77. Beginner Bible Course: The prophet Zechariah, the prophet Malachi

EPISODE 77   The simple Bible overview of… THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH AND THE PROPHET MALACHI (THEN 400 YEARS OF SILENCE)

We've reached the last two books of the old Testament. Before we talk about the sticky notes of Zachariah and Malakai. I just want to make one comment about Chronicles first and second Chronicles are the only two books I haven't specifically looked at in this series. I referred to them a number of times, especially during the stories of David Solomon and the Kings of Judah. First Chronicles, essentially repeats and adds color commentary to the story of David. Second Chronicles does the same for the story of the Southern Kings in Judah first and second Chronicles are some of the latest material in the old Testament. Many scholars believe these were written by Ezra, most believe Ezra or another priest wrote first and second Chronicles.

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And for a specific purpose to highlight God's covenant with David that one day a righteous King, one who would rule forever would come through his line and then to trace that line through the Southern kingdom of Judah first and second Chronicles, therefore serves a different purpose, not so much tracing it historically, but providing the remnant at Ezra's time with the hope that God would fulfill his promise to David and through the Southern Kings of Judah. First and second Chronicles also includes lengthy cumbersome lists of people. Exhaustive lists of names. You can't pronounce though. We didn't cover it in a specific podcast.

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I urge you not to skip first and second Chronicles. Well, maybe you could just browse or skip over the lists. There's gold in them. There are Hills. Let me wet your appetite. God speaking in second Chronicles, seven 14 says this. If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. I've seen that on more than one plaque on a wall somewhere. Here's another one. And in one of those exhaustive people lists, we come across a man named Jay Bez, first Chronicles four 10, and Jay Bez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my coast.

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And that your hand might be with me. And that you would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me and God granted him. That which he requested. Perhaps you've seen the book in stores, the prayer of Jay Bez. It comes from first Chronicles, chapter four, and I've already alluded to my favorite, the color commentary on the life of wicked Southern King Manasseh. It's in chapter 33, starting in verse 12. And when he Manasseh was in affliction, he sought the Lord, his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And he prayed unto the Lord and beg the Lord and the Lord heard his supplication and brought him again into Jerusalem to kingdom.

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Then Manessa knew that the Lord he is God. What follows in that chapter are monastic his last ditch reforms to undo all the damage he had done as the most wicked King of Judah, the killer King of Jerusalem. Don't skip over and miss the nuggets of riches in this book. Now back to our last two sticky note, profits, Zachariah and Malakai will take Zachariah first because he comes first. In fact, we need to back up the tape a little bit because Zachariah comes about a hundred years before Malakai. He snugged right up to head guy. Remember, Hey guy, your priorities are showing, Hey guy urge them to get started on the temple.

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While head guy was prodding and pushing them to get started on the project. Zachariah was used by God in a little different way to urge them to complete it because once complete God was going to bring his special forever King. And that Zachariah sticky note, your King is coming. Zachariah is a very popular name in the old Testament. The name means Yahweh way remembers in this case, that was a very fitting name. Yahweh. He remembers his promises. He remembers what he promised Abraham through. One of your descendants. All nations will be blessed. He remembers what he promised Judah, a lion.

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The King of the beast will come out of you. One with a Sceptre in his hands. He remembers his covenant with David. Someone from the line of David would come and would rule on the throne forever. He remembered what he spoke to the prophet, Jeremiah chapter 23. That one day I myself will gather the remnants of my flock. Like a shepherd gathers the sheep and behold the days are coming. When I will raise up for David, a righteous branch, and he will reign as King and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called the Lord.

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Our righteousness. Now God's prophet Zachariah. Ya'll way remembers is there to remind the remnant people let's get this temple done. And then your King will come. Now I need to stop a moment and make an observation. We're about to turn the pages from the old Testament to the new Testament. Christians, believe Jesus is the one referred to and all those prophecies, the one who had blessed all nations, the lion of Judah, a descendant of David, the shepherd who'd gathered his flock throughout the old Testament. We've been talking about the Stomper. The one promised to Eve, a descendant who would come and crush Satan's head and end the power and curse of sin sprinkled throughout the old Testament are clues about what he would do.

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Some of those clues clearly suggest part of his mission was to be a suffering servant and save us from our sin. Remember all of chapter 53 of Isaiah's prophecy, including this statement. My servant will justify many as he will bear their sins. But the other role of the stopper is to rule with righteousness, justice, and mercy, and to rule forever. The next four books we'll look at the gospels, make a strong case that Jesus very much did that first role, the suffering servant, a lamb that substitutes for us to pay for our sin, but he didn't do much at all of that.

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Second one, unless you believe he's now King of people's hearts. The old Testament sounds like he's King over more than just hearts. Here's where Christians and Jews partway is. Most religious Jews are still looking for the Messiah. The Stomper specifically because Jesus doesn't fulfill the prophecies of this great King coming out of the line of David. So most religious Jews are still waiting as we move to the new Testament in future podcasts. I hope to be able to explain a little bit why Christians believe Jesus is going to fulfill that role in the future. But for now, I want to give you a word picture of how Christians see the prophecies about the coming powerful ruling King.

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I grew up in central Minnesota and other than a short trip to Eastern Wisconsin and Northern Iowa never left the state. So you can imagine my surprise. The first time I drove West on I 70 in Eastern Colorado, I saw in front of me, the Rocky mountain range that became even more stunning. As I near Denver, it looked like those mountains were stacked up right behind the city of Denver. I mean, it looked like those peaks were a few miles apart. What this country boy didn't realize is it would take me four hours to get to the other side of Colorado through those mountain peaks. From where I sat in my car East of Denver, I had no idea how far apart those mountain peaks were.

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I think that's how Christian see the old Testament prophecies about the Stompers role as a ruling King. It's hard to tell those two peaks how far apart they are and where they are. And when Zachariah sticky note your King is coming, gives us some amazing details about that King role of the Messiah. The Stomper. He also gives us a number of stunning clues about who he is and what will happen. Clues. He hopes will motivate the remnant of Judah to build that temple and then stand on their tiptoes, scanning the horizon for their coming King, the righteous one. He talks about how their King will arrive in chapter nine, verse nine.

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This one might sound familiar, rejoice, greatly O daughter of Zion shout in Triumpho daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your King is coming to you. He is just an endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey. Even on a Colt, the foal of a donkey Zachariah tells the people watch for your King. Your King is coming and he's going to come into Jerusalem. This very city on a donkey. We're going to come back to this prophecy in the new Testament. Speaking of Zachariah prophecies, we'll come back to in the new Testament. Here's another one. So they weighed out 30 shekels of silver as my wages. Then the Lord said to me, throw it to the Potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.

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So I took the 30 shekels of silver and threw them to the Potter in the house of the Lord. Here's another one from chapter 12 that shows up again in the new Testament. And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication, so that they will look on me, whom they have pierced. And they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son. And they will weep bitterly over him like bitter, weeping, over a firstborn. And here's one more motivation from Zachariah to the remnant of Israel. In that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of olives and the Lord will be King over all the earth.

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And when he comes Holy to the Lord will be inscribed on cooking pots and horses. Bells. If Zachariah's prophecy came in our day, it might say Holy to the Lord on to go cups and bumper stickers. If you were the remnant in Judah, listening to Zachariah's message, wouldn't you be pumped to get the temple done, checked off your list. So that King would arrive. I'm guessing Zachariah's motivation, didn't hurt at all, but they had the same issue I had in Eastern Colorado staring West to Denver. They thought that next mountain peak that coming King would be immediate and he wasn't fast forward a hundred years.

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We now get to the last sticky note prophet in the last book, in your old Testament, Malakai, it's been a hundred years waiting for that coming King. The people of Judah aren't doing so hot it's as if God runs the exile nation through an MRI machine. And he sends Malakai to have a consultation with them about what he sees, what God sees is the very thing that caused Ezra to tear her hair out of his beard and head. It's what caused Nehemiah to get angry and take action. In fact, Malakai joins Nehemiah at his side in that consultation toward what God sees, what God sees is this corrupt priests, wicked people, and a religious arrogance.

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The people of Judah got of waiting for their King. More than tired. They got lazy and sinful and snarky. They believe that the delay of this promise King who'd come back and help them move from struggling remnant to a powerful respected Holy nation was a God problem. Why is he taking so long? He's not keeping his promise, but God through Malakai tells them when he's coming is really none of your business. But if there's any reason he's delayed, it's a huge problem. When you read Malakai, you'll be stunned at the snarkiness. God makes a series of statements and they respond with snarky questions back to God.

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God says, I've loved you and they respond. How have you loved us? We don't see that God's answer. I chose Jacob over Esau. You're my special people. The children of Israel. Then God States you've despised my name. They respond. How have we despised your name? God gives them examples, like bringing roadkill animals to the temple for sacrifice. God says, try paying your taxes with that roadkill. See how your governor likes it. God then moves on with other statements. You violated our covenant. You've wearied me with your hypocritical worship. Just shut the doors of the church.

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I hate your worship. You've cheated me and not bringing the tires that I've instructed you to bring, to support the worship of the temple. And you've spoken against me or God each time, the remnant of Judah snarkily retort. How have we violated the covenant? You've gotta be kidding me. Right? How have we wearied you or cheated you? How have we spoken against you? I asked my students if they've ever been in a situation like this and their family, where the parents have given instructions and the kids have been kind of snarky. I've asked them if they've ever had their parents suddenly go very quiet to stop giving them instruction or even communicate with them.

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The silent treatment. I know this has happened with me both as the child and as the parent, I think that's what we see at the end of Malakai. God, having made reasonable statements of concern for his kids, the remnant of Judah and having been disregarded or dealt with in a snarky fashion by his kids. Stop speaking in Jesus' parable language, no longer wanting his pearls to be trampled by swine. At the end of Malakai, God simply says this I'm done speaking to you. And when Malakai closes his mouth has God's last prophet. God doesn't speak to the children of Israel for over 400 years, the silent treatment begins.

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This is pretty stunning. We've just studied 17 sticky note profits, messengers, God sent with warnings and encouragement and hope for God's children. The children of Israel, 17 profits. 19, if you count Elijah and Elisha in a period of less than 400 years, now God will send no one, no one until one day a prophet arises a prophet suspiciously like the prophet Elijah one who he'll send his messenger, who will go before the promise King. And then suddenly the silence will be broken with the coming of the suffering servant, the King, the Stomper, congratulations.

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We've just finished. The 39 books of the old Testament will soon move on to the 27 books of the new Testament. But first I want to do a little wrap up, maybe even a quiz on what you've learned in the old Testament. And we'll do that summary slash old Testament quiz in our next word picture.