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HAGGAI
BACKGROUND
To understand the books of Haggai and Zechariah, we’re going to need to cover some historical background to help us get our bearings. It’s helpful to know that both Haggai and Zechariah live in the same time period. They would have known each other very well and both would play an integral role in teaching and leading the people, albeit with two very different styles and approaches. So to place ourselves in the right historical context, we’re going to need to go back to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. That’s where we’re at historically with these two books. If you remember from our study that long ago, at that point in time, both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah have been conquered and scattered by Assyria and Babylon and now it’s the Persians that are in charge. So both Haggai and Zechariah are post-exile prophets. But under the rule of the Persians, the Jews are allowed to return and given permission to rebuild the city and the temple. Do you remember the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem story from Nehemiah? That’s where we’re at here.
Keep in mind that the date the Jews were allowed to return was 538 BC and both Haggai and Zechariah’s writings are specifically dated to the year 520 BC (at least the first half of Zechariah’s writings). So the people have been there for about 18 years when these prophets write these two books. And at that point, the temple has still not been rebuilt. 18 years. And I do believe that God understood that they did need to get their own houses in order. They needed to be able to survive and get the basics of life taken care of. But 18 years? Shouldn’t that have been more than enough time to do that? And they do start to build the temple. They’re working on it a little bit, but jump back with me to Ezra 4:4-5 to get our bearings.
4:4-5
4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
So we learn that there is a bit of opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. Their enemies, or the people that have been living in the area since the scattering took place, run back to King Darius, and malign the Jews, and dig up documents from previous kings who noted that the Jews were a rebellious and difficult people to work with. And as a result of those efforts, 4:24
4:24
24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Now jump to Haggai chapter 1 verse 1.
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
And then he begins his prophecy.
And then take a quick look at Zechariah 1:1
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,
And then he begins his prophecy.
So now we have our bearings. It’s the second year of the reign of Darius when both Haggai and Zechariah start their books. They are writing in response to the halting of the work of the temple. And you get the sense from these prophecies that the people are kind of using this opposition as an excuse to neglect that work and focus on their own needs and priorities. And you know, in Ezra we learn that it really doesn’t take much to resolve the issue. The people contact the King by messenger to look in the archives for the decree of King Cyrus that had given them permission to rebuild the city and the temple. The document is found and confirmed, and King Darius renews the decree and encourages the people to continue their work.
5:1-2
Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
So there we go, we have our two prophets for the week mentioned in the exact same verse. Also, you have two other important names to keep in mind—the king or royal descendant of the Jews—Zerubbabel and the high priest, Jeshua. And together with the prophets, they encourage the people to forget the opposition and start working on rebuilding the temple. That’s where we’re at the beginning of the book of Haggai.
ICEBREAKER
So as an icebreaker, I like to do the following object lesson on priorities. I begin by asking my class what they think would be the number one reason people give for why they don’t study their scriptures, attend the temple, say their prayers, accept church callings, or go to church activities or service projects. The most common answer I’ve found is, “I just don’t have the time. I’m too busy. ” And I can empathize with that because we are busy people. We have a lot on our plates. There’s work, school, sports, shopping, meals, sleep, developing our talents and hobbies, social events, maintaining our homes and hygiene, and then we find we still need time for rest, relaxation, and entertainment. So when it comes to religious things, we may not feel like there is room enough in our schedules for those kinds of things. We treat them as tasks that are nice, but not essential. We say things like, “I want to do them. I know they’re good for me. But my calendar and to-do list are just too full for that right now. When life calms down a bit. When I get my career worked out. When I finish such and such a project. Then I’ll add those to my schedule.” My response to that? I don’t think time is the problem. There will always be too much to do. If we expect that our lives are all of sudden going to get simpler someday, and that we’re going to have gobs of time on our hands at some point, then we’re probably fooling ourselves. Somehow, there are always more things to be done. The problem isn’t time, it’s priorities.
To illustrate that principle. All you need is a clear container of some kind. You can do this as big or as small as you want. I have a large clear see-through bucket that I use to do this, but even a mason jar will do. Then I have a big pitcher full of small rocks. I use those aquarium style rocks for this, but popcorn kernels, rice, or dry beans can work just as well for this too. On the outside of the pitcher I have a label that says, “Temporal Things”. And I explain that these are things like work, school, hobbies, shopping, entertainment and all the temporal concerns that we have in our lives. Then I have a number of large rocks that I label with godly things. So I have a rock labeled “temple attendance”, “scripture study”, “prayer”, and “church callings”. Now I want them to understand that it’s not that the temporal things are bad, and the godly things are good. Our Heavenly Father knows that we need to be engaged in temporal concerns. We have to work, and gain an education, and take care of our homes and families. And there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to just rest, relax and enjoy a movie, or play a video game even. But those things are temporal in nature. These bigger rocks have a large impact on eternity—our eternal destiny and spiritual well-being. Now if we always make sure to put the temporal things first (and at that point I start to fill up the container with the small rocks. And you’ll have to experiment with this first to determine how many you need. But put enough small rocks in so that there will not be sufficient room to place all the big rocks in. And you say that that’s kind of how our lives work. If we plan for all the temporal things first, and only fit a big rock in now and then if we feel there’s time left over, we shouldn’t be surprised when that rarely happens. And you’ll notice that when you put all the small rocks in first, there isn’t enough room in the container for the big rocks. So what’s our solution? What’s a person to do? Well, we put the big rocks in first. At that point, I take all the rocks out and start over again. And this time, we’re going to make the godly things a priority. We’re going to schedule them and make them non-negotiable. So, I’m going to study my scriptures or say my prayers at such and such a time for this long every day. I am going to attend my church meetings every week. I will attend the temple on the third Saturday of every month, whatever. However you do it, you put those things first in your schedule. And when you do this, lo and behold, you’ll discover something. You’ll discover that you did have time for those things all along, and everything else you need to do. It’s not like you have to give up all those temporal things. Like I said, God knows that we need to do them. But we put the big rocks in first, and then pour in all our temporal concerns and needs. And at this point I pour the small rocks in. And they all fit still! Magically almost. And I really believe it works like this. God can multiply your time and bless you in such a way that you do get all those other things done. And even have time for those frivolous things like entertainment and video games. Just put God first and see what happens.
TRANSITION
Now that’s the issue the Israelites are having at the time of Haggai. They’re having a “small rocks first” kind of approach to life. But God wants them to rebuild the temple. And what do they say?
SEARCH-CONSIDER YOUR WAYS
Look for the problem in Haggai 1:2-5?
2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.
3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
So what are they saying? They’re saying that they don’t feel it’s time to really get going on rebuilding the temple. “The time is not come.” They’re too busy and occupied in building up their own cieled houses. Cieled could mean one of two things here. It could mean, houses with ceilings. They’ve got roofs over their head; they’re taken care of. But the Lord, his house is still open to the elements. When it rains or when the sun beats down, there they are all comfy in their ceilinged homes, while the Lord is left out in the rain or in the sweltering heat. Cieled could also mean paneled, as the footnotes suggest. Now paneling would be a luxury in their homes. Back then, people might put wood paneling along their walls to make them more beautiful. Which isn’t a terrible thing. But they’re spending all this time on making THEIR houses nicer, while God’s house didn’t even have a roof on it. And Haggai is calling them out on this. He comes to give them some perspective. He invites them (and all of us) to “Consider your ways”.
And the question we might ask ourselves here is if we ever fall into the same trap. Do we start to say, “The time is not come.” I’m too busy for the things of God. I’m too busy to make time for the Lord’s house.
And what are the results of that mindset?
I want you to take a colored pencil and mark any description of what the Lord promises things will be like for the people if they continue to neglect the Lord and his work.
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
So things aren’t going super great for the people at this time. They’re sowing much but getting back little. They eating and drinking, but they’re not filled. They put on clothes but they’re not warm. And then I love that last image in verse 6, it’s so good. “and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” Have you ever felt that way about your income? Like, “Where did all the money go?” It’s like I put it into a bag with holes and it just disappears. They looked for much and it came to little. The dew and fruit of the earth is held back, and God calls a drought on the land. And why? Because every man is running to his own house while God’s house lay waste.
We could also include his description of things in 2:16-17
16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.
So when they were expecting to reap twenty measures, they found that they were only able to harvest ten. When they expected and planned to draw out fifty vessels from the winepress, they were only able to accumulate twenty. Have you ever experienced that kind of thing? You were expecting to have a certain amount of money or resources at some point of time. It was part of the plan. But when you actually get there, something happens, or things don’t turn out that way, and you end up with far less than you expected. That’s what’s happening to the people here.
So Haggai invites them to “consider their ways”, which means “to give careful thought”. It’s a gentle rebuke. He’s not calling down fire from heaven or promising death and destruction if they don’t get to work. I mean, they are getting by, but experiencing a fair amount of struggle and opposition. So Haggai’s saying, “Take a moment to think about this. Ponder your actions. Is it right to focus exclusively on your own homes and completely neglect God’s?”
So what do the people do? 1:12-14
12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.
13 Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.
14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,
So it works! They do consider their ways! And good for them! What a great example these people are to us. They follow the prophet. They apply his teachings to their daily lives, for real. And they start building.
Therefore, in chapter 2, we have another “Consider” to consider. Verses 15-19 (which includes some of the verses we already looked it, but in the context of the comparison between past and future). Now that they have resolved to put the work of God first, to put the big rock of building the temple in their containers first, what does the Lord promise them? There’s a repeated phrase in these verses that comes up three different times. See if you can find it.
15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord:
16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.
18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it.
19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
Did you see the repeated phrase? “Consider from this day and upward” in verse 15, “Consider now from this day and upward” in verse 18. And from verse 19, “from this day” will bless you. So the promise is, “Just watch what happens when you start prioritizing the things of God. The blessings will come immediately.” Things will begin to get better, from that day. You’ll notice a change.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And let’s pause for just a minute here and liken the scriptures. Have any of you ever experienced this? Is that a true principle? Are there immediate blessings to putting God first? And yes, it’s true that sometimes God’s promised blessings come in time, and we need to wait patiently upon the Lord for them. We’ve seen that principle numerous times this year. But it’s also true, that there are immediate results and blessings that come from placing God first. And particularly here, since the situation is building the temple, what’s an immediate blessing of prioritizing temple work and temple attendance? What have you experienced? How has the temple blessed you? And if it’s been a while since you’ve been. I encourage you to experiment on Haggai’s promise. From the day you start making temple work a priority in your life, a part of your schedule. Consider from that day and upward how things change.
THE OBSTACLES
Before we move on from Haggai, there is one additional thought I’d like to add to this principle. Upon closer examination, you’ll notice that the book of Haggai is very specific with its dates. There’s a timeline to it, right down to the month and day. We could therefore break up the book of Haggai into four sections. Perhaps five, but the last two dates mentioned are the exact same date.
1:1-11
1:12-15
2:1-9
2:10-23
So what’s the date in 1:1? And to keep this simple, let’s just put it in terms of our calendar. I know that the Jewish calendar isn’t the same as the Gregorian, which we use, but the reason I want to do this is so that we can just get an idea of the timeframe of the events of Haggai. So on the Jewish calendar the date would actually be August 29, but for our sakes, the first day of the sixth month would be June 1st, so it’s just a bit off. But that’s the date the people initially get Haggai’s message that they should get to work. And when do they start working? 1:15—the 24th day of the 6th month. So June 24th. Just a couple of weeks later. They respond quickly. Then when does the next revelation come? 2:1 The 20th day of the seventh month. So July 20. Almost exactly one month later.
And that’s significant to me. I think there’s an insight we can glean there. The people get started on building the temple and based on what Haggai says in 2:3-5, what do you think the people must be experiencing after their first month of work?
3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4 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:
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
So what does that suggest the people are experiencing? I think they’re probably getting a little discouraged. There are people among them that can still remember what the temple initially looked like. And now they’re comparing it to what it looks like then. And it’s just not what it used to be. It has lost a lot of its former glory. All the gold and silver are gone. Its former beauty has been reduced to shambles. They just don’t have the means and material to make it what it once was. And it’s only been a month since they started. They’re looking at all the work that has to be done and they’re probably getting a little dismayed. Verse 5 tells us another emotion they must be feeling, because Haggai tells them to fight it. What is it? Fear.
Hence, there are some things we should watch out for whenever we start to get to work on some spiritual change or labor. There are some things that may threaten to extinguish our motivation. What are some of the big motivation killers? Discouragement, comparison, and fear.
How can these three things get in the way of our progress and success?
Discouragement can stop us in our tracks almost before we’ve really begun. Discouragement at all the work that needs to be done. Discouragement at our lack of visible progress. Discouragement at our lack of knowledge, or skill, or ability. Typically, the greatest works we can engage in, in this life, are not the kind of things that can be done in a day or two. They are BIG projects that require A LOT of work—especially when it comes to our spiritual development. We live in a quick fix and instant gratification kind of world right now. So when we start in on a task or project that requires months, or years, or even decades of labor, it’s easy to become discouraged.
What’s the problem with comparison? That’s got to be one of the most dangerous things we can do. Comparison with other people and what they have, or what they’ve accomplished. When we start looking around and saying, “Why am I not as far along as they are.” “Why is my life not as good as theirs”. “Why have they been blessed with that gift, that skill, or those resources, and not me”. This is especially true in the age of social media, where often it’s only the “best” of other’s lives that are on display. Or we can get caught up in the comparison with how things have been in the past and fail to acknowledge new circumstances and new realities.
And then fear. Fear is one of the greatest tools of the adversary for obstructing God’s work. Fear that we won’t be able to do it. Fear that our efforts will be judged. Fear of failure. Fear of the opposition that we’re certain to face.
Let me give you a quick personal example of this. I know for myself that when I first started teaching seminary, that I faced these three motivation killers myself. I don’t believe that I’m a naturally gifted teacher and I don’t say that in mock humility or anything. I really struggled in a lot of ways at first. And I had some pretty amazing role models around me to compare myself to. My father for one, who is one of the most gifted teachers out there. And I had other friends and family members to look up to. And I had to be very careful, and I still have to be careful not to get caught up in the comparison of my teaching abilities and knowledge with anyone else’s. This is MY journey—and it’s going to be different from theirs. And I feel that I still have a long way to go. I haven’t “arrived” yet, or anything near it. But I’ve definitely had to wrestle with all three of those emotions in the process. And Haggai has some encouragement for us.
What are the antidotes to discouragement, comparison, and fear? I can see some things in verses 4-9. Can you? He says, “Be strong!” three times. Be strong. Be strong. Once to the king, once to the high priest, and once to the people. Don’t give up! Any of you. Keep working. Keep pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ. Endure to the end. Endurance has to be one of the most important qualities we can develop in this life. Pushing through that initial discouragement can be tough, but if you stick to it, you’ll see that do get easier. Never easy, but easier. It’s the space shuttle principle. It takes a lot of fuel to get to the moon. But the vast majority of the fuel is used up to break out of earth’s atmosphere, and then, it doesn’t take nearly as much to travel the rest of the distance to the moon and back. Hopefully that can help us to keep moving forward when the initial work seems so daunting. Just get going, break through that initial resistance and discouragement and watch how the opposition eases over time!
Another thought. In verse 4, the Lord reminds them that, “I am with you”, and “my spirit remaineth among you”. We must not forget that we are not working alone. If your task or goal is a worthy one, the Lord will assist you in your efforts. He can ease your burdens and provide us with divine strength. I know I’ve felt that in my life. There have been times when I feel that the Lord stepped in and gave me the extra fortitude I needed to continue forward. I felt that as a missionary. I’ve felt it as a teacher. I felt it as I served as Bishop, and I’ve felt it as a parent. There is no way I could have done any of those things on my own. I would have failed in each miserably.
Now look at verses 6-9 for some more help:
6 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 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.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 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.
Haggai promises the people that the Lord would come and fill that house with his glory, that this latter house of God would one day become even greater than the former one they could remember. As long as we continue to work, progress will be made, and we WILL see future glory. We need to focus on that. Begin with the end in mind, and keep THAT end always in mind. One day you will obtain it if you stick to it. And there will be peace given to us. Think of that peace that will come when you have accomplished much.
So don’t let discouragement, comparison, or fear get in the way of your efforts to do God’s work, or build your testimony, or develop your spiritual gifts. Be strong when this happens. Remember God is with you. Focus on the future, keep the end in mind, and remember the principle that God will begin to bless you AS SOON as you begin-from that day and upward. You’re not working for just future peace, and glory, and blessing, but there will be immediate blessings you experience all along the way. I believe that is particularly true when it comes to temple work. If we make temple work a priority, our lives will be filled with peace, and glory, and blessings.
TRUTH
As soon as I make God and his work a priority, blessings will come.
There will always be opposition in our efforts to do God’s work. But with endurance, the Lord’s help, and an eye to the future, it can be overcome.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Will we respond to the call of the prophet to make God’s work a priority in our lives? Specifically when it comes to the temple? President Nelson is definitely a modern-day Haggai. Just listen to what he said just last year in General conference about temple work. He said:
“My brothers and sisters, I plead with you to make time for the Lord! Make your own spiritual foundation firm and able to stand the test of time by doing those things that allow the Holy Ghost to be with you always. . .
please make time for the Lord in His holy house. Nothing will strengthen your spiritual foundation like temple service and temple worship.”
Russell M. Nelson
(Conference Report, October 2021)
He has also made similar statements in both general conferences since then. It’s obvious that temple building, and temple work are a priority our father in heaven wants us to have at this time.
So the question for us is, “Will we be like the people of Jerusalem in Haggai and resolve to do something about that charge?” Are we willing to make time for the Lord?
CONCLUSION
I have faith that if we do answer that call, the promise of Haggai will be fulfilled in our day as well. From the day, that we make that change—from the day we make the temple a priority, we will see a difference in our lives. Things will be better. When we put the BIG ROCKS in first, everything else falls into place. When we make God’s work a priority, I believe that our strength and blessings become a priority to Him. And he will fill his house, and our houses, with peace and glory.
ZECHARIAH
BACKGROUND
Now the bigger book. Zechariah. Remember that Zechariah is living at the same time as Haggai. But he’s a very different kind of prophet. He teaches with quite a different style. Where Haggai is more practical, Zechariah is visionary. Where Haggai is all about the here and now, Zechariah points to the future. Haggai gets right to the point; Zechariah uses complex metaphor and poetry to teach the people. Haggai encouraged the people to get to work on the project at hand, while Zechariah encouraged them to put their hope in what was to come in the future. Now neither message is better or more important than the other, just different. They serve different purposes. And I’m not going to lie to you, Zechariah is NOT simple. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult books in the entire canon to study and understand. I mean, you know a book is going to be hard when you have to go to the Book of Revelation for clarification. Zechariah’s thoughts aren’t linear, his metaphors are mixed, the symbolism is startling and difficult, and it’s hard to organize his message into any kind of nice orderly pattern. If you really want to understand the book of Zechariah, you basically have to go verse by verse to make sense of it. It’s a verse-by-verse book. But you can’t really do that as a teacher. You don’t have the time. So you’ve just got to give your students a taste of his writings. Pull out some of the highlight, summarize some of his thoughts. But even then, it’s hard not to get bogged down just trying to summarize it even. So I’ll be honest, I struggled to figure out how best to present this book to you and what ideas would be the most effective to help simplify it for your own teaching or study. And I’m not sure if I really succeeded. I tried. But really, if I only had one class period to teach this week’s materials, I’d probably focus more on Haggai, and just give a quick summary of Zechariah. Which I know, is a bit of a cop out. But your class is more likely to relate to the message of Haggai. That being said, Zechariah does have some really great and fun aspects to it is well. They just take a little more work to comprehend.
One thing we can do to help simplify this book is to split it up into its two parts. Chapters 1-8, and chapters 9-14. About forty years separate those two sections and they differ quite a bit in style and content. Another thing to keep in mind. You’ll find that the themes of Zechariah are very similar to Haggai. That is: the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and the subsequent rebuilding of the city and the temple under the direction of their king and priest. And we can compare those efforts, as we have done many times before in this second half of the Old Testament, to the latter-day gathering of Israel, our efforts to build Zion throughout the world and our own temples, under the direction of the King of Kings, and the Priest of Priests. So let’s dive in.
ICEBREAKER
Earlier this year, when we studied Joseph of Egypt interpreting the dreams of Pharoah, I gave you a couple of ideas on how to introduce that scripture block. Well, here in Zechariah we have another example of dream interpretation. So I would suggest that whichever icebreaker activity you did back then, just choose the other one to do here. One of the activities was to just simply ask them to share the weirdest dream they’ve ever had or a dream that they felt contained a meaningful message for them. I’ve found that that question can generate a fair amount of discussion and sharing. And it’s kind of fun. You’ll probably want to be prepared to share an example of either a funny or a meaningful dream that you’ve had.
Or, they could choose to do this “Dream Interpretation” activity where they match the type of dream with what “Dream Experts” (if there can be such a thing) feel these dreams suggest about your life. I won’t go through all the answers here, but I’ll at least show you the correct matches.
TRANSITION
Whichever activity you choose to do, explain to your students that the first half of the Book of Zechariah contains eight very interesting dreams that Zechariah has. The Lord is going to use these dreams to teach Zechariah things about the future of the House of Israel. So we’re going to do an activity that will challenge us to try and interpret these dreams in light of the latter-days. And remember, we can’t go verse by verse here. We’re just trying to give them a taste of the book, so that they can get more out of it in their personal scripture study.
SEARCH
Here’s how we’re going to do this. Here is a list of the latter-day messages I feel these dreams of Zechariah’s teach us. So I’ll give you the scripture reference where the vision is found and give you a quick summary of the dream itself. Your job is to match the vision with its possible latter-day meaning. And as we do this activity, I encourage you to go to those chapters in Zechariah and write the “meaning” phrase in the margins of your scriptures. So that when you do study these dreams personally, you’ll be better equipped to understand and see their relevance. So here we go.
Vision #1-Zechariah 1:8-11
Title: The Horsemen of God
Summary: Zechariah sees various horsemen sent by God riding throughout the land to keep watch over the earth.
Message: C-God is aware of what’s happening on the earth and in our lives. He sends his horsemen (servants) to watch over us.
Vision #2-Zechariah 1:18-21
Title: The Four Horns and Four Carpenters
Summary: Zechariah sees four horns which have scattered the Children of Israel. Horns, in the scriptures, are a symbol for power, and here represent the nations which have scattered Israel in the past. Then he sees four carpenters that come and file down the horns with their tools.
Message: H-All obstacles to God’s work will be removed.
Vision #3-Zechariah 2:1-13
Title: The Man with the Measuring Line
Summary: Zechariah sees a man measuring the borders of the city of Jerusalem suggesting that there are plans to rebuild it. The angel tells Zechariah to tell the man that it’s pointless to measure the city because it will be so big. And there’s no need to build a wall around it because the Lord himself will be a wall of fire around it and the light within it. All the people and nations that live there will rejoice.
Message: F-A New Jerusalem will be built in the last days—clean, pure, and joyful. The righteous of all nations will flow into it.
Vision #4-Zechariah 3:1-10
Title: New Clothes for the High Priest
Summary: Zechariah sees Joshua (the current high priest) dressed in filthy clothes being opposed by Satan. Satan is rebuked and Joshua is given new clean clothes. He then becomes a symbol for a future Messianic King that will one day rule in purity and faithfulness.
Message: A-God will restore and raise up a purified priesthood which will be led and inspired by Christ.
Vision #5-Zechariah 4:1-14
Title: The Olive Trees and the Candlestick
Summary: Zechariah sees a menorah (the Jewish seven branched candlestick) receiving a continual supply of olive oil from two olive trees on either side of it. He’s told that the two olive trees represent Joshua and Zerubbabel, God’s anointed leaders.
Message: E-God’s anointed leaders and priesthood will pour their spirit into the people of the Church which will enable them to become a light to the world.
Vision #6-Zechariah 5:1-4
Title: The Flying Scroll
Summary: Zechariah sees a large flying scroll (which represents God’s law) that glides throughout the earth condemning thieves and liars.
Message: B-The New Jerusalem will be a place ruled by God’s laws, free of crime and evil.
Vision #7:Zechariah 5:5-11
Title: The Woman in the Pot
Summary: Zechariah sees a woman sitting in a large pot. We’re told she represents wickedness. A lid made of lead is placed on top of her, and two flying angels carry the pot to Shinar (or Babylon).
Message: G-Wickedness will be contained and banished from Zion. Isn’t that a great image? God’s going to take wickedness and worldliness, put a lid on it and carry it back to Babylon where it belongs. Then, we don’t have to deal with her anymore.
Vision #8: Zechariah 6:1-15 (and we get a little bit of help from Revelation 6)
Title: The Four Horsemen
Summary: Zechariah sees four horsemen that ride throughout the world bringing their destructive powers on the wicked but pave the way for a peaceful land for the righteous to inherit behind them. Zion flourishes, the temple is rebuilt, and a great high priest is crowned who rules in righteousness over his people.
Message: D-Evil will be destroyed, and Christ will reign over the New Jerusalem forever.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
So I know that was quick and not very in-depth. But overall, I hope it helped to give us just a hint of the latter-day message from the dreams of Zechariah. To help your students then to Liken the Scriptures. Invite them to choose one or two of the dreams that most intrigued them and answer the corresponding question or questions in a journal or notebook. I feel they can help make these difficult dreams a little more personal and applicable to the modern reader.
1. How does it make you feel to know that God is aware of and cares about what’s going on in your life? Have you ever had an experience in your life that helped you to recognize this?
2. What are some of the obstacles to God’s work in the latter-days that you’ve seen or experienced? When have you seen God’s power help remove those obstacles?
3. Brainstorm what we can do as members of the Church to help build the New Jerusalem in the last days? How do you feel about being a part of that great work?
4. How have you been personally blessed by the power of the priesthood?
5. Are you grateful for your church leaders? Why? How have they helped you to be a brighter light to the world?
6. In your opinion, what will be the best thing about living in a place ruled only by God’s laws?
7. Are there any worldly influences in your own life that you feel need to be put into a pot, a heavy lid placed on top, and cast away into Babylon where it belongs? What would that process look like for you in real life? Are you willing to do it?
8. What about living in the millennial New Jerusalem do you most look forward to?
HANDOUT ACTIVITY
Now there’s another activity you could do with your students to help cover another major theme of the Book of Zechariah and much of the material from the second half of the book. Zechariah has a lot to say about Jesus Christ. His prophecies on Christ come in two ways. Either they are prophecies about the Savior and things that he would do or experience in his life, or they are symbols or metaphors for Jesus. So I like to approach this as a matching activity handout. It’s similar to what we did Micah and also in Isaiah 53. I’ve gathered some pictures from the life of Christ that match with some of the prophecies of Zechariah and the symbols for Jesus. Your job is to match the reference with the picture.
And here are the answers.
Zechariah 3:8/6:12
The match is F. The picture of the branch. You’ll notice in those verses that BRANCH is in all caps. That’s an indicator that we’re looking at a title for the Savior. Jesus is the BRANCH that grows from the tree of David. We use that same symbolism when we talk about our family trees. Jesus would grow out of that trunk of royal descent. This would have been an important idea for the Jews. Jesus was a rightful heir to the throne. That’s going to be the very first thing Matthew establishes in his gospel as he highlights the genealogy of Jesus, linking him back to David. Jesus would be the King of Kings, BRANCHING from that royal line. The image of a BRANCH also suggests something living and hopeful, promising future fruit and a shadow from the heat.
Zechariah 10:4
Actually gives us three pictures that match. Three images for Christ. And they’re all great.
4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
So the answers are D, the picture of the cornerstone, H the picture of the nail, and B, the picture of the crossbow. And how is Jesus like these three things?
For one, he’s our cornerstone. He’s a firm foundation from which to build our lives and his Church. Solid, reliable, and absolutely necessary.
He’s a nail. Something that holds us together. A fastening, uniting, strength providing power.
And he’s a crossbow. This is an interesting one that we don’t get anywhere else in the scriptures, that I’m aware of. And we can link this image up with another set of verses from chapter 9. If Christ is the bow or even the archer, who is the arrow? What is he firing? 9:13-14
13 When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
14 And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
Judah and Ephraim are the bow and arrow. His tribes or disciples are going to be shot forth into the world with lightning speed. It’s a great image for missionary work. Jesus shoots his missionaries out into the world as a strike against the adversary and his forces. They are his weapon. We fight back against Babylon by spreading his gospel message and doing God’s work. And we do it swiftly, directly, and we penetrate straight to the heart.
Zechariah 11:7
7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
The match here is C. An image we’ve seen all over the Old Testament. Jesus as the good shepherd. If you study Zechariah chapters 10 and 11 in depth, you’ll read about this comparison between Christ as a shepherd and the bad shepherds that have plagued the children of Israel for centuries--the selfish, hypocritical leaders amongst the people that don’t really care much for the sheep. Jesus will not be that kind of shepherd. He feeds them and protects them. But then Zechariah adds something to that imagery. He is a shepherd with two staves, not just one. And those staves have names. What are they? Beauty and Bands. What does that teach us? It tells us something about how he leads his sheep. With beauty—gentleness, sweetness, filled with grace and kindness, and with bands—he does it in a unifying, binding up, healing sort of way. Beauty and bands—a good shepherd.
That will do it for the symbols. But now, the prophecies. What scenes from the Savior’s life come to mind when you read these?
Zechariah 9:9
9 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.
The match is I. The image of the triumphal entry. This was a visual manifestation of Christ’s character as the Messiah. He would be a different kind of conqueror. He didn’t come to conquer the Romans, but death. He didn’t come to free the people from soldiers or political oppression, but to free them from their sins. So he doesn’t enter riding a war horse, but a donkey. This is also how he wishes to enter our lives. Will we accept him in triumph or not?
Zechariah 11:12-13
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
The answer is A. This is a reference to the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot. He betrayed the Savior for thirty pieces of silver. Afterwards, when he was filled with remorse and refused the money, it was taken by the chief priests and was used to buy the “potter’s field” for the burying of strangers. This prophecy is an indicator of how many people would feel about Christ. They wouldn’t value him very highly. They would sell him for a thing of nought. People continue to do this today.
Zechariah 12:10
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
The word “pierced” is the key word here. The match would be G, the picture of the crucifixion. Jesus would be “pierced” by his own people. Even though Rome would officially carry out the crucifixion of Christ, Pilate makes it quite clear by the washing of his hands that it really was the Jewish authorities that were carrying out the execution, not Rome.
Zechariah 13:6, 14:4
That leads us to this moment that will still occur at some future date at the Second Coming.
6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
This has reference to a future time when Christ will appear to the Jews in Jerusalem as their Messiah and show them the wounds in his hands and feet. So the match would be E.
But before we go into more depth on that event, we can combine it with the image in 14:4
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
To understand these two images better we can go to Doctrine and Covenants 45:47-53 which tells us:
47 Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations.
48 And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.
49 And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly.
50 And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
51 And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
52 Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
53 And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.
This is the prophecy of the future meeting of Christ with his original covenant children, the Jews. At the Second Coming, the Mount of Olives at Jerusalem will be split in two. This location where Christ performed his atonement, will open up for them and they will run to meet him, expecting it to be his first coming. But then they will stop and see the wounds in his hands and his feet, and ask their question, “What are these wounds?” And then they will realize that this isn’t his first coming at all, but his second. They will understand how they had rejected and crucified their Savior. Now I believe this event and prophecy is largely symbolic rather than literal. Why the Mount of Olives? Because that is where Christ’s Atonement opened up a way for all of us to escape. It cut through that barrier of death and sin and allows us to run to Christ for his forgiveness. Here, Christ breaks down the barrier that has stood between him and his covenant people for centuries and offers them an opportunity to receive forgiveness and accept him as their Messiah and deliverer.
TRUTH
Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament and the Savior of ALL who come unto Him.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Which of those images or prophecies have helped you to better understand the character and mission of Christ most? How?
CONCLUSION
It’s clear that Zechariah had a lot to say about the future Messiah and the way in which he would be received by his own people. But rather than condemning the future Jews for what they would do, if we are seeking to apply the scriptures in our own lives, we would do well to ask ourselves how WE are receiving the Messiah. Are we going to Him as our Shepherd? Are we making Him our cornerstone and our nail? Are we a part of his arrow, penetrating the hearts of the children of the earth with his gospel? Have we allowed him to ride triumphantly and humbly into our lives or have we betrayed and rejected him? When we see him again at his coming and gaze at the wounds in his hands and his feet, will we have already recognized and accepted him as our Savior before that moment ever comes? I pray that we will and that that moment will be a glorious and joyful occasion for us all.
FINAL THOUGHT (I DIDN’T INCLUDE THIS PART IN MY VIDEO OR PODCAST)
Before we conclude, there is one final brief thought that I’d like to just mention here. It comes from the following verses.
Zechariah 8:18-23
18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying,
19 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.
20 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also.
22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.
23 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.
Similar thoughts can be found in 2:10-11 and 14:16. Remember Zechariah’s fifth dream where the church was represented by the seven branched lamp known as the Menorah. That symbolized that we, as God’s people and Church are meant to be a light to the world. Chapter 8 describes a little bit of how that is meant to work. We are to be a joyful, glad, truth-loving, and peaceful people. This is one of the ways we do missionary work in the last days. We do it by example and by our attitude. We live in such a way that other nations and people look upon the light that we shine by our good works, hear our rejoicing, and wonder at our peace and happiness they see us experiencing. And hopefully they say, “Wow, you members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seem so happy, and loving, and peaceful and good. I want what you have in my life! It’s obvious that God is with you”. So the question for us to consider is, how are we presenting ourselves to the world and our attitude towards the church and its teachings? Do we rejoice in our membership? Do we express gratitude and enthusiasm for the gospel. Do we live in such a way that people look at us, consider our lives, our blessings, and our character and say, “What’s all that rejoicing about over there in the Church of Jesus Christ. Let’s go check it out. We want that too!” And when they come, we happily invite them to join us in the celebration.
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