Strange Visions

Zechariah 1-5

Zechariah is one of the more famous prophets, and I can see why. He writes using strange metaphors, and humans love a good puzzle. Figuring out what Zechariah means is quite a fun challenge. Also, Zechariah has the occasional sentence that stands out as a universal truth. Like this line about trusting in God rather than using force and violence: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit” (4:6).

However, when you read that line in context, it’s more complicated. Zechariah sees a vision of the golden lampstand, with two olive trees on either side. He asks an angel what this vision means, and the angel replies, “not by might, nor by power... “. It’s very cryptic. What does trusting God instead of using force have to do with a lampstand with seven candles on it?

It might have something to do with this line later in Chapter 4: “these seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range throughout the earth” (4:10). Or maybe that refers to a stone from Chapter 3 with seven eyes carved into it. Is that stone being used to build the temple?

The lampstand is probably supposed to be in the holy place, inside the temple. They describe this lampstand a lot in Exodus and Leviticus, around a thousand years prior to Zechariah. But they don’t say what this lampstand is supposed to symbolize. Is Zechariah saying that it symbolizes God’s spirit? Is that why the angel explains the vision of the lampstand with the line “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit”?

There are lots of other questions to ask here. In Chapter 2, God says this: “I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you” (2:11). What does that mean? Will God send himself to live among the Israelites?

Then Satan shows up. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Satan in the Bible. Apparently, Satan is not the name of a specific being. It translates to “the accuser”. The “the” in “the accuser” is important. Anybody can be an accuser. If you’re in a courtroom, and someone comes to accuse someone else of a crime, you’d call that person “the accuser”. But you wouldn’t say that’s their name. It’s more like a role they're playing, but anybody can play that role. It’s a good role to play sometimes.

It seems like the accuser has played his role properly. He rightfully saw that the Israelites committed many crimes. That’s why God allowed Babylon to conquer them. “Satan” accused them of crimes, and God said, “You’re right, Israel is guilty, it’s time to punish them”.

However, Zechariah says that the time of punishment is coming to a close. So, the accuser still accuses Israel of crimes (which they continue to commit), but God says it’s now time to ignore those crimes. Blessing is going to return to Israel.

In another cryptic story, Israel’s wickedness is personified in a woman. This woman is trapped in a basket, and two other women with wings carry this basket to Babylon. Israel’s sin is being banished.

Overall, Zechariah paints an optimistic picture. The future of Israel is bright. God will banish their sins, ignore the accuser, and come to dwell in Jerusalem. Blessing will return, which means plentiful crops and widespread peace. People won’t trust in force and violence, but they’ll trust in God’s spirit.

Again, this brings up many more questions than it answers. From Zechariah’s perspective, we are living in the future. 2500 years in the future. I’ll bet Zechariah thought his predictions should have come true by now.

People make predictions today, too. But at most, their predictions are usually for 100-200 years in the future. Lots of people have predictions about climate change, technology, and society. But have you ever hear someone predict what’s going to happen in the year 4500? I haven’t. That’s just too far in the future to predict.

Well, the year 4500 is as far from us as we are from Zechariah. It seems crazy to believe his predictions haven’t come true yet. So why do I still live in a world full of hunger and violence? Why do I still make so many mistakes? Why do I sometimes do things I don’t want to do?

I’m getting tired of asking these questions. The Bible is supposed to have answers.

Of course, the “answer” for me right now is probably something I don’t want to hear. Patience is the answer, more than likely. Zechariah spent his whole life studying the Bible, and when God wanted to give him answers, they came as cryptic stories. The stories must have been disappointing for Zechariah, because they were about the future. I’m sure Zechariah wanted to live in a perfect world. He didn’t want to wait. His people had waited in captivity for seventy years. It was about time for God to restore them and bless them.

But, God tells Zechariah he still has to wait. The time of blessing is still in the future. I suppose I should try my best to be patient.