Teacher: Pastor Chet Lowe

Main Scriptures: Zechariah 1, Ezra 5, Exodus 34, 2 Chronicles 34

• Review
  • Pre-exile
    • There was a unified kingdom. Rehoboam divided the kingdom into two (Israel/Ephraim in the north and Judah in the south).
    • God sent prophets to His people but they didn’t listen nor repent.
  • Mid-exile
    • As a form of discipline, God allowed the Assyrians to conquer the northern kingdom (This turned into Samaria). God also allowed the Babylonians to conquer the southern kingdom. The Babylonians were then conquered by Cyrus and the Persians.
    • Cyrus is the one who made the the decree for Jews to return to Israel.
  • Post-exile
    • The first wave of those who returned were accompanied by Zerubbal. Their job was to rebuild the temple.
      • Zechariah was with this wave.
      • This group face opposition and stopped building.
    • The second wave of those who returned were accompanied by Ezra.
      • 16 years after the restoration had stopped, Haggai exhorted and Zechariah encouraged them to begin again.
• Ezra 5
  • The leaders and prophets worked alongside them in the work of rebuilding (v.1- 2)
    • We all have a role to play in God’s kingdom. Nothing is above or below us.
  • We need to know that where there is a work of God, there will be a work of the enemy (v. 3)
  • But the work of God will always be greater (v. 4-5)
  • We are servants of God and are here to do what He has asked us to do (v. 6-11)
  • We need humility to do God’s work His way (v. 12-17)
• Ezra 6
  • We can trust God will redeem everything the enemy intends for evil (v. 1-12)
• Zechariah 1
  • v. 2 In Ezra 5:12-17, we learned the people humbly accepted God’s anger at their sin
    • We cannot project our fleshly experience with anger onto God
      • “Be angry and do not sin” is possible by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:26)
        • God’s anger and His love are not in tension (Hosea 11:9, Exodus 34:6-7, Psalm 103:8)
          • He was so angry at sin and loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us and rise again
          • God’s anger is always right and loving
  • v. 3-4 God is Lord of Hosts (aka Commander and Chief)
    • The people forgot they were God’s servants
      • They’d developed entitlement because of their “suffering in His name”
        • But God had been discipling them (Haggai 1:6)
    • God used Zechariah to beckon them to return to Him (James 4:8)
      • If we don’t put effort into to staying close to God, we will automatically drift (Hebrews 1:1-2, 2:1)
      • God is always willing and waiting but He allows us to make the choice (James 4:8)
    • We cannot change our history but we can give it God and learn from it
      • We do this by
        • Turning from evil ways (roads) and deeds (actions)
        • Hearing (obeying) Him and heeding (paying attention to) Him
    • God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-11, John 14:15)
  • v. 5 God is also the Lord (aka Jehovah)
    • He used another name to to remind them of their relationship
  • v. 6 God will be faithful to His word
    • He warns us out of His love
      • Apart from relationship with Him, we’re exposed and left to fight our battles on our own