An Exegetical Study Of Zechariah's Vision

The visions of Zechariah renew the Abrahamic promise to post-exilic Israel—God intends to bless Israel so that all nations might be blessed. Gazing through my tears, seeing the Lord's people thus transformed from filthiness to cleanliness, and from shame to beauty, I think I should have said, Now, Lord, finish the work; make that servant of thine to serve thee; as he is perfectly clothed, now, Lord, put on the mitre, and make him fit to do thy work.” Some of God's people appear to me to forget this.
Among his many visions, Zechariah saw a menorah (flanked on both sides by olive branches) and he heard an angel explaining to him that this vision meant the Temple in Jerusalem (which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 422 BCE) should now be rebuilt not by might, not by power, but by the spirit of G‑d".



This verse is a confirmation of Isaiah 11:11-12, where he says, "In that day, the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth." Notice Isaiah is talking about a second ingathering, the first being the one Zechariah, Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah were experiencing.
The prophet was so astonished to see the alteration which had taken place in Joshua dressed out in his new and sumptuous apparel, that he broke in upon the vision, and spake himself, And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head.” I do not know what business Zechariah had to speak; but truly, if I had seen the vision, I must have done the same.
In other words the Lord had just sent the company of men or angelic beings upon the red horses, the sorrel horses or bay horses and the white horses on a patrolling mission and they have gone to and fro throughout all the earth and they have come back with their report.

These visions, which addressed themselves more to the prophet s mental and spiritual sight than to his ears, are called debhar Yehovah " the word of Jehovah " because the pictures seen in the spirit, together with their interpreta tion, had the significance of verbal revelations, and through them the will and purposes of Jehovah were communicated to him.
Therefore, the temple to be built by Joshua in this passage is prophetic and relates to a future Temple of Messiah, as confirmed by this description: "It is He who will build the Temple of the Lord, and He will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on His throne.
These visions may have multiple applications, and in this case, there is an application also to spiritual Israel, the church in the Gospel age, in the words of verse seven, Deliver thyself Zion, that dwellest with on YouTube the daughter of Babylon.” During the Gospel age, true Spiritual Israel was captive in Babylon until Jesus returned, and the call to the daughters of Zion to come out of Babylon went forth (Revelation 18:4).

Now as High Priest, Joshua literally represented the entire nation of Israel, as he stood before the LORD, for the High Priest is the substitute, representative of the people, bearing the twelve tribes on his very chest(Breastplate) and going in and out before the LORD on their behalf.
And yet, with vivid oracles and other-worldly visions, the post-exilic prophets declare that Israel's God is sovereign over even the greatest empires of this world, and that he is powerfully guiding all of history toward his appointed goal of blessing his people through the work of his Messiah.
They came back into the land they began the temple, that was their chief purpose in coming back, but after a little while because of indifference and also some opposition they abandoned the construction of the building; in the meantime they constructed for themselves very lovely homes, Haggai makes reference to this he was the other prophet of the return, in the first chapter of his book.