasts” which will result in the multiplication of His people. “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
The Lord is restoring His people through His plan of sending the Branch, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins and give us new life. Therefore, we should walk in the newness of life so that our lives will draw others into the fellowship of Christ.
Zechariah speaks more about the coming Savior tomorrow so keep reading.
(Zechariah 6:1-15, Ezra 5:3-6:13, Zechariah 7:1-8:23)
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Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 