Thy Strong Word — Zechariah 6: The Eighth and Final Vision: A Priest and King?!

Zechariah’s final vision sends four powerful chariots from between bronze mountains to patrol the earth, executing God’s sovereign judgment. But the vision gives way to a startling command: Zechariah is to craft a royal crown and place it not on the governor, but on Joshua the High Priest. Why would God command the merging of the royal and priestly offices, an act forbidden in Israel’s history? Or better yet, to whom is this unusual act pointing forward?

The Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Zechariah 6.

The Persian king Cyrus issues an astonishing decree: the exiles may go home. Among them are the Jews—God’s chosen people—whom this pagan ruler not only repatriates, but commands to rebuild the temple of the Lord. Ezra 1–4 tells of their return, the joy of restored worship, and the crushing opposition that brings construction to a standstill. Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah speak with God’s authority, calling His people to courage, repentance, and hope. In Ezra 5–8 the temple is completed, worship flourishes, and hearts are renewed in God’s Word. This series on Thy Strong Word follows the events in the order they happened, revealing how the Lord moves kings and prophets, overcomes opposition, and restores His people.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

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Zechariah 6

A Vision of Four Chariots

6 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. ²The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, ³the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.^[a] ⁴Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” ⁵And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven,^[b] after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. ⁶The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” ⁷When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. ⁸Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.”

The Crown and the Temple

⁹And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁰“Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. ¹¹Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹²And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. ¹³It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there^[c] shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ ¹⁴And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as a reminder to Helem,^[d] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.

¹⁵“And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Footnotes

Zechariah 6:3 Or and the fourth chariot strong dappled horses
Zechariah 6:5 Or These are the four winds of heaven going out
Zechariah 6:13 Or he
Zechariah 6:14 An alternate spelling of Heldai (verse 10)

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.