Week 52 - Zechariah 7-13, & Haggai (Dec. 24-31)
Notes
MALACHI
Date of Authorship: Malachi was written to the Israelite community in Jerusalem which had returned from Exile. Most OT Scholars place the date somewhere between 467 and 444 BC. (recall the Ezra returned in 458 and Nehemiah returned in 445). I side with those who theorize that Malachi was written just before the return and reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah - 467-458 BC (contrary to the timeline shown in the picture above). Malachi does not seem to be aware of any reform-effort in Jerusalem, so i think it is likely that Malachi's prophetic voice prepared Israel to respond so enthusiastically to the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah described in those books.
Author: The name Malachi literally means "my messenger" leading some to wonder whether this is a proper name or a generic title for a prophet. Some ancient Jewish and Christian writers considered this book to be the work of Ezra (Targum, Jerome, & the Babylonian Talmud), but that theory is not well supported. We know very little about Malachi the man. While this would be the only time the proper name "Malachi" appears in the Old Testament, it is not unusual for Hebrew names to have the i ending meaning "my _______."
Purpose: Malachi speaks to a grumbling community who seem to be annoyed and dissatisfied by God. The structure of the book is organized around the complaints of the people that Malachi is responding to. Malachi's response to the Israelite people reminds them of the great love that God has shown for Israel above other peoples, His incredible and miraculous provision for them, their own unfaithfulness that continues to this day, and a promise to purge or call the people of God to bring about righteous followers
Purpose: Haggai is sent by God to compel the people of Judah to resume the construction of the Temple. His initial message is well received, yet he still has work to do. God continues to speak through Haggai to encourage the Israelites even though their building was not as large or magnificent as Solomon’s temple, and he also warns them not to stain or make unclean their building with unfaithful hearts and hands. Haggai’s final prophecy is a reassurance that God’s eternal promise regarding the Davidic covenant will be fulfilled, and a recognition that this fulfillment has already been realized in part in the leadership of Zerubbabel (himself a descendant of David).
APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE IN ZECHARIAH
When you read Zechariah, you may think that you’ve accidentally opened your Bible to Revelation or Daniel. This is because they share traits of a similar genre; Apocalypse Here’s a note from the IVP Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Testament on how to read this style of literature (page 798)
Apocalyptic literature is defined by its characteristics… Apocalypses feature a narrative framework and often portray an angelic interpreter or guide alongside the prophet. The angel may take the prophet on a tour of heavenly realms to convey certain realities and activities. Alternatively he may unveil a future time of trouble and deliverance. This literature operates by means of a broad spectrum of symbols using significant numbers and mythological images. It draws heavily on both biblical and extrabiblical literature. It tends to schematize. When reading apocalyptic literature, there are a couple of important guidelines to keep in mind. First, each detail does not necessarily carry symbolic significance. Even the details that do carry symbolic significance may not be transparent to us and speculating accomplishes little. Second, it is important to remember that the apocalyptic vision is not the message itself but rather it is the vehicle or occasion for the message. So, for instance, the message of the first vision of Zechariah (1:7-17) is not* that there are going to be four horses of different colors in a myrtle grove. The message is laid our very clearly in verses 14-17. Apocalyptic imagery is simply a medium
2 IMPORTANT CHARACTERS IN ZECHARIAH: ZERUBBABEL AND JOSHUA
Joshua is featured in Zechariah, chapter 3. This is not he who fit the battle of Jericho, but the high priest in the early postexilic period. Joshua’s grandfather, Seraiah, was the high priest who was executed by Nebuchadnezzar when Jerusalem fell in 586 BC. There was an important shift in Israelite polity after the exile. Because Israel never truly gained independence (except for a period of decades in the Maccabean period, there was no longer a “king” in Israel, and the Davidic line seems to have fizzled out of existence. The high priest came to possess an increased amount of civil authority and would become the chief political figure in Israelite society. This shift can be observed in Zechariah 3:6-7.
As mentioned above, Zerubbabel was a Davidic heir to the throne of Judah/Israel. In Zechariah, Zerubbabel is the leader under whom God has chosen to have his temple rebuilt (Chapter 4). there was a significant amount of expectation surrounding him that had a messianic flavor to it. Undoubtedly some expected him to set up the promised kingdom and bring freedom from their subjugation to the Persians. The failure of Israel under Zerubbabel to even attempt independence likely led to the disillusionment that Zechariah addresses in chapters 9-14 and the state of disrepair in Jerusalem that was reported to Nehemiah in 445 BC.
ZECHARIAH PART II: CHAPTERS 9-14
The final 6 chapters of Zechariah are a very forward-looking prophecy to the people of Israel. C. Hasseell Bullock does a fantastic job of summarizing the importance of these chapters in An Introduction to the Old Testament: Prophetic Books, a resource we’ve referred to frequently in these reading notes:
Admittedly there is much in chapters 9-14 that is difficult, if not impossible, to explain. However, certain ideas are rather clear. Yahweh will cut off the implements of war and establish His kingdom of peace through the humble king who makes His royal entry riding on a donkey (9:9-10). Indeed Yahweh Himself will take the task of conquest in His own hands and set the captives free (9:11-15).
The royal person who will dominate the new age will be more than a king - he will be the shepherd of the Lord’s flock (11:4-7) who will be ungratefully detested by the sheep. When he should ask for his wages, they will certify their ungrateful spirit by paying him the price for a slave (11:12; Exodus 21:32). The king and the shepherd of Zechariah are evidently one and the same person, for in 11:6 the two words occur in parallel language. The royal status of the shepherd is further substantiated by the description of him as “My Associate” (13:7). The image of the shepherd-king has already been set forth by Ezekiel (34:23-31, 37:24), and Zechariah mixes the hues of that imagery with those of the Suffering Servant to paint the portrait of the Messiah on His apocalyptic canvas. The gospel writers knew those precious phrases from Zechariah, and in them they heard the traumatic events of the passion of Christ expressed.
The kingdom that Zechariah announces is one in which Israel and Yahweh will come to perfect harmony as the covenant stipulated (Zec. 13:9, Exodus 19:5) In other vivid imagery, the holiness that distinguished the Temple precincts and the sacred vessels would be expanded into the common sphere of life. so thoroughly disseminated would be Temple holiness that nay cooking vessel in Judah could be used for sacrificial purposes (14:20-21).
Don’t miss these really sharp instances of messianic imagery/prophecy in this section
Zechariah 9:9 is connected to the triumphal entry of Jesus on Palm Sunday
Zechariah 11:12-13 is connected to Judas’s betrayal of Jesus and the money paid to him by the Jewish officials in Matthew 27.
Zechariah 12:10 “They will look on me, the one they have pierced”
Malachi 3:16 the "Scroll of Remembrance"
In Malachi 3 the names of the faithful remnant were written down in God's presence and they were promised deliverance from the day of the Lord. This scroll seems to be the image returned to in the New Testament with the book of life which is mentioned once in Philippians and six times in the book of Revelation.
The expression "scroll of remembrance" is found only here in Scripture, although the idea of God having a book in which he recorded entries is found elsewhere (e.g., Exodus 32:32; Psalm 139:16; Isaiah 4:3; 65:6; Ezekiel 13:9). Ancient Near Eastern kings often had a record written of the most important events in their reign. It was believed both in Israel and in the ancient Near East that deity kept books as well.
Malachi 3:5 "The Prophet Elijah"
Malachi ends with a very self-aware conclusion seemingly for all of the Old Testament. Malachi 3:4 seems especially disconected from the prophetic message and appropriate for the final words of the Old Testament canon. This parting message features the promise of Elijah who is to proceed the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" We'll see Elijah show up in three different passages of our Luke reading this week. It is not that Elijah would be reincarnated, but rather someone would come who does what Elijah did. This person was John the Baptist. In our Luke reading, John's father Zachariah is told by the angel Gabriel in the temple that his son would "go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah." Now would be a good time to recall what Elijah's function was as a prophet. He appeared when Israel was subsumed in Idolatry of the Canaanite God baal, and he turned the people's hearts against Baal back to the Lord at Mt. Carmel. Absolute in his demands for the worship of Yahweh, Elijah's imposing presence in the vestibule of the future age intimated a day of pure and absolute worship of Israel's God